LONG ROUTE: With close to 4000 meters of climbing over 117 km, the GFNY Alpes Vaujany long route is a test of your legs, and your willpower.
The race starts with a controlled 5km descent from the mountain town of Vaujany. After the quick descent, the first challenge of the day begins: the 25-km climb up Col de la Croix de Fer, first through the forest, then past lac de Grand’Maison, then to its breath-taking top at 2,067 meters. After descending on the other side, and flat 10k in the Maurienne valley, you’ll climb Col du Glandon. After the descent off Glandon, you will face the final challenge of the day: the climb back to Vaujany and your finish line celebration.
LONG COURSE IS A COMPETITION: Only the finishers of the 117 km long course are eligible for category rankings and Overall and Podium awards. If you want to race and be ranked in your category, you must complete the long course. Top 20% of finishers in each age groups qualify for the Racer Corral at every GFNY World event.
At the start of GFNY in 2019, I found myself on my bike, suspended above the Hudson River on the lower deck of the George Washington Bridge, surrounded by 5,000 fellow racers from over 90 different countries. Even though this was my third consecutive GFNY, I stood there, shaking my head in disbelief thinking, “WOW, a bicycle race has shut down the busiest bridge in the world!” The bridge remains open through snowstorms, high winds, repairs, maintenance, and accidents. And all of this in a country where cycling is certainly not a national pastime. It seemed to me that the magnitude of this bridge being closed just for the sake of our bicycle race was being lost or not fully comprehended by most of us.
It also occurred to me that since a great majority of GFNY racers are either from another state or another country, there’s a pretty good chance that most of the riders around me on the bridge would enjoy some insight to where they were, what they were looking at, where the racecourse would be taking them, and the significance of it all.
We compiled this “Points of Interest Guide” to help you get to know the GFNY racecourse from a slightly different perspective. It’s so much more than just rolling hills, quaint towns and Bear Mountain. This guide will make your race experience and trip to New York more fulfilling.
MILE 0 / START:
Between Two Forts.
At the start line, we are suspended above the Hudson River, between where once two American Revolutionary War forts defended the river. Fort Lee was just south of the bridge in New Jersey, and Fort Washington was just north of the bridge on the New York side of the river. Cannon fire passed right through where we are lined up for the race start, as Colonial Americans fired down upon British ships sailing up the river. On November 16, 1776, British forces overwhelmed and captured Fort Washington. After the battle surviving Americans fled across the river to the safety of Fort Lee. Margaret Corbin was a patriot nurse at that battle who remained beside her husband operating a cannon. When her husband was fatally wounded and unable to operate the cannon, she immediately took his place, efficiently loaded and accurately fired the cannon, until her left arm was nearly severed. Margaret never fully recovered from her wounds, yet her bravery and devotion did not go unnoticed on the battlefield. A few years later, her valiant service was recognized by the newly formed US government as she became the first female recipient of a lifelong pension.
Highly Recommended: Visit Fort Lee Historic Park before or after the race. It is located on the racecourse and is less than 1 mile from the GFNY Welcome Zone.
MILE 2-8 / Henry Hudson Drive:
A River and Cliffs.
The majority of the race takes place on the banks of and the cliffs above the Hudson river. Native American’s called the Hudson River “a stream that flows both ways” since it is an estuary which ebbs and flows with the ocean’s tide. The Hudson River, which serves as a major thoroughfare between New York City and the rest of the state, was also the most strategic 150-mile-long battlefield of the Revolutionary War. The river separated the northeast from the rest of the country. British control of the Hudson would mean dividing the Northern American Colonies in two. Whichever side controlled the Hudson would control communication, transportation and the entire course of the war.
The magnificently steep cliffs here are the Palisades, called “We-awk-en” by the Lenni Lenapes Native Americans which means “rocks that look like rows of trees”. By the late 1800’s the Palisades were being heavily quarried for building foundations, city streets and piers in New York. If you have ever ridden on New York City pavé, chances are you rode on blocks of rock quarried from these cliffs. The growth of New York City was taking place at the expense of the destruction of New Jersey. It was the activism of local Women’s Clubs from nearby towns like Englewood which eventually passed legislation to preserve the Palisades and create the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC). This was the late 1890’s and, despite having no right to vote, women were remarkably still able to persuade politicians. The PIPC was given power to acquire land and preserve scenery which is what they did along Henry Hudson Drive and Bear Mountain.
MILE 9 / Alpine Climb:
You think climbing this is hard…
After the British captured Forth Washington, they had their sights to capture Fort Lee along with the 2667 American troops stationed there led by American General Nathanael Greene. The British planned to approach Ft. Lee by surprise. During a heavy rainstorm on November 20th, 5,000 British troops sailed six miles north, well out of sight of Fort Lee, and landed near the base of Alpine Climb. They proceeded to climb directly up the muddy cliffs, with heavy packs, dragging cannons and supplies uphill with barely a trail beneath their feet. Their plan was to then march south to Fort Lee. From the top of the Palisades in Closter, a farmer spotted the British, immediately mounted his horse and rode straight to Fort Lee to warn the Americans of the impending attack. This warning provided just enough time for the American troops to make a hasty evacuation westward towards Hackensack to join the rest of Washington’s troops. If that anonymous Closter farmer had not warned the Americans, Fort Lee would have easily been captured by the larger British Army and the American Revolution would have ended that day. This anonymous Closter horseman is the “Paul Revere” of New Jersey and his image is on the Closter Borough seal. The decision to retreat was also strategically decisive as it bought precious time for the American army to regroup and play cat and mouse with the British.
When they finally arrived at Fort Lee, the British were pleased to find it abandoned and fully stocked. They captured 12 drunk American soldiers who had remained behind, 50 cannons, ammunition, and 1,000 barrels of flour. This was the darkest hour of the American Revolution, yet had the American troops not suffered and endured through it, the war would have been over. Which ties nicely to my most inspiring cycling quote which comes from the book Romans. “We rejoice in our SUFFERINGS, knowing that SUFFERING produces ENDURANCE, and ENDURANCE produces CHARACTER, and CHARACTER produces HOPE, and HOPE does not disappoint.
MILE 17 / Piermont:
Where Paper is Made
It’s a bridge so we must mention it. As you make the left-hand turn into Piermont, look to your left and you may get a glimpse of the red painted towers of the Sparkill Creek Drawbridge built in 1880. Chains lift the bridge when an operator turns a crank. It’s simple and functional, very much like a bicycle.
The Piermont aid station is a great place to view the new Tappan Zee Bridge off in the distance. The Tappan Zee Bridge is the second Hudson river crossing which you will cycle directly beneath during the race. It is worth mentioning because this new bridge has dedicated pedestrian and cycling lanes which are still being constructed. Piermont and nearby 9W are popular routes for local cyclists, and soon we will be able to cross the Hudson River and explore new routes and destinations like Tarrytown and Ossining.
Older local cyclists like myself will recall the giant Piermont Paper Mill which dominated the waterfront space. Today, it is replaced by rows of condos with art galleries, restaurants, shops, and of course Piermont Bike on the ground floor. The world’s first affordable cardboard box (the kind used for cereal, then and now) was invented in that paper mill. Locals were sad to see the mill demolished, and when demolition workers had a difficult time removing the giant flywheel, they were told to leave it. The flywheel can be seen prominently on display in the courtyard.
MILE 32 / Stony Point:
By July 16, 1779 George Washington’s Army had won few battles but managed to keep the British at a stalemate. The British has secured Stony Point with a perimeter of cannons. The approach was swampy and then escalated to steep and rocky. General Washington organized his best trained unit, the “Navy Seals” of back then, and used a midnight stealth sneak attack which was uncommon at the time. His men approached with bayonets affixed to their muskets. Their muskets were deliberately unloaded to prevent any misfires which would alert the British. Once in position, a second American unit located in the opposite direction, fired muskets and made noise as a diversionary tactic. In less than 30 minutes and with minimal loss of life and injuries, the Americans took control of Stony Point, only to abandon it within a few days. This was the first-time guerrilla warfare tactics were used by Americans and they proved to be successful.
Highly Recommended: Visit Stony Point Battlefield Historic Site (between Haverstraw and Bear Mountain) and experience their living history cannon and musket firings. Reenactments and a functional replica of the camp are open to the public between April and October.
MILE 40 / Bear Mountain base:
From Prison to Park
In 1908, Bear Mountain was not a park yet, and New York State had decided to relocate Sing Sing Prison from across the Hudson in Ossining, NY to Bear
Mountain. Construction of the prison began on what is today the great field in front of where the Bear Mountain Inn stands today. Concerned about the prison and its location, the Harriman family agreed to give the state 10,000 acres of land to be used for a state park and one million dollars to administer it, as long as the prison building ceased. With this endowment, the Bear Mountain State Park was born.
MILE 41.5 Bear Mountain climb:
More Forts? The Bridge marks the spot.
During the Revolutionary war, Fort Clinton was built at the base of Bear Mountain, and fort Montgomery was built about a 1/4 mile to the north. To block passage of the British navy up the Hudson River, the Americans stretched a 75-ton iron chain across the Hudson River. The chain was secured to floating logs with sharpened tips and the forts guarded the chain. The Bear Mountain Bridge marks the spot where the great chain once stood. The chain was effective, and more were stretched further north and fortified by West Point. Pay attention and you will see remnants of the chain preserved and displayed throughout the region.
MILE 43 Perkins Drive:
This scenic road to the summit of Bear Mountain was built almost entirely by manual labor between 1932-1934 and is named after George Perkins who served as the president of the PIPC for 20 years. This is where taking in the spectacular views can ease the pain as you climb to the top of Bear Mountain.
MILE 44 Bear Mountain Summit:
See the entire racecourse from here!
At an elevation of 1283 feet, Bear Mountain is the most well-known peak of the lower Hudson Valley, as well as the highest point of the racecourse. After filling your water bottles and grabbing some food at the aid station, it is almost mandatory to appreciate the view looking south. If you are going for the win, a top ten finish, or have been here before, you can be excused not to stop. From the top of Bear Mountain, you have a complete aerial view of the entire racecourse below, complete with visual markers. Look directly south and you will see George Washington Bridge, the race start/finish. Then follow the mighty Hudson River, through Piermont, Haverstraw, all the way to the base of Bear Mountain. Slowly pan your head to the right and a tall radio tower clearly marks the summit of the Cheescote climb.
