Ah, Memorial Day Weekend! The unofficial start of summer. Time for hot dogs, walks along the beach, and - if you're a bike racer in southern New England - the Hartford Criterium.
As I've mentioned before, the 2006 version of this race was my first race ever, so it has a certain sentimental value. It also goes right by where I work - I can see the circuit around Bushnell Park from my office window.
Last year, my goals were modest and my expectations low. I'd just participated in my first training race the previous Tuesday. I got shelled off the back within the first 5 laps - then got lapped with 3 left to go and rejoined the pack (a welcome relief after being out in the wind by myself all that time).
But my real goal - given to me by my friend and unofficial coach Mickey (himself a former racer) - was just to stay upright and finish. In that order. After my training race, I didn't expect do much more than that, but hoped to stay in contact with the pack.
One thing about low expectations - they're easy to exceed. Not only did I stay upright and finish, but I was able to stay near the front of the pack. I suffered a lot to stay there - but knew that I'd be total toast if I let myself slip back. At the risk of being branded a wheelsucker, I grabbed onto every wheel I could in a desperate bid to stay sheltered.
(Like Waldo, look for me in the pics with the red SAECO team jersey. As always, you can click on the pic for a larger, detailed view.)
My "strategy" worked. Even though in the last corner another bike and mine bumped and almost locked together (a scary proposition for any racer, much less in a first race), and I lost some speed (and nerve), I still had some energy for a sprint. And came in 13th out of 37.
Remember that 37.
Fast forward a year. After doing much better than expected for my first year of racing, upgrading to Cat4, and even being ranked #1 Cat4 crit racer in the state for a time (according to the USCF), my expectations for myself were much higher. Probably unrealistically high.
But my enthusiasm was tempered by the fact that I'd injured my knee in my last training race last month, and this year the race takes place during my busiest time of year at work. The view out my office window isn't enough to make up for the small amount of sleep I've been getting lately.
Waaaaaaaa.
Despite my best efforts to keep my expectations low, I still had the usual pre-race jitters. Actually, "jitters" doesn't do them justice. It's more like a pre-race psychosis - "I don't wanna do this - why am I doing this" etc. It just about sucks the fun out of the whole thing for me. The only thing that gets me through is knowing 1) that it's ALWAYS like this before all my races; and 2) just as sure, it's ALWAYS better once I get off the starting line and focused.
And of course, once I got to the venue I was glad I made it. It's always very cool to see the other racers - other men and women that know what it's like to train, to suffer and to sacrifice time for a little bit of glory - or just to prove to themselves that they can do something few others can - or would even try. It's great to be around such people.
As a little reprise of last year, friend Shawn was there for HIS first crit. He races for Van Dessel and had his new bike with him - as were his very supportive wife and kids. They were a pleasure to meet. That's him in the pic to the left - after he made the same mistake I did in my first training race, trying to go hard at the beginning and then getting popped off the back. His effort earned a mention at his team's website though!
And Aki was there too. I've mentioned him on this blog before. He's someone whose dedication to the sport of cycling is contagious and he's one of the promoters of the famed Bethel Spring Series of training crits. He also wrote one of the best intros to racing I've ever read. As if that wasn't enough, he's got a blog chock full of great stories, race reports, and even race video from his ever-present helmet cam(!).
Well, Aki had mentioned previously that he would be in the Cat3 race before mine so it was a good thing I didn't let my nerves get the best of me and actually showed up. (that's the finish of his race in the pic to the left) I finally got to meet him and his SO in person and was flattered when they decided to hang around and watch me race.
So after chatting with Aki and Ann, I finished warming up and got to the starting line. Teammate Dillon joined me and we decided it best to just sit in, stay upright and see where we were at the end. (that's him at the left - #870)
The race started out fast and after the first lap I discovered that I was closer to the back than the front. Not great, but ok - I figured I'd just move up when ready. Problem was, the couple of times I moved up, I decided it was too early - and didn't wanna be out front for long. And then, when I needed to get near the front, everybody else had the same idea and the whole pace of the pack was too high to gain much ground.
