Hey all,
Sorry I've been MIA for a bit, racing, training, working, studying, its had me pretty busy. But I definitely wanted to write up a race report from Michigan Champs a couple weeks ago. More importantly though, I wanted to give everyone a heads up on a recent story in the world of sports that has basically gone unnoticed, but is deserving of much more attention than it received.
First though, the race report. With Tawas getting cancelled, I had to do the next best thing, find a race that was tough, at least olympic distance, and within a week of the Tawas race. Enter - the Michigan/Mideast Regional Championships in Belle Isle, MI. I wasn't super thrilled about the idea of racing short, however, I knew that I needed to race, going 7 weeks without one had me climbing the walls.
So I headed to Detriot, a short 5 minute ride from Belle Isle, and got ready to throw down. The course was flat and fast, 4 loops of the bike, 2 loops for the second run. First run wasn't marked, so it meant focusing on the lead bike to ensure we knew where we were headed. On Sunday morning, September 15, it was go time. I knew I had to win this one to help my confidence and find out exactly what the last 2 months of training had gotten me.
The competition was tough, and the first run seemed to drag on, as myself and another guy followed the lead bike, who seemed to be taking us on a wild goose chase. Not knowing where we were, we kept hammering at the front, and built up a lead. With the transition area in the distance, I slightly backed off the pace, wanting to give my legs a chance to have plenty of gas to hit the bike hard. I was about 15 seconds down on the leader as I headed out of T1.
Once on the bike, I put the hammer down and never let off the gas. I was averaging 26 mph, not wanting to let anyone draft off me, and wanting to stay as close to the leader as possible. By the third lap, I had taken the lead, and dug even deeper, flying around turns, which was made easier thanks to a completely closed bike course making for some really great opportunities to really blast it. I hit the second run and was told that I was down 1 minute on the leader. That caused a bit of concern, since I never got passed on the bike, so I went really hard on the first loop, trying to track down who this new "leader" was. As I came up on the guy, I asked him in short sentences if he did the entire bike. He admitted he didn't and once he saw me, he promptly stopped and went to the RD and told him he hadn't completed the course. I didn't want to leave any doubt, so I buried myself all the way to the finish, completing the course in 1:55:32, my fastest time ever at an Olympic Distance Duathlon. It was worth every second of pain, every minute of training, every sacrifice. Knowing I was capable of going sub 2, made me realize that I had a lot more than I thought, and still have much more to learn and develop.The win provided satisfaction at discovering that even though I had been focusing on long course racing and training, I still had the strength to put out a great effort at something shorter. Now, the focus shifts to the 100 mile du in less than 12 days, and I am extremely excited about it.
Now, on to the story I alluded to earlier. A couple weeks ago, the Vuelta E Espana, or The Tour of Spain finished. And it was by far, the best Grand Tour I have seen in the last few years. The beauty and majesty of the mountains, the battle of pure climbers from Spain and Italy, combating the American, Chris Horner, for supremacy of he highest peaks. The drama, the sheer will of the riders, it was nothing short of beautiful. 3 weeks through the Alps and Pyrenees, the undulating flats of Spain, it was truly a spectacle. And the man who rose above the rest, who did it by beating the climbers at their own game - the American Chris Horner. Did I mention Horner is 41 years old? That he has had less than an easy road to being a member of a Pro Tour team, fighting for every place, every race win, everything he has gained? That he was written off at the start of the season due to injury and his age? Yeah, all that and more.
Horner became well known when he gave Lance Armstrong a run for his money in the 2004 Tour De Georgia while riding for a Pro Continental Team, then earning a spot on the Astana/Radioshack team, where he found himself back in Europe, racing for Armstrong, and then, getting his own wins at big races, avoiding any of the Armstrong scandal, since Horner had ridden clean, and then found himself as a team leader at Radioshack. The start of this season, Horner was injured, and not expected to do much. But, being the determined athlete he is, he came back to end the season in grand style, showing up very fit, and really ready to race. He schooled younger Grand Tour winners and potential winners, breaking them on the steepest of climbs, and never let his competition take it away from him. His win was a feel good for us older pro endurance athletes, showing that age is not a limiter. And that's not some corny bullshit line to get people pumped to compete. This is a guy who has made it clear that as long as he's breathing, he's coming to whoop someone's ass. That's something that I know I aspire to. Watching what he did, and how he did it, it was beyond inspiring. It was a show of force, will, determination and pride. Pride as an ambassador for the US, pride as an older member of the pro peleton, and confidence in his ability to beat anyone because he has worked harder than the rest.
This story won't get much press. Why? Because cycling has been tainted thanks to the dopers, and many people who have tired of it, have walked away. But it still remains one of the most beautiful sports, at least to me, and provides some of the most raw and primal images of athletes - man vs. the mountain.
I hope Chris's story inspires you as much as it did me. Let it show you that you are your own biggest obstacle, and once you realize it, and get out of your own way, impossible is nothing. Age doesn't matter. Stop making bullshit excuses as to why you can't. I'm so tired of hearing the litany of reasons people "can't" do something. Healthy people, people with 10 fingers, 10 toes, two eyes, etc, complain of small aches and pains from training on one side of their mouth, while claiming they want to achieve major success in sport or in fitness, its maddening. Bottom line - hard work is hard, but its worth every minute. Time to decide if you are going to Harden the F Up, or be prepared to never realize how much potential you truly have. So, who are you going to be - the all show and no go, or all go with no show? That's your call.
Stay strong,
Guy