History is alive on the GFNY course and in the surrounding area. There are many historic sites to see along the route and to visit while exploring the GFNY area. If you are coming from outside the NYC area for the race, do what you can to soak in the history of the region, and how a nation and its industries were born along the mighty Hudson River.
Longitudinally, even a little further South than San Juan, Argentina, where we last raced (at GFNY Argentina), in early November, is the beautiful beach town of Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Situated on the Atlantic, about a 2 hour drive from the capital city of Montevideo, Uruguay, Punta Del Este has been the home of GFNY Uruguay since 2016. Now, with two races in Uruguay on the calendar for 2020, Punta Del Este has become a GFNY entity unto itself. With the GFNY Uruguay shifting to the beautiful vacation destination of Colonia, Uruguay, a short ferry ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Somehow 52 years had passed without setting foot in South America, and here we are, on our way to South America for the second time in 6 months, and probably the second of three trips within a 12 month span, all under the GFNY banner. There is a pattern here. Beyond the obvious – the constant flow of cycling stories from Colombia, the riders, the races, the pros going there for training – cycling is definitely a thing in South America. in anticipation of this next adventure, I was able to catch up with Nestor Piñon. Nestor and Andres Borras Fernandez are the organizers of GFNY Punta Del Este, and now also GFNY Uruguay in Colonia. With the Punta Del Este race on the Brazil side of Uruguay and the Colonia race on the Argentina side, Uruguay has become a GFNY destination for racers all over South America.While in San Juan, we noticed that cycling was everywhere. Casual cycling, commuting cycling, racing, and mountain biking. We had been hearing so much here in the States about Colombia, but to see it thriving in Argentina, brought home the notion that it was a cultural mainstay, and that Colombia while it may currently feel like the center – is not the limit So, I of course had to ask – what is happening with the explosion of South American cycling?
“I don’t know, I guess like we have heard cycling is ‘the new golf’. Executives tend to be younger than several decades ago, and so they like to be more fit, but still have the social networking (face to face) opportunities that they can have during golf. South America craves sporting victories, sporting heroes. Cycling gives the rider a chance to emulate, or follow in the footsteps of major winners from Colombia, and even here in Uruguay, where we had the Olympic medalist (Milton Wynants) in the points race in track cycling. This is the food for the craving of South American athletes. Cycling gives the chance for someone working alone and almost anyone can do it. It’s also no news that cycling gives a special kind of camaraderie among riders, and this is catching on. It’s like an addiction that is catching on and on and on.”
That said, bringing cyclists together in beautiful seaside locations from all over South America is a no brainer. Naturally – Mr. Curious that I am, I have to see more of this for myself. With February making us shiver, with each pedal stroke we deliver, starting March with the smell of the brine, and the sound of the waves lapping the beach in Punta Del Este seems like exactly the right way to go about it.
Colonia Del Sacramento – One hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires
GFNY Uruguay – The Colonia Del Sacramento Experience
“Colonia and Punta Del Este are the main touristic points, here in Uruguay,” Nestor continued, “we thought in the beginning Punta Del Este would be mostly Argentinian riders but we were surprised to see that it was mostly Brasilian riders. So for Colonia, Argentinians come to Colonia to ride and vacation. It’s a historic town and just a few kilometers away, you are in the country. Over in Buenos Aires, they have to drive two hours to get out of the city. For Colonia, just a one hour ferry ride.” A one hour ferry ride to a place where once out of the quaint resort that sits in a small, preserved town that might look a bit like a town you would see in Europe. According to Nestor, “a paradise for a tourist getting away for the weekend – like a town from the Pinocchio story.”
With beautiful farmlands outside the town riders will be treated to empty roads, as the race will take place outside of the busy agricultural season. The course is not very demanding from a climbing perspective, but at a distance of 160km, and mostly flat, you can bet that it will be a fast race from the start. On the 11th of October the race will be on, and the town of Colonia Del Sacramento will be alive with the GFNY Guppo going all out!
GFNY Punta Del Este Awaits — Just Around the Corner
The Challenges of a Long Course with Concentrated Climbing.
But now it’s back to the mental and physical preparation that goes into the next race. The first on my GFNY 2020 calendar. Plans for this GFNY calendar year are “A tutta” to say the least. WIth new races being added to the calendar, and old grudges (mostly with climbs) to be settled, it will be a busy year, starting on March 15, in Punta Del Este. The course in Punta Del Este is not all sea and sand. Rolling out to the West from the beach start area, the 170km course is one of the longer GFNY courses in the Global Cycling Marathon Series. With 2000 meters of climbing, it’s not necessarily the toughest in terms of climbs, but Nestor assures me that it is challenging. “We are starting on the main street on the causeway. So it will be 171 kilometers, with all together almost 2000 meters of climbing, it’s not steep but there is 70km of constantly going up and down. There is one climb that is steep.”
As this is the kickoff to my GFNY 2020 season, the length may present a challenge. Having gone that distance last at GFNY Argentina (and even then not that far), the training plan has mostly been stretching to the 100km mark. While the climbing isn’t steep – there is a concentrated amount of it for that 70 kilometer stretch as Nestor indicated, very similar to the stretch from Bear Mountain to the bottom of Cheesecote on the GFNY World Championship NYC course on the #thirdSundayinMay.
The Undulating Terrain Surrounding Punta Del Este
I asked Nestor for some advice: “Pace yourself, and study the course. Check out the tips that we have been giving on the news letters. We are about to send crucial information, little pointers about the climbs. If you don’t know this about the climbs, you may miss how deceptive that they are. Around the curves, you may think the climb is over, but you may pay for that later.” Sage advice.
But as the climbs turn into the descending route back to the beach, what awaits at the finish. Sun, sand, sea, as the finish line right on the beach makes a complete #SurfGFNY experience on the Punta Del Este beach. “We are having the finish line by the ocean. The award ceremony will be on the sand and we will try to take over the beach, and hope that people will dive into the ocean. (Bringing back memories of plunging into the bay in Cascais, Portugal after the inaugural GFNY Portugal in 2018). If you take dry clothes to check, and dive into the ocean, take some sun, and wait for the pasta party. And enjoy the true spirit of Punta Del Este. Everything is about the beach.”
NEW YORK CITY, February 12, 2020 – On May 15-17, 2020, NYC Bike Expo returns for its 10th annual edition. The road cycling show will attract more than 10,000 visitors who are avid road cyclists, endurance athletes and cycling fans. Exhibitors will showcase products such as bike components, bike brands, and cycling events.
New York City Bike Expo serves as mandatory in-person packet pick up for the 5,000 riders competing at the GFNY World Championship NYC. The expo also attracts over 7,000 non-GFNY participants and is open to the public and free admission.
For the second year, the expo will be held in Fort Lee, NJ, where it will be located directly at the center of GFNY World Championship Headquarters during race week. Visitors benefit from a prime location with easy access from America’s most-traveled bike route on Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee, NJ. The expo will be more integrated with race HQ activities, including the close proximity to the start/finish point of the pre-race group rides.
Exhibitors have the option to exhibit 2 or 3 days. The pre-race expo lasts 2 days: Friday & Saturday, May 15-16. There is an additional, optional exhibition day on race day, Sunday, May 17.
Exhibitors are invited to contact Sara at /"> to reserve booth space.
About NYC Bike Expo
The 10th annual NYC Bike Expo on May 15-17, 2020 will host the mandatory packet pickup for all 5,000 riders of the GFNY World Championship NYC.
GFNY is the global cycling marathon brand with events held in NYC, Bali-Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Florida-USA, Italy, Jamaica, Jerusalem-Israel, Indonesia, Cozumel-Mexico, Monterrey-Mexico, Panama, Portugal, República Dominicana, Santa Fe-USA and Uruguay.
Riders get to BE A PRO FOR A DAY ® by competing against others, themselves and the clock in a personal endurance challenge.
At all GFNY events, riders have the chance to qualify for the elite racer corral at the GFNY World Championship in NYC by placing in the top 10% (20% at regional championships) of their age group.
GFNY World Championship NYC
The 10th annual GFNY World Championship New York will be held on May 17, 2020. The race features the world’s most international peloton with riders from over 90 countries. Athletes take on a challenging 100-mile route from NYC to Bear Mountain to Fort Lee to compete against each other, the clock and themselves in a personal endurance challenge.
This case has seen a lot of action this year! It’s been everywhere man!
Simplicity in the technical is equal to being present and prepared. No complicated photographic technique here: just a basic setting (f/8) with enough depth of field for most subjects. And then “being there” in the right place, right time, tuned in to your surroundings, ready to shoot the perfect moment when it unfolds in front of your lens.
— Rich Underwood
This is New York City — NOT Cozumel!
A year ago the three amigos Tom Niccum, Chrsitopher Torella, and myself were in Cozumel, riding fast, braving the wind, and interrogating the elusive Senor Frog about what is his real name might actually be. It’s happening now. Sun, sand, sea air, Senor Frog, and all that that entails. We are not there. Outside National Grid is digging up my front lawn, and I hope to the Great Magnet that they don’t find…never mind. The point is that it’s New York this weekend — but gratefully. Looking back through the photos that made up cycling in 2019, you could not help be anything but grateful.
“F8 and be there!” A friend told me of this quote, as the first rule of photo journalism. So I traced it back to it’s roots. While the F8 part may not apply anymore given smart phones and mini-cameras and whatever else, you still can’t get around being there. Being present in a moment or a series of moments that let you know you are seeing the world. While there was a lot written this year, it sort of got away from telling the stories of what was happening around the world. So to be there, we went. And we kept going. Never the same group twice but finding the wormholes that exist inside of work schedules to get to the races that gave you excuses to go to places you might never have thought of on your own. To give you the motivation to keep training when pancakes and Netflix sounded like a better idea. To keep hearing and telling the stories that kept the ideas percolating.
So winter training, began in earnest! Left side a lucky day hanging on to the GFNY A Train to Haverstraw, the right side, an ill-advised trip up Bear — snow and ice included — free of charge!
The Training Begins in Earnest…and So Does the Research
…and so with the blowing of the leaves, the darkening of the skies with clouds, the run off in the mountains and the chill in the air, training season had begun. An executive decision was made (in a silo as are most “executive decisions”) to try and grab on to the A Train every Sunday and then write about how it went at the end of the day. We managed to get through a few of those without incident. A lot of laughs! No really! A learning experience, where one begins to understand ones shortcomings, and strengths, and suddenly by the third week of January, realizes just how much “alone time” you get to consider all those things while you are simultaneously accepting that — you’re just not gonna catch them. And so you find a worm hole. A spot in the calendar where you are in one place, that is slightly closer than usual to another place, and the frequent flyer miles to get you to that place.
