As the road season winds down I hear more and more of our athletes talk about ending the season on a high note. And I think we all know that a W is the high note that is being implied. Winning a bike race is TOUGH, regardless of what category your are riding in and how many riders are in the field. When you show up on race day everyone that lines up with you with a number pinned on, deep down imagines what it would be like to cross the line first. Some have done it before and want more (standard bike racer), others have come really close and…… want more (standard bike racer) and some haven’t really been training enough to warrant a result of any kind BUT still hope that things go their way and the end result is a big result (standard TH for the past 2 seasons). Bike racers, male or female, are driven human beings who tend to work hard n and off of the bike.

Bike racing is a mix of highs and lows that can leave an athlete asking “why am I doing this?” Certainly there are different grades of lows that can befall a rider but I think that we’d all agree that a crash related injury is one of the worst- especially one that keeps you of of the bike or even worse- confined to a trainer for months on end. To come back from that darkness take a LOT of grit and dedication. Allyson went down on one of the first team rides back in the EARLY spring and ended up with an arm in a cast and months of physical therapy ahead of her. And this was right around the time we started working together. Having been around he sport a long time and having worked with plenty of athletes who have had to deal with rehab and time off I KNEW, that if we took our time and stayed focused that tings would turn around. And if you know Alyson, you knew that it truly was just a matter of time before she got back out on the rode and started making waves.

I’m writing to give Kudos to Allyson, not just for ending her season with a streak of 5 podium finishes in the last 5 races with last of those 5 being the ever elusive W, (though that is plenty reason to give kudos) but for really dedicating herself to doing the work to prepare her for the opportunity to get herself some results. I make a point of trying to convince riders to be more focused on preparation that results as I truly believe that the results come as a by product of hard work. Being a strong bike rider isn’t enough. A rider needs to understand the sport of bike racing and pay attention to how racing works so that when opportunities present themselves, they can react- and to be able to react you have done the training. And as many of us know, being a good communicator and playing the team card is another dynamic that is critical to the equation. Putting all of those pieces is tough and it takes a LOT of racing to get it right.

I’m very lucky as a coach to work with a lot of Alysons and I appreciate the opportunity to work with each one. And in time I will get a blog out for each one.
Congrats to every rider who has stepped out of the box this season and truly made the effort to improve.

Best,
TH

ps- this is Alyson getting in a roller ride. Her first time on the rollers…… and she roller-ed for 90 minutes…… WOAH