What do you get once you mix a rose, bud, and thorn? Apparently Albuquerque, New Mexico for the 2024 Collegiate Highway Nationwide Championships. Who knew?
Eight members of the highway staff traveled down south to go up in elevation, competing in 4 nationwide occasions over three days – the staff time trial, particular person time trial, highway race, and criterium. Let this weblog function proof that we discovered easy methods to breathe with out oxygen, and let’s stroll via what our week of races regarded like! In fact, since we’re in Albuquerque, and since it’s Seamus’ favourite exercise, every day will probably be introduced in rose/bud/thorn vogue. Don’t know what that’s? You’ll determine it out (nobody ever defined it to me so idk both).
Staff and Particular person Time Trial day
Rose
Hannah, Melissa, Chen, and Bianca (left to proper on the beginning) set off for the staff time trial to the candy sounds of the commentator attempting to recruit us for jobs. Apparently Los Alamos, NM has the very best variety of PhDs per capita or one thing, little did they know that none of our riders have a level but. Regardless, that they had a blast of their first staff time trial and completed seventh within the nation and Melissa completed the person time trial with a prime 10!
Throughout the person time trials, Hannah and Mason zoomed each rider into Lee Lopez’s thesis protection, persevering with our time honored custom of embarrassing each other once they’re hyper-focused on turning into a physician. (We have now solely discovered his masters thesis on-line to date however will replace this as soon as the doctoral thesis is up too). Rumor (heard right here first) has it Los Alamos is in his future.
Bud
On the lads’s staff, Derek (pictured right here in a very authorized aero place), Felix, Seamus, and Mason spent many of the warmup fearful that Seamus wasn’t feeling that nice after which spent the second half of the race fearful about him dropping the opposite three. A sooner time than final 12 months was an important outcome, and with three of the 4 returning for subsequent 12 months we’re trying ahead to the long run. Impressed by the marginal beneficial properties acquired by the TT helmets and skinsuits (each new experiences for a number of the staff!), the entire staff is trying ahead to a way forward for aero beneficial properties. Positive factors are beneficial properties.
Thorn
After the races the true journey started, because the staff headed to the Petroglyph Nationwide Monument in order that Seamus might stamp his nationwide parks Passport. A quite thorny journey awaited us, with a lot of sharp scrub greeting the hikers. The worst a part of the day was undoubtedly Derek and Melissa going an additional stroll at Petroglyph and lording it over everybody else at dinner. After dinner, it turned out the bathe’s sizzling water wasn’t working. Because the close by volcanoes weren’t very interesting (editorial remark: what volcanoes? Clearly this put up shouldn’t be being written by a geologist), staff mother and most senior mechanical engineer Hannah disassembled and reassembled the bathe to make sizzling water!
Highway Race Day
Rose
Solely Mason and Hannah competed within the highway race, which was roughly a forgettable expertise for Mason. Hannah, however, gained her small group’s dash and was in all probability top-5 among the many sea-level of us. In the meantime… the remainder of the staff was on the important responsibility of shuttling across the two of them, handing up bottles and meals, and huddling round Hannah on the finish of her race to maintain her heat. This was arduous work, and required a minimum of three journeys to Sprouts (Melissa’s favourite place on earth), beans, cuties (the citrus, not Derek) a number of additional USAC water bottles, and multiple journey down the musical freeway to the tune of “America the Lovely.”
Bud
Dinner this night was, nicely, difficult. We’re nonetheless ready on the cornbread to complete cooking… Within the interim, everybody has now made it their purpose to match Hannah’s t-shirt alternative with out her realizing, as Mason managed to perform a minimum of as soon as on this journey.
Along with this admirable purpose, some, extra, intrepid (?) members of the staff proposed the aero-enhancing camelbak skinsuit as a startup thought. Their slogan? Hydraero 3000! Or possibly Watersuit! Bianca is workshopping nonetheless however regardless, catch us on Shark Tank subsequent week!
