TJDu-@aol.com
Hi Everybody,
For Bike Racers still on this list, the following narative is inspiring and
enjoyable. I had the opportunity to travel with Adam to Nationals and
enjoyed every minute, except when my soy hot chocolate spilled when I woke
from my snooze, a whole different story.
Go Adam!!!!!
Tom Durkin
Subject: Jazzy's European Adventure, Vol. 1
From: amye-@aol.comANTISPAM (Adam Hodges Myerson)
Date: Mon, 27 December 1999 03:12 PM EST
Message-id: <19991227151255.01103.00001286@ng-fj1.aol.com>
December 24th, 1999
So, I've just had a nice vegetarian meal, finished off with a glass of
cognac.
Sounds nice, doesn't it? Except that I'm on a plane to Europe, and I'm
actually
having a miserable time, because I just don't want to go. Maybe I should back
up a bit and explain...
I was supposed to retire from racing this year. Last fall I got married, quit
the team I was riding for, and got a job. I obviously kept racing, though;
retirement for me simply meant retirement from being a full-time bike racer.
No
more traveling from race to race, sleeping on friends' floors, or scraping up
rent from prize winnings. I was going to retire to the life of the local bike
racer with fun as a top priority, my only goal to be as fit as I could with
the
time that I had to train.
And I did that. We started a new club in Northampton, and I had the time of
my
life racing with guys who were my friends first, and cyclists second. I got to
do some New England races that I hadn't done since I was a junior, and some
that had popped up while I was out trying to make a career. I was reminded
that
New England is the Belgium of the US: a ton of good races in a really small
area, packed with talented local riders who revel in hard conditions. It was
beautiful.
But work sucked! I hadn't been in an environment that oppressive since high
school, and it was only a matter of time before I had to get out of there or
go
postal. I was considering going back to school to get certified to teach,
which
had been my career plan for years. At the same time I had been picking up more
and more coaching clients as the year went on. At some point the light bulb
went off, and I realized that coaching full-time was the best way to satisfy
my
desire to be a teacher, pass on my cycling knowledge, and work for myself. And
so that was that. Working at home then allowed me the flexibility to train
again. And being a cycling coach essentially necessitated my presence and
involvement at the races. So, with the new 'cross season on the horizon, I was
a bike racer again. SuperCups, here I come!
It was then that I was contacted by Peter Wedge, a friend of mine from Canada
who races mountain bikes for Mapei-Kona. We'd raced together as juniors at the
Tour de L'Abitibi, and had both raced 'cross in Switzerland in 1997. A German
rider named Tobias Nestle had contacted him about coming over in October to do
the East Coast SuperCups in Boston and New York. Peter put him in touch with
me, and since I have about a metric ton of karmic debt to repay I offered to
put him up. That was that!
Tobias was excited to race in the US, and he had a grand time. He was a great
houseguest, a good training partner, and just a generally cool guy to hang out
with. I don't think he'd even gotten to Northampton, though, when he made me
the offer I couldn't refuse: he invited me to come back to Germany with him to
race. I was a bike racer again, what could I say?
But my performance in the Boston SuperCup filled me with doubts. I had been
racing really well up to that point, and was leading the New England series.
The first signs of bad form showed themselves in the ECV race the day before.
After getting away on the first lap with Tim Johnson and Tobias, I faded back
to the next group, and hung on for dear life until I crashed bunny-hopping a
hurdle, and eventually quit the race. Again on Sunday I started well and rode
with the leaders until a wave of fatigue overtook me. I faded and faded until
riders I had never seen before started passing me. It was time to cut my
losses
and quit the race. Going to Europe was off, and I doubted I would even bother
with the West Coast SuperCups or nationals.
I got sick the next day, of course, and took the rest of the week leading up
to the New York SuperCup easy. By the end of the week I was coming around, so
I
opened up a bit the day before the race. I don't know what happened, but I
pulled a big ride out of my ass in New York, and wound up 10th. This time I
didn't try to ride with the lead group, but instead backed off before I blew.
I
rode comfortably in the second group, and was even able to cover some attacks
throughout the race. The short, steep hills on the course definitely hurt me,
but I stayed on over the tops, recovered on the flats, and tried to ride a
tactical race. Justin Robinson got away from me on the last hill, but I beat
everyone else in the group to take the sprint. So that was it; since you live
and die by your last race, no matter how stupid you know that is, I was going
to Europe again!
