How the Rent' was won

Image from SDC's helmet cam

I know it and I don't care.

I know that bragging about winning a weekly training crit is a lot like bragging about winning the town line sprint on your local group ride.  But if your group ride is typical, it's taken almost as seriously as any race (sometimes, among non-racers interestingly, even more so).  They don't call them the Weekly World Championships for nothing.

But if you're the one who got in just the right position at just the right time and launched your sprint just about perfectly, and won . . . well, you're likely to be a just a little bit proud of that accomplishment - especially when you know that there were at least a few others that wanted nothing more at that particular moment than to beat you to the line.

That, in a nutshell, is what happened to me at last night's Tuesday Night Criterium at Rentschler Field.

The fields were a little lighter than usual this week, due mostly to so many folks attending a public hearing on whether to close local recreational lands to cycling.  But some of the heavy-hitters were there and smaller packs can mean less shelter and more work.  So it wouldn't necessarily be an easy night.

I started off by helping out in the "B" race.  Giving new - and usually much younger - racers a wheel to follow and helping build their confidence in a pack is one of the things about racing I enjoy most.  I don't have tons of experience myself, but I welcome opportunities to pass on what I've learned.  Best of all, last night there was a VERY young guy (9?) that was there for his first race and another young guy (14 or 15?) that I helped out a bit.  They were both really smooth riders and will do well.  Call me corny, but being able to encourage new racers that are eager to learn is one of the things that keeps me in the sport.

Shortly after leaving my charge safely in the pack, I saw SDC starting to warm up and went over to join him.  We'd raced well at the Naugatuck crit on Sunday and I was eager to try again some of the things that didn't work out quite as planned.  And I wanted to get in some more sprint practice.  SDC and I had done a little bit of that last week during our vacation/training camp and I was eager to see how things would work under actual racing conditions.  Fortunately, training races are tailor-made for such efforts and I announced early on that I'd be contesting every prime and the final to get in as many sprints as possible.

Turned out that my plan was a little ambitious.  The low-key start (with apologies to Trent, they really should at least have a whistle to start us off) quickly morphed into what has become the usual attacks and attempts at a break.  I think just about every "A" race this season has been won from a break.  And the last race totally detonated in the heat, spewing racers all around the track, making it nearly impossible to see who was leading and who was lapped.

This week started following the same script and when the bell rang for the first prime, there was already a small group up the road.  I figured it was early for it to be the winning break, and I was too far back to contest the prime.  So I bided my time.

After some "active-ness" where SDC and I now-not-so-uncharacteristically chased down a few breaks and covered some moves, the bell rang for the second prime.  There were a couple of guys about a 1/2 lap ahead as the rest of the pack passed the line and by the time we hit the back stretch, they had only a 1/4 lap on us.  I was about 4-5 guys back in the pack and launched just after corner 3 - almost literally.  The wheels I had are much lighter than I'm used to and my back wheel jumped from side to side as I started going for all I was worth.  I passed one of the guys in the break, and nipped the other at the line, winning my first prime of the night.

It turned out to be my only prime though.  After that effort, I was pretty cooked and for a few laps it was all I could do to just hang on - with apologies to the guys I'd passed for not being able to contribute to their break.  We were all together again and I was glad for the respite.

A few laps later, I still wasn't fully recovered and checked my Garmin to see where we were time-wise.  The Garmin wasn't working(!)  I'd apparently turned it on as I went to the start, then "turned it on" again when we started - actually stopping it.  I'd hoped to have at least a record of my prime effort - especially if that turned out to be the highlight of my night.  Not having that data took some of the anger out of my stomach and while I considered sitting up, I figured my prime wouldn't "count" if I didn't at least finish the race.  So I hit the start button to get the Garmin to record what was left of the race.

Good thing I stayed in - it was turning out to be a good race for a sprinter.  For whatever reason, breaks weren't sticking.  SDC was fully engaged, sitting on breaks, keeping things together.  We hadn't really planned to "keep things together for a field sprint" - frankly, with only the two of us, we didn't have the troops to do that - but everybody must've been feeling frisky enough to keep everyone else on a short leash.

