Vindicated......at Long Last

photo: cyclingnews.com

My first bike race was on January 19, 2002, 8am. Cold. It was the first running of the (now annual) MLK Day Race. Unsanctioned, and with only one category: "Open". Not a big field (8am in January!)...perhaps 50 people...but huge for me! The club I'd started with prepped me well for this day, but looking back, I can't recall any instruction with regards to sprinting. I'd ridden a mountain bike prior to getting on the road, so I felt more comfortable in the tops/hoods area. As I understood it at the time, the drops were for descending, so that you can brake more efficiently.

The race was an odd one. My teammates and I had been talking for weeks about this race, and about what to expect, what to do, etc....but the race found a way to surprise me despite the ample discourse and preparation. I don't remember much else. However, one memory that'll cling to me for a good long while is this: I attacked a couple times, and when I realized it was go time, I put in a sprint -both while in the hoods. "...in the hoods?!! Are you INSANE?" is the first thing one of my teammates told me after the race. I was confused, and a bit irritated when my nickname (nick-phrase) amongst the team for the rest of the season became "the guy who sprints in the hoods." Swell. Still, I didn't understand what was wrong with it. It felt comfortable to me, and at the time, it was faster as well.

Fast forward to yesterday: Le Tour. Big sprint. Look at the above photo. One guy stands out: Fabian Cancellara. Crushing every sprint superstar out there, in the hoods. Thank you Fabian for freeing me of my supposed wrongdoing.

I do, however, sprint in the drops now...