Season gets started on a roll

April 27, 1996
Training has been a little frustrating during the past couple of weeks. After New Zealand, I came back ready to train hard, but I did not take enough recovery time. I took four days of easy riding. I then started another hard training block. I was ok for the first two days, but after a local men's race on the weekend, I felt as if I could barely pedal the whole next week! I think the racing down under took more of a toll than I originally thought, especially when I include all the travel. Sitting scrunched up in an airplane seat for 14 hours and lugging all kinds of cycling equipment through several airports (cyclists can never travel light) does not really count as recovery! Also, the mind is a powerful thing--when you are winning a race, it somehow never hurts nearly as much! I think I dug a little deeper into my reserves than I originally thought. After talking with a few of the other riders who did the race, they said it hit them a week later too!

Last weekend was a four-day stage race in Norman, Oklahoma. It was the last major U.S. race before the Olympic trials and pretty much anybody who is a serious contender for an Olympic spot was there. There was also a relatively long time trial on the third day, so it was a good chance for a reality check on where my time-trialing is compared to the other Americans. I knew going into the race that I have not worked on my time trialing at all this year and only rode my time-trial bike once before the race. I am not at 100 percent by any means, but I hoped to still have a decent showing just based on my general road fitness. I also was not sure if I was fully recovered or not and I knew I had lost some training time due to the extra recovery last week.

The first stage was a short (2.5 mile) time trial that I won. This was a good sign, showing I do have the speed I need, but the true test of whether I also have the endurance would come in the long time trial. The next day was an 80-mile road race. I felt fair, but a little fatigued. The hardest part of the race was near the end when I was caught behind a crash and had to chase back to the pack in the wind (it's always windy in Oklahoma)! The race finished in a field sprint and I was third, about a wheel-width behind Linda Brenneman and Laura Charameda, who are two of the best sprinters in the country right now.

Saturday was the 14-mile time trial. It was fairly flat and windy as usual. It turned out to be a harsh dose of reality for me. Mari Holden, last year's national time trial champion, smoked everyone. She beat second-place finisher, Canadian Clara Hughes, by 45 seconds. Third and fourth places were tied at 5 seconds back, and went to American Allison Dunlap and Canadian Linda Jackson. I was 14 seconds behind them in fifth. I knew during the race I was not having a stellar ride--I was good for about the first 10 minutes, but then I really started to fade.

The last stage was a 45-minute criterium, won by Clara Hughes. I ended up third overall in the race behind Mari and Allison and I was the third American in the time trial. This is respectable, but I certainly cannot afford to lose a minute to anyone in the time trials in the Olympic Trials next month. Mari basically set the standard that the rest of us will have to beat. I know I can improve over the next month with specific training. The only question is will a month be enough time? I have never time trialed well at this time of the year--I usually find my best form in July and August. This is perfect for the Olympics, but if I do not go well in May at the trials, I'll be racing myself in July!

If anything, this reinforces my decision not to go to France for three weeks of racing with the rest of the national team, but instead to stay home and focus on specific time-trial training. My road results so far this year have been pretty good. I do not think I can improve too much in that area in the next month but I can improve my time trialing. Even though reality hurts sometimes, it's much better to know now while there is still some time to do something about it than next month when it's too late! I can also look at the somewhat brighter side--there were a lot of people pretty far behind me and there are some serious Olympic contenders that are in worse shape than I am right now! That's the reality of racing at this level--there is always somebody who is flying on any given weekend and nobody wins all the time. The good thing is that the competition makes everyone stronger and we have a lot of depth in women's cycling in the United States. The three riders who do make the team will most certainly be capable of a medal in Atlanta.