Stanley Goto
Juniors 10-12
18th Place Time Trial
16th Place Criterium
8th Place Road Race
Race #1 Time Trial
We’re screeching down the airport halls! I say were not going to make it to the gate in time, my dad says we’ll make it but it’s going to be close!! We slide into gate 86! SAFE!!! We dove into the gate right when it was boarding. That’s how my first trip to Nationals started.
The U.S National Time Trial was the first time trial I had ever done but after a day of driving on the course and watching the Tour De France 3 times with Tyler, Ethan, Ryan, and Brentley, I thought I was ready.
When I got to the race I saw about 10 guys that were pretty big. I knew those guys should get a decent place. Another thing surprised me. 2 kids had Cervelo P3 carbons. I defined them as crazy.
5…4…3…2.1 !!!!! I’m off!! First I couldn’t get in a rhythm because I had to go on the ramp but then as soon as I settled down I got passed!! In the climbing parts of the course I did fine but I lost ground on the flats. I was about ¾ through the course when another guy passed me. When I hit the line I did not want to hear how I did. I got 20:28, which put me at 18th. I was disappointed in my results but I guess that gives me something to work on.
I did work on my aero position later that day going down the alpine slides at the Seven Springs resort. : )
Race 2# Crit
Today my goal was to finish with the main field. The time trial felt like it took nothing out of my legs and I got a good night sleep so I felt 100%. When I started warming up I felt great so I expected to get a good result.
The race started at a crazy fast pace because one guy attacked with 9 laps to go. When we caught him on about the 4th lap another guy attacked but he got reeled in instantly. Then there was a crash. Zack Edwards (a friend I met a few days earlier trying out the course) got pushed off the road on turn 2 and took out the guy behind him. That slowed the back of the main field so I had to bridge to get back on the pack, which took a little out of me. On the 8th lap Curtis White attacked. The pack accelerated and I was exhausted, also the guy in front of me was fading so I got dropped. The rest of the race was grueling as I was all by myself and got passed by a couple guys. In the end I got 16th. That race also gave me something to work on. I need to have better bridging power.
That night, Tyler was crowned Team Swift ping-pong Champion. We transformed our dining room table into a ping-pong table. The net was remote controllers and water bottles. We couldn’t find something big enough for a paddle so we used coasters, and we found a ping-pong ball under the couch.
No one could beat Tyler. My Dad, Brentley, Ethan, Ryan and I tried to beat him. Even Nathan Miller tried but no one could dethrone him. We played until 12:00 then I decided that I didn’t want to mess up my sleeping schedule too much so I went to bed.
Race #3 Road Race
After pre-riding the course I knew this was my race. It was a prefect course for me as long as I had someone to go down with on the 50mph descents. After the last 13-14 girl finished it was like a pre race to get to the start/finish line. Since I was on the other side of the start/finish line that they weren’t using, I got there first and got a good starting spot.
I had a very good start. I got on the lead group and stayed with them for the 1st lap. It was a very fast pace and I didn’t want to blow myself up hanging on too long. So on the start of the second lap I dropped back to two guys that got dropped on the hill to the start/finish line. One of the guys was a shrimp like me and the other was big. So naturally us shrimps followed the bigger guy on the descents. On the descent through the entrance I hit 47mph. It ended up being a good decision because I passed Teddy Kozlowski, the last 11 year old in the lead group, who blew up trying to stay with them.
The rest of the race was extremely hard, probably the hardest I have ever pushed myself. I knew if I attacked before the last climb I’d just get caught on the descent so I waited.
On the last climb to the finish I was the first one to attack mid way up the hill. The smaller guy chased me but I dropped the bigger guy. Near the end of the climb I was setting the pace and then he attacked. I countered and if finish line were a few yards further back I would have caught him and snatched 7th place. When I was doing roll out I almost puked. That’s a sign that I did my best.
The reasons I did well:
1# I got a good start
2# I got on the lead group
3# I didn’t blow up trying to stay on the lead group
Being at nationals for my first time with my teammates and Coach Laura was awesome!!! Now that I have more experience under my belt I think I have a chance of doing really well next year.
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