With the latest and greatest GFNY now planned for Santa Fe, New Mexico, I got in touch with Michael McCalla the race organizer. Mike happily offered to show me around the course if I could get there. Half-way around the world, in Bohol, The Philippines, GFNY Philippines was almost ready to start. I would watch the end live from my hotel in Albuquerque after we toured the course. GFNY 2019 was officially underway!
Mike was true to his word, and a great host. He had offered to get me a bike setup for a ride around the course, but the temps being in the high 20’s I decided to let the ride go and rent a car instead so that we could tour the course in civilized style with a cup of coffee, a breakfast burrito, heated seats and pleasant conversation.
After the tour, Mike was off to Denver to promote the race, and I was off to the Canyon Road to take in the galleries, and then off to Albuquerque to be closer to the airport. Mission accomplished — I was looking forward to being back in Santa Fe for the GFNY Santa Fe race in June. If all went well it would be my third GFNY of the season.
Scenes from Santa Fe!
Il Secondo! Back to Italia!
I managed to expose another wormhole in March that got me to the California Desert for Minnesota Bike Week. A jamboree of cyclists converging in Palm Desert, home of my big brother and dear friend Tom Niccum. We were both just 3 weeks way from getting on our respective flights to Italy, with a plan to meet in Roma and drive to Toscana with our larger group. So we chatted all things Italia while enjoying the sunshine and connecting with the good people that were just starting to arrive from Minnesota. There was a ton of excitement surrounding Tom and the Scorcher team’s plans for Race Across America coming up in June. Tom would spend the better part of time between his return from Italia and early June planning logistics and figuring out how to get 8 riders and 16 crew, bikes, vans, gear, from one end of the USA to the other, mostly without sleeping much. Several of the Scorchers were there in the desert, and they provided further inspiration and motivation to make 2019 a cycling odyssey. Toscana was so close we could taste it. From Italia, I was getting photos of the white limestone dust on the legs of some of our friends we would be seeing soon who were racing in the Strade Bianche sportive around Siena. We couldn’t get on those planes soon enough!
The camp had taught us well how to handle the Toscana terrain. So often now as I ride the rough patch roads here at home, and as recently as hitting some gravel in Argentina, I go straight to what I was taught at the GFNY Italia camp. How to stay loose, stay connected to the bike, approach the climbs more slowly so as not to blow up, how to float over the gravel, to stay in the drops on the sharp descents controlling the path of the bike and finally, taking the lane when I had to to keep myself and the traffic behind me safe. It was a true cycling education and I am a better bike handler because of it. Would I, could I use it all on race day?
Goofing off in Pienza on Day 1 of the camp. The Palio donkey race (no donkeys shown, as the one I bet on needed to be shot! Fattoria Pulcino with our favorite Nonas and their fabulous food!
Without rehashing too much of the trip, I can recount the race in one word. HARD. The entire camp week leading up to the race, I had been whispering in my own here “Respect the course, respect the course, respect the course”. By race day we had seen every inch. All three sectors of strade bianche, the brutal climbs, the white-knuckle descents, all of it. Tutti! By Sunday I was no longer concerned with food or arianciata or any creature comforts. My only thoughts were on the finish line.
We are ready to start!
We started quickly enough. As the race was underway, up a small roller to the first white knuckle descent of the day, down into the valley from Montepulciano. With the start at Montepulciano, we rode neutralized to Torrita di Siena the sister city of Montepulciano and co-host town. It was about 12KM from the line and we rode up a sharp grade into the corridors of the town, and through the ground where the Palio donkey race had raged on just a week before. From there the groups started to spread out. We had managed to keep a group together for quite a while out through the first sector of strade bianche. We passed through relatively uneventfully, with the exception of an imaginary flat tire that didn’t exist. Somewhere Harvey the Bunny was waiting for me with a tube and some CO2. We continued up hill and out over some of the ground we had covered during the week. We were climbing for some time, and the descents didn’t always offer the level of payback to match the climbs.
The terrain raged and rolled. It was never flat, until it was flat. By that time, I had become disconnected from our group on either a climb or a hare raising descent. The descents, very steep, very technical were difficult to let myself go on. A combination of brakes and using some of the techniques I had learned in the camp provided more confidence, but not enough to stay on the wheels of the gang to carry me home. As I hit the only flat section and the winds, I rode right by my wife who was standing waiting for our group with our digital SLR camera. The blank look on her face as I went by indicated she had no idea it was me. Later verified that she thought I rolled by in a group with Tom, and Ari, and Adrienne earlier. Unbeknownst to me, Adrienne was behind me with another group. So I went it alone onto the second sector of strade bianche. This one 10km long, winding, and challenging as it had steep kickers, and sharp downhills, it was a test of everything learned during the camp. Finally I broke through to the end, with the knowledge that sector 3 was just down the road.
“Fret not” I thought as my wheels touched the limestone on sector 3. You are almost back to Montepulciano. All you have to do to get there is climb that 17% grade for 2KM before you climb the 22% grade inside the city walls and up to the Piazza to the finish. But first, back through Torrita di Siena. Couldn’t help but smile as I realized a small group was forming behind me. A large object on the road, I make a nice wind blocker for flats and downhills and we raged through Torrita on the way to the climb before the climb.
Finally we hit it and I was decoupled from my new friends who stood and rode the climb like it wasn’t there. (probably they were suffering but I couldn’t see it).
Where the hell was Massimo? With no stops for coffee, it was time to climb. Slow, slow the cadence. Slow, breathe, slow breathe, slow breathe. Don’t stop. Around me other riders were pulling off and taking breaks. But I had climbed this before. I knew I could make it. And suddenly, I was up, suddenly as it felt shorter than it had the first time. Now for the 8% drag to town, and the inevitable climb in the city walls. It was 500 meters to go to the top, around through the city the Tuscan landscape unfolding underneath me, if I looked left as I pivoted toward the city gate I felt like I could see all of Italy! In front of me a photographer at the steepest section of the gate entrance. Don’t fail now, stand get through. I pounded the pedals and turned to the right, and could see the top. But could I hit that grade. In a moment of weakness I stopped. Contemplated. Turned back down the hill and rushed back up. #MikeCarey was 50 meters from the top and running along side yelling my name “come on Chris, Come on come on!” and I was through. I could see my Bora wheels roll over the mat and I knew it was suddenly flat. Mirko, Uli, Tom, Ari, all standing at the finish and my medal thrown on. It was time for something special to happen as we waited for the others to come in.
I was now a GFNY 10xmer — Me at the finish, Tom and Nancy nearby!
I was now a GFNY 10x medal holder. How had I already done 10 of these races. How many more for 2019. Time to start clearing some space on the mantle. But now was a time to celebrate Italia with friends. Please forgive the gratuitous photo gallery of pre and post race goofing off. My doppelganger in a Siena museum, post race dinner with Lieven from Belgium, a night out in Roma with Mirko and Kate, and a day in Roma with Adrienne and #MikeCarey. Including me being a horse’s ass! #Liquorizia
Back to New York City
And so back to NYC to continue to train for the GFNY NYC Championship. There would be a few short weeks to get some additional distance into the legs and get ready for the beautifully orchestrated cruelty of the GFNY NYC Championship course. This would be my first time starting toward the front on the #ThirdSundayinMay and I wanted to be prepared.
On the day the A group did it’s full course practice run, I held on until half way through River Road. For those that know the course — that’s about 10km. At the top of the Alpine Climb, the group were waiting. Thomas announced, no stops until Bear. And so I was back. Or so I thought. Trying to recover hold the wheels, and stay in contact, I was quickly off the back again but determined to make a go of it. Disconnected but feeling fierce through Nyack, I passed the B group. They were rolling over 30 riders through a series of stop signs, so I had caught them in a moment of caution and went right on by. I was over Hook Mountain before I saw the text on my computer from Adrienne “please ride with us”. It was too late and I pressed on. Finally reaching and climbing Bear, at the top the A Group was there and waiting. Thomas threw up his hands and yelled “Chris is here”! I was thrilled that they waited — just give me a minute and we can get going again. “OK let’s go!” he yelled suddenly. I was chasing well down the mountain, as well as I thought I could, but I was no match for the speed of the group. These are not only fast riders, but confident bike handlers. They flew down, and I was disconnected by Dunderberg. I would be fending for myself.
I stopped at the Orchards for a Coke before heading down South Mountain Road toward the finish. The B’s had finished and I trying to use Siri to update Adrienne and Nairo who were waiting for me. I got a call from Paul with an offer of a pickup, but again, I was determined. (I would take my good friend up on this offer later in the Summer).
TEXT ADRIENNE CAREY
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO ADRIENNE CAREY
RAIL TRAIL
YOUR TEXT TO ADRIENNE CAREY SAYS RAIL TRAIL SHALL I SEND IT?
YES
And so it went.
SPARKILL
STATE LINE
KIKU
FUCK IT SKIPPING ALPINE — and back along 9W. It was getting late, but it was getting done. It was almost race day.
Not five weeks later it was on to GFNY Santa Fe. A hectic five weeks at work, back and forth from East to West at least 3–4 times in that short time span, and a flight from Seattle down to Santa Fe for the race. I would be meeting Nairo in the morning. It was Thursday, and I landed in ABQ (Albequerque) around 9PM. I proceeded to the rental car counter, and found a coffee vending machine. I would need a little for the 90 minute drive ahead. I had the GFNY anti-doping podcast to listen to in preparation for an article I was putting together surrounding the concept of doping/cheating in granfondo.
The cycling brain never stops thinking about cycling. I drove into Santa Fe to find my home for the next 3 days. Nairo and I would be splitting a small AirBnB within walking distance of the town center. The topic here in Santa Fe for most of the “sea level” crowd wast the altitude. But before I made my way to the accommodations, I felt a trip up the climb to Ski Santa Fe — the final climb of the race was in order. I don’t know why I was feeling that but I was, and who TF am I to argue with an impulse like that. So up we went, me and my giant SUV that I had rented dirt cheap from what seemed to be a 13 year old kid who asked me “are you here for the senior games Mister Geiser?”.
