Denmark! It was not a fairy tale ending.
March 6th, 2008 Posted in Connie
Copenhagen. Not exactly a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
The Final World Cup is history. Most of you know by now that min-Phin had a bad race by min-Phin standards, finishing tenth in the final event. A virus from early February lingered and probably was the biggest culprit in the less than optimal showing….but it could also have just been too much pressure, a bad day, or some mixture of the three. In any case, here’s how it went down.
Danish Guard
We took a chance and flew to LA for a few days training prior to departing for Copenhagen. Knowing he wasn’t fully recovered from the virus but hedging that the training block might spark him up - we took the plunge. The training went beautifully and he was strong! We flew to CPH on Friday the 8th, arriving Saturday the 9th to the grim reality of winter in Scandinavia. Bleak.
The track was located quite literally in a bog about 20 k from downtown Copenhagen. The team stayed in a a hotel called the Zleep. Cute name for a sterile no-frills hotel chain, rooms so small you could hardly walk around the bed….typically euro but with that stark Scandinavian twist. What we didn’t know in advance was that the hotel had no restaurant and the team had no car. This meant cyclists walking (cyclists don’t walk!) to dinner. We also were not prepared for the strong Danish Kroner (stronger than the euro) which made every meal a financially draining experience and sent many of the athletes to McDonalds where a burger was no bargain (about $15 for a double cheeseburger I’m told). Groceries were outrageously expensive, a coffee was about 8 bucks. Aye. The World cup organizers fed the athletes from the day before the competition and the food was excellent (and free) but those of us who arrived 5 days prior paid the price.
Note to self: next time, fly to warmer climate to acclimate.
On the upside, Denmark is really ideal for cycling, especially commuting. It s entertaining to observe the volume of bike traffic (even in winter) and how incredibly obedient they are with regard to traffic regulations. A very orderly country indeed. One US team member, Bobby Lea, rode his bike to town and was nearly assaulted when he ventured outside the bike path. Civic vigilance rules as I noted that there very few policemen (unlike Italy, which is much more of a police state).
Graffiti
In all it’s winter bleakness, Copenhagen did have some charm including some incredible albeit mostly unaffordable shopping. Home to some of the most exquisite modern designs, it was fun to window shop especially in the housewares sections. My mother had an infatuation with Danish design and in our home we had Danish silverware and Danish porcelin - so it was fun for me to be at the source and see the houses of George Jensen and Royal Copenhagen. An almost Keith Harring’esque design caught my attention in the more staid Royal Copenhagen line of porcelin and was a surpris. I was told it was art done by a former television personality (an anchorwoman) who began drawing when she retired from television and is beloved by the Danes. It was fun and light.
The harbor area features an fun mix of old and new, including of course the famous waterbound sculpture of the HC Andersens’ little mermaid, several Dutch style windmills and the Royal Palace with Buckingham palace style guards (see photos). For sure it must all look and feel a lot better in summertime. I resisted buying any I Love Copenhagen t-shirts, it just did not fit my mood.
Perhaps what’s left unsaid here is that I spent many a dreary Scandinavian winter as a speed skater. Returning, albeit without the skates, reminded me of what was often a bleak time in my previous sporting life (I’ve had many) when as a teenager I roamed the northern hemisphere in search of good results carried by steel blades over frozen tundra, dressed in lycra. But I digress.
Back at the track which was a beautiful facilty with a fresh roof after the previous one collapsed due to a heavy snow. The temperatures inside the arena were chilly, not conducive for setting top times. T had some good training and his first impression of the track was that the laps seemed short, meaning - he was going very fast. The day before his race, he was flying. His lap times were consistent, consistently fast. All at 16 seconds, all indicating that he might hit the low 4’20’s, which could be a personal best. He made it look effortless, easy.
On Valentines day, just before the World Cup, I presented Slipstream teammates Mike Friedman and Taylor with some pink and grey argyle boxers I’d found in town. The Ukraines sitting nearby were enthralled. Not sure if they wanted them too or just had a good laugh.
