Cutters’ Young, Teter’s Van Kooten repeat as ITT champions

Note: For full results from ITTs  visit http://www.idsnews.com/blogs/hoosierhype/

It came across the silence of the track.

“IUSF presents Power Hour.”

It was the hour during Individual Time Trials where the top riders from last year go against each other — and themselves. Four riders take the track at a time, each taking a separate turn.

Ali Bickel, senior team captain for Wing It, hopped on the stationary bike near turn four and started to pedal at close to full speed.

Individual Time Trials is the first event of the Spring Series after Qualifications. It’s one of the events Teter’s Caitlin Van Kooten won last year. This year wasn’t any different, with Van Kooten finishing at the top with a time of 2:39.41. Like Van Kooten, Cutters’ Eric Young repeated his work from last year, also defending his title finish first with a time of 2:22.

For many riders, like Bickel, ITTs is their least favorite event.

In a race built on teamwork and team speed, Bickel said an individual event doesn’t appeal to her.

“Go Precious Angel!” her teammates screamed from the fence.

The whirl of circulating pedals created rhythm as Bickel’s tongue stuck slightly out of her mouth — it’s the sign of hard work. Her cream and crimson painted IUSF bike laid on the infield grass with a Wing It Racing sticker near her pedal and the Wing It symbol near the handlebar.

“The wind’s in the back stretch, isn’t it?” Bickel asked her coach, Tom Schwoegler.
“Yep,” Schwoegler replied, but he bent to rip a few pieces of grass from the soil anyway. He threw them in the air and the wind pushed the grass east.

Bickel pedaled until the trial before her ended. Then she hopped off the stationary bike and grabbed her race bike, bringing it to the gunner.

She brought her right leg over the bike and situated herself on the black seat before raising herself. Her hands gripped below the curve of her white handlebars.

“Remember, pull the handlebars off the bike,” Schwoegler told her.

The gun went off and Bickel pushed off from the gunner’s hold — out of the saddle. She didn’t wobble and quickly got up to speed.

“That was a good start,” the gunner, dressed in a puffy orange down coat, said.
Bickel was through turn one and she began to slow as she hit the backstretch with the wind she questioned.

When she made it around to turn four Schwoegler shouted, “Go! Go! Go! Go!”
It was evident the backstretch was where a rider slowed — everyone ducked their heads as they met the wall of wind.

“Two more Ali, two more,” Schwoegler yelled. “Nice, nice, nice! C’mon Ali! Susan is dying. Go and get her. Go, go, all the way.”

Bickel ducked her head as she crossed the chalky white line of the infield. Four laps later, it was all over.

Bickel finished with a time of 2:59.16, placing her well outside the top 10, but Schwoegler wasn’t worried. School has been keeping Bickel from getting any sleep.

“I felt like I wanted to go faster. My legs just felt weak,” Bickel said. “I should have tried to sprint harder at the end.