Race Report LWC - Ryan Hynes

Post date: Mar 01, 2012 5:42:57 AM

Minority Report

Under cover of darkness, Illinois Tech Cycling left the Chicago and the comforts of home, and beat a path for Colombia, Kentucky. The team was determined, but before them stretched 400 miles of asphalt, and really super creepy farm roads. The ride was almost as arduous as the race itself, and tested the strength, endurance, and ultimately, the patience of team members. Without the discipline and will to sit still for eight hours, there may not have been a race.

My first foray in competitive cycling was intimidating. In the MWCCC, people spend more money on their bikes than they do on their cars, which they use only to transport their bikes to races. I was nervous, and excited, but the TTT quickly crushed my spirits. As I gasped for breath to try and keep up the pace, I whizzed by a dairy farm, and deeply inhaled what can only be described as ‘pets de vache’. The road race however, was invigorating. My legs felt great on the climbs, and the descents were the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. On one such descent, I was so concentrated on going as fast as possible, that I hit a possum head on. Now I’m not sure if he was already dead, but he was certainly less alive when I left him. Stricken with grief over the death of this poor creature, I turned my sadness to rage and pedaled with a mighty cadence, advancing up the pack. I Attacked Little Cake, the final hill, like a fat man in Hostess outlet, and threw myself over the top. Overcome with joy at seeing my teammates cheering me on at the top, I waved and then sprinted to the finish, placing not as well as I would have hoped, but better than I expected.

After being built back up by the road course, the criterium once again put me in my place. The Jello that was my legs had not jet hardened into a mold, and I was pulled 15 minutes into the race. The crit itself was exhilarating though, and made me appreciate the dangers and the joys associated with 71 men on bicycles all competing for the same piece of real estate.

Like a virgin, touched for the very first time, this race weekend left me positively tickled. I cannot wait to saddle up and venture into the unknown again with Ian “Crank Arms” Carr and his notorious band of rough riders.

-Ryan Hynes