Over the past couple of years my ambitions in the sport have revolved around ITU racing, although I’ve competed in very few sanctioned events and the novelty has yet to wear off! I did not race on the ITU circuit in Europe last year, nor during our recent domestic season so I set about preparing a race calendar that would give me the chance to progress up the rankings. Asia has several ITU races at this time of year so I signed up for one in China and started eating more rice to prepare.
Aside
from the racing, Asian events test your ability to travel well and adapt to
unfamiliar cultures, whilst maintaining a healthy body and mind. Fortunately
for me, I had travel companions the entire trip with James Chronis, Sarah
Lester and Ben Shaw all on the same flights. The fact that Sarah spoke fluent Chinese
was also pretty useful! We flew into Nanjing, located in Southern China before
being shuttled on to Zhenjiang! The transfer wasn’t too long, although I fear
any longer and the road toll would have risen, such was the level of comfort
from within the car! By the time we arrived it was well into the night and it
didn’t take much to fall asleep!
The
days before the race were quite typical as we adapted to the local cuisine and
searched for safe places to train and prepare. We found a “nice” little pool
just around the corner and somehow managed to navigate directly to the race
site for a few recon laps of the bike course. The hotel had a gym with several
treadmills’ which was ideal for me given the chaos on the streets. It really
was something else! I’d never seen such reckless behaviour, as buses, cars,
scooters and bikes would do as they pleased. It was frightening to see the
expressionless faces of the locals as they pottered around like zombies. For
those that looked unhappy, they didn’t seem to be determined to fix it! We
walked through some local shops and markets where we did see some smiles,
giving us hope that the world was still a nice place to be!
We
woke up to misty rain and overcast/hazy conditions for race day! It was a 9am
start, which gave us enough time to get a look at another buffet before we
rolled down to the race! The lake was flat and the wind was as calm as it had
been the whole week so despite the rain, conditions were great and I was
eagerly awaiting the start! The event organisers and local community had done a
wonderful job in preparing the venue and pre match entertainment! Its easy to
spend very little time thinking about the impact of our event on the city, but
it was clear they had been anticipating the race for as long as we had!
As
we were called down to the start pontoon I took up my spot in the middle and recited
my race plan one last time. When the gun went off I threw myself in and went to
work for the two-lap 1500m swim! As is often the case, I found myself stuck in
the middle as the groups split to the left and right! I decided to follow the
right side because it would set me up for the inside at the buoys. Somehow I
managed to get to the far right hand side and I realized I might have been too
aggressive with my merge! As we rounded the pontoon for the second lap I was
towards the end of a long line of swimmers but still in the mix. I never
managed to get my bearings in the lake and I was unable to replicate the rhythm
I’d had leading in. Despite this, I was still with the race and formed part of
the second pack out onto the bike about thirty seconds down on the leaders.
My
legs had settled in pretty quickly and we began to reduce the deficit with a
reasonable level of commitment from the group. It was a six-lap course
circuiting the lake on wide roads with long open straights. I knew it wasn’t
too appealing for a breakaway and there was a good chance we’d be all together
before long. My predictions were not wrong, however my plans soon changed after
the first lap when I could hear a rattle in the front wheel. When I saw the flat,
I looked straight back up and pretended it wasn’t there… This just wasn’t in
the script! It seemed to work for a few minutes and I kept rolling through the
turns thinking it would be okay! During the second lap I realised it wasn’t
going to be okay as I drifted around the corner with little to no control! I
yelled out to John O’Neill (USA) to see if I could borrow his spare from the
wheel station in transition. He gave me the nod and I slowed up to make the
change. After yelling and pointing for a bit I realised the “lovely” pit crew
weren’t going to give it too me because it wasn’t mine. At this stage it was
hard not overreact but I remained somewhat composed and settled for the pump
they brought me. It was only a small knick and my wheel seemed to hold some air
so rather than pull the pin I decided to see what I could make of it!
I
continued on and received a rousing ovation from one little old lady in the
crowd! I thought everyone else was going to join in and it would be like the
finish to “Cool Running’s”, but not to be! Everyone else just stared… I was
joined by the next pack on the road shortly after my restart to resume the
chase. I made it another lap with them before I started to rattle again. I now knew
the day really wasn’t going well but was still determined to salvage some
training if I could finish the bike and get out onto the run, so that’s what I
did! I rode as hard as I could and kept positive by thinking I was getting
extra conditioning by riding with more friction! By the last few laps I had the
pit crew well organized with the pump ready to go each time I stopped. It was
fun for them…
The
run course took us on a two-lap out and back tour of the “City Forrest”, the
Zhenjiang equivalent of the Botanic Gardens. It seemed to twist and turn
forever along the slippery pavement. I was pretty sluggish to start the run and
was really fighting for reasons to keep going when I could see the points and
prize money running away several minutes up the road. I kept ticking along and
eventually settled into a nice rhythm and started to enjoy being part of the
race. I passed a few stragglers at the back who gave me something to chase, but
there was no hiding the disappointment of missing out on the opportunity to run
for the podium!
As
always there is plenty to take away from the experience and although it was a
mechanical fault that ended my chances, I was below my best in the swim and
would have changed a few aspects of my preparation if I had my time over!
Fortunately I will get that chance to do just that, as I return to China for
the next Asian Cup race in June. From there I will continue on to France to
rejoin my Squad in Morzine and my Grand Prix team “STP” for another Summer of
racing! I’m very fortunate to have had good help to get me back on track so
thank you once again to my family, coach and rehab team for their ongoing
support! The better days are yet to come for me and I know they will be worth
the wait…
Mitch’s
Next Race:
ITU
Shizuishan Premium Asian Cup, China (June 7th)
Mitch’s
Pictures:
Zhenjiang International Hotel, China
A clean bikes a fast bike!
Ready, Set, Spaghetti!
Um, What Now?
Made in China!
Training at Lake Wanaka, NZ
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