Pushing the Limits: Tour of the Southern Highlands
- Madeline Bemis
- Apr 1, 2019
- 6 min read
On Monday morning I sat down at breakfast in Milligan's cafeteria and typed into google, “how to race a time trial.” All week I tried to gather information and strategy about the so-called ‘race of truth.’ The impending weekend was the Tour of the Southern Highlands; a three-day GC race with four unique stages, starting off with an Individual Time Trial. I was intimidated by the event as a whole, but especially the Time Trial since it's still a new race format for me and the beginning stage.
Laney and I frantically finished our homework, packed everything we’d need for a self-sufficient race weekend, and got an early start to our spring break by leaving Thursday morning for Woodstock, GA.
We drove straight to the Individual Time Trial course to pre-ride. There were quite a few women there to do the same. I looked around the parking lot and told Laney I felt like I didn’t belong. I said it half-jokingly, but I knew I wasn’t in my comfort zone since road racing still daunts me. In past races I’ve allowed this mentality to take over by getting too tense and overthinking every move I make. I’d end up pushed off wheels, shuffled to the back of the pack, and definitely not enjoying the process. One of the main reasons I decided to do TOSH is because this mentality isn’t going to disappear on its own. If I am going to gain confidence as a roadie, I have to get out there and do it.
Friday morning was quiet and dreary, and I felt ready. Coach Zack and I had come up with a plan of attack for where to burn the matches on course versus spots to recover a bit, all while staying overall steady and consistent. A good warm-up was also crucial for such a short event, and Laney made sure I had everything I needed and was ready to go.
3…2…1…and we're off. Everything I had read online and been told advised to not go out too hard, which the mountain biker inside told me to do. But I pedaled calmly and settled into a pace, then watched my heart rate steadily increase to where I wanted it to be. The QOM climb was about 6 minutes in, and I pushed the pace a little more to get up the 20% grade. 9 minutes in I passed a competitor, which gave me a little boost of energy and confidence. At about 24 mins I could tell I was slowing, and consciously told myself to keep pushing. 29 mins in the finish line was in sight and I emptied the rest of the tank. I rode back to the parking lot feeling satisfied with the effort but having no idea how it stacked up against the competition. Laney greeted me with a smile reporting that I had actually placed fourth and second in the QOM. A very pleasant surprise.
On a side note, Laney missed two days of school to drive me to my races on Friday, drove behind me to preride the TT course, held the umbrella over me while I warmed up, drove 40 minutes when I forgot one of my race numbers, and went above and beyond in so many little ways to make sure I was ready to race. She was my ‘mom,’ team director, masseuse, and most of all an amazing friend to share the race weekend with. We made a fantastic little team, and my success would not have been possible without her. Huge thank you to Laney.
Friday night at 7:30 was the crit, and by the time we stood on the start line the ITT felt like days ago. Since I didn’t have a team to race with, I did what I could to stay toward the front of the pack. I was feeling confident and capable so I launched a few attacks, claimed a sprint point, and came around the last corner to sprint for third place.
Again, surprising myself. The atmosphere of my first night crit was energetic and contagious, and I definitely want to do it again.
Saturday morning the adrenaline from the day before had worn off. I woke up fatigued and physically tired, but spirits were up. Laney, Jonah, and Meade were racing in the morning so it was an early start. The event was a circuit race, which I had never done before, but the idea wasn't too foreign.
My field had 8, 4-mile laps, and I still can’t decide if it felt more like a short road race or a long crit. I attacked quite a few times, but nothing stuck and in the back of my mind I couldn’t forget the fact that there was still one more event the following day.
I ended up sixth in yet another close sprint finish, and at this point was sitting comfortably fourth in the overall standings.
We had a big meal that night, slept as much as we could, and woke up in the dark again to go to the road race course. I felt weak as I rolled out of bed. The racing we had already done was about equivalent to a collegiate race weekend, and it was usually time to head back to school. But there was one race left on the TOSH agenda. It was a daunting 5 laps, totaling 75 miles with 6,000 feet of climbing. Even though I was toasted, my spirits were still high. I was excited for a course that favored the fit more than the lucky; the strong more than the smart. I was ready to suffer.
The plan was to sit in and keep following attacks until the pack withered down. The first lap and a half the climbs were ascended steadily so the whole pack was together. I wondered what it would take to break everyone up. One of the riders took off solo, so the pace was amped up a bit as we chased her down. I took the lead on the final climb to claim some QOM points. By the time we caught the solo rider, the pack had split into what looked like in half. Going into the third lap we were working together to maintain a solid pace. The first climb was the same as in the ITT; it came quickly and pitched up. I worked my way to the very front every lap, drilling the pace. Each lap a few more riders would fall off. Some would catch back on, but most wouldn’t. Each lap hurt a little more, but I kept reminding myself that this was the case for those around me as well and to keep holding on. The QOM climb became particularly hard and I barely started to loose grip of the pack on the fourth lap. But others had also fallen with me and together we managed to make contact again on the proceeding downhill.
The final lap was going to hurt. A few attacks went off from other riders, but again, nothing stuck. There were about 10 of us left, and by the looks of it things were going to be decided on that final climb. One of the riders attacked hard at the bottom of the QOM climb but nobody followed. My legs burned like never before as I stomped on my pedals to pull myself over the climb. Now was not the time to get dropped. The few of us that survived the pace worked together to chase the solo rider down right before the finish, and we sprinted yet again across the finish line. I scored myself another third place finish, and immediately knew fourth overall in GC standings.
Sometimes I disappoint myself, and other times I’m pleasantly surprised. And TOSH was shocking in the best way. I’m proud not only of how I placed in my first GC, but also that I was able to push the limits of what I’m capable of a little more on that final day of racing in the road race.
Huge thank you to the Ramos family for their incredible hospitality as they graciously hosted us for the weekend. And much appreciation to Coach Zack and Steph for driving down to help me strategize, feeding during the road race, cheering, and supporting by being there.
And shout-out to the sponsors Kenda tires for helping keep the rubber side down, Oakley for the sweet looks and clear vision, AC Performance for that competitive edge, StaTru for the fastest-spinning wheels, and ESI grips for style and comfort.
I have big goals for the rest of the season, and am more excited than ever to keep racing, learning, and gaining confidence in this crazy sport called road racing. And the Tour of Southern Highlands was definitely a step in the right direction.
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