So, where last I left off, I had just finished killing myself at the Longview Crit and happily, went home with heat exhaustion and fourth place. Seeing how the weather forecast for the next few days seemed to be much of the same, I omitted racing PIR the following monday despite the fifty thousand text messages I got from my bike racing buddy, who had also planned on racing. (I have to give it to the girl for trying though, guilt and beer are my best motivators and she really worked the angles to try and get me to come out, but alas, the kind of pure exhaustion I felt on Saturday after the Longview Crit was not a happy feeling.)
That left my next and last race of the Crit season to be the “all determining OBRA Crit Championship” the following weekend in Albany, Oregon. Going into the race... I was pretty pleased with my bike racing season thus far. Granted, as far as big crit races go (PIR doesn’t really count) I hadn’t podiumed (as in, got top 3) as a Cat 3 yet, but at the same time... when looking through the results of most of everyone who did place ahead of me, they were all Cat 2’s. And since we race together, placing right behind the top Cat 2’s as a Cat 3 isn’t that shabby. I mean, if we were scored separately I would have podiumed in pretty much all but one or two of the races, but... since we aren’t... I’ll settle for just being a pretty decent runner up behind some pretty fast women. Luckily though, at the OBRA Crit Championship we Cat 3s were going to race with the Pro 1/2 women but we’d be scored separately - so, I suddenly had a new sense of resolve. Ok then... let’s see how this goes!
First of all, we had a pretty big steep field. There were a lot of really fast women and big crit racing names in Oregon out there. (I never try to name names, but if you know who I’m talking about, you know who I’m talking about.) Also, I saw a few of my fellow Cat 3 buddies that I haven’t seen since back in the day (and by back in the day, I mean last year) when we started out as Cat 4’s. Overall, there were 21 women out on the course, pretty evenly spilt with an almost equal number of Cat 3’s and Cat 1/2s.
My strategy going into the race was just to stick to some fast wheels of a few Cat 2’s that I’ve ridden behind before. Wheels that I know are safe and fast and wheels that can take me on to the final sprint. However, this was much easier said than done. With 20 some women all occupying pretty much the same amount of space, the wheels and the lines were in constant flux. Meaning, no sooner did you latch onto that spot you wanted, than that spot was gone. In crits like these, fast and technical and full of competitive women, if you keep a narrow frame of focus, like just trying to stay behind certain one or two people, or in a position, like fifth from the front, no sooner do you get there than that spot and that moment is gone - all of the sudden you look up and realize you’re in the back again. So, you’ve got to be moving, constantly. You’ve got to be looking through and over and around the pack like a salmon trying to swim upstream over the backs of the other fish. True, you’re all going to the same place... you’d just like to get there a little sooner than everyone else.
(here I am using photos to illustrate the story)
So, needless to say I couldn’t stick to my strategy that well. I’d find myself on the wheel I wanted and then I was off of it in less than a lap. Or, I’d be kinda where I wanted, but then soon realize I was getting boxed in or get stuck behind someone who went into every corner so timidly that I had to totally lay off the gas to avoid ramming them. Once again, there were a few sketch riders out there. Before every race, you normally know which ones to stay away from and sometimes mid way through the race, you surprisingly discover who that person is. Personally, I had to slow up hella lot at some points to avoid some sketch moments... and I apologize for anyone who had to readjust their line during the race to make up for me readjusting my line to avoid a mishap. But, that’s part of the race you know....
Speaking of part of the race, I almost forgot! Somewhere during the first half of the race we all flew around a right hand corner and boom.. just there in the middle of the race course was a college age red haired kid, stopped in the middle of the race, bike down by his feet, headphones on, texting someone on his phone! I shit you not. The dude had NO IDEA that a bike race was going on around him, didn’t notice that that all of the roads were marked off with yellow tape and that racers had been speeding through the streets all morning and afternoon up to this point. Luckily, the dude was as clueless as he was dumb and didn’t even look up as a mass of twenty or so women clad in spandex and carbon fiber, swooshed around him, parting like the Red Sea. He just stood there... looking down at his phone and texting, completely oblivious to the scene around him and everyone yelling at him. For the next 20 or so laps after this, it was an amusing scene as eventually the cops arrived, then the next lap you could see them questioning him, and then another lap they were giving him a sobierty test, and then eventually he was sitting on the curb in handcuffs. It defiantly made for some amusement outside of just trying to ride your bike fast.
(dumbass) -photo by Heather V.
Anyways, back to the race... a few women jumped out front at points attempting break aways, but no one really stayed out for too terribly long. There were eight corners on the course, lefts and rights, so you really couldn’t break away and keep the gap for too long before the constant slowing allowed people to quickly absorb you back into the pack. Going into the finals laps I was trying to plan my sprint but my biggest concern rather than sticking to someone’s wheel, was just trying not to get boxed in. And well, going into that final lap... shit, what happened? I found myself boxed in. Going into that last corner I desperately was looking for gaps, a wheel, anything to get me out of the mess that I could envision happening. I saw a gap... I saw a gap between two teammates, one was going for the leadout and the other, a Cat 3 rival of mine was set to jump on her wheel. I contemplated getting in the mix and going for that opening, and maybe I should have... but I hesitated.. not knowing if that was kosher or not. In my hesitation I missed the moment and then the pack started to surge forward, going for the sprint. I wasn’t in the front, but I wasn’t in the rear either... and quickly, the back of the pack was coming around the sides and I’d have to do what I could with the little gaps of space I had around and infront of me. I knew at least one or two Cat 3’s were ahead of me and well, I know that the other Cat 3 rival who’s wheel I didn’t jump on was going to be my main competition for that podium, and she was right beside me still. Gears shifted, she jumped, I jumped. We both sprinted for the line and well, she reached it by inches ahead of me.
Shit.
Well, you can’t win them all. Or better yet, you can’t come in second or third in all of them. Actually, I’ve had a pretty good habit this year of placing 4th in a lot of races and wouldn’t you know it, when the dust settled on the OBRA Crit Championship, that’s exactly where I placed again, 4th in the State of Oregon for Cat 3 Criterium racing. I mean, that’s not too shabby, especially when peeking at the officials notes after the race, I came in across the line overall at 9th or 10th. And especially when you think that I just started racing last year and just upgraded this summer, I’m pretty pleased.
As well, I’m pretty pleased that the summer of bike racing is over and I finally have weekends and evenings free to do as I wish. This week I finished up my last race at PIR (placing 4th once again... behind three Cat 1/2’s) and polished off a decent season at the track as well (placing 4th overall for Cat 4 women). Also, even though I’m not a Cat 4 road racer anymore, according to OBRA I’m currently sitting in 4th place overall for Cat 4 women in overall BAR points? Who knows what’s up with that... but... anyways, I think the highlight of the season was probably winning a State Championship in the Match Sprints at the track, as well as taking 2nd place in the State in the 500m. So that was defiantly a highlight of the season, as well as the Ironclad Crit, I really enjoyed that race. Regardless of placements though, I think I can look back on this summer as one of gaining growth, experience and respect.
Oh, speaking of gaining growth and experience, I just picked up a new bike with attempts at trying my hand at cyclocross; which is a cult sport within a cult sport. I have no expectations for placing or doing well, especially since I’m racing it as a single speed. I just want to go out, have fun, get muddy, ride my bike, get a good work out, and drink beer. Once again, beer is a great motivator, especially when it comes well deserved after a good work out. Who knows, maybe I can get 4th place again?
No comments:
Post a Comment