Red Kite Criterium #9, Livermore CA, MW55+ Field
The was the third race in my "month of racing". It was a criterium held in a typical industrial park. The course was little over a mile, four corners, good pavement, wide streets with Botts dots, some pavement deterioration here and there but nothing significant, and some garden debris scattered about. The field was a combined 3/4 field, around 18 strong. The race director had broken out the 55+ women for scoring purposes and would allow us our own podium. There were three 55+ women in the field. Me, my teammate Norma, and a rider from San Jose Bike Club, whom I did not know. The conditions were close to ideal, save for the 8-15MPH wind out of the southwest, which was a headwind on the back straight. The temperature at the start was 63 degrees, just perfect for me. This was to be a mentored race, and the mentor was a solid Cat 2 rider that I knew.
When I signed up for the race I had the choice of the 3/4 combined race, or the P 1/2/3 race which followed the 3/4. In spite of my wariness of Cat 4 fields, I felt I stood a better chance of staying in and racing in the 3/4 race than I did in the much stronger P 1/2/3 race. It was a good choice, because the RD decided to break out the 55+ riders in the 3/4 contest.
I arrived early, got checked in, set the bike up on the trainer (no more "on the road" warmups), and at the allotted time, started my TT protocol warmup. I shortened the warmup slightly to allow myself a recon lap of the course. I felt okay for the first part of the warmup, in spite of having done a hard TT the day before, but when I got through the first ramped up effort I had concerns that my heart rate wasn't responding as it should. However, when I got through the second ramp up, my body started to react the way I expected.
My plan was to stay in, stay attached, stay out of the wind, stay close to Norma and the SJBC woman, and stay safe. A mass start race never unfolds the way you expect, they are quite dynamic. I was aware of that, and I took it into account.
I was also aware that there were a significant number of Cat 4's in the field, probably half. I didn't know them, and in the past I've been so wary of them that I've been afraid to really race, not wanting to be aggressive when I could have been and sacrificing good position in the name of safety. I've learned and have adopted a technique of always making myself present in the peloton. I let people know where I am, either verbally or by touching them. I'm not concerned with lateral separation, as long as I'm not half wheeling and as long as the riders next to me know I'm there. I'm not above staying right on the wheel in front of me, either. The reasons for me saying this will be apparent later.
I lined up on the second row, next to Norma, and marked where the SJBC rider was. She was also on the second row. We received the prerace brief, and then rolled at the whistle. The pace ramped right up, and I thought "oh boy, here comes a sufferfest". Norma, the SJBC rider and I had to chase in order to catch back on. I thought that the wind on the back chute would slow the pack, and if I didn't go so hard as to run into trouble, then I'd be able to slot back on when the peloton slowed. That wasn't necessary, the pace came down of it's own, and I settled into position on the left rear side, with Norma moving up along side me to my left.
The test would be the prime laps. I knew the field would ramp up through the short chute prior to the final corner for the prime sprint, and I felt that they would keep things moderate until they made that turn onto the short chute because of the wind on the back straight. I knew to prepare for and be aware of the accelerations and to stay on a solid wheel in case a gap opened. I knew the field would likely sit up after the sprint, and I'd get back on with minimal energy expenditure if I used my head. As a rule, I do not contest primes in races populated by young racers. That's a huge waste of precious energy.
The first prime lap came and went, and I was able to stay in, things working as I had hoped.
About halfway through the race there was a stupid crash on the back straight. The field would turn onto the back straight and the wind would cause it to slow, and of course, the front would fan out. The line took us over to left side of the street, and it was a curbed street. There was no reason to get close to the curb, and there was every reason to understand that there would be slowing on that back straight! However, a young rider found herself against the curb when another rider moved into her from her right, and she hit the curb, going down, and taking the rider behind her with her. Norma and I were together behind the carnage, but we had room and time to avoid it.
At six laps to go I was still riding well, feeling good, able to move around the peloton with little issue, and doing a good job of not feeling much wind. I started thinking that I'd be there for the finish and I was reasonably sure that my sprint would work and that if I was in good position I could beat the SJBC racer. I decided to either be on her wheel coming off the last corner or on the wheel of a strong rider close to the front and use that rider as a leadout. I tested that theory on the fifth lap, carrying some speed on the outside of the last corner and making a small effort up the left side of the peloton towards the line. I got up to around third wheel, and looked around to see if I'd been noticed. I couldn't find the SJBC woman, but I saw Norma and I suspected she was close to the other rider. There seemed to be no concern by any of the riders. Old woman moving up. Let her!
With two to go I was sitting on the solid wheel of another rider in the middle of the pack, favoring the left side, when the woman to her right suddenly braked and then moved left, putting the skewer of her back wheel into my front wheel. It happened so quickly that I didn't have to react. I saw her moving and then I heard a loud metallic "ping!!!" My bike moved left of it's own, and luckily it didn't impinge the front wheel onto the other rider's skewer. I was calm, but I did ask the woman why she'd done that? She had a rider "moving over on to" her from her right, she said. "Why didn't you push back??" I yelled. "I couldn't!" Oh, so move laterally and take someone else out instead. Great.
My front wheel had damage. I thought one or more spokes were broken and it had a noticeable wobble in it, and the rim was contacting the brake pads. I had to drop off the back, because I didn't know what the wheel was going to do. I sure didn't want to corner at speed on it. I didn't bring a spare with me for the wheel pit, and there was no neutral support. I'd been robbed of my chance for a sprint finish due to dumb race luck, but I needed to keep going and finish if the bike could make it.
It did.
I made my first podium of the season. Not the way I wanted to, but I did get on it, and I made the third step. In the end, my bike skills and a whole lot of luck kept me upright. I was thankful for that, and I was very pleased with how well I rode.