The bell announced another prime and I was in decent position again, about 1/3 of the way back in the pack.  But this time there was a break of 3 guys up the road.  Not content to let them go, the pack's pace picked up and I waited for my chance to jump.

I tried my little trick again - getting a little less air under my back wheel this time - and sprinted for the line.  I figured if nothing else, I'd have a similar effort actually preserved on the Garmin.  It didn't work this time though.  The 3 man break crossed the line about 5-10 meters before I did.  I needed to recover - again - so went back to the pack, which was quick to catch the four of us having amped up the speed for the prime.

So two good efforts.  I didn't plan on going for any more since I wanted to at least finish the race and not get dropped.  As it turned out though, when they started counting down the laps at 5 to go, I was feeling pretty good again.  SDC had been very active at and near the front for most of the race, so I took the next couple of laps to work my way up to him with the idea of leading him out.

As I passed him, he yelled for me to hold back, which I did.  Then he started to surge up the left side through corner 3, and I got on his wheel for the ride.

And man, what a ride!  I just concentrated on holding SDC's wheel and he passed the rest of the pack (we'd started probably 1/4 of the way back) and then passed the guys who'd been dangling off the front.  I didn't think we were going screaming fast - just a high tempo effort - but I didn't dare look back, afraid I'd move off his line and let somebody else on.  And I feared at any moment that we'd be swamped by a charging peleton.  I needn't have worried.  I heard later that just about the whole pack was strung out single file behind us.

But they were probably licking their lips, waiting for the chance to pounce.

SDC, incredibly, pulled like that for a lap and a half, but I thought he'd gone too early.  As we came through the start finish the first time, it was still 2 to go.  By the time we hit the bell, he was fading fast and pulled off.

Whether out of habit of following his wheel, or some sort of unconscious intuition, I "pulled off" along with SDC.  The CVC guys that had apparently been on my wheel pulled through and - with the echo of the bell still lingering (or still actually ringing for the rest of the strung-out pack) - they increased the pace.  I jumped on quickly, sitting 2nd wheel again.

The CVC guy (I think it was Todd, so I'll say "Todd" instead until someone corrects me) did a really massive pull - just as impressive as SDC's.  Admittedly not as long, but at what felt like a much harder pace.  I stayed second wheel through the first and second corners and all down the back stretch, my ears straining to hear the sound of guys coming up one side or the other.

We hit the 3rd corner hard and as we came out, Todd pulled off.  There was still almost 1/2 a lap to go to the finish, into a headwind, but I didn't hesitate.

I started sprinting.

During training camp vacation last week, SDC showed me how to sprint out of the saddle while shifting.  I've always shifted while seated, even when sprinting, wanting to release chain tension to make the shift smoother.  But apparently you don't have to "baby" a racing drivetrain and I didn't.  Not this time.

I stood on the pedals, staying out of the saddle and hitting my thumbshifter as soon as I spun out the gear I was in.  After the sweeping final corner, I started hearing somebody coming around me on my right.  I hit the shifter again.  Nothing.  No mo' buwwets.  I was already in my 11.  I've never been in my 11 on a flat road (and until a few weeks ago, I didn't even have an 11).

Thinking I heard the Mrs. cheering, and seeing the finish coming up quickly, I pedaled a little harder and threw my bike at the line.

And won.

Of all times to tell Mrs. SOC "oh, you don't have to take any pictures - remember, it's only a training race."  Thankfully, SDC - after pulling off - got back to the finish to record the final sprint with his helmet cam.

Sure, it IS only a training race.  I know that.  But I don't care.  Training race or not, winning always feels awesome.

Comments

[Theperfectdraft.blogspot.com]

nice job. a win is a win. training races can be harder than "real" ones as sometimes there are much better racers than you would normally race against.

[Dennis Desmarais]

I'll need to work on SDC to see if he'll give other teammates some sprinting tips so that I can finish off a race like you!

[suitcaseofcourage]

Thanks perfectdraft -hope you like the blog!