Cycling Champion (2 page)

Austin nodded as he continued to inspect the bike. The front and back wheels were closer together than on a regular bike.

“Why are wheels so close together?” he asked.

“That makes for quicker handling,” the shopkeeper replied. “And see how the handlebars are positioned lower than the seat of the bike? That puts you in a more aerodynamic position when you're racing — you'll cut through the wind better.”

Austin smiled. He could already imagine himself hunched low over the drop handlebars as he raced.
This is exactly what I need
, he thought.

“So, what do you think?” Mr. Barker asked.

“It's perfect,” Austin replied. “I'll take it.”

“Are you sure you don't want a ride home?” Austin's dad called out through the open window of the SUV. “We could wrap your new bike in a blanket behind the front seats to keep it from getting scratched.”

Austin shook his head. “No thanks!” he said. “I want to ride home and get a feel for the bike. I need to start practicing right away if I want to be ready for the race in a month.”

“Okay,” his dad said. “Be careful, and don't be late. Remember, your brothers have another basketball game tonight, and Mom and I expect you to be there.”

Austin nodded, only half-listening. All of his attention was focused on his new racing bike. He couldn't wait to try it out.

Austin swung his right leg over the new bike and eased himself onto the seat. He gripped the handlebars and smiled. It was a perfect fit. Looking left and right for traffic, Austin put his feet on the pedals and took off down the street.

He headed for the bike path that ran from downtown River City to his neighborhood. The bike path was familiar. He'd ridden it a million times. But Austin couldn't wait to try it out with his new bike.

Hedges, trees, and storefronts flew by as Austin pedaled steadily, building speed. The wheels on the new bike turned smoothly. He shifted gears as he went around a tight corner and leaned into the curve. Austin hunched over the handlebars as he sped up coming out of the turn.

A yellow traffic light glowed up ahead. Austin slowed to a stop as the light changed to red. He could see the entrance to the bike path up ahead.

“Hey, cool bike,” a voice called from behind him.

Austin glanced over his shoulder and saw Dylan Benson, a guy from his history class. He and Dylan had gone to school together since middle school, but they'd never really been close friends. In fact, Austin couldn't remember ever really talking to Dylan.

“I didn't know you had a racing bike,” Dylan said as he walked closer. “Did you just get it?”

“Yeah!” Austin said. “I just bought it at the cycling store downtown. I usually just ride my mountain bike.”

Dylan stood off to the side and admired the bike. “Man, I wish I could get a new racing bike,” he said. “I have one, but mine's an older model. I'm actually having it tuned up at the cycling shop right now. I wanted to get it ready for the River City Criterium next month.”

“Are you entering that?” Austin asked.

“Yeah, definitely,” Dylan said. “All of the River City Racers are entering.”

“Who are the River City Racers?” Austin asked.

“It's the cycling team I'm on,” Dylan explained. “What about you? You're racing with your new bike, right?”

Great
, Austin thought.
More people are planning to enter the race than I thought. That's not going to help my chances of finally winning a trophy.

“Oh … I don't know,” Austin said. “Maybe. I just got my bike, so I'm still getting used to it.”

“Dude, you have to enter,” Dylan said. “You can't let that bike go to waste. You should come to our practice tomorrow. We'll give you some tips.”

“Practice?” Austin repeated.

“Yeah, the Racers practice every Saturday morning,” Dylan said.

“Um, okay,” Austin said. “I'll be there.”

“Great!” Dylan told him. “We meet at the community center at eight o'clock to stretch and then head out from there. Make sure you come ready to ride.”

The next day, Austin woke up early to meet the cycling team at the community center. He was nervous to ride with the other racers. He loved biking, but he'd never trained with other real cyclists before.

What if I can't keep up?
he worried.

Austin wheeled his bike out of the garage. He checked the air pressure in his tires and carefully oiled the chain like the shop owner had shown him the day before.

His brothers came out the front door just as Austin was finishing up in the driveway. Matt dribbled a basketball back and forth in front of him. Suddenly the ball bounced free and hit the front tire of Austin's new bike.

“Hey!” Austin said. “Watch it!” He leaned down and examined the spokes on the wheel, making sure there was no damage. The bike was fine, but Austin was still annoyed.

“Sorry,” Matt said, jogging over to retrieve the ball. “We're on our way to the park to shoot some hoops. Want to come?”

“No thanks,” Austin said. “I have to be someplace.” That was true, but it wasn't the only reason. Playing sports with his brothers always reminded him that he wasn't as good as they were.

“Okay, see you later then,” Josh said. He and Matt headed down the street laughing and bouncing the basketball back and forth.