Up the climb I went. It was all familiar from the recce trip in January. A mile or so in I saw a sign letting drivers know about the race. I tried to get a photo but — hey I was driving — and up I went. As I continued to climb the magnitude of doing this on a bike was starting to sink in. Whiteface, Ventoux, they were all in the neighborhood. Legbreakers. Climbs that made you question whether you should own a bike let alone ride it on something like that. The difficulty of the climb didn’t seem readily apparent in every spot on the way up. You sort of don’t realize what it’s like until on the way down the car you rented tells you that it’s applying the special automatic “steep as fuck” slowdown system that it has. Then you know. You keep telling yourself it’s just a couple of hours, but in the back of your mind — you know.
The incomparable Nelson Vails before the group ride
The ginormous bike shop espresso machine, home on the range, Doctor Mark in New Mexico
I picked up Nairo at the airport the next morning. We got our bikes together and got out on the road. Let’s see if we can climb it. We got about half way up the climb and felt like we had a good grasp on it. HA! Back down we went, a shower, and a shave, and let’s find dinner — that’s important too. Folks were starting to file in from out of town and Nelson Vails led a great group ride on Saturday morning. We met some of the locals, and got out to see some of the course including the beautiful town of Tesuque which I had seen back in January for a flash as we drove through it. Tesuque was the gateway back to Santa Fe, with a few beautiful little climbs that led back to town. This would be the last bit of the course before you headed to the medio finish line, or made the big left up the climb on Sunday.
Somewhere on Saturday, and across the country, the Scorcher’s finished their legendary RAAM effort in Maryland. I had been helping out with the social posts and some of the writing, so it was a relief to see them make it to the finish line. It was amazing to follow their effort — a challenge that I don’t think many could do.
Pre race dinner (the chef is a rider), and getting ready. Fog and mist at the start — but a beautiful day!
Maybe you saw it on the Facebook Live but it was a heck of a day race day morning. The field, as I have grown accustomed to, rolled out fast. There was a climb straight out of town, not difficult but tough enough that it would get you thinking. I got to the top and pulled over to wait to make sure our group was together. As we proceeded it seemed like there were a mechanical or two, and so I went on ahead. It was time to chase on. This would be the fastest part of the course. 40km down hill and with a bit of a tailwind. But to catch on to the other groups, it was still work. In turning finally catching up to some folks the first big turn came that would go through some of the rolling foothills of the mountains, and then across the river bed to make the return back toward Santa Fe. I ran into a PhD from MIT who was riding the medio, and we worked together for a bit. I made a quick water refill stop prior to the river bed and was able to get on to a pretty lively group. I was sitting on at about the fifth or sixth position and was able to make up some time staying in the safe-shelter of that group until the river bed.
The crisis of the week was that the river had started flowing pretty well through that area. As Mike and I had scouted in January, the bed was dry, and we drove straight across. But not today. But not to worry. The day before Maciej, #thehardestworkingmaninshowbiz was able to build a foot bridge. The group were getting their Belgian union cards by practicing their CX skills getting over the river and back on the bike for the steep kick back up to the service road. It was now 40km false flat into the wind back to Tesuque. I latched back onto the group but it had come to a grinding slow down. Honey in the gears so to speak so I went to the front to pay them back. I set a pace and was watching my computer to make sure I wasn’t surging but holding the pace we had with the wind at our sides before the river. I turned to see how I was doing. They were gone. I was away. But worse, I was on my own. As I passed another rider who had gotten away from that group she looked over and said “Hey I don’t actually know those guys, is it cool that I drafted off them so long?”
“I don’t know them either I said — but it’ IS a RACE — so that is completely fair play what you did.” She smiled and jumped on my wheel for a minute. She didn’t like my pace much and dropped me not too long after. This piece was tough. Every race has a section that is the doldrums. The place you have to keep yourself motivated and focused on the finish. This was only one of those places on this race. The other was coming soon.
At the 80km mark, I grabbed more water and ate something. Took another gel and got going. From here a screaming descent into Tesuque and then the kickers, and then the climb. Just like yesterday now. The hardest part of the easy part was now over. (Did Yogi Berra say that?)
I won’t lie. As I passed through Tesuque and then the medio finish line turn, I did consider bailing. “I did half this climb isn’t that enough” I thought. Fortunately, I had the right answer “no — it’s not enough”. And so I made the left turn and started to grind it out. 27km to the top, and I got through the first 7km as quickly as I thought I would. Not as challenging as the rest of the climb it was a gentle and steady ramp up to where you start to approach what the locals call “the wall”. Through an area called Hyde Park you are approaching the 6km or so section that is the major part of the work that you will do on this climb. This is also where you are gaining the altitude that can be your undoing. I had been told that your tolerance to altitude is genetic. You have a limit and there is nothing you can do about it. Throughout the trip I hadn’t felt anything really unusual or that I would have characterized as being brought on by altitude. By the top of the wall that had changed. At around 2,900 meters, or 8,800 feet, I was starting to cramp and get nauseous. This could, of course, be my own physical limitation to doing something hard. I was convinced I would puke. But not now. I would hold it. Once past the wall there is about 8km to go. 5 miles to the top, but it started to get easier, and even pitched down in a couple of spots for a short time. As I got within 2km of the top the cramping got intolerable. I had to stop several times and shake it out, and hold back the vomit. I was definitely going to be sick when I finished. I was starting to see friendly faces coming down. I was close.
The town of Tesuque. Familiar signs on the climb. The view from the top while making my way down.
Finally I crested the top and was at the finish. I grabbed a Coke and suddenly felt fine. I don’t remember now if I got my medal at the top or at the bottom, but I was also a GFNY 3xer for the 2nd year in a row. And all before the 4th of July. I grabbed the back pack that I had sent up and pulled out my wind jacket. It was time to make the 45 minute ride down to the finish line party.
Big doings at the finish as I ran into Maciej, Nairo, and Nelson. I saw several more New Yorkers still climbing as I made my way to the bottom. I headed outside to watch the podium presentations. Dave Lettieri was there and I took a seat next to him. The day before at the expo he and I had been joking that if there was only one guy in my age group, I just might win it. He was overjoyed that he had won his.
I looked him square in the eye, and said “Dave, I don’t think I won my age group.”
He flashed me a huge grin and shook his head “no…no, I don’t think you did”. Tell it to me straight Dave — don’t sugar coat it!
Dave pulling on his winners jersey. Mike awarding me with my 3x medal. (Thanks Maciej!)
So it was me and the Cheetah back to Albuquerque bright and early the next morning. Little did I know I was in for an 8 hour wait and an alternate plan to get back to Seattle by nightfall, rather than being in Seattle by 10AM as I had planned. (if you ever want to hear how to hack making the best of an airplane mechanical delay let me know — I will let you know what all the do’s and don’ts are).
…and So We Took the Summer Off?
No, we actually didn’t. With GFNY Portugal on the horizon, we had a group of people finding stuff to do to keep our training and motivation going. I was determined that I would be getting to Argentina, as I had promised the race organizers I would get there in NYC in May. So that meant keeping the training, and competition going until November at a minimum. I was already signed up to be the bike leg of a triathlon relay, and so we set out to start doing longer and longer rides as the summer wore on. Long days in Harriman climbing for hours, a trip from Piermont to Beacon and back, and several other events to keep getting ready. Adrienne and I even did the Catskills thing just to keep our momentum knowing that we had to keep riding to be ready for the fall. There was no rest for the wicked so we kept piling it on and getting it all in as we could. Looking back it was probably the most complete training summer I have ever done.
The training and racing continued! GFNY Style!
Making Portugal Happen
If you’ve been following along — and we know you have been, you probably know what happened in Portugal. One of those things that happens to other people far away that sounds bad and you don’t know what to make of it, but you’re not there, so really not a thing. But what if you had just landed in Portugal, got through immigration, got to the house, met the friends, had a coffee and put your bike together, and then got the call. The race has been cancelled. Due to unforeseen circumstances with wildfires the GFNY Portugal race had been cancelled. There was nothing that could be done about the race, but it occurred to a number of us on the ground in Estoril, that we were the race. The riders make the race — that’s one of the mottos of GFNY. And so it wouldn’t be a race. We would get out every day with those that were there for the race, and we would ride parts of the course, and we would get on with it.
Much like the Grinch that Stole Christmas learned that — if you are going to steal Christmas you should probably let the Who’s down in Whoville know you stole it. And so the group rides were on. We were making new friends, and getting around the areas surrounding Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, and even Lisboa. It came without timing chips. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags! It came all the same! Somehow GFNY Portugal was there all the same.
Arrival in Lisboa, building the bike, rallying for the group rides.
We had met with a number of the folks we knew were coming and made new friends from seemingly every continent. We did our best to help out with the registrations and getting packets assembled and making sure that all riders got their jerseys and medals, and goodie bags. We were watching it become a a great event and effort to roll on in spite of the lack of a start line or finish line. And on Sunday at 08:00 we would set out to ride a good section of the course.
Friends old and new — this became a living icon of what GFNY brings to cycling and to life.
And so on Sunday there would be 3 groups going out. One went and ran the whole course — a small group of about 6 riders. Another rode a short/medio type course out through Cascais. I rolled out with the third group. This was Americo Silva the former pro and Director Sportif of several pro teams, he is the primary ambassador for GFNY Portugal. We set out along the beach from Estoril and headed toward Lisboa. The group had seasoned locals, experienced racers and ex-pros like GFNY Ambassadores Matthias Van Aken and Cedric Haas, and one or two people like me. Hanging on so to speak.
We turned left at some point and headed up the familiar climb to Sintra. It was looking as though we were following the 2018 course map for a bit, and were moving at a pretty cracking pace. I was in the back of the group and several of the locals that knew me from the group rides were taking good care of me.
Fanatically they kept pointing out sewer caps /manhole covers. “Feh” I thought. “someday I will invite these guys to Staten Island and they can see what shitty roads really feel like”. Finally, I went over one. (That was the last one I allowed myself to go over). To this day I think you can still read “MFG IN LISBOA” on my “undercarriage” from the welts I got going over these monster things. As one of the riders laughed, he looked at me and said “do you like pig?”
“Did he just ask me if I like pig?” I thought? He did. For some reason, I answered in French. “Oui”.
“Oh vous etes Francais?”
“No je suis American” I answered.
