By Patrick Mannon
This weekend had its highs and lows. I don't feel like I raced well but I had fun.
I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2015 before moving to Austin for grad school so St. Louis was home for some of my most formative years. Gateway Cup provided an opportunity to do one of my favorite things in one of my favorite places.
Crits are still my weakest type of race. I know this and I'm trying to improve through experience. This weekend ended up being more about the lessons I learned rather than any results. I'd have preferred a result but that's not how it works out a lot of the time.
Lessons learned including but not limited to: I'm overly cautious and riding at the back sucks.
Things I already knew that were reconfirmed: I need to discover comfort while cornering in groups, learn how to move up within the field, and DON'T FORGET THIS.
Friday – Tour de Lafayette
The day started early with a 7:30 flight from AUS to STL. One transfer and two tiny cups of Southwest coffee later, I landed in St. Louis expecting to be picked up by Brady. “Soooo, have a big issue. I left my contacts at the hotel last night. I have to turn around and get them. Will be about two hours late.” Let the adventures begin. A ride on St. Louis MetroLink and an Uber completed the planes, trains, and automobiles trifecta. Having both successfully navigated the slight travel hiccups and arrived at our host, we rebuilt my bike and rode to Lafayette Park. With huge streets and only four corners, the course looked wide open.
The race started at 9:15 and it began misting shortly before we started. My nerves were a little strained in the beginning but the race went smoothly until a crash with three to go. It always sucks when there‚ a crash but it happens in races and honestly this one seemed relatively tame. Unfortunately, on the next lap, the crash hadn’t been cleared and a medical vehicle was still on the course. Darkness and poor communication meant we came around the corner without any idea of the obstacle and some riders went down again. Admittedly, I was towards the back of the field and avoided both crashes and had to surge following the slowdown. The last lap went around without incident and I rolled in for some low place.
The course suited me pretty well so I had hoped to do better. Unfortunately, my crit nerves got the better of me and I didn't really relax until too late in the race. The race was fast and led to my highest average power of the weekend.
We went to John's Donuts for post-race recovery/nutrition. We had to reach a $5 minimum so I bit the bullet and ate three donuts, while Brady only had two.
Numbers: 60 minutes - 72nd/123
29.8 mph
310 watts
Saturday Tour de Francis Park
The late crit start on Friday led to a late bedtime which led to a late wakeup on Saturday. For our spin, we found a bike trail following the Mississippi River. The path we followed was the sight of my first 50 mile ride in 2015, which took me about four hours. It's wild to think how much I've ridden and the impact cycling has had on my life over the last three years. At that point, I didn't even realize people raced bikes and could have never have imagined I'd ever visit St. Louis solely to race.
After our ride, we ate, relaxed and otherwise prepared for the race. Somehow we neglected to get coffee on our ride, an incomprehensible oversight for which I have no excuse. For some reason, Brady always leaves it to me to navigate yet never seems pleased with the resulting route. Regardless, I navigated us to Francis Park. Again, the course had four corners and wide roads.
The race began with a crash only two laps in and a few neutralized minutes. After the restart, I made it into a short-lived break which made it about half a lap before being absorbed back into the group. At one point, Brady made it off the front solo. He came back and told me it was my turn to go off the front again but by that point the race was intensifying. The setting sun blinded us around the first corner and eventually led to a stupid crash near the end of the race. The guy in front of me slowed nearly to a stop and I had to chase hard to regain the group. That was the death knell on any chance I had at a decent placing and the rest of the race went on without incident.
Saturday's post-race nutrition was provided by Tower Grove Creamery in the form of a chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone. We attempted to ride back to our host with our ice cream and Brady really struggled. I managed to get most of mine in my mouth but his dripped onto his hands, bike, and shoes.
Numbers: 74 minutes - 84th/120
29.4 mph
270 watts
Pre-race
Post-race model pic
Sunday - Giro Della Montagna
We woke up at a decent time and went of a leisurely tour to Forest Park and WashU. Riding through my old haunts allowed me to experience them in a new way and show them off. A cappuccino and chocolate croissant from Kaldi's Coffee provided mid-ride fuel. I also bought a St. Louis mug because I'm a tourist and coffee addict. I've actually bought a mug on both of my most recent trips to St. Louis. I'm sensing a new tradition.
Forest Park with our #giantbicycles and #jakroofast kits
Sunday's race went through an old Italian neighborhood and passed several restaurants I had eaten at in the past. The course was again four-cornered but had rougher and more narrow roads. It was a long rectangle with an uphill drag up one of the longer sides. The race felt harder than either of the previous two races. For the first time I noticed my cornering weakness making the race harder. The races this weekend were within my first ten P/1 crits so I'm definitely gaining experience. However, it's still incredibly frustrating to feel strong enough to be in the race but be let down by comfort and skill. Regardless of the added difficulty, I felt okay the whole time. Unfortunately, my race was cut short when someone crashed in front of me after the end of free laps.
After Brady finished, we again went to Tower Grove Creamery but learned our lesson and just ate there. Our host's neighbors invited us to their deck-warming party where we ate dinner, attempted to explain bike racing, and told our worst injury stories.
Numbers: 55 minutes (crashed out after free laps) DNF
28.3 mph
285 watts
Mandatory Gateway Arch pic
My alma mater, Washington University
Monday - Benton Park Classic
Brady slept SUPER late. We took a very short spin to Sump Coffee for a biscotti and cappuccino before previewing the course. Monday's course was awesome and not very suited to me. It was 1.7 miles long with 10 turns on narrow, bumpy roads.
The race started and even a single lap in, I knew it was going to be a long day. I felt pretty good through 8/10 corners but the last two were rough every lap. No matter how hard I tried, small gaps would open in front of me and I had to surge to catch back on. I probably could have made it through the race doing this, but eventually, gaps started opening up ahead of me and I would have to go around people and chasing for entire laps. Finally, a big enough gap opened and I realized I was chasing alone. I rode hard for about two laps and almost made it back a couple times but eventually had to throw in the towel. Ironically, those were probably my favorite laps because I was able ride steady hard and felt comfortable through the corners. I was pulled with three other guys and cheered Brady on for the rest of the race. It's not how I would have chosen to finish the season, but the weekend overall was a lot of fun and taught me a lot.
My host dad drove me back to the airport. The entire Wolfpack and a handful of other Austin cyclists were on the same flight and no less than five Orucases went around the baggage claim. Think about all that money saved from no bike fees. It was a good weekend but it's also good to be home.
Numbers: 50 minutes (pulled) – 72nd/103
26.8 mph
295 watts
Cover photo by Matt James / USA Cycling
Patrick Mannon is a PhD student in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He went to undergrad at Washington University in St. Louis and currently resides in Austin, TX. His favorite song is “U Smile” by Justin Beiber and he loves to eat mac & cheese despite being slightly lactose intolerant. Patrick started racing in the fall of 2016 and joined our team in January 2018. He has upgraded from category 4->3->2->1 over the past year.