As a cycling coach, I take great pleasure when my clients do well, and feel the grief when things don’t – sometimes even more than they do! Two were in action last weekend…
Two of my American coaching clients (and friends, may I add) were in action this past weekend, and both rode very well with slightly different outcomes…
Texan Alec Gates (owner of Taipei Bike Works, see my video on his store here), took 3rd in his age group (35+) at the Taichung Gravel Fundo, a 25km route along a river that was fairly flat with one gnarly 45 degree downhill.
Describing the race to me on a recent ride, Alec said he was pleasantly surprised to find himself with the lead group but lost contact when an e-bike rider flew past and the others flew onto his wheel. Also not helping was a small tumble that lost him a few more seconds.
In the end a strong finish over several kilometers at threshold got him into 3rd place, and without that tumble – and maybe the ebike! – he’d have been even higher. It was a great showing though and I’m happy with this ride, as Alec’s schedule (shop and life, etc) has meant that his training has been very disrupted. It just goes to show though that if you get a good base set, the basics are going to be there in the legs when you need them.
In another part of Asia, Shanghai in fact, Utah native Taylor Price was racing in a 3 man TTT with his Specialized Roval teammates. Taylor has also seen his training disrupted, with several trips back and forth to Utah scuppering his training – not to mention several interminable enforced quarantines courtesy of the Chinese government.
I first met Taylor back in about 2012 I think, when I was winning the Tour of Friendship, and he asked me how I was training. A while later he came on board as a client, and ever since then he’s just been getting stronger and stronger, to the point that he’s one of the top riders in Shanghai, and particularly in the ITT.
The three were averaging 46km/hr on a windy course and all was looking good when he “managed to get a massive nail sideways through the rear tire.”
!!!
“We were the fastest team on the course by a minute plus, even with just two guys, and other teams having 4 riders. But, needed three to finish to get a result…”
Bad luck fella, but the form is good!