Austin finished giving his bike one final inspection, checking the handlebars, seat, and pedals. Everything seemed to be in good shape. He pulled on his helmet, climbed on his bike, and set off to meet the cycling team.

The streets of his neighborhood passed by in a blur as Austin pumped his legs faster, picking up speed. Hunching over the handlebars of the racing bike felt very different from riding his mountain bike.

Mr. Barker was right
, Austin thought.
This isn't very comfortable, but I'm definitely going faster.

Austin shifted through all the bike's gears as he rode, making sure they all worked and changed smoothly. He was still learning and getting comfortable with the gears. It took some getting used to, but he was catching on.

Austin came to a steep hill and shifted into a lower gear to bike up the hill. Even at the lower gear, pedaling was more difficult. By the time he reached the top, Austin's legs were burning from the effort and he was breathing heavily.

Before he knew it, he was at the River City Community Center. A group of teenagers, all wearing colorful biking gear, were standing around outside when Austin rode up. An older man, who Austin assumed was the coach, stood in the middle of the group.

Dylan spotted Austin right away and waved him over. “Hey, you made it!” Dylan said. “I'm glad you came. Let me introduce you to Coach Brady and the rest of the team.”

Dylan turned to the rest of the group. “Everybody, this is Austin,” he said.

“Hey, everyone,” Austin said nervously, waving at the group. Most of bikers smiled back. They seemed friendly.

“Austin just got a new racing bike, so I invited him to train with us,” Dylan explained to the other cyclists. “He's racing in the River City Criterium too.”

Just then the coach stepped to the front of the group. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. The group quickly quieted down.

“Okay, listen up, everybody,” Coach Brady called. “The River City Criterium is less than a month away, so starting today we'll be focusing on training for that. A criterium is a race that includes a lot of pack riding and sprints, so we'll be working on building leg muscles, endurance exercises, and sprint training.”

Coach Brady leaned over and picked up a stack of papers. He held them up for the group to see. “These are maps of the race route,” he told them. “Everyone take one and pass it on. You should study this over the next few weeks. Get used to the course. In the meantime, let's get down to business.”

“One of the most important things for all cyclists to remember is stretching,” Coach Brady told the team. “Most of you already know that, but since we have a new rider with us today, let's go over a couple of the basics. Who can tell me why it's so important to stretch before and after you ride?”

Dylan raised his hand. “Go ahead, Dylan,” Coach Brady said.

“Because cycling is so repetitive,” Dylan said. “You have to stretch so you have flexibility and balance in the muscle groups you use over and over, like your hamstrings, hip flexors, and chest. If you don't stretch, those muscles tighten up, and then you can't ride as well.”

“Very good,” the coach said. “Let's go through some basic stretches before we get on our bikes.”

Coach Brady walked the team through a standing quad stretch, a standing calf stretch, a hamstring stretch, and a hip flexor stretch. Then he had them do a couple of basic shoulder stretches.

“Why do we have to stretch our shoulders?” Austin whispered to Dylan. “Our legs are doing all the work.”

“Yeah, but think about how much time cyclists spend hunched over the handlebars,” Dylan whispered back. “You have to keep your chest and shoulder muscles loose.”

Austin nodded.
That makes sense
, he thought. But he was starting to realize there was way more to cycling than just pedaling fast.

After they'd finished stretching, Austin and the cycling team spent the rest of the practice training. They did set after set of lifts, squats, and leg presses, all designed to build leg muscles.

Dylan explained that they needed to do plenty of aerobic exercises before the race. “You have to know you can at least ride for the full length of the race before you move on to the details,” Dylan told Austin.

They also did sprint training. Coach Brady instructed them to ride as hard as they could for intervals of 30 to 90 seconds. Then they'd break for 90 seconds before sprinting again. By the time they finished, Austin was sweating and panting for breath.

When Austin finished practice that afternoon, his legs felt like rubber. He barely had enough energy to bike home. And they hadn't even biked the course yet.

His brothers were in the living room watching TV when Austin walked into the house.

“Whoa, what happened to you?” Josh asked, taking in Austin's sweaty clothes and flushed face.

“I had cycling practice,” Austin said.

“I didn't know you were on a cycling team,” Matt said. “Did they hose you down or something? You're drenched.”

“We did a lot of sprint training on our bikes,” Austin said. “There's a big cycling race coming up in a month that we're training for. I'm finally going to win to my own trophy.”

His brothers exchanged a quick look. “You know it's not just about winning a trophy, right, Austin?” Josh asked.

“Easy for you to say,” Austin said. “You guys have a million trophies.”