Last weekend was full of a crazy amount of bike racing fun. I think it's impossible to capture it all in a blog post like this so I decided I'd write about one part of one race. I hope you enjoy hearing about races in great detail because that's the way I'm writing this!
Going into Saturday's Crit Luke and I both knew that we likely would not be strong enough to contest a final sprint. Neither one of us is a fantastic sprinter. We also knew it would be almost impossible for a break to succeed with this field (they weren't letting anything go during the RR the day before). As you may know, I had a crash earlier this year and ended up breaking a rib so my form is not where it should be right now. I have been doing better in crits since I don't have the endurance for the long races just yet, so this is where I wanted to put in my main effort for the weekend.
On the start line the officials announced that there would be a preme on the first lap. I decided to skip that because it would just be too hectic. I worked on staying near the front (top 20-30 places at least) and waited for another preme to be called. I was getting comfortable with the turns and noticing which lines were faster, smoother, where I could keep up my momentum and attack, etc...
Maybe 15 minutes into the race another preme was called. I was near the front and decided I would give it a go. I moved up to the top 10 positions and began watching and waiting. Going down the back straight I was 3rd wheel. A bit too far forward for my liking. Just before the last corner I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye on the outside. I hesitated because I was so far forward. I was afraid that if I started my sprint now I would end up leading it out for everyone else. As we came through the final corner, that blur in the corner of my eye passed me going a good bit faster. I jumped hard but wasn't able to come around him or the other guy on his wheel and crossed the line 3rd. I looked back and saw that we had a decent gap on the field. I decided to sit up rather than try and break away.
For the next part of the race I recovered and continued to watch the race unfold. With maybe 20 mins left I heard them call a two place preme. I thought that sounded good because I had a better shot at winning something. Just then I saw a rider moving up on my left and instinctively jumped on his wheel. This was perfect because I wanted to move up, and I had come to realize that the left side allowed you to carry a bit more speed through a few corners. As often happens, when one side of the peloton surges, the other sides surges as well. Just as my side was settling onto the front I saw Luke moving up on the right. He soon hit the front and I was within the first 7-10 riders. He kept the pace pretty high and strung out the field a bit more to prevent more surges.
Going through the second to last corner I kept my speed up and slid onto the wheel of a guy who was moving up. Just before the last corner I saw a red flash on my right. I was a few places farther back than last time so I immediately jumped and grabbed onto his wheel without hesitation. He sprinted out of the corner hard but I was locked in. I added one more gear and waited for my moment. Standing, but not sprinting 100% just yet. I knew that at least one guy was right behind me (I could hear him) but I couldn't check for more, or worry about him. The guy behind me started to come around us on the left and I continued to wait for the right moment. I left a bit more than a wheel length between me and the rider in front of me (Rad Racing, red jersey). Just as the other rider was pulling ahead of me, I accelerated in the red guy's draft and pulled around him. The three of us were then sprinting abreast and hit the line at almost the same time. I gave it my best bike throw. The red guy dropped back quickly but I asked the other guy if he knew who had won. He said he thought that I had. I told him I had no idea. We congratulated each other on a good, fun, safe sprint and sat up for the pack.
After the race, I thanked Luke for his work. Arika then showed up and I asked her who had won the preme. When she said I'd won it I was super happy. I had worked pretty hard and so had Luke. It's immensely satisfying when a team effort comes together and you are able to get the result you wanted. It's not often that you set yourself a goal and achieve it like that.
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| Debi took this right after Luke and I found out that I had won the preme. Captures the emotion of the moment pretty well I'd say... |
I hope you guys enjoyed reading about the amount of thought, strategy, and planning that goes into racing. I also hope this wasn't too long winded!!! Remember, that this is just a description of one part of one race from one weekend. I could write several theses on the entire season!!!!
See you on the road!
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