An Unlikely Elite An Unlikely Elite by Vicki Thomas 1 An Unlikely Elite Preface I started this book last spring. Iʼm not really sure where the idea came from to write this book. It just really seemed to make sense to spend time writing something more than blog posts about my life as a cyclo-cross racer. In 2008 I set a big goal of racing at the elite World Cyclo-Cross Championships. This was really my “pie in the sky” goal. I really wanted to accomplish it but I wasnʼt sure I could do it. But with the amazing support from my husband Marc, my coach Steve Weller, my sponsors, and my training partners - I achieved my goal and raced at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic in January 2010. This race truly was a dream race for me. Everything went right and I had one of those perfect days on the bike. A true culmination of the training, hard work and sacrifices made along the way. It is now early February 2011 and Iʼm just about to return home to Ottawa after spending three months in Belgium. This past cyclo-cross season did not go as planned. In addition to racing my competitors, I unfortunately was battling my body and this time my body won out. My body and my ulcerative colitis forced me to stop racing and training and my 2010-2011 season ended with the Koksijde World Cup in late November. This definitely was not according to plan. The experiences of this past season have made this book even more special to me. During the writing, editing and thinking about this book, Iʼve had the chance to relive the highs and lows that got me to the big race in Tabor. There have been some tough moments this season but I always had this book to work on and it served as a reminder to me that anything truly is possible. In the end, this book which I started as a way to tell my story so you could be inspired to achieve your goals, has helped me just as much. I hope you find some inspiration from my book and if anything realize that we are only limited by ourselves. 2 An Unlikely Elite January 31, 2010 a date I had been thinking and dreaming of for more than a year. This date propelled me forward and kept me pushing down on the pedals day in and day out. And now it was here. Kind of surreal. Kind of awesome. Really when I think back to that day, it seems like a dream. Suppose this is because I wanted to be there in the World Cyclo-Cross Championships so badly that I didnʼt want to let myself believe it could or ever would happen. And now it was happening. Even now months later, my eyes start to water and my nose gets that funny tickle in it, when I start to think, write or talk about that day and that race. This is a sign that January 31, 2010 was a pretty big day in my life. This day and the race in Tabor, Czech Republic were the highlights of cyclo-cross racing life. Everything went perfectly. My race went well. I was focused. I was pedaling hard. I was smiling. I was in the moment. Soaking it all in and revelling in the thrill of lining up at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships. Still, I really canʼt believe I raced in this race. Okay, now my eyes are really watery. Sorry for the emotion but this race and life experience has such a powerful effect on me. Before I go any further and tell you all about the race that defined me and how I got to this incredible place, I think its best to tell you a bit about cyclo-cross. I often forget that not everyone eats, sleeps, and breathes cycling and cyclo-cross. So here is the quick and dirty low- down on cyclo-cross (warning after reading this, youʼll be hooked as well and might find yourself dreaming of cyclo-cross racing…): ⁃ Fastest growing cycling discipline in North America ⁃ A fall/winter sport with the season running from September through February ⁃ Elite women race for 40 minutes and elite men race for 60 minutes ⁃ Races are on 1.5 to 2 kilometer long courses that can feature any and all of sand, mud, grass, stairs, pavement, and off-road riding ⁃ The goal is to complete as many laps as possible in the either 40 or 60 minutes ⁃ The hotbed of cyclo-cross is Belgium - drawing up to 30,000 people to the biggest races of the season and with all elite races televised every Saturday and Sunday ⁃ Races are held in the snow, rain, hot September sun, whatever the weather we race ⁃ The bikes look like road bikes with drop bars, but have slightly beefier tires and a braking system that can handle mud, snow and sand Quite simply, cyclo-cross is the most dynamic and spectator friendly cycling discipline there is. Spectators can get close to the racers. Really close. So close that when Iʼm warming up for races on my bicycle trainer, Iʼve had people come up and pinch my bum to see how much fat I have…. Iʼve been asked for autographs and had my photo taken. The fans mill around rider vehicles before the race, checking out the bikes, tire selection, and giving us riders the once- 3 An Unlikely Elite over. During the race, the fans are so close that they can reach out and touch us as we ride by. So close that once in a race in Middlekerke, I had a rather spectacular crash in the mud and two friendly Belgian men reached over the barricades, heaved me up, straightened out my handlebars and gave me a push to get going again. All of this results in a contagious atmosphere of fast racing, cheering, jeering, and a massive adrenaline high for the racers and the fans. Nothing compares to racing cyclo-cross - especially in Belgium. Even after this description, you might still be scratching your head wondering why I would want to race my bike in the rain, snow, ice, mud and cold for the hardest 40 minutes of my life? Well, quite simply, I love it. A cyclo-cross race has everything - a fast start, tactics, tricky corners and descents, the fans, and the rush of pushing my body as hard as I can for 40 minutes. Really there is nothing else quite like it. Throw in the exuberant fans and you have an amazing spectacle of fast-paced racing, riders against the elements, whipping by the fans so close that we can reach out and touch each other. See, I told you, youʼd want to start racing after reading this description. The racing really is this exciting. Everything about cyclo-cross racing makes it for me, my number one sport and passion. All this helps to explain why the World Cyclo-Cross Championships was and is a big fixture in my life. The World Cyclo-Cross Championships is the biggest race on the cyclo-cross racing calendar. Cyclo-cross is not an Olympic sport so the World Championships is the top level for us. In 2008, I set the goal of racing at the 2009 World Cyclo-Cross Championships. At the time, this goal seemed like a long-shot, I was a first year elite racer, coming from a season of racing in the Masters category. I was taking my cyclo-cross racing to a new level and shooting for racing in the ultimate race of the cyclo-cross season. Big goal. Excellent goal. This 2008 goal got me here. To where I can tell you about my story and how I raced in the 2010 World Cyclo-Cross Championships. This initial goal has shaped me in so many ways. It has made me a better athlete, a better person, really it has fulfilled a large void in my life. I truly am one of the lucky ones - Iʼve discovered my passion and I have the freedom to let it guide my life. And that race in the snow and ice in the Czech Republic was a sign that I am on the right path. The day after the race, sitting in a comfy chair in our hotel in Prague, Czech Republic, I wrote on my Ottawa Cross web site: Where do I start? How do I start? I fear that this racing experience might just simply be too grand for me to capture with words. It was that amazing. That huge. Really there is no race quite like the World Cyclo-Cross Championships. I was pretty confident that I was ready for the spectacle - I've done a lot of World Cup this year (all of them except Roubaix) and I've raced in front of some big crowds in Belgium. But, really, nothing compares to the frenzy, emotion, excitement, and noise of a World 4 An Unlikely Elite Cyclo-Cross Championships. Take every racing experience you've ever had, multiply it by a billion, and then multiply that by a gazillion. You might come close to the experience I had yesterday. Favorite moments of the day: ⁃ waking up and seeing the excitement and pride in Marc's face ⁃ hearing Marc cheer me on every time I went by the pits ⁃ seeing the Team Canada boys running all over the course and cheering me on ⁃ hanging out with Luc before and after the race ⁃ seeing my cyclo-cross racing friends ⁃ hanging out in the staging area, looking at my racing idol Hanka Kupfernagel and knowing that anything is possible ⁃ hearing my name announced over the loud speaker ⁃ racing and seeing/hearing/feeling the fans ⁃ hearing the bell lap - nothing quite like that for me ⁃ crossing the finish line alone, sitting up, smoothing out my skinsuit, sitting up proud so everyone could see the red maple leaf and the words Team Canada Yikes, just re-reading this blog post overwhelmed me with emotion.