This Is What a Crazy, Totally Typical Race Day Is Like for Alison Tetrick
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At the inaugural women’s U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge, a three-day race through the Rocky Mountains, journalist Ian Dille and photographer Sam Wiebe followed professional cyclist Alison Tetrick of Optum Pro Cycling as she prepared for and competed in the race's second stage, a mountainous 58-mile route from Loveland to Fort Collins.
Wake up. Wake up?
Floorboards creak. Kitchen faucet runs. Coffee grinder grinds. Jonathan and J.J. New house, new hosts. Evergreen, Nederland, Fort Collins, Breckenridge, Fort Collins.
Wake up! Slippers.
This room.
Clean up, later.
Breakfast, now. Packet of grits. Banana. Yogurt—Tried. True. Trusted.
“Do you want an egg sandwich?” Says Jonathan.
Yes!
“How about some coffee?” Asks J.J.
Heaven.
Laptop. Cycling News. Yesterday’s time-trial re-cap: “Two riders, including Alison Tetrick (Optum), a pre-race favourite and the fourth-to-last rider to start, fell off the starting ramp.” Fell off—harsh. Wobbled, bobbled, slipped—better. Still, sigh. Today will be better. Today will be better. Today will be better. If the stars align.
Back porch. Garden. Sun. This house, this beautiful nearly 100-year-old house that Jonathan, an architect, and J.J. redesigned and rebuilt themselves. This house, that is so often opened to wandering pro bike racers—thank you.
Conversation. “It must be really stressful, all this, worrying about your training, and your diet, and preparing for these big races,” says J.J., a bike racer herself.
All this? No. No, this shouldn’t be stressful. “J.J., you’re a public defender. You are saving people’s lives. This isn’t stressful. This is just bike racing.”
9:30 a.m.
To the race. Team emblazoned polo. Vasque shoes. Thule bag. Acura RDX team car. A walking, rolling sponsor-representing billboard.
Teammates. Laughter. More laughter. Just like in college, on the tennis team, on scholarship at Abilene Christian University. Love this sport. Love this team.
Team director, Pat McCarty: “So, do you guys want to win today?”
“Yes,” in unison.
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10:07 a.m.
Frankie Andreu, at the start area, a sprawling parking lot at an event center in Loveland. The lovable, former pro turned television personality, Frankie Andreu, and he wants to do an interview about the Women’s Cycling Association, the organization working to raise the ceiling for female bike racers and to foster more equity in the sport—the organization that helped bring this women’s race to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Frankie Andreu is annoyed. Sorry. The interview can’t happen until there’s a brief pow-wow with the head of the WCA, Robin Farina, about the organization’s talking points.
This is a really huge event, to be able to race alongside the men, on this platform with this level of exposure. My team, Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies, made it a priority to come out and support this event and we hope it grows in the future to more days and provides more opportunities for women’s cycling.
Tight rope, walked.
Team meeting, Pat: “Forget about yesterday. Key off other teams. Attack the start of the race. Look for the early break.”
Pensive. Were you racing for yourself, everything would need to go perfectly—how it’s raced, the wind. But you have a job to do for the team.
Bibs. Jersey. Shoes. Clif Bars. Clif Shots. Braid hair. Pink bow.
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Study race bible. Sprint point. Cattle guard, meadow, right turn, mountain. Finish. Transcribe to tape. Tape to stem.
Tape over power meter. Tape over heart rate. Doesn’t matter. Just race.
Team sign-in. Smile. Wave. Engage. Inspire.
11:35 a.m.
Start.
Wind. Gutter. Hold the wheel. Move up. Move up!
Sprint, downtown Loveland.
Breakaway, 1 minute and 40 seconds. Breathe. Bottle. Clif Shot.
Hills. More Hills.
Breakaway, 1 minute. Breakaway, 50 seconds, Breakaway, 30 seconds. All together.
Attack. Attack! Alone. Leading the race.
12:52 p.m.
Fight. Fight. Fight. Hold the wheel. Alone. Off the back.
In the caravan. Hold the bumper. Take the bottle. Find a group. The last cattle guard. The meadow. The right turn. The mountain. Wow, the mountain. Crap, the mountain.
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Fans. Man in chicken suit. Teenage girls. Woman with sign, U R STRONG. Fans. Twenty-five thousand on Twitter. Thirteen-thousand on Instagram. Smile. Suffer. Inspire. Don’t ever finish a race with regrets.
Finish. Chair. Shade. Sandwich. Look for hole to hide in.
Self talk.You are a good bike racer. You have won against better fields. You are a good bike racer. You are a good person. You want results. Results don’t define you.
Smile. Don’t have a bad attitude. Meltdown, later.
Call Dean. Coach, Zen master:
After the race, no point in moping that you didn’t close that gap—wasted energy.”
Dean, sage: “I won’t ever give up on you.”
Shower.
Disassemble and box time-trial bike in the shed that serves as Jonathan and J.J.’s wood-working shop, where they make cabinets and furniture for their home, and also restore classic road bikes, and also repair bikes for neighborhood kids.
Give Jonathan and J.J. gift, tin of Jelly Belly jellybeans. They’ve never eaten a Jelly Belly. They’ve never eaten a Jelly Belly? They’ve never eaten a Jelly Belly!
Brush hair. Do interview. Team polo. Team car. Team dinner.
El Monte Grill and Lounge. Fresh guacamole. Handmade tortillas. Succulent duck mole. Margarita. Blessed, salt-rimmed margarita.
Teammates. Laughter.
8:00 p.m.
Private dining room. Team meet and greet. Small talk. “I grew up in a conservative home, on a cattle ranch near Redding, California, so oh yes, I’m very familiar with Focus on the Family.”
Another margarita?
10:17 p.m.
Slippers.
The week ahead: Colorado Springs, USA Cycling Board Member Meeting. School, PhD program in neuropsychology. Work, Amgen corporate marketing.
Bed.
The week ahead: Bike riding, always.
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