at home from work today as i am taking a class trying to finally actually graduate from college after a few years of not taking classes and i am writing a final. i just spilled an entire pot of coffee in the kitchen and would rather blog than write right now...
New Bethlehem Crit So i somehow convinced my housemate Joey to wake up at 3:30am and drive out to Bethlehem Pennsylvania for the New Bethlehem Criterium. The next Monday was his birthday, and although neither of us are vegan anymore its always worthwhile to visit
Vegan Treats Bakery and load up on vegan sweets for his Bday. Vegan Treats distributes to Vegan Restaurants mostly and NYC and Philly but a few items can be found in DC at Java Green (if not other places as well), and turns out was four blocks from race registration. Realized about 10 minutes away that i had left my waterbottles next to the sink... so i bought a jug and drank 3/4s of it before the race. Kevin Dillard was also there from DC and ran into a buddy Andrew id met through cyclocross (whose also grew up in the south and into hardcore) who had recently moved philly.
I really liked the course here, for its limited space it had everything a good crit should have (except for multidirectional turns). Layed out like a square where each straight section was about equal distance, four turns and about 1.3miles a lap. A few hundred feet from the start/finish, the 1st turn is a 90degree left into a slight downhill. The downhill moves into the 2nd and best turn; a dirty wide off camber, with many lines to pick, but each one had its own suprise, of a bit of gravel, or a manhole cover, or a steeper part of the camber... this is where alot of action took place in the races i was able to watch, attacks, bridging, etc... another straight, into an uphill left turn into a steady climb, then a 90degree left to a straight away back to start/finish. 18laps.
Race started at a good pace, with about 35 or 40 of us. Didnt see any moves too early, and for whatever reason around the 4th lap at the uphill turn i found myself in a good position with no reason not to attack, so i did. Made a good jump up the hill with one other following, he caught my wheel at the next turn and we accessed the situation as having gotten ourselves a decent gap. We were off the front for 2 more laps, until 2 other riders (one being a teammate of the other guy with me) bridged up. We communicated really well and shared the work even better, im pretty sure i pulled the same straight away for the next 11 laps. Joey called out the time ahead and i think we had 40 seconds on the field at some points... pretty sure there was a crash in turn 3 at some point though.
4th turn before last lap, and i found myself in 4th wheel, with our group still way ahead in the break... 2nd wheel rider made an attack on turn 1, and rider 2 chased, rider 3 (2's teammate) blocked me out of a chase until the next turn and by that point even though i was out of the saddle i knew i couldnt catch them. Finished 3rd, and felt really great about it... learned alot and really enjoyed being in a race where a breakaway worked. Got a trophy with flames on it.
Ate way too many donuts and drove back to dc, only to get into my friend kiki's car to drive down to richmond for...
Haley Pontiac Chipotle Bryan park Crit Got a good amount of sleep, remembered water bottles, and had a teammate (Derek) as well as my parents there for support. Woke up at 7am in RVA to it raining, and fearing the race would be cancelled, but it wasnt.
Didnt have my trainer, so Derek and i warmed up on the road a bit as races were underway and due to slight delays were being pushed closer together.
Was NOT a fan of this course so much. Bryan Park is a beautiful park, and theres a great "big ring" cyclocross race there too... but i wasnt feeling the race soo much... Rode the carbon wheels for the 2nd day in a row, and on road was made up of tiny stuck in stones (which would have ripped your legs apart im sure) and i felt like i could feel everyone through the rims, and hear them all too, my wheels were loud as shit this race.
im not in good enough shape to do alot of work 2 days in a row i guess. Only 8 short laps, so Derek and I tried attacking from the get go, but we (and no one else really) could get away. I'd do some work on the front, but didnt have the legs or focus to be able to sit back in... Honestly i felt a bit sketchy. I had to bunny hop over a snake while on the front of one lap too.
If anything Derek and I's attacks and being on the front alot made us atleast seem like a threat. Came down to a sprint with about half the field at the uphill after the last turn... thats probably the only time my legs felt decent, but not good enough to place... 6th for me, and i think 9th or so for Derek. the officials only counted top 3, so we found out by Sam (derek's wifes photos).
Good to hang out in Richmond afterwards with my Parents and then with friends who i havent seen in a long time (years for some) who i really care about.
Ride Sally Ride What Hasn't been said about this race already? What maybe people havent talked about is that there was a crash in my race in the exact same spot that required the emergency crew to be called as well.
Like how i called Bethlehem a square, im going to call this one a triangle. Three boring turns, practically all flat, with no centerline, so no yo-yoing which probobly made for the crashes cause the 4s and 5s were bunched up and sitting real wide almost the whole time.
I saw alot of sketchy riding, I chased a good move from an NCVC rider, and upon accessing our gap and me telling him "lets go with this, weve got room" dude totally backed off... bummer. so i sat in and finished mid pack trying to stay in front of crashables.
Michael Murad Memorial Road Race My first "Road Race" ei not a crit or circuit, and it was pretty awesome. Thori and I were the only 2 R1Vs there and i caught my damn bib shorts on a nail on a fence and ripped them the hell up. sucks. not enough season left to justify getting new ones when i just ordered our CX kit, time to tap the inner punk kid and just sew a
9 Shocks terror patch onto it.
Still not totally sure how to race a road race... but i didnt feel immediately more confortable in the ride then in most crits. Did some work on the front, chased and caught some breakaways, chatted alot... it was good. nothing too eventful... other than meeting Thori i guess who is an incredibly strong rider.
At the end i found myself with good position, and from my right a rider made a really strong attack and was moving way faster and than the other sprints that were just beginning... so i shifted my gears and weight out of the saddle and hopped on his wheel only to see him nearly crashed out by some elbow to elbow rockemsocksm stuff ahead pushing him almost off the road, causing me to have to change plans... and not having a good wheel to pull me right in, and a bit of hesitation at the near crash, sprinted for what i thought was 6th position but i ended up in the books as 8th... either way i won some socks.
I hear the Cat4 race was really exciting and we had some top finishers... had to leave after the womens's races so dont know how else R1V did...
---Been Listening to:
Merchendise EP
Mediafire Downloadfrom florida, part of the Cult Ritual; Cult Maternal thing... but probably the most poppy that ive heard from the 'collective'... still pretty eerie...but part of a new batch of punk bands that i feel like it actually worth listening too.