“Why did you answer me in French then, let’s speak in English. Do you like pig or pork?”
“Oh yeah, I like pork”
He then went on to explain that this was the epicenter of the delicious pork dishes we had been enjoying the past couple of days. We pressed on. At about 40km into the ride, I had to catch back onto the group on a turn. I did so, but at around that point, Americo had ridden back and started to yell something to the back of the group.
My new friend turned to me and said “Do you have the course loaded?” pointing to my computer.
“Yes I do.”
“Ok” he said. “We are gonna get on some gas now, ok. So I hope we see you when we take a break ok?”
“OK -see you then”
And they were gone. But as they left I realized I had two new friends. The motos. The motos that had been hired for the race for Sportograf where there guiding me as if I was leading the Tour de France on the third Saturday over the queen stage. If you check Sportograf now, or so I am told, 80% of the photos are of me struggling to catch the group. Behind me the guide moto was keeping a safe distance and had some music on. As we got to one of the first climbs I heard a familiar sound.
It was Megadeth! Peace Sells but Who’s Buying. As I heard it start to go I raised my hand to tell him to turn it up. He did. I stood up, and every time the lyric “if there’s a new way, I’ll be the first in line” I raised my index finger to indicate I was right there! I kept standing, and working up the climb as the crunching guitar sound that was so familiar to me, made me feel like a champion and a rock star at the same time.
Lest we forget I WAS OFF THE FUCKING BACK WITH THE TWO PITY MOTOS!
As I looked down at my computer I started to see names pop up. There were others on the public network associated with my computer. I thought they might be the Americo group just ahead. Unfortunately, I saw an unrelated group pass me and wave on the other side of the road. As I went up a kicker and around a bend, I could see the photo moto had stopped. All of the group was standing there in the street. They had just started to order coffee from the cafe there. Americo was in the middle of the road with his arms out. He yelled “CHRIS!” I got off the bike and he gave me a big hug before pointing the way to the cafe.
I refilled my bottles and got an amazing soda that you can only get in Portugal and Brazil (apparently). It was time to get back on the bike and press on. There would be, all in all, around 6,500 feet of climbing on the day, around 80 miles.
My local caretakers did their best to stay with me when they could. The motos provided music, and the guide to the course, as it went off of my course map several times. By the last 40km I was riding with a French rider that was about the same speed as me. Not that we were slouches, far from it, but we were certainly not in the league of the riders that were in the group. By Sintra, the motos stopped for directions and informed me that most of the field was back in Estoril. It was time to get over the hill in Sintra, and back down to Estoril to the finish line — no problem. My nouveau ami and I made our way and before long, we were back at the casino.
Tom, Clarence, Phil, Vic, several others were still out on the full course. I went and grabbed a Coke for Tom before settling in to eat something. I found out from Ana, the organizer, that Americo had nothing but good things to say about my riding, and that just made the week for me. For each of the stops the group had made, they were only waiting 5–10 minutes in each case for me each time, so I was not as far behind as I had imagined.
I was grateful to be able to spend some time with Americo and Ana along with the rest of the group at our house in Estoril at dinner that night. It was a fast trip in and out of Portugal, over too soon as I was on my way to the airport the next morning, and back in the USA by the time the group from our house sat down for Piri Piri chicken that night. But it was worth it — the friendships made and the friends seen while there were priceless. The race may not have happened, but GFNY certainly happened in Portugal.
Americo and some of the gang, Sonny Rapozo (a GFNY Original), Noel from #TeamPiriPiri, the gang after doing the full course.
Closing Out in South America
My first trip to South America was on the horizon. By the time September was over, the chill had started to set in in NYC. To keep busy, I signed up for a duathlon so that I could stay motivated and maintain a fitness level for what would surely be a unique experience at GFNY Argentina. Adrienne was going to be racing with me, and so we made plans on LATAM to fly through Santiago, Chile, to Mendoza, Argentina, rent a car, and drive to San Juan. The pros had raced there in January, and now we would each be racing there in November.
Race to train — a duathlon in Central Park to keep my competitive juices flowing.
Closing Out in South America
My first trip to South America was on the horizon. By the time September was over, the chill had started to set in in NYC. To keep busy, I signed up for a duathlon so that I could stay motivated and maintain a fitness level for what would surely be a unique experience at GFNY Argentina. Adrienne was going to be racing with me, and so we made plans on LATAM to fly through Santiago, Chile, to Mendoza, Argentina, rent a car, and drive to San Juan. The pros had raced there in January, and now we would each be racing there in November.
A long trek to Chile and beyond — hey is that a Dunkin’? Seeing the Andes for the first time.
We were thrilled to finally be in San Juan. We got to the hotel and got sorted out. Put bikes together, and realized that the author of the GFNY Travel Checklist — forgot to bring one of his water bottles — DOH! The requisite social media ridicule began to flow in but I let it slide for the most part. I deserved it after all. As we got on with the business of living, we had the mandatory Argentinian steak and empanada dinner, and were ready for a ride with the Fabulous Fluhme’s the next morning.
With a 10AM start we were actually early. I figured in South America everything is in reverse, so I was early for a change. We got out on the road and started to head out along the course, and took the road to the Punta Negra Dam in reverse. The Punta Negra Dam, aside from being one of the most beautiful places on Earth, is also where the reservoir that holds most of San Juan’s potable drinking water is. The mid-point (ish) of the course, it is where the majority of the climbing would take place in the form of a gradual ramp up to the Dam approach and then a steep 1KM kicker to the top of the dam, where there was a 1.5KM road over to a descent. On this first ride, we were taking it in reverse, and climbing a section that we would descend twice during the race.
Fun conversations, and we picked up some new friends along the way and got to experience the beautiful, dry, desert climate of San Juan in what was the cusp of Spring into Summer or maybe more the equivalent of late April. (Although it got hot on a couple of the days we were there, including race day).
#noshowsocks are trending in Argentina, the top of Punta Negra dam, the water stop on day 1, our new friend from San Luis. Would someone please buy this guy an SK!
The Friday ride, a little shorter, took us to one of the other San Juan River dams, and over one of the climbs that was originally scheduled to be part of the race course. Eventually we got to the construction area that showed us why it was logistically difficult to use that road, but there was no shortage of amazing scenery as we climbed up and over and started the steep descent back towards the town of San Juan.
During our down time we made it out to the damn and up some of the rock face (my fear of heights not withstanding), to enjoy some of the spectacular sunset views. All the while cyclists were everywhere. Road bikes, mountain bikes, commuter bikes. Bikes are a thing in San Juan. They are everywhere. There is even a Monumento Ciclista that celebrates cycling out toward the town of Zonda (which I am pretty sure the wind and the Campagnolo wheel are named after).
By Saturday, it was a short ride out to Zonda to the river bed, and back into San Juan. I felt very lucky to be able to ride with two that know so much about cycling in Luis Lemus and Uli, as we made our way out to the double round abouts that are just outside of Zonda. Funny, but each time I approached those roundabouts, whether by bike or by car, I was convinced there would be a beach there. By Sunday the cracked river bed looked like what I imagined the inside of my mouth looked like as we sped by into the wind on the second lap.
It was almost expo time. Almost race time. Time for a fast bite, and then on our way to pick up our jerseys, find a nice lunch, and mentally prepare ourselves for a big day tomorrow. By Sunday night we would be packing for our long journey home but we had to put that out of our minds and focus on the task at hand — the race!
Expo life and the chicken sammy that got me in trouble.
Saturday night was all prep, early dinner, and early to bed. We were up before the sun to get out onto the road. I had gone to the supermarket to try and get us a few things that would help us get through the morning eating wise. This included the fabled bunch of bananas that you will hear about later. With an 8AM start, and a 7AM corral time, I had us on the road to the 10 minute away start line by 6AM. Fun. We saw the start line, and headed back toward the hotel so that we could find more coffee. I took a full cup with me back down to the start line. It was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit — not exactly warm, but we knew that it would be warming up pretty quickly once the sun was high. The usual start line festivities over with, we were on our way and watching as the fast local riders piled out of the corral and onto the city streets that would lead us to the course. This was a GFNY race all the way, with police at every intersection and the race with the right of way.
Start line — bright and early. #hardestworkingmaninshowbiz — top right.
This was a fast as hell course. We spent the first 5km trying to latch onto any group that we could, and eventually, Adrienne had better luck than I did. I was able to stay with the group, but the constant jockeying within the group started to make me nervous, and as we hit the first small climb, I decided to get out ahead. I was already pushing too hard, but Adrienne was racing smart staying within the pack. I shot out ahead for a couple of the straightaways, and by the time we hit the desert roads, I was surrounded again, and now back into the group. This time I fared a little better for being able to maintain safe bike handling within what was turning into a really large pack as we made our way around the bends and out toward the dam. As the road started to kick up myself and two others steered left of the group, and started to break out ahead. We managed to stay away until we got to the next downhill and were swallowed up again.
Adrienne rode along side me and asked me what the hell I was thinking working so hard when I could be conserving in the group.
As we hit the short sharp climb up to the dam, the whole pack fell apart. Adrienne and I soldiered up, knowing how short the climb was we were able t measure it out effectively, and get up relatively quickly. I did a rolling stop for a slice of orange and we moved on. We would be alone now into the turn, and out to the finish. As we passed through Zonda on the first lap, we saw the front groups coming the other way, and then Uli and Lidia in the third or fourth group. Adrienne mentioned she had seen Luis’ helmet in one of the front packs, and so we both thought — Go Luis!
As we approached the turn for the second lap, I was burning as much as I could knowing we were going to run into more and more wind as we went. We kept rolling through as quickly as possible and were finally out of the wind for a small bit when we got to the dam for the second time. Some riders were off and walking but we kept heading up. When we got to the top I had to stop for water as I was out, and it was getting incredibly hot. I drank a whole apple juice flavored gatorade and dumped another in my front bottle. At the end of the dam Adrienne pulled me over and forced me to take a gel on.
We took a relaxed roll down the descent, but it was very quickly back to work as we reversed through Zonda. Now we had mountain bikers drafting and leap-frogging us, as well as some riders that I expected were competitors in Adrienne’s age group — so we turned it on. As we worked our way back toward San Juan and past where the turnaround was we started to see more competition popping up. The traffic was thickening some around us although the police were still moving us through. We decided that we needed to put a burn on our new friends and so we took off. Taking each of them by maybe a minute at the finish line, we were able to relax and breathe. As it turned out it didn’t mean as much as we thought but it was good to put that effort in.
