Cutting Corners

      After a solid off-season of work, the guys came into racing season with more power than they've ever had.  They quickly showcased their abilities, placing on the podium in nearly every race they entered.  Despite that, 1st place has so far proved elusive. 

2nd place in the first race of the season

       At the Valley of the Sun TT and the Chico Stage Race TT, Innokenty Zavyalov placed 4th in the Pro 1 field against some of the top Time Trialists in the nation.  We made adjustments to his position and his process after both races and we saw solid improvements when we looked at his power and speed in training. 

3rd Overall at Valley of the Sun

     Coming into the Murrieta Time Trial, we went over every aspect of Inno's preparation.  We discussed equipment, pacing, weather, mental state, nutrition, and on and on in meticulous detail to maximize his performance.  When we left things the day before the race, I was confident we had gone over everything there was to think of.

We moved Inno's arm rests a bit wider to improve the air flow over his shoulders.

     The day of the Time Trial I waited patiently to see what the result might be.  When the live feed displayed his time I was incredibly disappointed to see that he had finished 20 seconds down on the winner in 12th place. Not long after, I received a text saying that in fact he had finished with the winning time, but that he had been docked 30 seconds for violating the centerline rule on the uphill dirt section.  Damn.  In talking with Inno afterward, he explained that a lot of other people were using the whole road on the dirt section and that he thought it would be okay to cut the corners to take the cleanest line possible.  

     One of the best things about bike racing is how clear the reality of things are, either you win or you don't.  The question at this point isn't so much what we learned in the moment - that point should be painfully obvious - but rather what do we learn going forward?  There will be other scenarios like this in the future, but they won't look exactly this.  Maybe it will be drugs.  Maybe it will be taking a free ride using a "sticky water bottle".  What's important for Inno to recognize at this point is that it's never worth it to try and cut corners.  In the long run you always end up paying for it. In this case, Inno might have sacrificed a few seconds, but he would have won.  

     We'll both learn from this and keep moving forward.  I had thought I had done everything I could to prepare Inno for success in the Murrieta TT, but this was a good reminder that there is always more to learn.  Semper Porro.