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The Chris Davidson diary
Chris Davidson is a former mechanic for Bontrager Racing Service, now in the service of Shimano Multi-Service.
Chris' diary entries will show you what life is like inside the pits and an insight into the mind of a mechanic.
Junior Road Nationals - Park City, Utah August 21-22, 2004
Stone cold at the junior nats
Greetings cycling fans,
On an off-week for me at home in SLC, I got the call to help with some road support for the junior national road races. Shimano's road program, directed by Andy Stone, was covering the Masters/U-23/Junior National Championship road races in Park City, and for this final weekend they needed some extra manpower/wrenchpower. It was only a 20 minute drive from my house to the courses, so I headed up with another mechanic friend of mine, Chan Head, to follow some races on Saturday and Sunday.
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Saturday morning featured the younger categories of road racing, 10-12, 13-14 and 15-16 year olds. Rather than use the longer road courses for the master/U-23 races, the younger kids got treated/tortured to a shorted loop that stayed close to the base of Deer Valley. This short loop had more climbing per lap/mile than the longer courses, so the younger kids got no breaks by riding shorter distances. And the entire course was above 7000ft. Tough stuff if you are a 10year old that lives at sea level. Despite the challenges, the racing was spirited, I remarked to Chan how many good attacks and strategic moves were made in the younger ranks, the racing was skilled and impressive. Most of the day Saturday went smoothly, very few services from the car.
Sunday was a different day. The 17-18 men's race was first up and it used the longer race loop used by the Master/U-23 men. There was a big field for this event, about 80 guys at the start. It was cold in the morning when we rolled out of Deer Valley, lots of armwarmers and vests. I was in the back of the car, while Chan drove this day. As soon as we rolled out it was time to segregate the spare wheels it he back of the car. With the junior gear restriction we had to carry a variety of equipment. We started with some 10 speed wheels equipped with 12 tooth cassettes, some 9 speed wheels with 14 tooth cassettes [junior gear spec], some 9 speed wheels with 12 tooth cassettes and some 8 speed wheels with 14 tooth cassettes. It is interesting to jump out of the car and then ask the kid if he is riding a 14 tooth or not. All the juniors had to complete roll-out measurements post-race, so it was important to get the right combo with the fast wheel change. We ended up having so many flats in the 17-18 race that some junior got the 12 tooth when we ran out of the 14 tooth wheels, but everyone in the top 20 finished on legal gears. The 17-18 race finished about 2 minutes before the start of a 20 minute hail storm at the start/finish line. The stragglers in the men's 17-18 race crawled to the finish line in horrible conditions.
As the rain and hail persisted, the start of the men's 15-16 race was delayed. These riders started in miserable conditions, as I was cold sitting in the back of the car in wet clothing. The race started fast and by the top of the first climb, less than 10 miles into the race, the lead group was down to 7 riders. The conditions made the racing very hard, but the small group of riders up front made my work simple. After the first climb I had to get out of the car only once more to help a rider with a dropped chain.
Just behind the 15-16 men's race were the U-23 and 17-18 women's races. The U-23 field only drew 8 riders; in the end the winner of the 17-18 women's race passed the entire U-23 field on the road, despite start 10 minutes behind them. Impressive solo victory by Rebecca Much in the 17-18 category; she heads to worlds next month.
There are a couple of riders, one male and one female, that I caught up with in Park City that really stand for their personality and racing skills. First up is Alex Hodge, an 18 year old who rides for the DEVO-Balance Bar squad. I see him at all the NORBAs, he is currently leading the Junior STXC standings, and he has been selected for Worlds this year. Alex is quite precocious for a junior; he is reflective about his ability and accomplishments, yet still quite youthful in his outlook. He has the skills and racing experience that make him stand out for his age. I joked with him during the road race that he is the only 'Pro' in the 17-18 category. Watch for him in the near future, this kid is going places.
The second rider that I bumped into was Lauren Franges (Victory Brewing), who was there competing in the U-23 class. Lauren was one of the riders at the Talent ID camp in Colorado Springs a month ago. She has been racing for a while, I think that she won her first National title in the 13-14 age group. You would not guess that she has been racing half of her life if you chat with her; she is very enthusiastic about the sport and her future. Racing without any teammates this week she picked up one gold and two silver medals: very impressive. Lauren possesses excellent finishing speed combined with outstanding time trial abilities, her biggest podium finishes are yet to come. She is also the one of the nicest people you could meet. Another star on the rise.
Later this week I head to Durango for the NORBA Finals. Always a good time to be had there. I should have some photos and reports starting on Thursday. We are having a little 'Ask to Pro Mechanic session' in the Shimano Tent on Friday from 4-5pm. Come by and hang out if you are at the race. After Durango I think that I am heading to San Francisco for the TMobile race, then Mammoth for the NORBA US Championships.
Until we meet again, thanks for reading,
CD
Photography
Images by Chris Davidson
- 7:00 at the start/finish line on the last day at Junior Nationals in Park City
- The weather took a turn for the worse before the start of the 15-16 men’s road race.
- The 17-18 men line up in the sun for their 75 mile Road race
- Alex Hodge (Devo Balance Bar) comments on the climb during the 17-18 road race