We reveled at the finish line. Five GFNY’s in the bag! The VIP tent, a coke, and the podium celebration. It was getting hotter even than it was on the course and so we headed back to have a relaxed dinner before getting ready to hit the road the next morning.
#Satisfaction
The journey home was a long and involved one. Returning the car in Mendoza by 3 meant breakfast at 8, checkout at 11, on the road 11:30, 2 hours to Mendoza, return the car, check in for the flight, and wait. And wait, and wait.
Not understanding the guileless and gullible part of my nature, Adrienne was moved to hysterics by my almost gaffe of telling the Mendoza border patrol that we had 2 bananas (remember those), from San Juan. Apparently transporting fruit more than 32 feet in Argentina is illegal. Who knew? Anyway, I was reminded to keep my mouth shut, and was summarily told that I was going to be left out of any upcoming bank robbery planning.
I will be honest. I could have planned the trip back better, but we were going through Santiago again, and after hours of waiting in Mendoza, we had only about 20 minutes to get to the next gate in Santiago. We made it without issue and boarded for home. It would be an 11 hour flight back. We were thoroughly worn out, so sleep would not be an issue. It was the last place to sit and wait for the next thing to happen. And so I could feel all of the adrenaline drain out. We would hit JFK at 7AM New York time. Both of us needed to be back at work that day. Ouch. But we wouldn’t trade it in for a thing!
Says it all! Our Storm Trooper plane parked at JFK.
Epilogue
So — like I said. F8 and be there. Smart phone and be there. No camera and be there. Note the detail in the race descriptions, but the lack of photos. If you can’t take photos take memories. Be there.
So very grateful for the family and friends that made 2019 the special year of cycling that it was. I would never have imagined the places I would go, the people I would meet, and the friendships that I would make and reconnect with.
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world…
(abridged for context)
… And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?
Thank you David Byrne, truer words never seem to have been spoken or sung. To find yourself literally in another part of the world, where the seasons are reversed and the toilets flush in the opposite directions (I promise this isn’t 10 minutes of toilet shtick) is somewhat surreal. The strangest part — for all the flying time and distance, there is only a one hour time difference. But here we are in San Juan, Argentina. A breathtaking place in the high desert just east of Chile and the Andes. The third edition of GFNY Argentina will start here in about 8 hours time from the civic center of San Juan, making our way out of the city, and climbing gradually, gently to the Punta Negra dam where racers will cross the San Juan River, and head back to San Juan through Zonda and Ullum and heading for another loop around.
Leaving JFK on Tuesday Evening for an adventure in the Southern Hemisphere — GFNY Argentina!
This has been a fast trip — or so it seems — to a fast course through beautiful mountains, and over a dam that creates a reservoir of potable drinking water for an entire city. From the minute we arrived we could see that cycling was huge here. Cyclists of all types occupy the roadways in the afternoons when the shops are closed. The citizens of San Juan are often mobile on bicycles of every type as they complete their daily routines. The weather, coupled with the lush nature of the vineyards, and the stunning backdrop provided by the mountains make this a cycling paradise.
Punta Negra Dam — Daylight and Sunset
To be sure this is what a grad student would call a capstone project. It’s the capstone project of what has been a remarkable 2019 Season. Starting with GFNY Italia in March, racing the GFNY NYC Championship in May, the inaugural GFNY Santa Fe in June, seeing how magical the spirit of GFNY can be in Portugal, fitting a few other events in in between to keep the training up, and now closing out with what promises to be a perfect day on the bike here at GFNY Argentina. With the way the week has gone since we arrived on Wednesday, it can’t help be anything but perfect. We have been out enjoying the scenery, the people, the cyclists, and the food since our arrival. But that’s not all there is. We were suddenly struck in conversation, my teammate Adrienne and I, about how “this may not have been on the ‘list’” of places to see, if not for the race. Not because it’s not an amazing place. Certainly it is. But rather because, when we, the humans, build our so called “bucket lists” they tend to focus on things that we have heard of. Things that others have experienced, and rituals that seem to be associated with reaching a certain age, or developing a hobby/interest, or in just searching for cool shit to do.
Taking the stairs to the roof of San Juan, and sometimes, we even rode bikes!
Challenging the Bucket List Hypothesis
So let’s challenge that bucket list hypothesis for a minute. Step back from all the things that you think you may have to do to check a box, and complete a “pre-death” to do list. What if instead, we based our gathering of experience on opportunity. Continually scanning outside our comfort zones in search of experiences that will challenge, surprise, and delight. When we run out of check boxes, add new ones. Maybe that’s how you answer the question — “Well, how did I get here?” when you find yourself in another part of the world.
I am wide awake pre-race, and overwhelmed with all that has happened in 2019. As we complete our capstone tomorrow, it will afford the chance to write a recap series on all that has gone on in 2019. After tomorrow, GFNY Chile, and GFNY Ecuador remain on the 2019 GFNY calendar. With that in mind (and since we unfortunately won’t make those two races this year), we are already planning next year. Back to Latin America, France, Santa Fe, and of course…New York (sometimes you may find yourself in your own part of the world — and that’s cool too!)
Those who are skeptical of the presence of doping in amateur sport should look to the July 8, 2019 announcement from Europol – concerning a joint operation of 33 countries and multiple agencies (including WADA) in a crackdown on the trafficking of doping materials and counterfeit drugs – to cure any doubts. The announcement specifically calls out “non-professional athletes, bikers and body-builders [who are] are buying small parcels of steroids, mainly from Asia or eastern Europe to traffic them to gyms”. Doubt no more, the proof is out there that doping continues to haunt amateur sport, and the only way to deter it is through vigilance in testing, both in and out of competition.
This is timely and relevant, because the in-competition and out-of-competition anti-doping testing regimens of the 2019 GFNY NYC Championship were successful in identifying two EPO users. The back stories for each were straight out of a Guy Ritchie caper movie. But that’s not the point. The point was that there were measures in place to catch them, and so they were caught.
GFNY maintained maximum transparency and called out the positive doping results publicly. GFNY’s statement invited many comments and questions from other racers and enthusiasts about the sport – as one might expect. Perhaps less expected by the public, but completely unsurprising to the founders of the race, it also drew many comments of gratitude and encouragement from a race field that truly appreciated GFNY’s efforts to keep the sport clean. Contrary to those expressions of appreciation, some of the comments and questions from the uninitiated reflected the state of sport in general. An apathy or neglect to what doping – or cheating of any kind – does to the athlete, does to the race, and does to sport in general. “Why would someone take drugs for a granfondo”, “these guys must be idiots to get caught”, “they doped but didn’t even win?” Fair questions for the uninitiated – but the commentary accurately reflects how a combination of a blind-eye, and dare I say, a cockeyed hopelessness that allows the cheating epidemic to go on without cultural stigmas and under the unwatchful eyes of many that are charged with preventing it.
To express concern over cheating without hypocrisy means only one thing: to do everything within your means to prevent it. Measures that deter cheating (e.g., testing) are all that stands between those who create competition, and those who could exploit it. And while we are here – let’s not quibble over terms, let’s just call it what it is. Doping is cheating. There is no getting around that. There are no degrees of cheating. There is only cheating, and not cheating. Whether it is motors, EPO, blood doping, illegal supplements, testosterone, or the most powerful kind of cheating – complicity. If you are circumventing the rules (for your own gain, or someone else’s), there is no debate: it’s cheating.
Cui Bono? The Criminal Riddle of Cheating
Literally translated, the phrase cui bono asks the question –” to whom is it a benefit” – and in the context of doping in sports, the answer seems, and often is, as simple as it seems. But this stock and trade phrase of the legal profession, usually employed to determine motive and guilt, can apply to many faces in the world of sport. To say that the guilt is solely on the athlete, ignores how the cycle works and who the culprits are. In hearing from cycling journalists globally, this is a pandemic issue. With anti-doping being enforced loosely in amateur, elite, and professional competition, the athlete is provided with a degree of confidence and even a level of risk tolerance for being caught.
Dutch journalists, Bram de Vrind and Sjoerd Swinkel, have been researching and writing about the problem for some time, and the journalists have found that in the past decade some 76 granfondo riders have been caught. But, in the pair’s own estimation, this number doesn’t touch the number of riders that may be undertaking some form of cheating. While de Vrind and Swinkel have cited the podium prize as the primary motivator for athletes, this may only tell a small part of the story. The proliferation of different methods of cheating, whether it be moto-drafting, doping, hidden motors, or what have you, among granfondo pelotons, the simple exaltation of taking the podium, keeping up with the Joneses, and satisfying the individual ego of the rider is motivation enough.
So, the primary (or maybe just the most obvious) beneficiary, the rider, is in control of their own body, destiny, and ego. They decide – on their own – based on their perceived risk, their own self-confidence, and whatever else haunts them. “I want to do well, and I won’t get caught, what could go wrong?”
Imagine if you will, the rider on the group ride that keeps half wheeling you, forcing you to pedal harder and harder to maintain your slot in the pack, but somehow feels that they need to keep pushing and pushing to keep up with you. They do something dangerous and unwelcome to be a part of the pack, to keep up with the group. Where will they stop and what is the limit to the risks that they are willing to take. If they get it right, they can turn the lies they tell themselves, about how everyone does it, and how it’s what you need to do to stay in the game, or into a high-placed finish. Forget the money for a second. Just think about the bragging rights, the “membership” in that “elite club” of riders who can take the course in 4:30. Top of their age group maybe. Top of the podium maybe. Or maybe just fast enough to justify doing it again – you know – “just to see what happens”. The prizes are nice, but, as GFNY founder Lidia Fluhme said in a recent podcast “there are events where you are competing for just some tubes as a podium prize – but really – it’s that you are standing on the podium (with those tubes) with people looking at you saying ‘wow you are on the podium’”. Co-Founder Uli Fluhme, goes on to tell us that the only difference between a top-tier granfondo rider and a pro is talent. As Fluhme says “many of them live like pro cyclists, but they just don’t have the talent to turn pro, and they want that recognition. We provide the playing field and the platform for that recognition in our GFNY events.” For as easy as it is to Google how and where to get the drugs, and how to evade getting caught, the temptation to take that shortcut might be too great.
