Racer Ex 

TNW "B" 1/20-

101 degrees while I was warming up, which is a bit of an oxymoron in that I had ice in every pocket, cool sleeves, and rode as close to the sprinklers as possible where they were running. 40 minute race, figured I'd chill till 15 minutes or so to go, then see what might play out.

1/3 of the way into the race they called a series points prime, and 3 guys took off to contest. I found the biggest one to follow. Crossed the line, had a big gap, so I figured "cool" I'll just get a little OTF work in, no way I'd stay away for 25 minutes or so. Rolled off by myself.

They called a cash prime a few laps later, guy managed to bridge up.

(this story is interrupted to watch a deer walk by a few feet from my window)

Given he was riding a bike with down tube shifters, I let him have it. We worked together for a few laps, holding around 15 seconds on the field which was trying to chase but not getting a lot love from most of the pack and kept letting my teammate roll through and slow things.

Looked down and my shadow was gone with 15 minutes still on the clock. Another prime and I could see a couple of guys within 100 yards, so I cranked it up a bit. Started to build more of a gap till I had 45s. Normally I recuse myself on the last lap in these races but I figured this was noble work in the heat and my teammate (who runs the team) was back there so I stayed in.

And that was that. Windy condition quick hands off the bars across the line, collected my $10 and pizza primes, went home and fed Ridley.

Nats approaches.

Bandera

Nicely done!

And the "Crit Types" previously mentioned eschew the TT discipline to make sure they lack the ability to power a breakaway and/or solo across the line to enjoy the safety, serenity and sureness of a mass sprint finish?

-Bandera

Heathpack 

TL/DR: The knife is honed.

Hermes

No, not honing the steak knives but polishing the Cadillac.

globecanvas

Nice and obviously well earned/deserved win. But, good faith question, why are you racing the Bs?

Racer Ex 

"A"s don't go off till 7:00 pm or later and often finish in the dusk/dark earlier in the season thanks to 10,000 feet of blackout shades west of us. Old guy eyes aren't good in those conditions, wife was out of town and Ridley does not like eating at 9 PM.

Our B race is usually pretty big and fast (couple other fast "old farts" and most of the junior wiz bang talent is in there), when I ride it I normally pull out a lap or two from the end or do the lead out thing then finish at the back so other folks can grab their share of the glory.

As noted in the report, I figured I earned this one and it let my "boss" sit in for the final sprint. Days are getting longer so I'll start doing the A's from here out unless I need to get home early.

echappist

because even a beat-up caddy is better than steak knives?

jest aside, well done Kurt, and good luck with Nats

Hermes

B=OTF win
A=Offthebackistan field sprint

Racer Ex 

FIFY

Our A race has a guy with a 1850w sprint and another guy who has a w/kg that's pro level. Though since Bobby Julich moved it's a bit slower. Except when Laurens ten Dam shows up. Really. Seriously.

sarals 

Race: Burlingame Classic Criterium hosted by PenVelo
Date: June 25, 2017
Athlete: sarals
Category: Women Cat 3, Women Cat 3/4 raced together
Teammates: Yvonne, Norma, Cecily, Colleen

I enjoy a technical crit course, and this course, hosted by our club, has tantalized me for years. I've wanted to race it for some time, and in retrospect, I should have raced it a few years ago! The course features two chicanes and a hairpin, as well as a fast sweeper. It's a bike skills course, and that's something I so enjoy.

I've not done many mass starts this season, other than some scratch races with Cat 1/2 men at Hellyer (yikes), the Winter Bump, and the Tour de Nez crit. My crit chops are rusty, admittedly, and that shows up in covering accelerations and recovery. I thought I could counter that with my track sprint training, but only by getting into a race and trying was how I'd know that for sure.

We decided as a team to represent in this race just the previous week. We exchanged ideas on how to approach the race, and came up with a few plans. The wild-card was who the women were who entered, and then who would do day of entry.

The weather was about perfect at the start of the race. It was cool, with a slight breeze out of the northwest, blowing down the hairpin straight. I did a trainer warmup, mindful of saving energy, and then did a single lap of the course to check pavement conditions and note the lines through the many turns. I lined up at the start with the rest of the team, and looking around at the other riders I saw one woman I knew and others I did not. I noted the overwhelming presence of "youthful fitness" on the line. We have our own young talent in Colleen, but the rest of us - Norma, Yvonne, Cecily and me - are all 50+ and 60+. The field was small, which negated my lifeline of staying out of the wind. A field of eleven gives almost no place to hide. My hope was the pace wouldn't go crazy at the whistle and I'd get a chance to get comfortable and find some good wheels. I knew I could rely on the other P/V women for solid cover, but we each had a role to play and I didn't want to jeopardize that.

At the whistle, the group rolled off at a good clip, hardly crazy, and I was pleased with that. I slotted in towards the back, which was a mistake, I should have assertively moved up and been towards the front, so I could keep covered and dictate the line through the hairpin. That was the "rust" showing.

I felt quite good through the first four laps, not comfortable, but able to counter accelerations and stay on wheels. The skills in the group were generally quite good, so that concern melted quickly. On the fourth or fifth lap, there was a prime, and I got stretched off the back when the pace ramped for the sprint. In a larger field, I'd sit behind those who didn't contest, there are always several, and I would get recovery and stay in the field. This time, no. The field was just too small, and everyone was matching the pace of the front. Not good.