And I discovered that, since my crash, I'd become a bit more conservative in my racing - giving plenty of space, staying on the outside edges of the pack, not being agressive in corners. As a result, I used a lot more energy than I needed to. And continued to lag near the back.
But at least I was on the opposite side of the road when a big crash occurred during the final laps (that's me on the far side of the road - #800) There must've been less than 5 laps to go because I thought I'd just heard the announcement that there were no more free laps right before the crash happened. I just saw it out of the corner of my eye - looked pretty bad. Somebody said later that one of the bikes flipped. All I saw was a lot of guys went down. And, of course, I heard the all-too-familiar sound of yelling and metal crashing. Weird thing was, it happened right on the straightaway near the start-finish. And it was the ONLY crash that day up to that point. Lucky us. "Crash 4s", eh? Even the 5s - though sketchy - were safe.
Well, like often happens after a crash, we all reflexively thought "man, that sucks - glad it wasn't me" and raced harder (or am I the only one that thinks that?). But when we came around the final corner back into the straightaway, all sorts of folks were in the road waving their hands for us to slow - there was a "Man Down!" that we needed to avoid.
We were (supposed to be) "neutralized" at that point - nobody gaining or losing position - but a few guys either didn't know that's what that meant, or just couldn't keep their bike from "coasting" faster than the others. So, other than folks amiably chatting about the race and the crash, there was some yelling. When we came around the final corner the second time, they had the road blocked and an ambulance there too. So they went ahead and stopped us.
For about 10 minutes (or at least it seemed that long).
Fortunately, only one guy went to the hospital - from what I hear, a good Tuesday night rider that just got caught in among some sketchy riders - and he had a new tatoo - on the leg that got hurt. OUCH! And one of the other guys that was in the crash joined back up with us at the new start/finish line. BRAVO!
So we get our last marching orders - "5 to go or 3 to go?" we were asked. There was no real consensus, so the marshall decided to start us "neutralized through the first corner and then you're racing" for 3 laps.
YIKES!
I usually try to ramp up my speed during the course of a race and get into good position. That kind of strategy - I quickly discovered - ain't gonna work in what turns out to be a 3 lap pack sprint! Of course it didn't help that there was no such thing as being neutralized to the first corner %^O and it really didn't help that I started off in my usual, calm collected way (as if I had a whole race to get to the front).
So, suffice it to say, I was near the back pretty quickly. Again. And it REALLY didn't help my motivation when, in the second corner of that first lap (probably the toughest corner on the track - sharp, gets narrow, and has a curb on the far side) BLAM! a guy's rear tire blows out and he goes down, taking another couple guys with him.
At that point I figured, "uh, how about if I just treat the rest of this race (all 2 1/2 laps!) as training." Didn't keep me from trying to keep up with the pack and sprint at the end though. When the guy I was going around down the stretch decided - for no reason - to veer left into my line, I just sat up.
So I finished my first "real" (non-training) race of the season, a reprise of my first race ever, upright. Mission accomplished.
And I came in 37th, out of 56 finishers (71 started). Not exactly the result I'd hoped for, but at least I wasn't in the hospital.
It was VERY cool to be racing in a pack again after being on the DL for so long. And I think this result may even help the pre-race jitters - I can focus on the fun of racing rather than putting myself under undue - and unrealistic - pressure to win all the time. Though I DO need to post some good results to upgrade out of "Crash 4s."
Maybe racing Masters would be safer?
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You can see a video of the finish - taken by Mrs. Suitcase - below . . .
(And be sure to check out Aki's blog for another account of the Cat3 race as well as a race video!)
Some of the photos on this post (the especially good ones) were purchased from mjstuart.com
That looks like a wonderful 'track' to race on! Glad you managed to avoid the crashes!
Posted by: Sarah | June 05, 2007 at 07:57 AM
Great job Chris! And on a day when you lost about a 3rd of the field to crashes, I'd say that finishing with the rubber side down is a excellent way to end the day!
Posted by: Jim Smith II | June 05, 2007 at 01:46 PM
nice job, buddy! a great race report as always.
glad you stayed upright! those crits looks sketchy- i hope i don't go down during my first crit...
Posted by: Christophe | June 06, 2007 at 05:48 AM