THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
A day in the life of a TransRockies team
Ben Ollett and Simon Koster did not come to British Columbia’s TransRockies Challenge harboring hopes or dreams of winning the seven-day, 600km stage race. Heading into the 93km third stage slog around Nipika mountain resort, the duo sat in 32nd place, nearly three hours off of the leading United Cycles team of Canadians Tim Heemskerk and Roddi Lega. The two Americans, roommates and collegiate racers together at Rutgers, came hoping only for a physical challenge.
“We needed another goal to train for this year,” said Koster, 26. “I was coming home from collegiate road nationals and TransRockies signup was the next week. I called Ben and he said he was game.”
Ollett, 27, lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he works as an endurance coach. Koster recently finished his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Along with Koster’s girlfriend, Michelle, the two piled in Ollett’s van and drove two days from Colorado to the starting line in Panorama Mountain Village. By the time they reached the starting line, both estimated they had spent roughly $3500, including the $1600 entry fee.
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Like the world’s, other mountain-bike stage races, the TransRockies is a full weeklong investment of one’s life. The race takes riders on a tour of rural British Columbia, and most stages start and finish miles away from the closest town. In addition to racing, riders live in a tent village, eat community meals, shower and entertain together. By day four, Ollett and Koster had settled into the life schedule of the TransRockies experience.
“You pick things up every day, you find ways to speed up recovery and get your stuff done faster,” Ollett said. “You become more efficient.”
A Typical TransRockies Day5:30 a.m. It’s still dark out when Koster wakes up. The temperature is a chilly 38 degrees and he can see his breath outside of the tent. Koster stumbles over to Ollett’s tent to wake him up. Ollett tells him to shut up.
6:00 a.m. The duo is one of the first teams to enter the big main tent and are greeted by rows of tables and the smell of bacon and coffee. While a catering mix-up had the food servers rationing portions on day’s one and two, by day four the numbers are right. German-speaking staff pile heaps of eggs and bacon onto their plates —croissants, cold cereal and coffee area also on the menu.
6:30 a.m. Post breakfast, the duo heads back to the tent to pack up. “We learned to get the bikes dialed in the night before — lube the chains and mix our bottles,” Koster said. “We don’t want to worry about that stuff in the morning. The two pack their belongings into large, red bags with numbers on them. The bags are put into one of the race’s large box trucks to be delivered to the finishing site in Whiteswan by truck. The tents stay behind — organizers will pack them up. Koster heads to go wait in the growing line for the port-o-potties.
7:30 a.m. Half an hour until the start and the duo has kitted up and wearing light jackets, vests and arm and knee warmers. They put in the last-minute preparations, such as filling their hydration packs, hitting the head one last time and brushing their teeth. The two head over to the race start, where yellow tape demarks the three starting heats. The faster racers start in the first heat, with slower riders in successive waves. Koster and Ollett enjoy a first-heat start.
9:00 a.m. One hour into the stage and things are starting to heat up — literally. With the sun rising above the jagged Kootenay Rocky Mountains, temperatures are climbing into the 70s and its time to lose the layers. Ollett and Koster have learned that stops can be costly, so they keep their layer-shedding stop short“When you have a partner it’s twice as much time at a stop,” Koster said. “It took us a few days to figure out when you can roll a stop or keep it quick.”
Noon Ollett and Koster are enjoying their best day of the race — Ollett is climbing better, but the duo stay very close on the day’s first and second major climbs. They spend little time at the aid stations, which supply fluids, energy gels and bars. They are riding alongside American cross-country great Susan Haywood and her teammate Hillary Harrison. So far they haven’t suffered any flat tires.
1:30 p.m. The duo are speeding toward the finish line in Whiteswan on a rolling logging road. They ride in small groups to maximize the draft, and cross the line in five hours and 22 minutes, about 45 minutes slower than the winning team. It is steaming hot and dry, and a race announcer calls out their names and time.
3:30 p.m. The duo waste little time post-race. They grab some pasta and water at the refreshment stand and then hurry to find a new tent, grab their gear bags and get out of the sun. “It’s tempting to stay out and chat and hang out,” Ollett said.
Koster heads to the massage tent for a rub.
7:00 p.m. There’s a long line for chow when the duo hits dinner, and pasta, salad and a seafood-rice mixture is on the menu. The two just hit up the shower van for a shower that can be five minutes in length.
“The line is shortest right before dinner,” Koster said. The two grab their food, sit with other racers and tell stories about the day’s stage.
9:00 p.m. The thumping of techno music echoes from the big tent for the nightly awards ceremony and video. Race organizers shoot and edit a slide show and video to be shown each night, but Ollett and Koster have decided to skip the production in favor of sleep. “We went the first two nights but we figured out sleep is more important,” Koster said. Their bottles are mixed and their bikes are tuned for the Day 5 march to Elkford. It’s been a long day, and the two have little trouble falling asleep.
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