Specialized/Sierra Nevada Crit, Elite 3

Specialized/Sierra Nevada Crit Race Report 14 June, 2008
by Michael ORourke

Course: .9mi, clockwise, and kind of a “D” shape. After the start/finish line there’s a 90* right turn, a long looping 180* (right again), a hard 90* and a slight “S” bend for 200 meters back to the line. Weather: 94* & sunny with a slight breeze. I didn’t expect anything atypical form this race and those expectations were met. There were several attempts at breaks, but nothing stuck, mostly due to “negative” racing. That is, everyone is waiting for someone else to start a break or bridge up. Periodically someone has a dig and promptly gets run down by the group. Not much to do but sit in, which was fine by me as I’m comfortable with a bunch sprint.

This almost makes two races out of one. The first race is to the lap cards. Today’s objective is to conserve energy without missing the winning break. Normally I would patrol the front, but this group didn’t feel as sketchy as they usually are, so I sat back in the pack a little more and kept an eye out for any potential escapees. Once the lap cards come out (5 to go) the game of positioning begins. And just like comedy, it’s all about the timing and knowing your audience (or fellow racers in this case). Again, this group seemed to be riding defensively, so it was unlikely the pace would escalate much thru the countdown. Stay in the top 25%, move into the top 10 with 3 or 2 to go, top 6 on the bell lap. I had planned on making a run up the outside because the inside lane can close without notice. However, I found myself on the inside anyway. I also planned on launching my sprint from the fire hydrant (about 100 meters or so before the last corner). Fortunately, the inside lane opened up just briefly enough for me to slip ahead of the big surge to the curb. The objective was to get in front of the group just before the last corner, take it as hot as possible and gut it out to the finish. While I wasn’t in front going into the corner, I rounded the coener 4th or so. Still, a workable scenario. Turns out the guy leading our little parade thru the corner was leading out his brother, and doing a fine job of it. It also meant they were both now leading me out. And that ladies and gentlemen, is what we call “poaching a wheel” =) Anyway, after we slingshot thru the corner, I think there were now 2 riders and about 2 bike lengths between me and the finish. Nothing left to do but put my head down and peddle like a hamster on crack !

This is the time when practicing form sprints pays off. I didn’t have to think about what gear to be in, or remember to put my hands a little farther up the drops so I can up shift to keep my cadence, keeping my head down, or any of that stuff. It now has become automatic. I passed #2 on my right with no problem, he was already starting to fade. #1 was still going strong, but I could tell he had topped out. I was still gaining and it was now just a matter of real estate. I actually got around him a little sooner than I expected and told myself to stay smooth and keep going until I could no longer see his wheel in my peripheral, which is exactly what I did. Another win for Victory Velo and a confidence builder for moi…not to mention more upgrade points !