To truly answer “cui bono,” however, the questions cannot stop with the athlete. With so many opportunities to race, so many races that don’t/won’t test, the athlete perceives the risk as minimal. Add to this, that the potential to be caught with testing that is in-competition only, allows the athlete to plan around the event date and ensure that they will test clean on race day, while still reaping the benefits of the banned substance (such as EPO) during training, and weeks after they have actually taken it. But for whatever reason, (budget may be one – but let’s save that for later), many races don’t or won’t test, and certainly won’t test out of competition.
And so, the waltz begins. Race directors that won’t test (in or out of competition), and athletes who fear no retribution for doping. The blind eye turned by the race organizers is a complicit step in encouraging athletes to cheat. If we agree that an athlete’s ego is the primary driver in whether that athlete will cheat, and the fear of consequences for that athlete are removed, then the race is an accomplice to the act of cheating. A willing partner that can now perhaps boast a larger field of “top-tier” cheaters, grow the overall race field, attract more dollars from sponsors and registrants, and so on and so on. The dance continues, the music never stops. It may not be as nefarious or as cloak and dagger as it sounds, so let’s take it back a notch. For the race organizer that simply feels that to run any kind of anti-doping or testing program is just too complicated or too expensive (we will come back to that), while they may not see their complicit part, and they may not ever want to believe that it would ever happen “at my race”, burying their heads in the sand is the same type of complicit act. It is like staying silent in the presence of a crime you don’t want to admit is being committed, but you know that it is.
Additionally, organizers that claim that it’s hopeless to try and fight doping, make it easy on themselves by copping out. In one of the comments about the GFNY cases recently, the commenter noted “your race isn’t clean” and then cited several ways to beat the test for EPO, and that the racers that were caught were not expert dopers. The flaw in this logic of course, is that when the decision is made to cop out, that decision gives way to allowing and encouraging cheaters, and is once again, complicit in creating a doping culture among those who would exploit the “hopeless cop out” that likely haunts the potential of so many events. This perception also ignores the fact that the micro dosing that would be required to beat the tests is much less effective than the “juicing up” that riders would engage in without the risk of getting caught. So many things can go wrong in the process of trying to beat testing, that the threat of testing both in and out of competition provides the best possible deterrent to doping.
And What of Expense….
While setting up an anti-doping program is not an inexpensive or trivial effort on the part of a race organizer, it is still completely feasible for races with the right sized budget. GFNY pays $15,000 per year for the anti-doping control of the flagship GFNY event in New York City each May. According to Uli Fluhme, in-competition testing runs at about $1,000 per racer currently, with the hope that technology will soon bring those costs down to around $50 per racer in the near future. According to the Fluhmes, it is a foundational part of what GFNY stands for, and so it will always be a part of GFNY competition. For a racer to be caught as part of GFNY’s testing protocols, means that the program is working and is worth every penny of the expense to maintain the integrity of the race for everyone.
Not to Mention Health…
Before we lose sight of it, we should remind ourselves that there is collateral damage associated with this problem that extends beyond sport. With no deterrents in place, a rider or any other athlete, may be tempted to go to extreme measures to increase their performance. An easy search on the internet will reveal a number of paths that the athlete can take. All of those paths will impact the athlete’s health in the immediate or the long term. It would be extremely naïve to assume that while going undetected in a race that refuses to test will mean “getting away with it” in the long run. Forget about the bans, a dosing mistake can have grave consequences, while long-term and repeat usage will gradually ruin a person physically over time. When coupled with the fact that misuse of a controlled substance is usually considered a felony, the collateral damage becomes obvious. Part of keeping sport clean is the encouragement of healthy competition, in both the physical and emotional senses. Deterrence via testing not only keeps racing clean, but may save lives and health.
What is the Solution?
But let’s get realistic, a smaller event may not have the budget to operate the kind of doping control that larger events have, and so where does that leave them? Where does it leave anti-doping if it is unaffordable to many? This is where out-of-competition testing, and cooperation may bring about deterrence and change. Larger races that can afford and perform out-of-competition testing have shown that this type of random testing of in-contention racers likely provides the best deterrent to cheating possible. With the way most doping agents work, the time it takes to exit the racer’s system, but still be effective on race day, may foil in-competition testing, but is much more difficult to time, and to hide from testers, if the racer has no idea when the test is coming. Adding this level of testing to a program may not only prevent a racer from taking the risk to cheat, but may deter the more incorrigible cheaters from adding races that test this way to their calendars.
Now think of out-of-competition testing as a network. The only escape would then be undetectable drugs and limiting one’s racing to small races. Now remember the ego. Dopers would be unable to resist the chance to show themselves on the big stage.
Summing Up
This is a universal problem. To assume that this is the problem of one race, or even one sport, would be completely naive. The organizations that control measures in the United States, like USADA, are very much underfunded and so testing in amateur events takes a back seat to professional sport, where there is more prize money, and deeper implications of fraud on the line. The sport community must take on the continuing threat that cheating in all forms brings to the integrity of competition. For all those who won’t watch the Giro or the Tour because of the overwhelming presence of dopers, imagine that there were cyclists who left pro cycling because they saw that the sport was not clean. The same would be true of granfondo racers from one end of the talent spectrum to the other. If there is cynicism surrounding the fairness of the competition, how many would walk away from granfondo? For the fair play-minded granfondo racer, would it be worth their time, money and energy to train, to ride, to race, with those who would exploit the race, and exploit those who raced clean? To fail the fair playing riders, and watch them step away from the sport would be the monumental loss.
Breaking the Complicity Chain
Deterring Cheaters and Keeping Sport Clean
by Chris Geiser
To be part of the solution – you must honestly face up to the problem! Tune in to our podcast to hear about how we are working to deter cheaters around the world.
AQUELLOS ESCÉPTICOS SOBRE LA PRESENCIA DE DOPAJE EN EL DEPORTE,
deberían subsanar sus dudas leyendo el anuncio de la Europol del 8 de Julio de 2019 -sobre una operación conjunta entre 33 países y múltiples agencias (incluida la WADA) resultando en medidas severas contra el tráfico de materiales utilizados para doparse además de drogas adulteradas. El anuncio está dirigido especialmente a “atletas no-profesionales, ciclistas y fisicoculturistas quienes adquieren pequeñas dosis de esteroides, especialmente provenientes de Asia o Europa del Este para luego distribuirlas en los gimnasios”. No lo dudemos más, la evidencia demuestra que el dopaje continúa acechando al deporte amateur, y la única manera de desalentarlo es a través del control en el testeo de dopaje tanto dentro como fuera de la competencia. Esto se torna oportuno y relevante debido a que los programas de control anti-dopaje, tanto dentro como fuera de la competencia, durante GFNY NYC Championship en 2019 fueron satisfactorios al hallar dos consumidores de EPO. Las justificaciones de cada uno fueron dignas de una película cómica de Guy Ritchie. Pero esto no es lo relevante. Lo importante es que se habían tomado las medidas para atraparlos y lo fueron.
GFNY mantuvo máximo nivel de transparencia y exhibió los resultados del dopaje positivo públicamente. La declaración de GFNY originó comentarios y preguntas de otros corredores y entusiastas del deporte, como era de esperar. Tal vez inesperado para el público, aunque poco sorprendente para los fundadores de la carrera, la declaración suscitó comentarios de gratitud y apoyo en el ámbito en el que verdaderamente se aprecian los esfuerzos realizados por GFNY para mantener este deporte limpio. Contrario a aquellas expresiones de aprecio, algunas de las opiniones y preguntas de los novatos reflejaron la condición del deporte en general. Un tipo de apatía o rechazo a lo que el dopaje- o hacer cualquier tipo de trampa-le causa tanto al atleta, como a la carrera y al deporte en general. “¿Por qué alguien consumiría drogas para una granfondo?”, “Son unos idiotas porque fueron descubiertos” “Consumieron y ni siquiera ganaron”. Serían comentarios apropiados para un novato, pero reflejan como la combinación entre hacer la vista gorda y, me atrevo a decir, una disparatada desesperación que permite que la epidemia de la trampa continúe sin estigmas culturales y bajo la mirada atenta de aquellos que están encargados de prevenirla.
Expresar preocupación sobre hacer trampa sin mostrar hipocresía significa solamente lo siguiente: hacer todo lo humanamente posible para prevenirla. Las medidas para desalentar el engaño (por ejemplo realizando los controles) es la única posibilidad que existe entre aquellos que generan la competencia y aquellos que se aprovechan de la misma. Y a propósito- sin objetar terminologías, llámenoslo como lo que es. El dopaje es sinónimo de trampa. No hay vueltas sobre esto. No hay niveles para medir la trampa. Existe solamente la trampa y lo que no lo es. Ya sean que se realice en motores, EPO, dopaje sanguíneo, suplementos ilegales, testosteronas o a través de la peor manera de hacer trampa: la complicidad. Si estás eludiendo las reglas (para tu propio beneficio o para el de alguien más) no hay posibilidad de debatirlo: es trampa.
¿CUI BONO? EL ENIGMA DETRÁS DEL DELITO DE HACER TRAMPA.
Literalmente la frase cui bono pregunta –” ¿quién se beneficia?” La respuesta se da en el contexto del dopaje en el deporte y es simple. Esta frase, propia del campo legal, usualmente utilizada para
determinar motivo y culpa, puede aplicarse a varias facetas del mundo del deporte. Decir que la culpa es solamente del atleta, es ignorar cómo funciona el ciclo y quiénes son los culpables. Al escuchar a los periodistas especializados en ciclismo internacionalmente, este es un problema pandémico. La aplicación del anti-dopaje de manera laxa en la competencia amateur, de elite y profesional, le confiere al atleta plena confianza y tolerancia ante el riesgo de ser descubiertos. Los periodistas holandeses, Bram de Vrind y Sjoerd Swinkel, han estado investigando y escribiendo
sobre el problema desde hace ya largo tiempo, y concluyeron que en la última década 76 ciclistas de granfondos han sido descubiertos. Sin embargo, en la estimación de ambos, este número no representa el número real de corredores que podrían estar haciendo algún tipo de trampa. Mientras que de Vrind and Swinkel mencionaron que alcanzar los primeros puestos es la motivación primordial para los atletas, esto puede significar contar solo una parte de la historia. La proliferación de diferentes métodos para hacer trampa, ya sean el drafting con motos, el dopaje, usar los motores escondidos, o aprovechar las estelas en los pelotones de granfondos, la simple exaltación de llegar al podio, de estar en la onda y satisfacer el ego individual del corredor son motivación suficiente. Por lo tanto, el principal beneficiario (o tal vez el más obvio), el ciclista, está en control de su propio cuerpo, destino y ego. Ellos deciden- por sí mismos- basados en los riesgos percibidos, en su propio nivel de confianza, o en cualquier motivación que tengan. “Quiero hacerlo bien, y no seré descubierto, ¿qué podría salir mal?”