I kept within reach of the pack through the next lap, but couldn't quite make it to the back and latch on. I was having difficulty with the wind on the hairpin straight. Any ground I made up was sucked away by that wind. A lap or two later, I noticed Norma had gone off the back, as well, and was a straight away length behind me. I slackened the pace just a little, hoping she would bridge to me so we could work together. As it happened, the field lapped her, and she slotted back in - she's good at that. As the field went by me, I burned a few matches getting up to their speed, and then dropped in behind Norma, but could only stay there for a lap and a half. My legs were really heavy after that merge, and they had no snap. There was another surge for yet another prime, and OTB I went, again. Norma stayed attached and made up a lap on me. I did manage to get back on the field with five to go, and I told Norma she was a lap ahead, and she knew that. We both went OTB, for the last time, with two to go. There was a crash in the hairpin on the last lap, and that moved me from DFL, 11th, to 9th. 4th Cat 3.

Can I have ten years back, please?

I want to congratulate my fabulous team for riding beautifully. Cecily, Colleen and Yvonne stayed in the whole race, and did a wonderful job covering the younger legs in that field. Norma was brilliant, as always. She has a wealth of experience and understands how to put adversity into a usable light, and she does it well. I burned way too many matches merging back into the field, something she did not do. I am taking a lesson from that!

I will continue to race crits as long as I can. I enjoy them, but I am starting to really feel my age. It comes across very clearly in a small field when I can't rely on the other rider's strengths to help me with my shortcomings. Still, I'll keep fighting. It keeps me young, it keeps me engaged, and it keeps me riding in battle with my terrific teammates.

Thanks for reading!

Heathpack 

Nice report @sarals!

Lol I am torn about wanting 10 years back. Physiologically I'd take it. But overall my life is in a way better place now and I'm way smarter than I was 10 years ago.... It would be hard to live those 10 years again.

revchuck 

Great report, Sara!

Though our strengths seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, our reasons for doing what we're doing seem to line up pretty closely.

sarals 

@Heathpack, I'd keep the life experiences and take the younger body. Any. Day!
@revchuck, yep, the important stuff is aligned! As other (65+) women have said to me "look at us, and look at everyone else our age..." Right?

sarals 

How do you deal with a low like this?

Two weeks ago I believed, and had the performance to back it up, that I had done something I had never done before, and it was unexpected to boot. It was huge, it was a big deal, and I felt like I'd never felt before. I had won, outright, a championship.

Then today, in an email from a teammate, I find out that I'd been dropped to FOURTH PLACE, and the District TT Bear Jersey would not be coming to me. I didn't hear that from USAC, I heard it in a round about way.

That is beyond the pale. I am devastated, to say the least. I can't describe how I really feel.

I can say this. I don't want to be in the position where this can happen again. I get dropped, lapped, beaten a lot. I'm used to it. But, to have something I BELIEVED I had done, a Championship - unceremoniously removed - is horrible.

Why do this? I don't think I'm going to any more. I think I'm done.

valygrl

WTF? Timing error? Protest? How does that happen? That sucks!

sarals 

I don't know. USAC has told me nothing. I am told things will be "corrected" this afternoon. Whatever that means.

Hermes

USAC has revised the posted standings. Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo.

Sara, did you recored your own time and if you did, does it agree with the new USAC posted time or the old one.

I find it hard to believe it was a relegation since that should have been done at the race i.e. drafting, riding on the course to warmup and etc. A timing error seems odd but certainly possible.

What position did you start relative to the competitors? You may be able to figure out what happened.

Look, this is horrible to go through. Officiating snafus are just awful for athletes. I am so sorry to hear this.

sarals 

@Hermes, thanks...
@Racer Ex told me just moments ago that the protest period was 30 minutes, and that is long gone.

However...

My Garmin said 36:39, but I stopped it late. The official time was 36:15, which is not unreasonable. They have me at 36:51 on the USAC results.

I caught my thirty second rider, and then she passed me back, but I do not believe she made that time back on me. No one protested at the race, either.

I'm told, moments ago (lots of moments ago) that 'things are being worked out and this will be fixed".

Yeah, okay. I hope so.

What's fair is fair. However, don't let a person believe that they did something huge for over two weeks and then say "oops, our bad. You suck." And not even tell me directly.

Hermes

Then by your Garmin, 36.51 cannot be right. Who passed you back Narda or Norma?

I would sit tight and not get worked up. It is easy for me to say but life has a lot more to offer than bike racing and do not make yourself sick or say something you will regret later.

There is always the human element in officiating and competing and mistakes are made. At the end of the day, this is a game and we love you win, lose or draw!

Hermes

@sarals And be careful... you can get fined by USAC by saying odd stuff on social media about them even if it is true.

Heathpack 

@sarals, it sounds like your Garmin time will help you out here.


My guess it the time was a transcription error when the results went to USAC- 36:15 vs 36:51.


My further guess is that it went up on the USAC official results site in that erroneous manner and that "someone" saw it and let you know.


I think you'll probably be able to get it straightened out, especially since you have the Garmin file and this is all going down after the protest period for the race.


Be patient and find out what's going on before you get too concerned, those numbers are so suspicious of a clerical error.

Hermes

@sarals @Heathpack

I think heathpack nailed it.

sarals 

I think so, too.

I'm going easy on USAC, or, I'm trying!

sarals 

And I'm the one who hates drama....

sarals 

Thank you, @Hermes....hugs!

(It was Narda who passed me back - we were playing Tag Team through the turnaround and then part way down the finish stretch)