www.cyclingnews.com presents the Nicole Freedman diary 2004

Sprinter, 2000 Olympian and a founder of the Basis women's team, Nicole Freedman - known as Snerf to her friends - is one of the US circuit's great characters. Her goal for 2004 is to make the Olympic team for Israel and failing that "to see one of my developmental teammates win their first NRC race and subsequently take all their prize money."

Index to all entries

March 16 - A trip to Europe

Just after my arrival in Milan, I am whisked via shuttle to an Internet-advertised "close to airport" hotel. For forty five minutes and 3 dozen roadside billboards blaring out, "Idiot Nicole. My hotel is cheaper and closer than yours!" we drive.

As I explore my lovely home for the next two days, I feel like an excited American foreign exchange student, who, dreaming about cable cars, Hollywood and Yellowstone, is deposited via mini-van to a gated guarded housing community in suburban Indianapolis.

March 18 - Meeting the Basis International Team in Italy

Today, for the first time, I met my Basis International Team. No matter that I am one of the founders of the team, I know one only slightly. The Basis crew consists of six racers, half of whom are Canadian. I hope I will like them. For the next six weeks I will be sharing rooms, conversation, meals, long van trips and XXX.

Kathy White is a mountain biker and track racer, from one of the cold middle states of Canada. Kathy's goal is to gain fitness on the road for upcoming track races.

Kristen Lasasso is an American climber who is helping me prove the conservation of mass theory.

Kristen: "Does anyone want to finish this spaghetti. I am full,"

Nicole, noticing that but one noodle had the audacity to move even a millimeter on her plate: "Sure, I am still a tad bit hungry." I scrape the pound and a half of pasta from her plate directly into my throat and pants. In proof, the Law of Conservation of Mass states: for every pound she loses, I mysteriously gain a pound. Mass is neither created nor destroyed.

Katy St Laurent is also from a remote area in Canada, Mont Real or something. She is 28 with skin as unspoilt as a 12 year old Eskimo. She is regularly carded, despite Canada's drinking age of 18.

"Please, don't you need to see my ID. The sign says you have to check no matter what," I on the other hand beg.

"Nah, LADY, it's okay."

From the French part of Canada, Katy speaks perfect English and a bit of Italian. She has never taken an English class, but "I came to France for two months last year and was forced to speak to communicate with one of my teammates."

"Couldn't you get another roommate?" I asked.

Marion Clingon, our team captain, won a couple of big events in the past. Like some of the other top riders in the peloton, she wears a rainbow stripe on her jersey. Although it clashes terribly with the carefully designed and well-matched neon orange, purple and green Basis uniform, I think it is a positive statement that these top athletes are publicly displaying their support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered and handicapped, orphaned, homeless pets.

Marion is fluent in English, French and Italian. Apparently she and Katy saw an Italian movie when they were 12.

I have been trying to convince Leah Goldstein, our final teammate, to abandon her cycling ambitions for what I believe is a more suitable career - motherhood. Leah was three-time world kickboxing champion by the age of 18, after which she served in the Israeli army and special police force for ten years. She can break an apple in half with one hand. She is what every child wants for a mom.

Little Leah Jr: "Mom, some kids at school were picking on me today."

Leah (responding with a quiet, soothing, maternal voice) "Junior, don't worry, I will TAKE CARE OF THEM for you, honey."

March 21 - Primavera Rosa World Cup

Not much to say on this race. Our first team race - the Primavera Rosa World Cup. We finished between 30th and last then drove 10 hours to back to our teams base in Limoux, France (English pronounciation: Limxqdszxkk)

March 21 - Castilla y Leon stage race

Hmm, I really can't remember anything about this race. Credit landing on my head in the Killington Stage Race, 1997, with this stroke of brilliance.

March 28 - Castilla Y Leon World Cup

The Castilla Y Leon World Cup is crucial for Leah and myself. Israel's Olympic philosophy is to only send athletes to Athens who have a chance at winning. Thus, the Israeli Olympic Committee added a criterion - Leah and I must finish Top 16 at the Castilla Y Leon World Cup for Israel to send us to the Olympics. This is regardless of our standings in the UCI points. This makes sense as number 17, of course, is a far inferior rider to number 16.

The day before the race, I previewed the course. A flat 10km crit-like loop with technical tight turns, the course is my dream. Leah, too has dreamed about courses like this. A pure time triallist and climber, her dreams ended in loud primal screams.

I scoped everything - the finishing sprint, the roundabouts and most importantly the best location to slip off course to a coffee house, hang out for nine laps, then freshly sprint on to the finish.

The course's roundabouts are a personal fascination for me. As an urban planning major at Stanford, while my classmates were discovering cures for cancer, transforming the international communication with the creation of Internet sites like Google and Yahoo, and building military jets from pieces of dental floss, we over-worked urban planning disciples were watching slide shows of roundabouts. "Look at the pretty tulips in that one."

I feel confident. On a similar World Cup in Holland last year, I finished 17th. Faster this year, I finished 13th in a hillier World Cup in Australia. I feel ready. I know I can do it.

A few hours later...

Of 180 starters, barely a third finish in the main field. Leah and I make the cut. I cross the finish line. I know but I count anyway. 35, 36, 37 or so cyclists ahead of me. Leah drifts past me a few seconds past the finish line. We did not make it.

The reality begins to seep in. After two so-so years cycling, the prospect of racing the Olympics for Israel revitalized my career. I am faster, stronger and far more motivated that I have been for years. I felt good in the race. I knew I could do it. Echoing the thoughts of Nike's competition, "I just didn't do it."

The obvious questions: what do I do now? People always ask me if I will go back to school. It is a thought -- second grade was quite fun. Fortunately, I can fall back on my BA in Urban Planning in which whole classes were dedicated to teaching how to collect unemployment checks.

The truth is I know I love racing. In the latter stage of my career, I have fallen in love too with teaching, mentoring and coaching. So, what will I do? Exactly what I have been. Finish out the circuit here in Europe then return to my Basis US developmental squad to compete on the domestic circuit. My goal: to see one of my developmental teammates win their first NRC race and subsequently take all their prize money.

Till then,
Nicole