Collegiate Track Nationals: Day 3

After having Friday night off, I was ready to head back to the track Saturday morning for my strongest event: the one kilometer time trial. There we 42 heats, 84 riders contesting the time trial for the men. I was scheduled in heat number 35 paired against the rider from Colorado State that beat me in the 1/8 final of the sprint tournament. Thanks to Jeff Hopkins and the Marian University Cycling team, I had a place and some rollers to warm-up on. Warming up for an all out event that only takes a minute and some change is very important, so I was very grateful for the Marian generosity.

My previous time for the only kilo time trial I've ever done was a 1:10.088, less than one second off that track's record. So as I lined up for my second ever kilo, this time on the national championship stage, some might say my goals of making the the podium were rather lofty. I wanted to go sub 1:08; what it would take to get on the podium compared to last year's times. I knew I could do it. I knew I had improved quite a bit since that first run. I knew I would rise to the occasion of this event. A PR was on the way. I felt like I started strong; time splits afterwards would show I had the slowest first lap of all the top 5 guys though. I kept pressing on for the full 3 laps. I could hear mumbles from the announcer saying some stuff about the current first place. I also heard him announce my competitor's time before I hit the line. I had lost to him, a sinking feeling. But after I cooled down a bit and could breath, I found out we had just set the new fastest times. The Colorado State rider finished in 1:06.6 in first place and myself at 1:06.98 in second place. Seven heats to go to find out if I would be in the top five, make the podium, and bring home a medal.

A few more heats passed and no changes in the top standings. Then I got bumped by two riders. I was in 4th place with one heat, two riders to go. One rider was Baranoski, reigning national champion, so I knew he would beat my time. My fate rested on the time of Marian rider Barrett. I waited, extremely anxious as the announcer came over the PA system with time splits. I was looking good at the halfway mark. However, as both riders hit the line, they both beat my time. I got bumped off the podium on that last heat. I would finish 6th place in the kilo, just barely missing a medal.

Kilo Results

By this point, I was pretty beat. I had struggled with motivation and burn out before heading into nationals and after the disappointing start and then the hard to swallow podium miss in my strongest event, I was pretty toast. Next up were the qualifying scratch heats. Top 9 riders in each of the 3 heats advanced to the major final, the next 8 riders in each heat advanced to the minor final to race for 28th place. The race was fast and mimicked a points race more than a scratch race. I found myself in the front more than I wanted so I wasn't prepared to respond to the attacks when they started going off the front. I found myself pretty far down with maybe 8 laps left to go. I kept pedaling, but without much vigor. Maybe 3 laps to go, the field had slowed down and I could see the bunch together maybe 100 meters in front of me. I thought about it, but couldn't really muster it to close the gap. Even if I had, I would have used so much energy to get there, I wouldn't have been able to sprint for any position (at least that's what I told myself). I kept it together and finished in 17th place, good enough to make the minor final.

After doing the math, I found out I would have to finish 13th or better in the minor final to better my overall omnium points: currently I was in 10th place for the overall. Most of the riders right around me were in the major final, so they would be scoring more points than me. It would be very difficult to make any advances or to even maintain my 10th place standing in the overall. After much consideration and talking to other mentors, I decided to bag the race and call it a weekend. I finished 15th in the overall omnium. I would now have time to pack up my bike, stop by the Olympic Training Center, and go to the Air Force v. Wyoming football game that night at the Air Force Academy. The scratch race would have been good experience, but I wasn't sure if I would have the legs or the proper mental state to be up in the mix to make it worthwhile anyway. So, I had fun at the Air Force football game with a former UTC PT graduate and her friends. I got to meet some cool people and people I will probably be networking with in the future. I think it was the right decision. (All Results)

Olympic Training Center

Air Force v Wyoming game

Overall, I got in a good mix of Colorado vacationing and track racing. I gained some valuable experience and was able to see what the next level looks like. I got to visit a few PT clinics and give my resume to some potential employers. I met up with a PT friend and confirmed the feasibility of packing up and moving to Colorado after graduation. While my performance was not what I was expecting, overall it was a great experience. Something I will remember forever.

Thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way this year. Every bit helps for the student athlete without many resources or experiences. Without any one particular person, I wouldn't have made it as far as I did.
Thanks to: Eddie and Melanie Robbins, Wayne Whitesides, Fran Rudy, Jeff Hopkins, Michael Barman, Joe Marshall, Jamie Ingalls, Andy Sweet, Bob Gentile, Brittany Phelps, Kirk and Kelly Shaffer, UTC & UTC Cycling, Lacy Bobo, and Becca Mabius.

I look forward to the things to come.