First Crit Race in the books.
03-20-05, 09:37 PM
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So I did my first Crit today at the CSP Driving Track. Let me start by saying WOW! Much congrats to The Convert from Boulder , and managed to finish 15th-25th in only his 2nd Crit. "You da man."
What did I learn?:
A road crit is A LOT faster than most Mountain bike XC Short Track Races.
Even for a practice race, the ego's for some people run really high.
Movin 28mph+ in a Peloton, and not feeling like it's an effort, is a blast!
Getting spit out the back by the end of the second lap is not a blast!
Hangin in there just because... worth every second!
All in all I had a great time. I did get spit out, and I did get lapped. But I learned a lot. Much thanks to the guy in the yellow jersey(non lead jersey) for working with me for the remainder of the race. I did my best to start and stay near the front. For the first lap, I was doing well. I was amazed at the perceptual narrowing/tunnel vision. Can't say I have had that feeling before on the mountain bike.
By the end of the second lap, I made a few choice errors that hurt me. 1st, I was working well near the front, however, I wasn't grabbing a wheel. Instead, I felt like I was holding my own bubble, while a line of riders was passing me on either side. When I would make my move to catch the wheel, I would get yelled at ie"Hold your line..." so my question is, w/out causing a crash, how can I move into a line next to me? Is there a Crit etiquette to this, or do I just make my own move? Again, I don't want to be the one to cause the crash, but why would I wait for the line to pass, just so I can get spit out.
Next question, what's with all the dive bombing on corners from out to in? I can't say I noticed a lot of this while watching the other Cats, but maybe I'm wrong.
One other thing I noticed, that I have not noticed in a MTB race, is the sound of people hitting their brakes in the corners. Everytime I heard it, I'd look up waiting for the crash. Definatelly gave me the willies.
All in all, I had a great time, and more importantly, learned a lot. Nothin like trial by fire! I look forward to the next/last "Training Race" next Saturday. Funny how I got into road biking to train for Mountain. I look forward to the first MTB race to see if I have in fact made some improvements. I also look forward to a great season balancing both Mountian and Road.
Cheers and be safe.
What did I learn?:
A road crit is A LOT faster than most Mountain bike XC Short Track Races.
Even for a practice race, the ego's for some people run really high.
Movin 28mph+ in a Peloton, and not feeling like it's an effort, is a blast!
Getting spit out the back by the end of the second lap is not a blast!
Hangin in there just because... worth every second!
All in all I had a great time. I did get spit out, and I did get lapped. But I learned a lot. Much thanks to the guy in the yellow jersey(non lead jersey) for working with me for the remainder of the race. I did my best to start and stay near the front. For the first lap, I was doing well. I was amazed at the perceptual narrowing/tunnel vision. Can't say I have had that feeling before on the mountain bike.
By the end of the second lap, I made a few choice errors that hurt me. 1st, I was working well near the front, however, I wasn't grabbing a wheel. Instead, I felt like I was holding my own bubble, while a line of riders was passing me on either side. When I would make my move to catch the wheel, I would get yelled at ie"Hold your line..." so my question is, w/out causing a crash, how can I move into a line next to me? Is there a Crit etiquette to this, or do I just make my own move? Again, I don't want to be the one to cause the crash, but why would I wait for the line to pass, just so I can get spit out.
Next question, what's with all the dive bombing on corners from out to in? I can't say I noticed a lot of this while watching the other Cats, but maybe I'm wrong.
One other thing I noticed, that I have not noticed in a MTB race, is the sound of people hitting their brakes in the corners. Everytime I heard it, I'd look up waiting for the crash. Definatelly gave me the willies.
All in all, I had a great time, and more importantly, learned a lot. Nothin like trial by fire! I look forward to the next/last "Training Race" next Saturday. Funny how I got into road biking to train for Mountain. I look forward to the first MTB race to see if I have in fact made some improvements. I also look forward to a great season balancing both Mountian and Road.
Cheers and be safe.
Last edited by tprtodanelli; 03-20-05 at 09:51 PM.
03-20-05, 09:50 PM
#2
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Sounds like you had a good time. It is fun to sit in a pack doing 28 MPH, and when you get out of the stream it provides almost no help. I have yet to find what it is like to do "NO" work at 28 MPH but the work is reduced. It really sucks to get dropped from the group, read my thread and you will know the feeling. I felt the same thing today I got on the inside, behind some people behind their wheel and it did not take long to get spit out the back.
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03-20-05, 09:53 PM
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Sick ... again
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Crit etiquette ... 
You're right in a way ... it's more a case of how to ride and not cause a crash. However, if you're fighting to grab a wheel and you piss someone off because you grabbed it and forced them out - tough on them; that's racing. People forget all too easily that they were all beginners at one time. The only way to learn this is by racing. Bike handling is crucial in these races - those who can handle their bikes and lay off the brakes will do well in terms of gaining and keeping position. Don't worry about being yelled at unless you were being dangerous. I've seen races where people will yell at other riders so they can get a place - the other rider has done nothing wrong. Just keep racing!
You're right in a way ... it's more a case of how to ride and not cause a crash. However, if you're fighting to grab a wheel and you piss someone off because you grabbed it and forced them out - tough on them; that's racing. People forget all too easily that they were all beginners at one time. The only way to learn this is by racing. Bike handling is crucial in these races - those who can handle their bikes and lay off the brakes will do well in terms of gaining and keeping position. Don't worry about being yelled at unless you were being dangerous. I've seen races where people will yell at other riders so they can get a place - the other rider has done nothing wrong. Just keep racing!
03-21-05, 06:02 AM
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Originally Posted by tprtodanelli
All in all, I had a great time, and more importantly, learned a lot.
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