Young Cyclists Facing Uphill Battle

Ryan Lane is relatively new to competitive cycling. You can tell because he smirked and rolled his eyes after a race Thursday when a photographer asked whether he had time to take a picture or if he would rather “hydrate” first.

“That means get, you know, get something to drink,” Lane said, somewhat apologetically.

Lane, from Camarillo, and Felipe Sattler, from North Hollywood, were among a field of 60 young riders in the Olympic Festival time trial, contested over a 20-kilometer course along the Mississippi River. Lane, 16-year-old sophomore at Camarillo High, finished 38th in 28 minutes 42.31 seconds. Sattler, a 16-year-old freshman at Grant High, came in next to last in 30:45.34.

Not the best finishes--winner Brent Aucutt of Clovis, N.M., clocked 25:56.48--but for two newcomers to the national scene, Lane and Sattler accomplished a lot by qualifying for the time trial and a 60-kilometer road race to be held today at Babler State Park, near Eureka, Mo.

“They worked very hard and beat a lot of riders who have been racing two or three years,” said Danny Van Haute, a former Olympian who is coach of the team from the Southwest region which Lane and Sattler both represent.

“They have exceptional potential, that’s why they’re here.”

Compared to Sattler, Lane is a crusty veteran who has been riding for about 20 months. Sattler didn’t start racing until late last year.

Neither rider said he was in top form physically for the race.

Lane, who downed a typical cyclist’s pick-me-up of a banana and carbohydrate-enhanced drink before competing, complained of a stomachache.

Probably too many meals of pasta in the days leading up to the race.

“We’ve been loading up on carbs all week,” he said.

Sattler, who, despite his high-energy diet appears frail at 5-foot-9, 103 pounds, was battling tonsillitis. Back home, he had been under a doctor’s care, but Van Haute said Sattler left his prescription behind when he left for the competition for fear of a positive drug test.

“We had a lecture on banned substances,” Van Haute said. “He was afraid if he brought his medication with him, it would be on the (prohibited) list.”

Sattler didn’t have much time to consider his options. Originally, he was listed as an alternate on the Olympic Festival roster. Event organizers finally extended him an invitation on Monday during a 5 a.m. telephone call to his home.

“The kid has a ton of heart,” Van Haute said. “He was willing to come here at the last minute, even with tonsillitis, and give it his best shot. And he wasn’t even going to mention he was sick until he decided to tell his coach what was going on.”

To a cyclist, the time-trial distance, roughly 12 1/2 miles, is comparable to that of a 400-meter footrace--a prolonged sprint.

“You just put your head down and go,” Lane said.

Both athletes entered the race as relative unknowns. To wit:

While the race announcer gave often long-winded biographies about some of the cyclists as they departed in one-minute intervals, he appeared stumped by a couple.

As Sattler rolled up to the start line, the best the announcer could offer was: “This is F. Sattler. This is his first time in this race . . . apparently. Good luck.”

Starting roughly five minutes later, Lane fared only slightly better with his introduction. Race fans were told that he was a former club soccer player who “enjoys surfing and skiing.” Nothing about cycling, but at least the crowd knew his first name.

Racers in the time trial faced a head wind on the back leg of the competition, plus temperatures of 90 degrees and a matching dose of humidity.

“The wind made it hard coming back,” Sattler said.

Added Lane: “It’s too muggy and hot. I’m used to 70-degree weather and an ocean breeze.”

Lane and Sattler might be spoiled by the California weather, but they routinely face adverse conditions indigenous to the area. Namely, California drivers.

Sattler, especially, lives in the congested East Valley, where he must navigate six miles on perilous city streets just to get to Griffith Park, where he trains six days a week.

He recalls one man suddenly honking his car horn and vociferously ordering him to get off the street.

Sattler, who said he was well out of the man’s way, kept riding.

“Then he stopped his car in the middle of the road, got out and waited for me to come to him,” Sattler said.

The man menacingly aimed a beer bottle as the cyclist approached, but, much to Sattler’s relief, he never launched it.

“I just kept on going,” Sattler said.

Lane, who lives in a comparatively rural area, has his own horror stories.

“Drivers just don’t like cyclists,” he said. “They think we take up too much of the road.”

While Sattler uses the varied terrain around Griffith Park to alternate working on flatland and hills, Lane traverses back roads around Ventura County beaches and the Santa Monica mountains.

Both cyclists cover anywhere from 250 to 400 miles per week during training and estimate they each spend about $5,000 per year for equipment and travel expenses.

“I want to take this as far as I can go,” Lane said.

A top-10 finish today would be a good start.