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The Tanya Lindenmuth diary
Last year was a good year for Tanya Lindenmuth, winning her fourth American National Women's Sprint Championships in a row. And this year should be even better. Meet Tanz, out latest diarist, as she tells all on the oval track.
Mexico World Cup
I recently filled out an email questionnaire, you know, the ones where your friend sends it to you to get to know you better... One of the questions was "What is the most annoying thing people ask you?" My answer was "How long you home for this time?" It is a question that immediately follows one of the next few statements: "You look great, where have been lately?" (mostly from people at the gym I belong to); "Where did you get that tan?" (from random people I know who catch me in my lycra, dead give-away you would think!); or, "I haven't seen you in ages! Still training/racing?" Now I know people care and that is why they ask. But it is how they ask, as if they are SO exasperated by my travels. I don't get to sight-see or even shop in some of the poshest places. I see the airport, the hotel and the velodrome in some various order and then go home. And that is how Aguascalientes, Mexico went for me, the usual. But much better than usual!
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Mexico was a great way to start the season! I know where my form is at after competing in the sprints, 500m and the keirin. I know I originally planned on NO keirin and riding the team sprint but the plan changed once I arrived. After looking at the schedule more closely I realized the keirin was after my two main events and team sprint was directly before the scratch race. I was the only sprinter dealing with two enduros and a middle distance rider. So needless to say, they weren't jumping at the opportunity to ride team sprint with me. Go figure...
We arrived in Mexico late in the evening minus our bikes. Stepping off the plane I was wrapped up in a strange jacket. When I turned around it was Galina Enioukhina and she had given me her husband's jacket! He then insisted on carrying my bag and each time I tried to point to it and tell him I actually had a jacket in my bag he kept saying it was okay. It was comical to say the least. They don't do that for many people so I went with it!
It took an extra day to get most of the team bikes because they decided to drive them into Aguascalientes from Mexico City since there were so many. I got on the track the day before competition started and went through my usual 'openers'. Just a set workout where I test out the race wheels and race gear I want to use. I had the sensation of speed but I didn't really feel like my legs were under me. The track was extremely bumpy and there people all over the place. It's funny, we all had the same look on our faces: I think I need a new saddle! I didn't feel it was the best workout but it would do. I was just happy to have my bike and to be getting ready to race on it. I went home to rest up and get my mind set.
Race day met us with freezing temperatures and most of us opting to ride the rollers for a few minutes before getting onto the track. If I couldn't really feel my legs the day before, I kept looking down for them that morning. Warm-up gear felt too big on rollers with no resistance. Now I have done this for long enough that I know when I need to ride stuff like that out. So that's what I did. I took an extra long warm-up and made sure I was ready. I have realized that you can't be afraid to change things, even drastically at times. If it's not working find something that does. Des and I were pleased with my qualifying and first round against Celine Nivert (France), who gets her revenge later on in the competition. So we packed up with smiles on our faces and talked strategy about the other girls in the sprints.
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Going into the evening session I was chomping at the bit. I was going to have my Last Race wish fulfilled (in the interview from last month) a little early in my career, against Svetlana Grankovskia (Russia). We went two rides and I beat her straight up both times.
The first race was very close as I nearly gave her the perfect lead out. I was leading and when I heard the bell, I temporarily lost my mind and went too hard. Now 333 metres around is a long way and it nearly cost me the race. I was nervous. I wasn't sure who won until we rolled around again and Des gave me the thumbs up. I have never been able to get close to Svetlana and now I was keeping up with her and also holding her off.
In the second ride I jumped around her on the back straight with half a lap to go and won with a bike length. I was a changed rider. That was the little push in the right direction that I needed. I was up against Nancy Contreras (Mexico) next and these rides did not find the crowd on my side. They were booing me before we even were pushed off the line. It was incredible. I have not experienced a crowd like that before but it didn't deter me at all. I won the first ride convincingly and prepared for the next one.
I knew it would be a fight because that is Nancy, she doesn't just lie down. I love that! I fought too hard for the front with one lap to go and coming out of turn 2 she actually crowded me in the sprinters' lane. Which you're not allowed to do. She snuck her handle bars right in front of mine and tried to get me to back off... I didn't though, at first. When I did, I backed off the gas just enough and let her in front once I saw it was futile and tried coming around the outside. I had a huge head of steam and as I passed her she took me up over the blue (stayers') line in turns 3/4, half way up the track. Um, that isn't allowed either! The photo finish revealed she had won but I nearly got her on fumes. I was that mad! "Don't cheat to beat me or anyone else," I was thinking!
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Nancy got disqualified. I'm not sure for which offense but as an athlete I don't want to win that way. Since it was the second ride and having won the first our semi's were over and I was in the gold final. If the crowd didn't like me before, they hated me now. During this time my teamates on the back straight nearly incited a riot cheering for me. The crowd loomed over them and they started wondering about their safety or even mine. All was well except for the fact that any time I stepped near the track they booed. The people on the infield were cool but the people in the stands showed no mercy. I wonder if any of it was to do with the war? I was glad that my grasp of the Spanish language is only mediocre at best, I didn't really want to know what they were calling me!
