It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.....
As I sit and reflect back on the happenings of one week ago, I still can't believe it all. After waking up on the morning of my 28th birthday and finding that my brand new racing bike was stolen from my car just two days before the National Championships, I felt totally lost and violated. Last Tuesday was a day that I hope never repeats itself.
As an elite athlete, you put everything you've got into your preparation for big events. The Track National Championships was my goal race this year and a race that I had my eyes set on since the season began. All of my training and racing up to this point was geared towards making me the strongest and smartest racer I could be come October 1st. And I was feeling good. I finally felt like I had done everything right up until this point. I hadn't peaked yet, I hadn't over-trained, and I was confident that I had done my homework.
All of that changed in a matter of minutes when I discovered the morning before Nationals that my race bike and gear had been stolen from my car. I was devastated, lost, and extremely angry. I went through the day, which seemed like a week, trying to keep my head above water. I had people from all over the map calling me, wishing me luck, offering to let me use their equipment, and even offering to go to the local flea markets in search of my bike. The response was amazing. People were so generous and helpful, sacrificing their time and their equipment, so that I could still chase my dream and win a National Championship.
Late that same evening, we got a call from the police. They had recovered my bike, but not my bag. I was overwhelmed and ecstatic. The next morning we were off to L.A.with my BMC Track Machine on the roof rack of my car. The emotional roller-coaster of that one day, was more than I could imagine, but I was finally able to let go of it all and focus on my races. I had my bike back.
Everyone at the track, fellow riders, coaches, and spectators, had heard about the incident with my bike. They offered their condolences about the robbery, but all said how glad they were to see my bike was recovered. My first race was later that evening, the Team Pursuit. This is an event with three riders from the same team who race against the clock together for a distance of 3 kilometers. The team with the fastest time is declared the winner. My team finished 2nd, just 1.4 seconds off the winning time. We just missed the National Championship. This was just the motivation I needed to compete in my next race, the Scratch Race.
The Scratch Race is a 40-lap race (10 km) and the winner at the end is the person who crosses the line first. It is similar to a criterium in road racing, but it is much shorter in distance. After two qualifying heats, the field was limited to 16 riders. After racing aggressively in my heat, I decided to take a different approach to my race tactics in the final. I chose to play a more conservative role in the first 20 laps of the race and sort of feel out the rest of the riders. I watched many of my competitors fight it out on the front of the race, covering attacks, initiating attacks, and closing gaps. All the while, I sat on the back and waited for my moment. I felt great in the race, only doing work when I needed to and conserving energy wherever possible. I also had my teammate, Megan, at the front of the pack who was controlling any dangerous moves for me.
With about 10 laps to go, I started making my way up to the front of the race and holding position within the top 6 riders. With 5 to go a strong pursuit rider attacked and got a gap just off the front end of the pack. One rider was in front of me and began the chase to bring her back. But she moved up right away and I was left to close the gap. I did not hesitate. I closed the gap as quickly as possible to ensure that others behind me had to work. When I caught the rider's wheel in front of me she pulled for 1/2 lap more and then swung up track. Now I am on the front with 2.5 laps to go in the race and the field behind me is strung out. I did not hesitate. I hit the pedals full gas. It was now or never. When I went through the start/finish with 1 to go, I had only one rider on my wheel but she was glued on there and I thought for sure she would be able to come around me in the last turn. I didn't care, I had to go for it anyways. I buried myself for the line and even though my legs were burning and my form was diminishing, I pulled and grabbed and fought with everything I had to make my final bid for the line. As she tried to come over the top between turn 3 and 4, I gave a little tiny hook and threw her off just enough to disrupt her progress. As the drag race began in the straight away, I could hear the voice inside my head saying, "You will NOT lose this race." And I knew I was NOT going to lose. I threw my bike across the line and pulled off the biggest victory of my cycling career. I was a National Champion!
I would soak in the glory of that victory for the next 30 minutes. The smiles on my face were uncontrollable, the happy dance was in full-effect, and I was calling everyone I knew. I wanted to share this moment with as many people as possible.
It went from the worst of times, to the absolute best of times in a matter of three days. I will never forget this experience. What I learned from this experience is that there are some pretty amazing, generous, and caring people out there. I couldn't have made it through that day and stayed focused on my goals without their support. I share this championship with so many people that have become like family to me over the last few years. I realize how fortunate I am to be surrounded by this community and my heart goes out to everyone who reached out to me last week. I can't thank you all enough.
Thanks for reading ~ Shelley
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