But he wasn’t sleeping well, had a chronic sore throat and generally felt quite tired. Without the sun for stimulus it was almost impossible to adjust to the time change. Everyone felt disoriented. Taylor’s hard drive crashed on his mac (the second time in two years) and with it, his main source of companionship, connection and entertainment. Luckily we’d just backed everything up and even luckier for him, he could use my computer. It would have been rough cold turkey without it.
On race day, the stands were only partly full and inside the cavernous arena, it was deathly silent. I went to the stands to cheer for Sarah Hammer in her first pursuit ride and was told to sit down (and basically shut up) by one of the arena officials. Hmm. T got into the groove for his warmup and still optimistically felt he could hit top 4. Sarah went on to place third, and had to satisfy herself with a strong third place and second overall in the World Cup final.
Close Quaters!
In the final pair, Taylor apeared ready. I was in the stands, trying to be obedient (ie, not too loud and no pounding on the boards), and relaying the info to Davis via telephone. But once the gun went off, it became obvious quickly that T was flat, despite hitting the first 6 laps (of 16) on schedule, he started to drift and lose time, eventually finishing 10th. On the backstretch I failed to notice that T ran over three of the sponges low on the track (that keep the rider above the pole line) which definitely threw off his timing. I also failed to notice until later that he’d not put on his lucky gloves. Forgetting the gloves was indicative of his mindframe. Just not quite all there.
Later T commented on how quiet it was in the stadium, and he could hear my cheering which I think is a sign that you’re not fully into the race. Better when you don’t notice anything, that’s when you know you have full focus. I always tell him about the time I was riding to win the world pursuit title in Zurich and I could smell the bratwurst (!) cooking in the stands during the first kilometer, I thought I was doomed! However I did pull it out and get into the game…and win!
For tenth he earned one World Cup point, which tied him for the overall lead with the Ukraine Dudya. Unsure of how the tie would be broken and who would earn the automatic slot to Beijing (only the winner!), we waited. We bided our time until the finals that evening (the Spaniard Escobar rode a very strong race to win). Still no news on who had won overall. I asked the US team and they didn’t know. I was urged to ask the commisaires myself. When I went up to the commisaire area, no one seemed to know at first. The Tie could be broken in a couple of manners (but I did not have a rulebook or the internet) - one was by the best results overall (ie, number of wins - the Ukraine had a first and a second, Taylor had a first and a 4th) or by the result in the last race (in that case, Taylor would win as the Ukraine did not show).
Finally we cornered the top UCI track official, who first told us Taylor had lost by a point. When we had him redo the math, he said oh yes - it’s a tie - and when he consulted his rules, he proclaimed Taylor the winner! Taylor put on his skinsuit for the presentation and had mom check his hair….only to be told five minutes later that in fact….”I’ve made a mistake and you’re not the winner, sorry.”
Sorry?
Taylor asked to review the ruling. And as he said, after reading it 10 times, he understood it.
Outside, T was silent and despondent in the way that only teenagers can be. I was crushed for him, he was crushed. The depth of his disappointment palpable. We both wanted to evaporate into thin air, to simply be somewhere - anywhere - else. But we had some hours left. Time to pack out.
So that was how it played out. Maybe we were just off by one day. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.
What does it mean now for the min-Phin? He has a very good shot though not automatic - for Beijing if he rides well in Manchester March 26 (the World Championships).
The silver lining to the weekend was that we flew directly back to San Francisco Saturday to make Davis’ gala event for the Davis Phinney Foundation and the start of the Tour of California. The DPF raised almost half-million dollars (!) and Taylor got to ride in the team cars following first Bradley Wiggins (Team High Road) and then Fabian Cancellara (CSC) - who finished 2nd and first respectively. That experience - following his idols - put to rest the bad week preceding and fortified his resolve going forward.
Onward! Stay tuned. Thanks for your support, yes!!
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