InstaGames: Aug. 2

August 2, 2017

Mike Warkentin

Athletes perform a time trial on the CycloCourse to determine their place in tomorrow's Cyclocross event. 

Call it a pre-Games quest for pole position.

On Wednesday at 10 a.m., the individual athletes were fed one-by-one into Quann Park's twisting cyclocross course for a time trial. At stake: starting positions in the second event of the CrossFit Games. Crush the time trial and head to the pole. Wobble on the wheels, and head to the back of the pack.

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Patrick Vellner and Noah Ohlsen navigating the CycloCourse. 

10 a.m., CycloCourse

I was going to throw an athlete an offhand question about the classic Tom Cruise racing movie "Days of Thunder." I bumped into Cole Sager and asked him if he'd seen the flick.

"I was named after Cole Trickle," he said with a broad grin.

Apparently his mother—maiden name also Cole—had another handle on deck but got vetoed.

"As soon as I came out, my dad was like, 'No. Name is Cole. Just watched "Days of Thunder."'"

Sager said he'd tell me after the race which of his competitors played Trickle's arch-nemesis, Rowdy Burns.

Of course Sager, a former football player knows the drill when it comes to racing in tight quarters.

"Rubbin' is racin'," Sager smiled. "Rubbin' is racin'."

 

Cole Sager getting familiar with the CycloCourse. 

10:30 a.m., CycloCourse

Scott Panchik is breathing hard when he comes by. With neither music nor fans at the time trial, you can hear the athletes laboring in the grassy areas after the sand and log obstacles. The bike course is no walk in the dog park.

"It's going to be a long three fuckin' laps," one male athlete calls out to a volunteer as he rides by in warm-up.

Panchik's strategy is balanced: "Hard but not max effort. You want to be sitting in a good position (on race day)."

Still, he'll be fine if he's not in the front row on Thursday.

"That's the hand you got dealt. You've got three laps."

 

Holden Rethwill and Michael Palomba trying to find their footing on the CycloCourse. 

11 a.m., CycloCourse

When athletes approach the sand pit, they're faced with a decision: Bike or run or bike and bail?

 

Danica Patrick observing the CycloCourse during today's time trials. 

Noon, CycloCourse

Mat Fraser wasn’t the fastest racer at the Alliant Energy Center today. That honor went to NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. She watched the individual athletes complete their time trials and noted some similarities between cyclocross and auto racing.

“We can definitely relate to the fact that your qualifier lines you up for the race,” she said while standing beside boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr., also a NASCAR driver.

But all is not lost if a Games athlete is stuck at the back tomorrow after a bad run today.

“I think there are good qualifiers and there are good racers,” Patrick said. “Of late I wasn’t qualifying that great, but my races have been good.”

And yes, Patrick is still doing CrossFit.

“It’s the first kind of workout that I’ve done that’s fun and effective,” she explained.

Then she smiled: “It does take a special kind of person to find the fun in it.”

Of course, Patrick enjoys the speed of CrossFit workouts.

“I really believe in it. Get in, get it out, get it done fast.”

 

Danica Patrick and boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the Cyclocross track.

 

Two-time third fittest woman on Earth Sara Sigmundsdottir contemplates the Cyclocross event.