18/04/2018
Race- Indian Cyclothon, Jaipur, April 15, 2018
Rank 2
Race Breakdown-
It's not always the strongest rider that wins in a mass start race— it's the rider who successfully combines available strength with racecraft and ex*****on who will clinch the title. This race was an indication of the same. Due to my injury, I was not the strongest rider at the starting line. There were plenty of cyclists who were more fit, stronger and better prepared for the race and I have no qualms in admitting this because if I intend to really win in the future, I need to be honest to myself and not let a podium-spot comfort me into thinking that I've arrived. But this is the beauty/bane of mass-start racing. You don’t just need to be physically strong — you need to understand the dynamics of the peloton, how to ride to your strengths, and how to measure your effort. This race, for me, was a race of patience- as tempting as it was to display a heroic burst of speed or chase down the rogue attacker, I just had to reign in my feelings and be patient till the time was just right. I had a limited number of matchsticks to burn in the race and I did my best to keep my matchsticks ready for the darkest moments in the race.
A beginner to racing will have hundreds of questions in his mind- "How do I know whose wheel to catch?" “When is a good time to attack?” "Why are these guys chasing?” "Why are they NOT chasing?"... Races are won and lost by your understanding (or lack thereof) of the psychology of the peloton and the game being played within it. Every rider is waiting for the other rider to deplete his resources like a 'who-blinks-first' game. Much of this can only be learned through experience and the more races you are a part of, the more you will realise that you don't need to be the best rider in the bunch to win a race.
I never race for 'participation' but I didn't attend this race with an intention to win, though I had hoped to. I attended with the intention to stimulate my training to aid my recovery from injury. On September 27, 2017, I met with an accident during training that resulted in complete tear of my quadriceps tendon and I learnt the hard was that tendons injuries are one of the worst to have as an athlete- there is no blood supply, recovery is extremely slow, muscle wasting and atrophy makes one quite weak and the road to full fitness can take upto a year! After my accident, there was a short stump of about 2mm left that was holding it together. Not a sight I'd like to think of but every time someone overtakes me in a race, the deficiency in power reminds me that I'm not "whole" yet and that I need to respect my body's internal process. It feels great to stand on the podium but there is a long way to go before I can put out similar power as before the accident.
The race was flagged off in the dark at 5.30am and after a little initial jostling for dominance, the main bunch coalesced at around 3km from start. That is when a little light started to trickle down on the road and I could size-up the members of the lead bunch. The Rajasthan state team members, Indian Railways cyclist and 2016 National Champion Rahul Singh were the most conspicuous of the bunch- the cadence and the confidence of the riders was unmistakeable to miss. These were the guys I would need to keep my eyes on but this was easier said than done because I didn't have sufficient power to lead the bunch or even stay in the front like I normally do, so I had to rely on strategy and eke out whatever little draft I could get from the wheels ahead of me. However, my fellow rider from Mumbai Express Racing - Mumbai Cycling Rajendra played the role of an ideal team mate and supported me throughout. A day before the race, we had studied the terrain and the wind direction to assess the ideal point of attack. The route was seemingly flat but there was minor elevation on the final 3km which wouldn't be visible to the naked eye but the legs of a cyclist can 'feel' it all :) It was a lovely event, with full traffic control and wide 4-5 lane roads on each side. Thankfully there were no climbs in the race as my muscles have not yet recovered completely for climbing.
Very thankful to the team at SportsMed Dr. Aditya Daftary and Dr. Bhushan who performed the open-quadriceps tendon surgery to reattach my injured leg. Kelly Pardiwalla, talreja from Alchemy who took care of my pysiotherapy and recovery. Unived for supporting me with quality nutrition that aided my recovery and helped me perform in the race as well. And the staff at Giant Starkenn Cycling World - Mumbai for keeping my race equipment in top condition for performance.
See you all next race!
For regular cycling information, tips and upcoming events "like" and "follow"-
https://www.facebook.com/thevelominati/
Your support really means a lot to us and goes a long way in helping us.
Thanks for tuning in,
Mirza Saaib Beg.
To connect with me on strava, click on the link below-
https://www.strava.com/athletes/3255087
Giant Starkenn Cycling World - Mumbai || Unived || Garmin || Mavic ||
