Jonathan Laine
Former teammate Jonathan Laine returns for the 2018-19 racing season. During his previous stint with the team he left two indelible marks of racing wisdom on my racing psyche when he offered me these post-race observations following the road race stage of the 2013 Chico Stage Race (45+), where he made the selection in the first group, and I did not:
1. You can’t win the sprint from the second group on the road.
2. Dig deep for those twenty extra seconds when the selection is being made, because once the split occurs, the groups typically progress down the road at the same speed, but don’t come back together. So it’s the same effort for the balance of the race regardless of which group you are in. Which group will you be in? Depends on whether you were able to give it those twenty extra seconds of effort. See pearl of wisdom #1 above.
Wisdom often equates to simple truths, and Jonathan has always had a way of motivating teammates with positive, simplistic encouragement that instills inspired confidence, with simple truths.
Race results? I researched USA Cycling race results for Jonathan and tallied up 50 top ten finishes before I just quit counting. A few noteworthy placings: 1st place NCNCA District Championships TTT 55+; thirteen 1st place victories; nineteen 2nd place finishes. Sure, there are more podiums and a plethora of additional top ten finishes credited to his palmares, but I believe the point has already been made.
Truly a man of humility, Jonathan probably cringes at the publishing of these statistics. However, for my teammates who may not have been aware of his achievements, should he offer you advice, perhaps knowledge or the aforementioned mentoring and accomplishments will have an effect on how you choose to receive it. I know I’m listening.
Welcome back to Team Sierra Nevada/Reliable Racing Jonathan Laine!
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