DC Bruz

Long Version: It's the Winter months in the land down under right now. That means all the Crit Monkies (ie. Me) are meant to be in hibernation waiting for the Summer Season to come round again. However it looks like one club decided to run a few Crits this chilly season in an effort to get some legs moving. That sad thing is I could never resist a good Crit so off I go, into the 5 degree weather looking for some fun.

The last race of the previous season saw me race my first B grade race. Let it be known I was the only hammer dropped that day. A bit discouraging but I tried not to let it get to me. Yesterday was to be my second B grade race and it had been a while since I'd really put some effort in. The goal was to hang on for dear life and hope that I can finish with the pack.

Start time arrives and I'm feeling good. It seems the organizers have forgotten to bring numbers but thankfully most of the people racing know each other and what grade they are in. From what I could tell there were about 20 B Grade riders and 4 - 5 A Grade (we rode together). One bloke heads off by himself really early and, I presume, died in the arse really quickly. The first few laps are spent doing a leisurely 33km/h. Things soon pick up however.

Ever since my run in with a car a few weeks ago I've been really timid on the bike. My cornering has really suffered because of this. After the first few laps things really picked up and I was having a hard time keeping up. The speed was manageable but I was having to put in far to much effort catching up after each corner. I eventually came to the conclusion that if I want to race I'll corner properly, or I'll drop out now. I kept going.

It was rather uneventful for the first 45 minutes. Lots of attacks but thankfully everyone did their bit to reel them in. However after each surge we'd shed a rider or two. Come the 50 minute point there's nothing left. A surge from a couple of A and B riders shattered the lot. Myself and two other riders managed to form our own little group and chased down the leading group. I think it was a testament to our organisation in that we were never any more then half a lap back from the group. We each took our turn on the front and were able to keep a steady 40km/h. Come the final three laps and we're slowly gaining. Not enough to truly catch them but in the end we were only 10 seconds down. The other two blokes were either to tired to contest the sprint or didn't care enough. I took what I thought to be 6th place (the leading group had 5 riders).

As it turns out I actually came 4th ! Two of the riders in the lead group were A Grade. Happy times indeed! (Got my money back!). The money wasn't the major thing. Knowing I survived all that and was able to hang on for fourth was far more satisfying!

Short Version: Hard B Grade race. Shattered field. Came fourth when I thought I came sixth. Happy times.

Stats:
Average Speed: 39.1km/h
Time: ~1 hour
Distance: ~39km
Max Speed: 50.1km/h (My legs cramped during the sprint. Luckily the others guys didn't contest it but damn it hurts)

Haha that rocked!!!

JOEPIPPAS

Well I cant top that but I did save a bundle on my car insurance.