To prep for Little 500, Richardson-Rossbach, Bailey compete in triathalon

As if riding a bike for more than 15 hours a week wasn’t enough, Little 500 riders senior David Richardson-Rossbach and junior Jordan Bailey also test their endurance on the pavement and in the water.

Both men are veteran triathletes. Combined, they have invested more than 11 years swimming, biking and running.

As cycling teams geared up for the last spring series event before race day, the two riders prepared for the U.S.A. Triathlon Collegiate National Championship in Lubbock, Tex.

The elements of Lubbock and this weekend’s weather washed away any hopes of a traditional race for both riders.

PRE-RACE WARMUP

 The rain came and went until Friday evening, but nothing could stop these two riders’ tires from hitting the pavement. Keeping their tires on the ground was a different story, though.

Twenty-five mile per hour winds blew. Rain came in a downpour. They pedaled for about 10 miles until a set of railroad tracks changed their whole day.

Riding side-by-side, they began to cross the tracks until ruts on both sides of the rail sent the riders flying. Their bike tires destroyed, both riders went down.

Richardson-Rossbach fell in front of Bailey. As he swerved, the front end of Bailey’s bike flew up, throwing him to the ground.

“Dave ended up cracking his top tube and he also snapped off his shifters,” Bailey said. “Of course it was 5:30 in the evening and there were no bikes shops open.”

After a crash earlier in the week on the Little 500 track, a fall in Lubbock was not what Richardson-Rossbach wanted.

This race was his last shot on the collegiate circuit to face other riders who had to juggle school and cycling. His final attempt was over before race day even began.

“I’ve gone over railroad tracks in all sorts and kinds of conditions, in rain and larger groups at higher speeds and I felt totally confident in my ability to get over those railroad tracks safely,” Richardson-Rossbach said. “It took me a couple minutes to realize the bike was not ride-able and once that happened I was just livid.” 

THE BIG DAY

A water temperature of 54 and an air temperature of 46 combined with a light rain did not stop the Nationals race.

Richardson-Rossbach decided to only swim and only for fun.

His spirits and his bike broken, his fiber top tube cracked and his shifters snapped, Bailey and 1,200 collegiate triathletes suited up for race day.

“I’ve never in my six years of doing this have raced a triathlon when it’s been that cold before,” Bailey said. “It was just crazy, crazy cold.”

While the swimming portion of the triathlon was shortened from 1500 meters to 700 meters, Bailey knew that the parts of his body that weren’t covered by the wetsuit would most likely go numb in the chilly waters.

A six and a half minute swim put him in 20th place and going into the cycling section of the competition.

“Right out of the bike course, there were two hills and I started doing work on them and passing people,” Bailey said. “The wind was ridiculous on all sides.  Most triathletes are terrible bikers so they were just getting pushed all over the road.”

At this point, Bailey used his strength from Little 500 training to pick up ground and by the eighth mile, he sat in fourth place.

“In Texas, it’s fairly flat for the most part so you can see far in most directions,” he said. “I could see the leader in front of me, and I timed it and he was about 30 seconds in front of me.”

His wheels turning across the pebble and gravel crushed roads of Lubbock, a 40 mph tailwind propelled Bailey past another cyclist and into third place. That’s when bad luck turned from Richardson-Rossbach to Bailey.

Punctured by a sharp piece of gravel, Bailey’s back tire went flat.

“I pulled over and I knew my race was over,” he said. “I’m convinced — at how fast I was going with the tail wind — I would have caught the leader and probably have been able to transition into first.”

Instead, Bailey sat on the side of the road for 30 minutes until a couple picked him up and drove him into town to his family and IU teammate. Jordan’s mom Kris said she was saddened about the mishaps that happened to her son’s weekend, but she knows the triathlon was a learning opportunity.

“Sure it’s disappointing, but so much of it is life lessons,” Kris Bailey said.

“Knowing that he’s come away with maybe some other nugget of knowledge about racing that he could apply to another race at another time, then that’s what’s been gained.”

Bailey and Richardson-Rossbach were both disappointed by the results this weekend. Now their sole focus is on a race five days away.

“Those were the worst triathlon conditions I’ve ever been in with 46 degree temperatures, 54 degree water temperature and 25 mph plus winds,” Bailey said. “I’m ready for anything next week. If it rains on Saturday like they’re predicting, but it’s going to be 75 degrees, I’m fucking ready for it.”