jrennie

After winning my last crit as a 3 I upgraded and this was going to be my first race as a 2. I knew coming into it guys were going really fast right now and I have been clutching onto what little form I have since January. After another crash 2 weeks ago and being on the TT bike for Esparto last weekend I really couldn't get over the sketchy feeling around corners. I wasn't very comfortable before the start. Most of the p/1/2 field was rolling on the course before the race since there was suppose to be a kids race but nobody signed up.

Rolling past the start/finish I hear "10 minutes to the start" so we keep rolling. A couple more times through and I know it must be getting close so I'll stop on the next lap cause I want to start at the front.
As I round the last corner I see a wall of riders in front of me. Starting dead last.

Goals for the race:
Don't get dropped
don't crash
Don't get dropped
Oh and Don't get dropped

The race starts and it is strung out from the whistle and it hurts already. 72 laps to go. Don't get dropped. don't get dropped. I accept my fate as a tail-gunner for now since I am really uncomfortable and don't want to advance on the straights just to slow riders in the corners. Observations: The poor riding doesn't stop in the 3's its just faster in the 1/2. Biggest change isn't the speed but the duration that they maintain the speed. It wasn't much faster that the fastest times in a 3 race but instead of it being ballistic for a lap or two it was on for 71 of the 72 laps. I saw some stupid stuff that just defies logic. Also, you hear a lot of "hold your line","on you right","slowing" etc in a 3 race and none of that in the 1/2. You do hear and extreme amount of F-Bombs though

Well, the rest of the report is about the same. I just suffered greatly and finished with one of the most rewarding pack finishes I've had. I know I would have spent much less energy in the thick of the pack or off the front pushing for a break. Live and learn. For the graph people its below.

Racer Ex 

Well done. Suisun is a hard course that usually has a fair amount of carnage.

Pizza Man

Way to go Josh!
Maybe I'll see you at the Giro di SF and we can trade off tailgunning.

Red Rider

I skipped Suisun as I was cooked from Esparto and Winters. I know, I know, HTFU, but that's a process, not an event.

Congrats on racing and staying upright. That's big in a new category.

cmh

Congrats on the upgrade and great job in your first race with the big guns.

Bantam

Nice. Winter training will be fun with the new objective, eh?

caloso

Yes. Yes it does.