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The first several cyclists at the Tax Day Grind Circuit Race in Pocatello, Idaho, breezed past the finish line on Saturday. Then came Erik Harrington. He crossed the finish line, wavered off to the side of the road as his spokes slowed their spinning, flopped over into a ditch and held his aching stomach. Another rider rolled up next to him.
"Are you alright?" he called down to Harrington.
Harrington responded, "Hell no! I just got worked!"
Harrington, 33, of Sugar House, can thank Cameron Hoffman for his tortuous race. Hoffman, who is in charge of managing membership of different cycling categories, recently e-mailed Harrington to ask why he hadn't applied for an upgrade of categories. Hoffman noticed that
The category upgrade was a change that probably needed to be made. After all, Harrington was the points leader in category three, but his admitted lack of a competitive fire kept him content in the lower classification. In just one weekend, he went from wearing a yellow jersey to just hoping to keep with the pack throughout the race. On Saturday, trying to stay with the pack burned out Harrington's legs and made him sick to his stomach.
"You don't
He's learning that lesson now more than ever. But after his maiden category two race, Harrington is already feeling more confident. The next day, his legs came back to him and he felt renewed. Unfortunately, Harrington is still trying to get his career legs back under him.
Harrington, originally from north of Anchorage, Alaska, moved to Salt Lake City four years ago from Baltimore in search of work and adventure. With skiing, climbing and mountain biking in such abundance, Harrington and his wife, Alison, knew this was a place they wanted to live.
"We moved out as soon as we could," Harrington said.
His goal was to land a job with Myriad Genetics, which he did. However, Harrington was part of Myriad's job layoffs in January in response to the slowing economy, leaving him with bounds of uncertainty in his life. At first, he scurried around looking for a job. Then the idea of going back to school crept into his mind. More and more options presented themselves with the lack of employment and Harrington began to see all of the positives of his situation.
"When I do get a job it's going to kind of be a bummer," Harrington said. "There are always things you want to do but you don't have time for."
Harrington enjoys being able to job hunt, maintain the house and do any necessary shopping during the early hours of the day and still get in a long bike ride in the afternoon before Alison gets home from work. Sometimes he'll climb Big Cottonwood canyon or ride through East canyon.
Even with such a convenient schedule, unemployment has taken its toll on the Harringtons. They've cut expenses in almost every area except for cycling. Alison competes on a mountain bike and Erik has raced his road bike nearly every week since April. But not having a job for so long left Harrington needing to feel more useful. His mom suggested that he volunteer. So every Monday morning, Harrington volunteers at Primary Children's Hospital as a patient/family liaison. He answers questions, relays patient and family concerns to the medical staff and, most of all, lends a friendly ear when patients and their families need someone to talk to.
"As a volunteer, you're not on the clock," Harrington said. "So you can just sit there and listen to everything they have to say."
Jason Madsen, Harrington's stepfather, has done the same for him. Madsen turned Harrington on to cycling when he shipped one of his bikes to him to see if he would use it. Now, they ride together whenever Madsen visits from Anchorage. He has helped Harrington learn how to train and rest and has been there, along with Harrington's mother, to help Erik and Alison find their way through their current predicament.
"Things are going to come back around," Madsen said.
Harrington knows that. But until then, he'll just keep searching for a job and pedaling away, because those are the two things he needs to do to accomplish his goals.
» Erik Harrington just graduated to category two in road biking and found out the hard way just how difficult the change might be.
» After losing his job in January, Harrington has had more time to ride his bike, and even on a limited budget, has competed at every opportunity.
» Harrington started volunteering at Primary Children's Hospital a couple in April, which has been a rewarding experience for him while he searches for employment.
