Norwegian Reminiscing

My last post was about my retirement party, so forgive me for doing a little reminiscing. This is a story from the 2002 trip to Europe that Jet Fuel did when I won my first race in Europe. What a rush!

In my years with Jet Fuel the best day of racing was the fourth stage of the GP Ringerike in Norway. That was the day that the team shared in our greatest victory together, when our dedication and experience paid off. After several tough weeks slogging through Europe, filled with rain and pain, the team needed a result to boost our morale and validate our trip overseas.

On the fourth stage I asked the team for their support in trying to win the stage. We knew that it would be a tough day, with two walls fifteen kilometres out from the finish, and rolling terrain all day. Working in our favour, we felt, was the fact that in the last 500m there were three 90degree corners through which our cornering skills, honed in US criteriums, could give us an edge. The plan was to get me into that first corner in front, open up a gap and sprint for the line. It sounds easy doesn’t it?

Everyone played their part on that stage. Coming into the walls, the decisive point of the stage with the pack largely intact, we were all to the front the guys helping to keep me positioned. A crash on a narrow bridge took Josh, Buck and Dom out of contention. On the climb the pack splintered, thinning out quickly on the steep slopes. One of the riders for the French team broke away towards the top, putting time into us. Behind him I crested in the main group of 15 or so and we started the fast, straight decent to the finish. Riding in the group all I could think was how I was going to dust these guys in the sprint – I was ultra confident in myself. My team-mates Joe Giuliano and Bruno Nella, our mentally unstable financial backer who was racing with us, made the chase group and worked to get up to the front. I was surprised when they caught us because my group was going all out, but the French team rider was still ahead.

Having asked for their help in the meeting Joe and Bruno lined up in front of me, preparing for the lead-out into that first corner. We hit the one kilometre to go sign, where the road descended gently to the finish, and I shouted at the guys to punch it. The three of us jumped in a line on the right of the field with Bruno sprinting all out. Here goes, I thought.

One hundred metres later though Bruno was blown. He hadn’t pulled nearly long enough, leaving Joe with a massive effort to get us anywhere near the corner. Our effort seemed doomed. Tucked into Joe’s slipstream I screamed at him to “GO. GO. GO” hoping to pump him up to the level of effort that he would have to make to get us close to the first corner. Joe pulled and pulled and pulled, and still the guys behind us didn’t come by. I could seem him flagging but I shouted some more and he dug deeply once again. Later he would tell me that he almost blacked out at that point, but his efforts kept the riders behind us still. With fifty metres to go to the corner I jumped off Joe’s wheel with all I could muster – all or nothing. All I could see was the corner and I dived into it as fast I could. On my exit of the second corner I remember almost clipping a tree as I tried not to lose any speed. The lone rider was just ahead of me, with one corner and 100m to go to the finish. Sprinting with all I had I passed him through the last corner and headed for the finish. All I could think was, “They’re coming, they’re coming, don’t look back.” I passed the lone rider and powered to the line. Oh my god! I’d won, I’d won!!

Moments later Joe was there. Hugging him I cried. Two years earlier we’d almost quit the sport and now here we were celebrating this wonderful victory together. The best part was that I couldn’t have done it without him. Joe told me that in that first corner I put ten metres into the next rider, and they never came back on me. Definitely the best day of racing I’ve ever had with Joe and Jet Fuel.

Recently retired from professional cycling, Andrew Randell has taken up a management/rider development role with the Jet Fuel/La Bicicletta team for 2012 and opened up his coaching services to the public. Reach him at arcoaching@gmail.com.