Blather on Bicycling

A few years ago when I first started racing, I had my first chance to compare my TT time to Armstrong. Since then, I have anticipated any the opportunity for comparison to what has become my benchmark of me vs world’s best. Armstrong is a former world champion and now reigning gold medalist. Usually I got trounced by a couple minutes, so when I lined up with her this weekend at Slammer I wasn’t very optimistic. Kristin promptly got in the break, I thought I had once again fallen short of my mark.

A few laps later, I began going really fast on the downwind section. In fact, it was so fast our pace car was spun out too. Soon it was a group of 3 of us chasing the break. As 2 riders began appearing before us, the crux of my race occurred. Read more

Before the race I had done some recon and picked out the perfect spot.  I had some prior racing experience, but this would be my first run on a major mountain and I wanted to be ready. When the day arrived, I worked my way to my spot, and there I saw Dore warming up. This meant that even though I was a rookie, I had big-game talent in choosing the right position. When you encounter someone with as much experience on the European circuit as Dore, you bow down to learn from the master. I’ve been observing his performances at big races like the Giro, the Tour, and the Vuelta for quite a few years now. Judging by the fans’ reaction, I wasn’t the only one who admired his work. So, I turned and joined him in his warm-up. Read more