my58vw

We all love classifications, roadie, mountian biker, etc.

Today I have a new one for myself Racing Cyclist!

I realized something today... I belong in the peloton, I am one of the group, I have as good of a chance as anyone else out there... in short, I am a road bike racer . I also have another title... sprinter...

I did not win the race, I did not place in the top 20 but I was right there, today I took 31 out of 50 racers there, in short this was my best race EVER!

This criterium was the same as my first, where if you remember I lasted half a lap (8 weeks ago)... this time I did "alittle" better.

The criterium was a Catagory 5 race in Rancho domingious in Los Angeles, a .9 mile not flat course in a local business park. The race began at 7:00 am (YUCK) which means I had to get up at 4:15 am (double yuck!). It was absolutly cold, and I was regreting the temperature. Add on it was raining, what a nice day for a crit.

My warmup was uneventful, I worked to a sweat, did a few sprints, etc. I was having a hard time warming up though, my legs do not like the cold. I took a few laps around the track and was having trouble spinning in the big ring, my legs would not work. I resigned that to being cold and said I would push through it. After a few remarks the whistle blew and we were off, wet track and all. The first lap was a little slow, well after a sprinting start as everyone was feeling the 3rd and 4th nasty and dangerous corners. After the first lap the pace picked up huge. I was sitting right up near the front of the line, just spinning along at 26 MPH, everthing was great.

The corners were annoying, the pack would slow down to about 21 then sprint out due to the water. Luckly there was no crashes. I sat the front and kept up, in the 3rd lap I tried an attack which got about 20 feet way then I was caught and I settled back in. I was able to maintain my posistion for the first 7.5 laps of the race, sitting nicly in 10th place the whole time.

Prime time, first was no problem, sprinted but was not close, just to far back to win it. We were now flying around the corners, the front began to get a little sketchy. On the front striaght I got bumped from the side causing me to bump another rider, no big deal. The second prime was where I lost my front posistion, I mistimed the sprint and ended up losing about 10 spots. Oh well that is how it goes. I am hanging in about 20th place when the pack splits off in a corner and I get pushed back about 20 feet. I told myself I refuse to get dropped, I refuse. Another rider in a blue jersey was in front of me, I motioned and we chased with about 3 guys on my wheel. No one wanted to help chase, I ended up pulling everyone, and actually dropping them. I was 12 feet back now but the pack pulled away. I kept on passing riders and dropping them, on the front hill I would just mash up it and drop people.

With two laps to go the pack had about a 100 yard lead. With no help I made a break for the pack, with in the second lap I bridged the gap and jumped onto the main peloton. In the final sprint I passed 3 guys, took 31st place. I had passed about 15 guys in the last 5 laps, the final sprint was increadable. When I crossed the line I was smiling ear to ear, not only did I finish my first race but I did absolutly increadable. After the race a guy walked up to me, upon chatting he said "you are fast, with the power you have you will be leading the crits before you know it, I can not believe that you were able to bridge the gap".

The average speed of the peloton was 24.2 MPH, my average was an increadble 23.4 MPH in the wind, that is 5 MPH faster than my average the first time around... I am faster! Plus I raced in the rain, I got completly covered in dirt, wet, cold, sore... in short I am a cyclist!

I can not wait until my next one, Ontario in 3 weeks... this time I will be faster.

my58vw

Oh ya Bikeforums was well represented there...

Tak692 was in the main pack, and another guy TCR was right there too. TCR raced in only his 4th race and did and excellent job. When I was in the main pack TCR and myself rode right by each other for some time, it was awsome. I think he finished in the 20's also. I am not sure how Tak692 did but he was right up towards the front.

It is nice to ride with a great group of people.

Hipcycler

Awesome job. Congrats.

Curious as to what you thought COLD temps were!

After my hellish race Saturday....Flurries, 34 degrees and wind whipping around at over 20 mph constantly....at least I think I can say I had you beat in one category-weather.

Again, my compliments. I like reading about your racing and progress.

my58vw

Well cold is about 50, maybe 55 at race time. I had no leg warmers, arm warmers, etc. I was completly unprepared for the weather. Redlands was about 49 at race time and it was misrable. I think It would have been better if I would have warn leg warmers... next time!

ZackJones

See what happens since you swtiched to the carbon water bottle cages -- they were holding you back the whole time .

Congrats on having a great race!

TCR

Hey, my58vw, how goes it!?! I didn't break the top 20. I was hoping I did, especially since I was sitting about 10th or so going into the last turn, but had nothing left in the legs to sprint the last couple hundred yards so I guess I got passed by quite a few. Still very happy though as this is my first race that I didn't get shelled off the back at some point. Definetly an awesome race and looking forward to going back and doing it again in May!

Hey, who was Tak692?

my58vw

He it the guy from the Monix team who we were chatting with at the end of the race. You must have gotten about 25th because I was about 6 or so behind you, right after the pack sprint. It was a good race and I definitly look forward to the next one. You did an excelent job, you looked real good out there... a little stronger than me it seems. Look forward to seeing you at the next one.

my58vw

I was a little in shock after that I was able to, the main pack was never really out of sight, I think I just put down the hammer and went. All I was thinking after the race was, wow I was right at the back of the pack for the sprint. Bridging the gap was not the big deal for me, it was hanging in for as long as I did today. Thanks to a few small recoveries I was able to accure enough energy to go all out in the second to last lap. At one point I looked at my speedometer and saw 30 MPH going down the hill on the back side and about 29 up the first little hill. When I finally caught up I had laped a few guys and I was right at the back of the pack, I was absoultly dead tired at that point. I still can not believe I did that, that is why I had little energy for te final sprint. Next time I need to work to stay on the entire tie. I am still a little mad at myself for not going harder at first, I left to much in the bag for late in the race.

That would be nice to all work together. Some of the teams seemed to control the race at the front for a while. I am just amazed on how hard it is to get people to pull when we get off the back. There was a time when we were about 20 yards back (right at the start line) and the pack was making the first corner. At that point I knew that we could catch the pack but no one wanted to pull but me. There just came a time where I said, if I do not go now I will be laped and I went.

It was a fun race, a whole bunch of action off the back... great race!

Funny on how the race is seen many different ways for many different people depending on where you are. If you are in the front the action in the back is not seen. When you are in the back the front looks so much different. One thing that saved me is that I started right in front. That put me in the optimal posistion for the race and helped alot.

khuon

Hey! Good job guys. I do have a problem with the name of the crit though. If I stole a bike, I certainly wouldn't go around and and around to continually return to the scene of the crime.

redal

Talk to Chris Lotts (the promoter) about the name. To show you how much of ahard ass he is, he'll probably make you do 100 push-ups for questioning his authority.

skinnytiremike

Best bet is to not talk to chris...
His authority complex is a bit extreme.