Racer Profile: Tori Bortman
September 25, 2008
People who know Tori Bortman and her outgoing personality probably aren't surprised that she was a theater major in college, but they may be surprised to know that, as a kid, she was the last pick for every single team. Surprised, that is, because Tori has taken to cyclocross racing like a fish to water.
"At the first race I watched there was mud, cowbells, beer and every spectator was a cheerleader. I never thought it would be me, but I had seen the light. Or more accurately the good times within the rain, cold and muck. This was racing where no one cared if you won but everyone was concerned with you having a good time. Racing against yourself and for the greater good of fitness and mud in yer eye. Silly stuff. I was in love."
Sure, Tori has fun with it, but she also trains hard. "I do my regular rides throughout the summer. Two to four days a week at 25-60miles. I try to run at least once or twice a week as well. This is base training for what comes later." Tori likes to participate in the Cross Crusade series clinics. It's also at that time that she starts to train at local parks. "I find ones where I can do laps that imitate the cross courses - barriers, uphills, stairs, dirt, gravel - and do interval training in laps." And, ever a determined person, Tori adds that she takes on special challenges to push herself.
"I find a hill I really don't like and work on hill repeats." As in, over and over again. That's dedication.
Tori says the skills are the biggest challenge on the course. "I'm not naturally bestowed with the best sense of grace. Dis- and re-mounting the bike, running up rocky slopes or jumping over barriers with your ride slung across your shoulder takes a lot of flow. The other biggest challenge is to pace yourself. If you give it your everything too early in the race you'll loose it by the end. If you can learn to pace and then sprint in the last lap, that's best."
And though she absolutely loves the racing, she admits that there are days when being on the sidelines looks pretty fun. "Sometimes just deciding to race is a personal victory. You get to the race and it seems like it would be just as much fun, just as good to be a cheerleader for a day. So much easier than racing. The girl who never exercised in me comes out full force with a litany of reasons to not get on the course. So I have to psych myself up to get in it to win it. Even if I never win, every finish is a victory."
Racing came easily to Tori, but strutting around in spandex was a whole other hill to climb. "I vowed years back to never be seen in public in spandex. The hardest day I ever had to face was being seen by leagues of handsome, fit, men... while wearing spandex. Ugh. But now I'm over it. I realize they're too busy racing to pay attention and I look just like every other woman out there. We are all brothers and sisters of the mud."
To all of you aspiring cyclocross victors, Tori would like to impart this little bit of wisdom: Speed isn't nearly as important as skills. The biggest hurdle is getting out on the course. Then any fool can do it. Look at me!
Stay tuned for more profiles of cyclocross racers throughout the season.
Posted by orbike at September 25, 2008 12:58 AM
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Comments
I've thought about racing cross this season, but just don't know about it. I like competition and I ride very fast. I've been in many races and competitions over my many years as an athlete, but never on the bike. As adept as I am at the COMPETITION aspect, I don't know how I would fare on two wheels. Anyone have tips?
Posted by: Sarah at September 26, 2008 11:11 PM
goGIRL!
Posted by: Danak at September 27, 2008 12:48 AM