Once again that’s the sentiment that stayed with me for about an hour after yet another sobering and confidence blowing Criterium. I fell off the pack and made a huge mistake in assuming a free lap to try to get back on. I should have just kept going but I didn’t and that’s what I have to live with.
My initial resolve: “This is it; I’m done. I should just go back to being a cyclist for the sake of riding a bike and continue to ride strong on long rides. I also thought about the New Jersey Gran Fondo on August 28. It’s 103 miles and about 10,000 feet of climbing. Maybe that should be my focus instead of the ongoing humiliation of crit racing.” (http://granfondonj.com/home.html)
Once the dust settled I came down from that infamous ledge I perch on after every race. I realized I am not really ready to walk away from racing. For me, there is nothing worse than giving up. I committed to racing several months ago and need to honor my decision. Collective wisdom (and hugs) from friends and teammates also continue to help me see light at the end of the tunnel.
Most new racers experience a tough start and must put things in perspective if they want to stick with it. Based on the advice I am given, you have to commit to more than one season in order to achieve any level of success. And by success I mean hanging with a pack; not necessarily getting on a podium. Unless you are a natural talent and/or born athlete who turns everything to gold, you can’t call yourself a “bike racer” after one season of racing. As our coach Cyndi yesterday, “if racing were easy more people would do it.”
Mentally you have to bring yourself back from failures and try not concern yourself too much with others who are stronger, faster and more experienced. They don’t care that you don’t finish or get dropped from the pack; they are only concerned with how they did in the race. After a race, talk to your coach and identify what you need to accomplish to be better in the next race, e.g., sustained intensities, accelerations, cornering. Make this part of your training and part of touring rides.
Give yourself credit by finding at least one thing you did better than the last race. Dig deep enough and you’ll find something. That’s where the realization of improvement begins and that’s the beginning of the road to the next race.
Feel free to share your race stories.
"These riders, once not even considered worthy of a training ride...are about to steal the day." – Phil Liggett
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