The Lure of the Chase; The Heart of a Collegiate Cyclist.

What starts as a casual Sunday bicycle ride in San Diego can quickly become a sprinters stage in, let's fantasize here and say, the Tour de France. The typical scenarios is I am plodding along on a rolling coastal route and a small pack of cyclists creeps up from behind and as they ride alongside and then ahead of me, it doesn't look like they are enjoying the ride much; there is much gnashing of teeth, heavy breathing, cursing at me to give way and several laughing taunts as they pass. In more polite circles, this might be considered rude behavior, but I get it completely and actually enjoy the moment. Instead of taking this taunt lying down, I muster my energy and not only catch back up with the pack, but usually pass them and then distance them on a steep climb, dropping the whole group like a high maintenance girl friend with nagging mother.

Even people who are not Alpha dogs will get on a bicycle and want to catch and drop every cyclist in front of them. It's just that some racers are better skilled and actually win on a consistent basis in organized competition.

In 2006, while researching my book "Open Your Heart with Bicycling…" I was introduced to sixteen year old Steve Fisher who had just placed second in Junior Nationals in Cyclocross, an organized bicycle racing event covering all types of terrain including paved roads, narrow trails, cow pastures and even some fabricated obstacles intended to force the cyclist off the bike. I interviewed Steve for the book and have tried to follow his career as he passed from racing at the Junior level to going up against Elite Men, even before turning eighteen. Steve is enrolled now in Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington and is a member of the Vikings cycling team. I caught up with Steve immediately following the NWCCC conference championships held in Palouse, Washington on April twenty fifth and sixth.

Shawn Rohrbach (SR) Steve, we haven't really talked much in the past two years. I have watched your results in the Elite Men's races and you have done pretty well for your age. You were up against these Elite guys before you turned eighteen; is the competition really a lot tougher and were you ready for it?

Steve Fisher (SF) I raced the Elite men when I was still a Junior, as you noted, and I think that made all of the difference. By the time I was racing Elite on a regular basis, I already knew some of them and what they were capable of. It made the transition much more gradual.

SR Something like not spending too much time being the big guy in the sand box and then suddenly moving up to a different skill class.

SF Right

SR In my previous interviews with you, I sensed that racing was an interesting past time, even though you placed second in Junior Nationals. Is it a little more serious now?

SF I take it pretty seriously now; it's pretty much all I do outside of school. It takes that sort of commitment to be that competitive at the top level of the sport.

SR The collegiate season in the Pacific Northwest is not like the season I observed in San Diego. I recall April in Seattle, Bellingham, Palouse and Montana being pretty cold, wet and generally very cruel, and this year even more so that I can personally recall. And to train for the season, you start around New Years and go right through the worst of a Northwest winter. Any moments stick out as you ramped up?

SF I really didn't start training until late January, and yeah, it's a lot of cold, wet days. I think I had an advantage though over people who didn't train in the weather. You can tell if someone has not trained in the cold wet, because of race day is a cold wet one, they are pretty much mentally broken before the race even begins. It takes something special to be able to perform in adverse weather conditions.

SR I am assuming you intend to enjoy a summer racing season. Any well known races this summer you plan on entering?

SF I raced in the Cascade Classic in Bend Oregon last year and actually won a stage. I would like to repeat the success. I am sure I'll be there again this year, and then Road Nationals will be a week later and I am thinking I will be there too if things are going well.

SR I've seen quite a few collegiate racers start eyeing the pro ranks about their third and fourth year, one or two I knew went on to race in Europe. You're in your first year of college. Are you gearing up for that now or just playing it by ear?

SF Pretty much playing it by ear. This is my first year of college and the studies are important. We'll see what comes. I've got some time to figure it all out.

SR Racers tend to be really good at one or two things, and then not so good at others, like maybe sprinting or climbing. Are you finding you are focusing on a specialty or still just developing all around strength and skills?

SF Well, I've always been pretty good at sprinting, but I wouldn't say that is a specialty. I think I am focusing my training on general all around skills, strength, tactics, that sort of thing. One thing that I have really been working on and developing over the past couple years though has been my endurance for longer road and stage races.

SR Who will you race for after the collegiate season is over?

SF Hagens Berman LLP Cycling of Seattle for the road season. They used to be known as Broadmark, but Hagens Berman is our sponsor now. It's a large law firm in Seattle. For the cyclocross season I will continue to race with Rad Racing NW, which is also affiliated with Hagens Berman.

SR I never asked you this before; we all know how pissy we get when we lose. What does it feel like for you to win?

SF Well, when I was still in Juniors I could expect to win pretty much every race, but now I am racing with and against a lot of older, and much more experienced guys and the winning is not easy at all, so when I do place or get something, it really feels good. It's the culmination of months and months of training and then to get something feels so much better.

SR What's your major and how are your grades?

SF As for grads, I got a 3.5 last quarter and I haven't declared a major yet, but I am thinking of Exercise Science and then maybe going on to study Physical Therapy.

SR So when you crack up and slide on the pavement, you can heal yourself.

SF Something like that. Or maybe just help other people that have cracked up and slid on the pavement.

-Shawn Rohrbach