I continued to ride decently in the next few races, and won the sprint from
my
group again in Chicago to take 14th there, and move into the top 20 over all
for the SuperCup. I was 99% sure I was going to Europe now, and my plan was
just to go for a few weeks at the end of the season. Even though I was going
well, I had no pretensions of going to Worlds, and I didn't want to be away
from home for more that a few weeks. There's a lot of racing in Europe between
Christmas and the New Year, so I figured I go then and come home on the 9th
when the Euros have their national championships. Nice, short trip, and I
could
take my break the last two weeks of January.
It was a great plan. But somehow I let my ambition get the best of me, and
here's where things got out of hand. Tobi told me he was going to do the World
Cup in Holland on January 2nd, and since there were only two Americans doing
the race out of a possible five, I should try and start, too. Hell, yeah!
World
Cup! And if I was going to do the one in Holland on the 2nd, what not stay and
do the one in France on the 16th? And if I stay to do the one in France on the
16th, why not stay and do the SuperPrestige in Switzerland on the 24th? And if
I stay for the SuperPrestige on the 24th, why not stay one more week and go
watch Worlds, or maybe get to ride if I'm lucky? So with one small suggestion,
I was making plans for a 6-week trip. I called Timmy J. to see what the deal
was with riding the World Cups. He put me in touch with the right people, and
permission was granted! David Mayer-Oakes at USACycling conferred with Sean
Petty, said it was a go, and said they'd get me a USA uniform out before I
leave. I bought my ticket that day!
At this point I figured the trip was going to be a last hurrah sort of thing.
I wasn't necessarily trying to make a career anymore like Timmy was, nor did I
think I was talented enough to, anyway. I wanted to go for the experience,
because I had the chance; and I know I'd regret it later if I didn't take
advantage of it. At the very least, I knew I'd become a better coach, and
perhaps even a better person. Besides, both Timmy and Tobi promised me we'd
have fun. Even my wife talked me into going. (Actually, that makes sense, I
guess. But we won't go there.) I had gotten top 20 again in Seattle, so I had
some confidence going, too.
And then I went out to Portland. And I sucked. And then I went out to San
Francisco. And I still sucked. And then I got home from nationals, and not
only
was there no USA uniform for me, this was the reply from Jiri Mainus when I
tried to track one down. (His English seems to get worse when it's convenient
for him. I call it the "Gaggioli Affect"):
Dear Adam,
Thank you for the information. I am in present in winter park my holiday.
Any races in Europe accept UCI World Cup you may participate with your club
uniforms. We will provide national team uniforms for athletes selected for the
World Championships.
I wish you good luck in Europe.
jm
No shit, buddy, thanks for the help. You know, it's this guy's job to help
riders compete internationally. His job description is "International
Competition Director." As far as he was concerned, though I was just ruining
his vacation. So, even though I had been given permission to enter the World
Cups weeks before, and was told there was a uniform on the way, it seemed now
that since I was wasn't on the World's Team they weren't going to spend an
extra dollar on me. I was making them do their job, but as a 'cross rider I
wasn't going to win any Olympic medals and increase their USOC funding, so I
was simply an annoyance. Luckily for me, I was already entered in the World
Cups, and had contracts for the four other races that weren't World Cups.
Timmy
said he'd loan me a jersey, so I guess all was not lost. It's just
discouraging
to try to get to the highest level of the sport in spite of your federation,
instead of with it's assistance.
So, anyway, all at once my world seemed be falling apart. I was beginning to
question again whether or not I even deserved to be at those races. And even
so, what was the point of traveling across the world, away from my life, away
from my wife, just to try not to get lapped in some 'cross races I really
wasn't good enough to be in in the first place. At this point, it all just
felt
like more trouble than it's worth. Not to mention they charged my 90 freakin'
dollars for my bike because it was overweight, even though I only checked 2
bags. God dammit!
But I'm still here. I didn't run off the plane just before take-off, even
though I pictured it. And I didn't run any of the last-minute Christmas
shoppers down in Nothampton today while I did my last-minute errands before I
left, though I pictured that, too. I almost just stayed in bed this morning,
which might have been the best thing to do.
But tomorrow's Christmas, and I'll be in Europe. We'll see what happens, I
guess.
Adam Hodges Myerson-<AMye-@REMOVETHISaol.com>
"I am a man more sinned against than sinning."
<http://members.aol.com/amyerson/ >-My homepage
<http://www.noho.com/ncc/ >-The Northampton Cycling Club