At midseason, Savory takes stock

By Daniel McMahon

JONATHAN ADLER RACING’S Scott Savory won a dizzying number of races last year, invariably in fieldsprints. He was a Cat. 5, a Cat. 4, then mixing it up in the Cat. 3-4 races with some of the stronger masters racers in the area at places like Floyd Bennett Field. Still, racing was easy—and winning very easy. [Read our first sit-down with Savory here]

But that was then, and things have changed for the 20-year-old Guyana native. Now that he’s riding in a lot of the pro/123 races as a Cat. 3 and going farther afield to contest out-of-town epics like the Tour of the Battenkill, every time he toes the start line it’s a whole new ball game. And it’s tougher for him just to place, let alone win.

Savory’s results this year have been less than stellar, but as he explains, he’s starting to figure out what he needs to do to get back up into the mix with the fastest. As it’s about midseason, I wanted to catch up with him to find out how he’s managing racing with the best riders around.

No longer unattached, Savory is riding for Jonathan Adler Racing this year. Here, he rides at Bethel.

DM: You’re playing with the big boys this year. No more messing about, eh?

SS: The transition from Cat. 4 to Cat. 3 has been as it supposed to be: hard! It has been kind of difficult for me mentally. I went from placing high up and wining most races. It’s been lots of highs and lows. I started racing again only in June 2009 and did mostly local races. I didn’t spend much time in either category. I quickly moved out of the 5s and did only a few races in the 3-4 field.

When I moved from the 3-4s to the pro/123s I noticed the difference immediately. The first race I did was an A-field CRCA race in Central Park. It was cold but speeds rose quickly and we warmed up. The average speed in that race was about 27 miles per hour. We were doing between 26 and 33 for most of the race. I’ve been missing the breaks, flatting, crashing, and having a lot of mechanicals. It’s a different monster battling with the pro/123s. The majority of the riders are stronger and faster and just overall better in most fields. I just can’t sit in anymore and await the sprint finish and blow the field away.

DM: Tactics are more important in the upper cats, wouldn’t you say?

SS: Racing has now become racing. Now I’m constantly looking for the moves. You need to be attentive as guys are always trying to break away. Thing that gets me is, I’m not too familiar with the peloton in NYC, so I don’t know who the strongest of the strong riders are, so at times I’ll see a move and say to myself, “Oh, that we are going to bring it back, so no danger guys there to worry about.” But it goes and, before you know it, the guys are out of sight and the field is left chasing and I’m sprinting for scraps.

This year I’ve won one bunch sprint. Other than that it’s been all breaks and more breaks. I’m already working on changing my riding style to suit the races to try to be more of an all-arounder. Just can’t sit around for bunch sprints. I want to get in breaks, work and have fun.

Dialing it in: Savory visited the Serotta International Cycling Institute to get fitted professionally.

DM: Sounds like it was a shock to your system jumping into the elite races.

SS: The races are definitely harder. They are much faster, sure, but also, on the upside, it’s a big field to sit in. A lot of tactics and organization coming from a lot of the teams. Attacks go, and there are guys who are in the field who know what they are doing, whether it’s for training or chasing the breaks down for a teammate. Guys are constantly drilling it on the front. It is better that way, too, as in the 4s you would have to mark everyone, and everyone would mark you if you were the favorite.

DM: You’re no longer unattached.

SS: Having teammates now is so much easier. Cycling is really a team sport, and I have been learning how to play every day. Having no teammates equals even harder racing to win. If something goes you have to move on it, and when you do, everyone else might only then respond, but that’s cycling. If you don’t, well, sorry, Charlie, you just missed the last train to gun hill. I was very anxious to move up to the 123s to race with my team and assist them in whatever they needed done. It’s fun having guys to support you and you them.

DM: Many of the local races for upper cats are twice as long as Cat. 4 races.

SS: The mileage has made a difference, but I’m getting more and more accustomed to it. It will take some time to adjust, but I’ll get there. At first I was beating myself up about not doing so well, but now I’m more humble. I am now racing with better and more experienced guys, so it will take some time to do, so I’ll have to be patient. But I know the fitness will come eventually. I am still getting used to the riders, miles, attacks, and sprint finishes, and enjoying every moment of it.

In one race, the sprint prize was on about the fifth lap, and I thought to myself, “Wow, this would have been the end of my Cat. 5 race!” In the first few races I cramped a bit, but that was early season. Maybe it was a lack of miles and because the races are so long and hard and steady.

So far, Savory's best performance this season was winning a bunch sprint in Prospect Park ahead of some fast finishers after a break had stayed clear. He managed to stay out of trouble, too: The rider to his left crashed a moment after this photo was shot.

DM: You’re a pure sprinter. But now you’ve got some tough competition there.

SS: Sprints now are much more difficult. There are about 10 to 15 guys awaiting the finish and are very fast finishers. The roll-ups are fast, so getting to the front can be difficult, especially if you chose to do so late in the race. It’s always a battle for position. Some of the guys can get really nasty with it, but that’s sprinting. Positioning and timing are always key. You want to get closest to the front as possible but not too close and not waste too much energy getting there. Also, trying to stay safe in the process. [View a video of Savory sprinting just ahead of crash here]

I remember after a crash in the 1s, a guy told me that crashes happen so often because in park races in NYC there are about 20 guys going for the spring win but only five guys are actually capable of winning it. We have lots of crashes because of this. Guys come to the front to finish but are not quick enough and can’t hold the speeds and control their bikes.

Just a few weeks ago, a rider approached me after my race and said to me, “The next time you bump me in the sprint I’ll push you.” I was like, “WTF? Bro, if you don’t want to get brushed in a sprint, don’t come to the front one to go after your break failed. Call it a day and relax. All you’ll do is endanger other cyclists.”

DM: So you’ve gotten over the hump it seems and are on your way to coming up to speed.

SS: I’ll say, racing with the 1s has been quite a change from the 3-4’s and 5s. I didn’t spend much time in either category, so I’m constantly trying to adapt to the races. The racing is faster, longer, and harder. Many more tactics and tons of team effort involved. More time on the bike is required and focus on health, nutrition and rest. No more short cuts. Hard work and dedication are required to win. We all know cycling is a very hard and demanding sport, but we do it because we love it. It’s an addiction. Sleep, eat, breathe, dream cycling.