The race was at William Land Park in Sac. I thought it was going to be a very simple, non-technical course. But after 1 practice lap, I discovered there was a very sharp 'S' turn
. The first left must have been 135 degrees, followed by a 90 right and some more sweepers. My first crit was definitely going to be interesting.
I got to the line (Elite 5's) a little late and they had us do a practice lap together. That's great because I wanted to be in the front at the start anyway. We all made it back together and I worked my way to the front row.
Going into the race I knew I wanted to be in the front. Well, I learned that the
very front is not really the best. I let a couple guys do the pulling, one dude was real strong, and he pulled for a lap and a half. I also did my share of pulling.... too much in fact. The problem I discovered was it's hard to let people take the front without 10-15 guys passing you. The gaps are tight and it sucks to lose that much postition after doing your share of work.
About halfway through the race I smartened up and tucked behind the front of the field. There was an aggressive, if not dangerous (he almost caused a crash early), guy that took off. I learned later that it was actually 2 guys that broke away, never to be caught again. To me it was now just a race against those still in the field. Nobody was trying to bridge up, they were too strong and had too much of a lead.
With 5 laps to go the intensity picked up. Speeds were quickly winding up to about 28-29mph and teams were postioning themselves to the front. I found myself falling back to mid-pack and made a move on the outside with about 2 laps to go. I must have jumped 15 positions, to about 5th (not counting the 2 in the break). Holding that position for 2 more laps took a lot out of me.
On the final lap I was getting really excited that I was still in the mix. No chance to win, but I was fighting for a top 10. On the long straightaway before the S turn two guys tangled and hooked bars. This happened right in front of me and I moved a little to the left. These guys went down hard
. I have no idea how many people went down with them. It was bad, scary even. One guy flew off the road and hit a 'No Parking' sign (I saw it out of the corner of my eye). I hope they're all ok.
So the final s-turn went well since I was sitting 5th or 6th. I tried to suck wheel for as long as I could before the final sprint. The last turn came and I accelerated as much as I could. I didn't have much left in the tank. The smart ones behind me started their sprints and I was passed by 5 or 6 guys before crossing the line. I ended up finishing in 13th place. I'll take it!
I learned a lot from this first race. I'm also much more comfortable with riding in the pack. The problem is you can do everything right and some bozo can still get you hurt. You just have to ride defensively.
Next up, Cherry Pie! Hopefully the 'climb' works to my advantage.
How's that for a report? A little long winded I know
. Pics will be posted as I get them.