Imagínate, ese ciclista en un grupo que te mantiene pedaleando en la delantera, haciéndote pedalear más y más, para mantenerte en tu posición en el pelotón, pero que de alguna manera siente que todos necesitan empujar y empujar para seguir tu ritmo. Ellos hacen algo peligroso y poco grato para ser parte del grupo, para sostener el ritmo. ¿Dónde se detendrán y cuál es el límite de los riesgos que están dispuestos a correr? Si lo hacen bien, pueden cambiar las mentiras que se cuentan a sí mismos, sobre cómo cada uno lo hace, y sobre lo que se necesita hacer para mantenerse en el juego o en los primero puestos. Olvídate del dinero por unos segundos. Sólo piensa en los derechos a reclamar la pertenencia a ese club elite de ciclistas que pueden hacer el recorrido en 4:30. Tal vez estando en lo más alto de su grupo etario. Tal vez en lo más alto del podio. O tal vez –ser “lo suficientemente rápido-“para justificar hacerlo de nuevo-ya sabes- “sólo para ver qué ocurre”. Los premios son buenos, pero, como dijo la fundadora de GFNY, Lidia Fluhme en un reciente podcast “hay algunos eventos en los que sólo compites por unas cámaras como premio de podio”- aunque en realidad- la verdad es que estás parado en el podio con gente que te mira diciendo “oh, estás en el podio”. El cofundador Uli Fluhme, nos comenta que la única diferencia entre un destacado granfondista y un pro es el talento. Como dice Fluhme “muchos de ellos viven como ciclistas profesionales aunque no poseen el talento para ser pro, y desean ese reconocimiento. Nosotros les proveemos del lugar y la plataforma para ser reconocidos en nuestros eventos GFNY.” Debido a lo accesible que es el buscar en la red cómo y dónde obtener las drogas, y el cómo evadir ser descubierto, la tentación de tomar el camino más corto es demasiado grande.
Sin embargo y para realmente responder al “cui bono”, la pregunta no puede terminar con el atleta. Con tantas oportunidades para correr y de no ser controlado, el atleta percibe que el riesgo es mínimo. Sumemos a esto que la potencial idea de ser atrapado solamente dentro de la competencia le permite al atleta planificar con anterioridad a la fecha del evento y asegurarse que no dará positivo el día de la carrera mientras aún se beneficia de los efectos de la sustancia prohibida (como EPO) durante el entrenamiento e incluso semanas después de la competencia. Aunque, por variadas razones (el presupuesto de las carreras podría ser una, pero nos referiremos a eso más tarde), muchas carreras no controlan ni controlarán, y ciertamente mucho menos lo harán fuera de la competencia.
Y así comienza el baile. Los directores de carreras que no realizarán controles (ni fuera ni dentro de la competencia), y los atletas que no temen ningún castigo por el dopaje. La vista gorda por parte de los organizadores es un paso de complicidad para alentar a los atletas a hacer trampa. Si estamos de acuerdo en que el ego del corredor es el hilo conductor para que el atleta haga trampa, y además el temor a las consecuencias es removido, entonces la carrera en sí misma es cómplice del acto del engaño. Un posible socio que pueda tal vez pueda jactarse de tener un pelotón de “excelencia” de tramposos, hace crecer al grupo en general, atrae más dinero de auspiciantes y a corredores, y así infinitamente. La danza continúa, la música nunca se detiene. Podría no ser tan nefasto ni clandestino como suena, así que volvamos un escalón. Para el organizador de la carrera que simplemente siente que realizar cualquier tipo de programa o control anti-dopaje es complicado o demasiado caro (volveremos a referirnos a esto), y que no ven su parte en la complicidad o que probablemente no crean que podría ocurrir en “su carrera”, esconder su cabeza en la arena remite al mismo nivel de complicidad. Sería como permanecer callado ante un crimen el cual no quieres admitir que se ocurre, pero sabes que sí.
Además, los organizadores que proclaman que es infructuoso intentar luchar contra el dopaje, hacen lo posible para poder evadir el problema. En uno de los comentarios sobre los casos recientes de dopaje en la GFNY, el mismo señalaba “su carrera no es limpia” y luego mencionaba diversas maneras de pasar el control de EPO, o decía que los corredores que eran descubiertos no eran expertos en el abuso de drogas. La falla en esta lógica radica en que cuando se toma la decisión de escabullirse, la misma permite y alienta a los que se drogan, y una vez más se es cómplice en crear una cultura del dopaje entre aquellos que se aprovechan del inevitable “ lavarse las manos ” del problema que muy posiblemente limite el potencial de tantos eventos deportivos. Esta percepción posiblemente ignore el hecho de que la microdosificación que se requiere para pasar los controles es mucho menos efectiva que el actual uso de drogas en que incurrirá el corredor si no hay riesgos de ser descubierto. Hay tantas cosas que podrían salir mal en el proceso de pasar los controles, que la amenaza de realizarlos dentro y fuera de la competencia nos provee de la mejor manera de detener el dopaje.
Y RESPECTO A LOS GASTOS…
Si bien poner en marcha un programa anti-dopaje por parte del organizador de un evento no es un esfuerzo barato ni trivial, es completamente factible cuando sí se tiene un presupuesto adecuado. GFNY paga $15,000 anuales por el control anti-dopaje del evento insignia GFNY en New York City cada mes de mayo. Según Uli Fluhme, el control dentro de la competencia cuesta actualmente $1,000 por corredor, con la esperanza de que con el correr del tiempo la tecnología permita bajar los costos a $50 por ciclista en un futuro no muy lejano. De acuerdo a los Fluhmes, es la parte fundacional de lo que GFNY representa, por lo tanto siempre será una parte de la competencia de GFNY. Para un corredor, ser descubierto por los controles de GFNY, significa que el programa funciona y vale cada centavo del gasto realizado para mantener la integridad de la carrera para todos.
SIN OLVIDARNOS DE MENCIONAR LA SALUD…
No debemos perder de vista el hecho de la existencia de un daño colateral asociado a este problema que se extiende más allá del deporte. Sin elementos disuasorios, un corredor o cualquier otro atleta, podría ser tentado a tomar medidas extremas para mejorar su rendimiento. Una simple búsqueda en internet le revelará al atleta diferentes formas de hacerlo. Todos estos modos impactarán en la salud del deportista en el corto o largo plazo. Sería extremadamente ingenuo el asumir que no ser detectado en una carrera significa” salir impune”. Olvídate de ser inhabilitado, un error en la dosis podría producir graves consecuencias, además de que el uso repetido y a largo plazo dañará gradualmente el cuerpo de la persona de por vida. Sumado al hecho de que el abuso de sustancias controladas es considerado un delito, el daño colateral es obvio. Una parte de mantener limpio al deporte es alentar la competencia sana, tanto en el sentido físico como en el emocional. La disuasión a través de los controles no solo mantiene sana la competencia, sino que además salva vidas y protege la salud.
¿CUÁL ES LA SOLUCIÓN?
Pero seamos realistas, un evento más pequeño podría no contar con el presupuesto para operar un control de doping así como los que se realizan en competencias más importantes, entonces ¿qué se puede hacer? ¿Dónde se pueden situar estos eventos con respecto al anti-dopaje si son difíciles de costear? Aquí es donde el control fuera de la competencia y la cooperación pueden disuadir y cambiar las cosas. Las carreras más prestigiosas que pueden costear y realizar controles fuera de competencia han demostrado que estos tipos de controles aleatorios dentro de los eventos probablemente puedan proveer de los mejores elementos disuasivos. Teniendo en cuenta la manera en que los agentes dopantes funcionan, y el tiempo que toman en salir del cuerpo del corredor (aunque permanezca efectivo el día de la carrera), se podría burlar el control dentro de la competencia, aunque esto se torna mucho más difícil de esconder de los controladores si el corredor desconoce cuándo se va a realizar el testeo.
Agregar esta forma de control, podría no solo prevenir que el corredor se arriesgue a hacer trampa, pero además podría desalentar a los tramposos empedernidos a participar en aquellas carreras que tengan estos tipos de procedimientos.
Y ahora imaginemos que el control fuera de la competencia se convirtiese en un sistema. Un sistema de carreras que tal vez pueda reunir recursos para poder compartir resultados, gastos y la capacidad para aunar fechas en el calendario de carreras, todas con la exigencia de controles fuera de la competencia que forzarían a retirarse por una temporada a aquellos competidores que hagan. La única escapatoria sería tomar drogas indetectables o limitarse a competir en pequeñas carreras. Ahora, no olvidemos el ego. Los que utilizan sustancias son incapaces de resistir la oportunidad de aparecer en escena.
EN RESUMEN
Este es un problema universal. Suponer que este es un problema de una carrera, o de un deporte, sería completamente ingenuo. Las organizaciones que controlan las normas en Estados Unidos, como USADA, carecen de financiación por lo tanto el control en eventos de aficionados pasa a un segundo plano comparado con el deporte profesional, en los cuales hay mas premios en efectivo e implicaciones más importantes si caen en el fraude. La comunidad deportiva debe asumir que hacer trampa es una amenaza constante a la integridad de la competición. Para todos aquellos que no verán el Giro o el Tour por la abrumadora cantidad de corredores que se dopan, imaginen que hubiesen ciclistas que dejaron el ciclismo profesional porque vieron que el deporte no estaba limpio. Lo mismo ocurriría con los corredores de granfondos, de un lado del espectro del talento al otro. Si hay cinismo rodeando a la equidad de la competencia, ¿cuántos se alejarían de las granfondo? Para el corredor de granfondo que practica el juego limpio, ¿valdría la pena el tiempo, dinero, energía para entrenar, correr, competir con aquellos que se aprovechan de la carrera, y que también se aprovechan de aquellos que sí corren limpios? Fallarles a los que juegan limpio, y verlos alejarse del deporte sería una pérdida monumental.
“Talk to the Hand” has a whole other meaning in Punta Del Este!
