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cyclingnews.com talks with Mari Holden Mari's magic year December 4, 2000
By Gerard Knapp
With a prime spot in a
leading Italian team for 2001, the USA's Mari Holden reflects on a stand-out
year.
A gold medal ride in the individual
time trial (ITT) at this year's World Road Championships in Brittany,
France, capped off a perfectly-planned season for the USA's leading female
rider, Mari Holden.
Although it could be said that some of her main rivals were not present
in Plouay, that really only serves to reinforce the quality of her year.
To win races, you need to actually be there on the day, and the riders
who can turn in a gold medal performance three weeks after the pressure
of the Sydney Olympics show their true stamina and focus.
In fact, it will take another three years for any rider to repeat her
feat of 2000, as Holden was the only American rider to secure medals
in both the Sydney Olympics (silver in the ITT) and the gold at the
world's in Brittany. Following the ITT in Sydney Holden returned to
her home in Colorado both excited by the silver medal in her bag, but
also feeling from what she described as "terrible jetlag".
"It was definitely more difficult with all the pressure leading up
to Sydney," Holden said of her preparation for the olympics "and we
actually left (Sydney) the morning of the closing ceremony. We were
really disappointed to leave early and at that time, I was still indecisive
(about attending the world's). "Before the Olympics I didn't even want
to go to France as there was a lot of stress - I finally decided I would
go and I'm so glad I did."
Holden denied the aging French champion Jeanne Longo her 12th world
championship title in front of her cocorico home crowd. But at 41, Longo
was just getting too old to dominate on a top level. Mari completed
the 24.5km course in 33.14.62 at an average speed of 44.21 km/h, finishing
3.71 seconds ahead of Longo, with Lithuanian Rasa Polikeviciute third
at 46.91 seconds.
When Holden arrived in Brittany, "I was so messed up from going to
Sydney, and then home, and then to Europe". The constant changes in
time zones in the two weeks had taken their toll so Holden deliberately
"took it easy" while at home. "I have a few favourite rides at home
and that was kind of relaxing, so I just did a little bit of training."
Holden only had two days to adjust to European time before the ITT and
did a few hard efforts only the day before her event. After her experiences
with jetlag, she found that it is better to do a race within a few days
of arriving in the new time zone, rather than spending over week to
adjust, as she finds that performances can suffer until a full re-adjustment
is completed.
Planning for Sydney
Her training plan for the year was mapped out by boyfriend and personal
coach Dean Golich, recently named one of the USA Cycling Coaches of
the Year (he shared the award with Bryan Miller). The principal aim
for the year was the Olympic Games and Holden saved her best for the
latter half of the season.
"I wasn't riding too hard in the middle of the year and May was a bit of a break. There were the Olympic trials and then I was sick in June, but I wanted to have some good races and hard training for the rest of the summer." Most of the training was at home in Colorado Springs, which is at 6000' altitude and "perfect for training. It's not too high so you're not losing power - it's a good balance." Holden's training at her mountain country home usually involves "heading out east - it's flat". "But it depends on the races. If it's the HP (Hewlett Packard Womens' Challenge), then I'll do more mountains." Holden can easily find good roads to turn in 15 minute power efforts and uses the SRM training cranks, which she described as "one of the best" means of monitoring performance away from the race environment. Her racing schedule with the Timex team this year started with the
first World Cup race in Canberra, Australia, and also included the Thuringen
tour in Germany, half of the Grand Boucle (women's Tour de France) and
the Killington stage races in the US. But the focus was always on Sydney.
Fun
in the snow
Holden's year was notable for its singular focus and relative good
fortune, as although she got food poisoning twice and became sick mid-year,
"I didn't crash much in terms of getting hurt". In fact, Holden was
involved in a crash in the wet conditions of the Olympics road race,
which was held prior to the ITT and could have ruined her chances. Instead,
it was a case of bad luck piled on top of mechanical problems.
After the first incident, Holden discovered that her chain had bent
but only after a series of unsuccessful wheel changes and continual
chasing. She then opted for a bike change which promptly got a flat
tyre and after another change and more chasing, she decided to save
herself for the ITT.
Holden thought the Olympics road race would be more animated and aggressive.
"The second half didn't turn out the way I thought it would. A big factor
is that the teams are so small - with only three riders you're so limited
in your tactics." Holden also thought it was a case of teams "putting
all their eggs in the one basket", in that they were controlling the
race for their sprinters and in doing so, allowing Leontien Van Moorsel
to sit back and watch as her team-mates covered everything. "It worked
out well for her," Holden said of Van Moorsel's race, "but if there
was serious break, she might have made it."
In Plouay for the World's and the race order was reversed, so Holden
could enter the ITT with no fear
Bella Italia Next year Mari Holden will be racing for the highly ranked Team Alfa Lum, which is based in San Marino (a principality within Italy). Holden will be joining a team that includes major tour winner Joane Somarriba (Esp) and former world champion Edita Pucinskaite (Lit), as well as Daniela Veronesi (Ita), Fany Lecourtois (Fra). "I think we will be second in the UCI points coming into the start of the 2001 season," Holden said. "It's going to be a good team next year for the big tours." After her season this year with Timex, which has merged with Saturn to produce arguably the leading womens' road squad, Holden will certainly bolster Alfa Lum's firepower for stage wins and the World Cup races. Holden will also be aiming to ride in support of Somarriba, who this year became only the second rider to win both the Grande Boucle Feminine and the Giro d'Italia Femminile (Pucinskaite came second in the Grande Boucle). "The racing in Europe is so good and for me it worked out really well - I love racing in Italy." Next year, Holden has singled out the World's and is also aiming for the Hewlett Packard Womens' Challenge, while riding in support of Somarriba in the major tours. Despite riding for a European team, Holden plans to be "not spending a huge amount of time over there, maybe six weeks", preferring to train in Colorado. Earlier this year womens' road racing was rocked by the suspension of former multiple Grand Boucle winner Fabiana Luperini, confirming what many had privately suspected about the disgraced Italian champion. However, Holden does let the drugs issue cloud her motivation or love of the sport, even if it is during a particularly bad climb and a group of European riders seemingly fly off the front. An attitude that it is only possible to win major tours by using drugs does not carry with Holden, as it can also affect her focus and self-belief. "It's hard to say - I don't know who's on drugs or who's not on drugs. I don't like to dwell on it and I really don't like to think about these things during races. "I guess you could say I take the naïve approach and say to myself 'I have as a good a chance (in this race) as anyone else'. "If you think like that (always suspecting other riders) then what's the point in racing? And I love cycling so I don't want to get too jaded. I prefer to think I can go out there and have a good day and do everything I can to win." Holden also pointed to the cost issue, in terms of what the drugs cost and rider incomes. "A woman who's doing really well will earn maybe US$30-40,000 per year and it just isn't worth it for that kind of money. "I know I wouldn't want that risk to my health, and I wouldn't do anything that would jeopardise my children," she said of life after cycling. Other
plans
Holden's year also had its sacrifices, as she was forced to leave before
the big party in Sydney and not celebrate with the other competitors.
She admits her socialising "was kind of pitiful. I didn't party at all
after the Olympics. The day of the time trial we just had some dinner
and then walked around Darling Harbour. We didn't feel like doing anything
else."
Holden had left the party early for a reason and on October 3 she decided
that she would in fact go to France as part of the US team. With more
jetlag and re-adjusting to follow, Holden arrived in France feeling
a little flat and out of sync.
"Winning the gold medal made up for a lot of things."
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