Golden State Crit - Elite 3

Golden State Crit Race Report 24 May, 2008
By Michael ORourke

Weather; drizzle with very wet roads in the morning. Clearing with dry roads by 11:00. Course; Clockwise, technical, roughly rectangular with an “appendix” immediately after the start/finish (left, then straight 50 meters, sharp 180, then back to the remainder of the course). As if that wasn’t interesting enough, there’s a groove in the pavement near the curb on the first left hand turn which claimed many a rider. Slight headwind up the back straight, short run across the top and then 200 meters to the finish. Being as wet and technical as it was you could count on three things; crashes, crashes, and more crashes. Oh yea, and the lap after lap acceleration out of the hairpin will do a number on the legs! The elite cat 3 was my first race, and went pretty much as expected. My strategy was to stay in from, even if it meant compromising my sprint. First lap, crash and a pile up on the first right turn. I somehow managed to negotiate around the skittering bikes and tumbling riders. Next lap and one turn later, the same thing. I must have had that Jedi mind trick going as I’m not really sure how they didn’t take me out with them. Just for good measure, I hit the groove in turn one for a near fall and an extra shot of adrenalin. Whew! Two laps down and only about 20 to go…for the first race. Perhaps I’ll re-think the rest of my day. But not just now as I need to focus. I made sure to stay in the top 6 or so for the remainder of the event. Every few laps I could hear skids, scrapes, and the occasional unmistakable sound of bikes and their parts skittering across the pavement. Hey, there’s Josh! Probably going by me with the same thing in mind. Glad it wasn’t him that I heard going down. Anyway, the guys in front of me seem to be pretty stable. Ron, from Rio Strada did a lot of leading out. I know him to be a strong, experienced racer and it felt reassuring to see him up there. Round and round we went. I soon figured out that the inside line at the hairpin was the best one. It resulted in the least effort for acceleration which I think paid off at the end, and for the rest of the day as well. Which brings me to the finish strategy. I’m not the most explosive sprinter, and two hundred meters isn’t long enough for me to expect a good finish. The slick corners make it equally unlikely to launch across the top and drill the last corner. Quite a dilemma that I spent the remaining laps trying to sort out.
5 to go and the pace picks up, as expected. But no serious breaks, and into the bell lap the pack slows a bit up the back side. By now I have figured that I need to go for a long - as in half a lap - run for the finish and hope I can gut it out for a decent placing. Just then it looks like another rider has the same idea. I jump on his wheel thinking “this is too perfect”. Yep, it was. He sat up about 50 meters too early for me to make good use. I could see the surge coming up the inside in my peripheral, so what the heck. I’m committed at this point anyway. Away we go. and boy is this going to hurt! Head down, legs and lungs burning, choosing a careful line thru the two corners. No one’s come around me yet?! Hey, this might just work! 200 to go, 150…oh, there they are. Crap! First One goes by, then two three, four five six, Gotta hold on! Ten more pedal strokes and…done.. For 8th place! No points, but at least it’s a top ten (and I didn’t crash…always a bonus).