Thorn
The staff actually wanted dinner that evening, since many of the riders ended up doing longer rides than Hannah or Mason between shepherding us across the course and concluding their rides with an enormous climb up Sandia Peak (which will get above 10k toes on the prime). This was significantly accentuated by the pretend truce Seamus tried to make with Felix close to the highest, as the 2 of them slowly ramped up the tempo on the best way up the climb. Melissa, Bianca, and Chen adopted at a extra cheap tempo and it turned nearly everybody’s greatest climb ever! Opinions differed on how pleasurable the descent was: Melissa tore down like a slalom ski champ, Chen honed their apexing expertise because of WTC cornering day, Bianca received in her arm day pulling brakes.
Derek, though he didn’t race or do the large climb and solely ultimately received cornbread, was nonetheless omitted to dry. Hannah went to “””lay down””” in his mattress to get away from the hullabaloo and wakened there the following morning, Derek banished to the sofa and woken up at 5am by the remainder of the staff. Her solely excuse? Sorry, it was very comfy! (editorial remark: Hannah had additionally set a finest 20 minute energy in the course of the highway race… at 7,200’… tiredness was justified.)
Criterium Day
Rose
The crit was a tough time out for everybody with the one rose-worthy race point out being Hannah successful her second mini dash of the weekend (albeit for twelfth general/prime 5 of the sea-level colleges after crashing earlier within the race however a dash win continues to be a win!). Jealous of the Sandia Crest outing by the group the day earlier than, Derek motivated Mason and Hannah to go peak bagging within the afternoon. We missed out on the fantastic solar and as a substitute had been handled to 30+mph wind gusts and temperatures on the highest to match the remaining winter snow. Regardless of the chilly, the views had been nonetheless gorgeous and the group photograph ended up method cuter than anticipated!
Bud
With the rotation of the Nationals venue each two years, it would really be at sea degree subsequent 12 months! #bringontheoxygen!
Thorn
For the second 12 months in a row, the Rio Grande Celtic Pageant was occurring contained in the crit course all through the race (to be clear, this isn’t the thorn, hold studying). This led to a continuing soundtrack of bagpipes all through the day and to some stellar intermingling between the biking followers and the Celtic followers. A thorn for some was a rose for others when Hannah rapidly deserted Mason to elucidate to somebody’s grandma how bikes haven’t modified a lot in 70 years. Mason had simply been pulled from his crit, was not amused, and Hannah, after all, documented the event with glee from afar.
Journey Day
Rose
Half the staff headed again on Sunday morning, leaving Derek, Hannah, and Mason to fend for themselves on the criterium. It’s arduous to discover a rose on a journey day, however Seamus convincing all 4 of his NUMTOTs to take public transport dwelling, bike luggage and all, was by far the spotlight.
Bud
One approach to journey, and that we’re trying ahead to seeing extra of sooner or later, is Dartmouth’s chosen methodology. Helmets within the airport (simply identifiable), paceline strolling always (drafting is vital at 2.5mph), and additional compact use of porta-potties (don’t ask) are all admirable journey strategies we count on to see extra of from them on the subsequent ECCC race. Groups from different conferences at nationals didn’t perceive however Dartmouth, we see you and admire you.
Thorn
Sadly, journey day 1 ended up hanging out within the nice metropolis of Houston for six additional hours on Sunday. Bianca selected to move the time alternating between her newly acquired USAC water bottle and napping, whereas Felix returned to the working world. Seamus, Melissa, and Chen had been nowhere to be discovered (in all probability joyriding on the airport tram if we had been to guess although).
Closing Ideas
Rose
Total, nationals was an enormous success. MIT was one in every of 5 Membership groups to ship each full women and men’s groups and have racers in each occasion of the weekend. We had enjoyable, we challenged ourselves, and we regarded professional whereas doing it with nail polish to match our package. What extra might you ask for? (editorial remark: the Gatorade Man is what extra. Mason’s favourite volunteer from final 12 months was again once more this 12 months, enthusiastically forcing ice chilly hydration on us at each flip. We would have liked him, and he delivered. Thanks, Gatorade Man.)
Thorn
Marking the top of the season is bittersweet as buddies graduate and we wait a complete 12 months to do that all once more. On the brilliant facet, one of the best driving months in Boston are simply arriving and a few would possibly say #crossiscoming or possibly even observe season?!
(Fancy) photographs credit score: Craig Huffman Pictures
Textual content primarily by Mason
