WE FRICKIN’ LOVE ATHENS
We could expound on that–get you drunk off High Lifes and PBRs from World Famous; tell you how the glow off the Georgia Theater electrifies you lap after lap, 20, 40, 80 times in a relentless blur of rabidly drunk college kids, clouds of smoke and shoulder to shoulder racing. We could bend your ear for days about how it’s the best damn race in the country, with the best damn fans, and the best damn competition. But why?
Just go see for yourself.
As usual, Athens Twilight did not disappoint. The end result is a high water mark for the program. Grace Arlandson came away with 7th, an improvement on her previous best result at this level by 11 places. And on the men’s side, we were the only team to have two riders (Robert Strobel, Tom Gibbons) lap the field. In the end, they came home in 9th and 4th respectively. Robert improved his previous best result at this level by 13 places. And while the numbers on the result sheet show a vast improvement from last year, the intangible efforts of the team are even more stark.
Since October, all riders have been unified under Automatic coaching with the goal of maximizing individual potential, and assuring that potential is used to its maximum effect within our system. It was a big investment that came with some risk, but after the first race of the year, it feels validated. Everyone clicked and the team was able to do what they wanted, when they wanted. For the first time since this little program’s founding, we no longer felt like the underdog. We felt in control.
At the finish there were tears and there were beers. There were yells and hugs, and high fives, and if you believe the rumors, some riders could be seen riding home through the dark streets of Athens at dawn, full of pizza from Little Italy with big dumb smiles on their faces, periodically muttering to each other, “holy shit, I can’t believe we just did that.”
When asked about the veracity of these rumors, director Lauren Dodge declined to comment.
The team now looks forward to the rest of Speedweek and beyond with a hard-earned confidence that’s new to this little program.
Follow along as we find our rhythm, and look for opportunities to introduce a little more chaotic good wherever we can. And if you’re an up and coming racer looking to find your rhythm, reach out to the @Automatic_Abus team page about performance coaching. You’re faster than you think.
