Penn grad student bikes with the pros

Mina Pizzini rode with an international field after only one year of training. On June 15, hundreds of the world's best cyclists raced their way through the streets of Philadelphia. And Penn was there. Mina Pizzini, a 30-year-old Wharton doctoral student, represented Penn's cycling team and First States Velo Sport, in the CoreStates Liberty Classic. "I didn't really fully comprehend how big a deal this was," Pizzini said. "You have to be invited to ride this race. "There were points in the race when I looked up and thought, 'All those people have Saturn jerseys on, these people over here are speaking Italian, and these people are speaking Lithuanian. Wait a minute. What am I doing up here?' But I'd definitely like to do it next year." According to her coach, Peter Durdaller -- a chiropractor with the Saturn Professional Cycling Team, who also serves as coach of the Penn cycling team -- Pizzini finished in 57th place, in the third group of finishers. Although Durdaller conceded that Pizzini probably should have finished in the second group, Durdaller believes her place is remarkable considering several factors. For one, Pizzini has been racing seriously for just a year and didn't begin training with Durdaller until October 1996. Before taking up competitive cycling, Pizzini had focused on triathlons and used cycling as just another cross-training tool. Last August, she exploded onto the racing scene with a victory in the Tour de 'Toona, a stage race in Altoona, Pa. Some members of Penn's cycling team, which competes on the club level, contacted her when they discovered she was a student at Wharton. Despite her early success, Pizzini still must deal with being one of the more inexperienced riders in most events she enters. Prior to the CoreStates Liberty Classic, Pizzini had done only a few races. "I wasn't nearly as aggressive as I am supposed to be," Pizzini said. "I was just happy to be out there and hold on to the main group." In a field of mostly professional cyclists, Pizzini was one of the few riders who had to juggle school work and a hectic training schedule. "The other big strain is spending at least 80 hours a week doing schoolwork, and that tended to take precedent over everything," Pizzini said. In order to compensate, she tried to squeeze in regular early-morning runs. She didn't resume concentrated cycling workouts until April. The result was a less-than-perfect race. "She made a couple of mental errors, and, as a result of that, was in the wrong position when the split came," Durdaller said. "I think what she definitely showed this weekend is that she has the raw physicality to be competitive on a national and possibly world level in road racing." In training, Pizzini mixes workouts that consist of intervals and sprints with long rides that help her prepare for distance races. For a long training ride, she rides up to 80 miles at a time. In the last months leading up to the race, Pizzini estimated that she biked about 200 to 250 miles per week. There are three types of cycling races -- stage races that follow a time-trial format, criterion races that consist of mile-long circles that cyclists complete laps around, or road races, most of which are about 50 miles long. When the Penn cycling team trains together, they often ride loops so that the less experienced or less skilled riders can ride with more veteran riders. Last year, about 30 riders -- 23 men and seven women -- made up the club team. Many of the team members came to support Pizzini at the CoreStates race, and they hope the strong showing will encourage other interested Penn students to join the club sport. Last year, the Quakers won the Ivy League championship and qualified for the national championships. Due to inclement weather, however, they did not have a chance to ride in that meet. Pizzini plans to remain a member of the cycling team for her last three years at Penn. She also hopes to compete again at the CoreStates Liberty Classic next year, though she is aiming at a higher finish. Durdaller believes that she has the physical tools to excel in the racing world. "She has effectively learned two years in one. Her learning curve has been fantastic," he said. Pizzini will be concentrating on increasing her leg speed in order to improve her sprinting. "The conditioning wasn't such a problem as much as knowing how to race with 120 other people," Pizzini said. Next year, as a CoreStates veteran, Pizzini looks to earn a little more respect -- for herself and for the Penn cycling team.

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