I am returning home from Cali, Colombia after competing at the 2021 Cali Nations Cup where I raced the Team Pursuit, stand alone Elimination, and Madison. I am coming home happy and content but hungry for more as I prepare to, hopefully, represent Canada at World Championships in Roubaix, France from October 20-24th.
The velodrome in Cali was like no other I have competed at. It was an indoor 250m track but there were no walls so we were open to the environment. There was very noticeable wind during parts of the day and if it rained strong enough, the track could get wet. In addition to the environmental factors adding challenges, this track was technically challenging to ride. The corners were incredibly tight and steep (like Burnaby) but the straights were very long. This made the racing challenging, especially team pursuit, but racing was a blast!!
My weekend started off with racing the Team Pursuit on September 9th which is a 4km race where the time is taken on the third rider crossing the line. Going into this day we knew it would be a big day with the possibility of riding three times if we made it to finals. We took it race by race and focused on the process goals which would help us get there.
In team pursuit I am P1 in the line which means it is my responsibility to get the team up to speed to set us up for a successful ride. Our first ride was in the morning so the wind was calm which allowed us to race with double discs. The ride was technically far from perfect but we qualified in second behind Germany to go to the first round. This meant we were racing Colombia, the home team, and if we beat them then we would go to the finals.
We raced two hours later and executed a way better race to finish at a time of 4:25. In finals, for gold, which took place in the afternoon, we raced a five spoke front wheel because there were strong gusts of wind. We ended up racing Poland and we overtook them so we did not do a complete ride. We were all in disbelief that we had caught them, we were expecting to ride a full ride as they qualified with a good time. We were over the moon when we had caught them because it meant we had WON GOLD but deep down we all wish we could have completed another full ride as we continue to improve the more times we ride together. This was my First Nations Cup gold medal which made me so motivated for my races that followed.
Copyright: Fedeciclismo
The next day, September 10th, I raced the stand alone elimination race. This race was only recently created as a stand alone race. Before it was only one of the four races in the omnium. I was so excited to start my First Nations Cup bunch race. My start position was five riders back on the black line. I was held by my coach, given a push, and then my rear wheel pulled. This means my wheel becomes unlocked and begins to rub on my frame. I immediately get off the track and ran back to my mechanic so he could fix it. It was being very finicky so I was standing there shaking from adrenaline thinking this is not the way I wanted to start. The coaches around are frustrated because the race has become neutralized. In hind sight, the race should have stopped immediately to restart because everyone needs to be together in the neutral start lap.
Several laps go by and I eventually get up to the rail and drop in which then the Commissaires decide to restart. Fresh start, back on the black line five riders back my body was filled with so much fire, the gun went and I rode straight to the front of the pack. I had amazing sensations in the race. I rode to place 4th in the race. A small mistake got me boxed in with no where to go. I came off the track with so many mixed emotions - frustration, happiness, and disappointment. I knew I had ridden a good race up until four laps to go so I was happy with that but I was so disappointed because I had more left in the tank. When I come off the track my goal is to leave everything out there. Fitness-wise I had way more to give, but on the day it was a technical error that cost me a podium. This put a huge fire in my belly going into my last race.
I had a day off between my elimination race and the 120 lap Madison which took place on September 12th. I was faced with a unexpected challenge when my original Madison partner crashed in a prior race and hit her head (she is doing fine now). The night before we were supposed to race I found out I was going to race Madison with our alternate. We had actually never ridden a Madison together so we hopped on the track the next day in an open track session to get a few exchanges under our belt. We were thrown in the deep end and we swam.
We set process goals to focus on such as nailing our exchanges, riding near the front, etc. which would help us succeed. It was a HARD race. We sat in third after the first couple of sprints and then our position fell a bit as we got stuck at the back of the pack in the “washing machine.” It was chaotic and sketchy out there with some very close calls. We held it up though and ended up placing fifth out of 11 teams.
My highlight from the race was when I attacked with 10 laps to go and we stayed away, almost lapping the bunch, to win the final sprint. If only we had lapped, it would have placed us in second. It will have to wait until next time. I am so proud of the way my teammate stepped in and how we raced our hearts out together. It is amazing how far you can push your body when you have a teammate out there with you striving for your absolute best.
I am feeling so fortunate I had the opportunity to race at this Nations Cup and I am walking away from it with successes and so many lessons learned. I am very excited for my next race!