Nancy and her husband came over to congratulate me and express their apologies. In our broken language I determined that as she looked under her arm, she lost where she was on the track and that was how we ended up 'touring'. It's a common thing actually, we've all been there and Nancy is no less of a champion for it. No love loss for her.
So onto the gold final with Natalia Tsylinskaya (Belorussia). I was on the rollers just thinking, "I want GOLD, I want GOLD." So much so, that my teamates took up yelling "Bling Bling" As much as I wanted it, Natalia demonstrated why she is world champion and the work that I have ahead of me. I tried leading out the first ride, she passed me and I actually came half way up on her at the line. Not quite enough, though. I'm told my second ride was poetry but she had more than I possessed. We hugged and danced and got on the podium together and said how much we were all looking forward to riding the 500m the next day.
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The 500m saw the same three women on the podium in a slightly different order. I was in the heat directly in front of Nancy and rode my best, 34.6, putting me into the leader's position. I was pleased to get that kind of effort out of my legs after the intense day I had with the sprints the day before. Nancy went off and did a 34.5 right in front of me and then it was Natalias' turn. Again demonstrating why she is World Champion blasted off and crossed the tape with a 34.2. WHOA MAMA, she was smokin'! So in two days I had raced above my capacity from the year before and earned two medals for it! Not bad but there is still work to be done.
I decided I was up for riding the keirin and we used it as training. Des was in agreement and said that whatever I did, it had to be solid. Okay, I can do that. I rode each of the rounds all the same, leading out the last two laps. It worked well in my heat and the semi, when I had Becky Quinn in tow, and the final saw a great line-up. Two Germans, Susan Panzer and Kathrin Frietag, two Americans, Quinny and myself, and then Li Na (China) and Celine Nivert (France) rounding out the field.
Quinn had the motor and I pulled up in front of her and then led out the last two laps. Now I would think someone would have stopped us but they didn't. I'm sure they figured the silly American who kept leading out would have to run out of legs sometime. Their patience paid off. I was over the edge and going too fast for the last two laps. I held them off all the way though turn 4 but Celine (first) and Li Na (second) both got me at the line with Quinn taking fourth. It was my race to win and equally my race to lose for the US. I mainly thought about qualifying a spot for the World Championships and we may have gotten two from that one race. So all of the objectives were met and I ended up qualifying for Worlds, according to our USAC standards, in all three events. So will I race the keirin at the world's? I just might as long as it doesn't take away from the sprints and 500m. I still have to race the next two cups to make sure I earn enough points in those two events and we'll see how the keirin plays into that.
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I haven't mentioned the altitude until now but it was ever present. I found myself recovering well. I told myself that I didn't care how much it hurt, I was going for it. I wanted to take that back directly after the final though. My legs hurt like they have never hurt before. I couldn't even stand. I don't mean like maybe I could have willed myself to get up, that was not an option. The legs just wouldn't listen. I wonder how we would have done I would have had the legs that I had in the semis? The podium that night was what I remember most. I was finished! As the procession moved up the stairs I realised that I had medaled in all three of the events I entered. That/s a first for me so how could I not be satisfied?
The strangest conversation of the weekend was with Daniela Larreal (Venezuela), talking about racing but refusing to use our native tongues. So she spoke in English while I spoke in Spanish and we actually understood each other - I think!
Runner-up to that is when Natalia Tsylinskaya took my coach's phone from me to say hello to my mom. She is working on her English so it went (apply a thick but comprehensible Russian accent): "Congratulations, okay, BYE BYE."
The award for the most "firsts" in a single event goes to Giddeon Massie (USA). He rode his way to fourth in the sprints making that his best accomplishmrnt to date, thus creating the impressive list of "firsts" he encountered along the way - BIG UPS!
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The host hotel, Los Trojes, had a farewell dinner and discothèque for the athletes and some brave staff members. None of the staff from the US were brave enough (they went home) but some from the other countries got up and got their groove on. It was a perfect way to cap off such a successful trip. I like when we can all get together and just be ourselves away from the bikes and the races.
Next, I am off to Capetown, South Africa very soon. I'm excited to go back. I was there in 1997 for the junior world's and I can't wait to see how the building has settled now. At the time, they had just built the roof over the track. It was so smoky and dusty that now it should be in fine form! Here we go again.
Be safe in your travels,
Tanz
Photography
Images by Tanya Lindemuth & friends
- A bodyguard wasn't quite necessary to stave off the partisan Mexican fans
- One way up to the podium how happy is Tanz?
- This happy!
- The keirin podium
- The 500 podium
- 'Glammed up' with team-mate Becky Quinn for the post-race party