Written by: Lauren Jacobsen

(Or, the training was good, the prep for the race was good, the holder…not so good.)

This was a target race for me this year: the National Championship Women’s 50-54 500TT. I did not go last year as I was already heading to Sydney for the World Championships and Nationals were in Pennsylvania, in which the money only goes so far.

Let’s unfold today’s race, shall we? I hope I can provide a lesson learned the hard and fast way.

I was ready to race. I was more than ready to race. I had been on the BTS trainer and on the road doing standing starts, intervals, all in all big, heavy, you gotta launch it then hold it from falling, watts!

I was last heat to go in today’s race. The officials were running two sprinters up on opposite sides of the track. I was on the backside.

Now, the thing about Nationals is that they ARE required to have a digital timer but they ARE NOT required to have a hydraulic gate which means some one (supposed to be a UCI official) is going to hand hold the back of your seat post until you go off the line.

As I climbed into my bike from the high side of the track, my holder swung me to the right, swung me to the left and then right, left, right, left. I thought, “geez, what is up with this guy, too much Labor Day weekend”?

We finally got straight and I said I was ready. Once that happens, the officials have to look at the opposite side of the track to make sure the other rider is also ready. And she was.

The command is “rider ready, timer ready” and if all is yes, then the digital clock starts an audible beeping countdown. At 5 seconds, you better be relaxed but focused and ready to pull a kidney on your start cause from zero rpm, it takes that and more to get a big gear up to sprint speed.

At 3 seconds I feel my bike lean slightly down track. I call “up track”. Unfortunately, my holder was focused elsewhere or just did not hear me. So, my first and second pedal strokes (the most important) lead me straight down track off my intended straight ahead black sprint line.

Basically, I looked like my mother’s old Singer sewing machine doing a zigzag stitch.

I thought, “oh shit”(sorry, but that is what I thought) and I am sure I heard my coach’s “oh shit” (sorry, but that is what he thought), as I took the next pedal stroke to correct and get back up on the line.

Fortunately, one training tool we have been implementing this season is getting in touch with my angry side. Well, I am sooo pissed now I just tore up the track mentally yelling to myself “YOU RIP YOUR LEGS OFF AND MAKE THIS TIME UP -NOW!!!”

I almost did…but I didn’t. I lost this race by 9/100ths of a second. Blink your eye and that was my miss. Incredible isn’t it? But as I have said before, you can lose by 1/1000th so it is hell pay, if you wanna play.

So, what can I do, what can I say? I can say this: if you are at the start and you don’t feel comfortable with whom ever has the back of your bike and you find your track bike drifting with 3 seconds to go, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD YOU TRY AND COMPENSATE BY THINKING “it’s just a little off”.

Stop your starter and either get the holder to do their job, or get another holder.

I head back up on Sunday for Team Sprint. I have the opening lap. I have already sorted out the UCI official I want to hold my bike. Then, I fully plan to ride that one lap like my ass is on fire and the only thing that will put it out is a red, white and blue Championship jersey!

Grrrr.