Yes! Cycling is a team sport... especially at Nationals

I placed 49th in today's USA Cycling Masters 50+ Road Race Championships.  That fact may have given you the image that I am saddened by this result at such an important event.  Okay, not just an "important" event, but the pinnacle of our season.  The race that defines us and has defined Team Specialized for the 25 years that we've been in this sport.  This is my 19th year with this team and it has always been very clear that USA Cycling National Championships have always been our teams goal.  Okay, we've had a few world champions on our team and that's pretty cool, but this is our week at nationals, so let's stay focused!

So, why am I still smiling some 6 hours after our race?  I'm smiling because my teammate for the past 18 years - Kevin Metcalfe just defended his road race championship and I helped.  So did teammate Don Langley.  Kevin wanted the race to the last climb to be fast and together so that he could do his climbing thing in the last 9km.  That's not exactly the same as dropping teammate Dean LaBerge off with 200m to go, but Kevin capitalized on our work and made us look good for our sacrifices. 

What all may not know is that Kevin is bouncing back from two broken collarbones in the past eight months.  He was on the House of Pain ride in December for the first fall and at the Fast and Furious Crit just 32 days ago when he broke his other collarbone.  That's a lot of turbo trainer rides!  BUT, it's also a lot of time to zero in on a season long goal of repeating your national championship.

We ask, but it's never easy for our junior teammates and those that attend the USA Cycling West Coast Regional Camp to talk to their parents about teamwork.  If done correctly, a teammate may win because of sacrifices one makes to the team.  Telling a parent that you placed 49th (or whatever) should be easy because of the true feeling one gets when their teammate wins.  It feels as good as winning yourself.  I know this to be true today because I cannot climb like Kevin.  I was realistic and willing to help him, so that the team came out on top.

I missed the action when the final split was made but the results tell the rest of the story.  Kevin rode in solo, which is a feat unto itself, but it's also a tactic because he challenged other teams to work together to catch him.  Oh, that feels so good to win!

Three big messages in this post - the importance of our preparation and performances at Nationals; the importance of bouncing back from setbacks, and the importance of teamwork!  Thanks for reading.  Cheers, Larry

Congratulations on your win Kevin.  It was Don and my pleasure to help you win this one!  Cheers, Larry