Look, no one is sleeping!
Okay, so I ran out of time and didn’t post updates while I was in Colorado. Overall, I had a great time over the 10 days that I was away from home. Coaching at a National Camp has been my dream for many years and I hope to have more opportunities in the future. I learned a lot from Clay Worthington and from the athletes too. The other coaches were inspirational - Colby Pierce (Livestrong) joined us on days 6 though 8, and Cari Higgins (Proman) was there all week.
“That’s an accident waiting to happen” was my very first reaction when I saw a Madison about 15 years ago. If not schooled correctly, it’s easy to see most Madison races that way. It has been Clay’s ambition to change Madison races to be run off more like points races than shattered fields of riders. Obviously, I’m not the best Madison rider around (although I’ve won 6 state championships with 5 different partners ;-). Even still, I now fully appreciate that Clay tossed these national caliber athletes into the most sophisticated of cycling events and that the athletes responded without fear and with confidence.
Day 5- day after the rest day and you begin to understand why stage racers work their rest day! The group looks groggy and out of sorts.
Day 6- energy is back up as we have a morning session and then an option to race at night. It’s the final Madison event of the year in COS. We’ve got 4 junior teams duking it out with Colby and his teammate. The juniors score 2nd, 4th and 5th in the 40L chase, 5L scratch, 15L scratch, 80L chase format. Yours truly was DQ’d for dropping back and helping out one of the junior teams. Doh!
Day 7- 30mph winds kept us off the track so we were back in the classroom and then on the road in the afternoon.
Fast forward to Day 8 (Saturday, September 12) and we are looking at 12 teams of two riders exchanging in harmony, so much more coordinated than back on Day 2. Riders are staying on the pedals before and during the exchanges, relief riders better understand their roles and drop down with precision, exchanges are made powerfully and the speeds are up! Wow, what a week!
577km (358 miles) in 8 days! Great memories.
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