A Lesson from My First Race

A Lesson from My First Race by R.D. Lilly

It was the spring of ’94. The day of my first race had finally come. My friend and I had been training for months for this event. Not only was this my first race, it was also my first century (100 mile race). I don’t think I slept very much that night due to my excitement.

The race was to commence at 7:30 on Saturday morning. We got there at about 6 to ensure that we got a spot toward the front of the peloton. There were others that had the same idea as us so we did not get as close to the front as we would like. We were still in the first quarter of the peloton so we were happy.

At precisely 7:30 the race gun fired and we were off. I was so excited to finally be underway for what I thought would be a grueling race. As the peloton headed out of the staging area we could not take off as fast as usual due to some traffic concerns. Due to these concerns about the traffic we started out going 20 m.p.h instead of the normal 25-30.

Since the race started out at a slower pace the peloton was able to stay closer together. This caused riders to be clumped to close together. Since the majority of us were amateurs we were not use to riding in such conditions.

For about the first quarter or so of the race we were all clumped together in the peloton until the pace finally picked up. I was riding towards the middle of the peloton when a pile up happened right in front of me.

I squeezed hard on my brakes and end up going over my handle bars. Luckily the only injury I received was a little road rash. Upon hitting the ground I hoped back up and got back on my bike to catch back up to the peloton.

To my dismay upon pedaling my bike again I could hear my bike making a grinding noise towards the rear derailleur. I looked back and saw that the rear derailleur was no longer straight. Once I found out the cause of my problems I hoped off and attempted to fix my bike, to no avail.

Here was my first race and I barely got a quarter of the way through when my frame got bent. I could no longer continue the race. I was very disappointed. I waited for my support vehicle, which happened to be my parents, and we followed my friend as he finished the race.

Once we got to the finish line I got an opportunity to talk to the “celebrity” of the race. His name was Kent Bostick. He and his wife were both avid racers and both raced in that race. They gave me some advice that I never forgot.

The wisdom they gave me was this: always ride on the outer edge of the peloton. The reason is so that you have some room to maneuver if you find yourself amongst a crash.

That advice has served me well and I know it can for you too. Happy Racing!!

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