This is new. I had never really thought about doing a criterium bike race until this year. I have been working hard on my bike skills, upping my efforts in training and thought I would give one a try. If anything, it would be a good learning experience.
It worked out for me to be able to head down to Beloit and meet up with my mom to watch my daughter while I raced.
The nice thing about criterium racing is that they don't take place until later in the day. That means I can sleep in! It was a nice feeling to be up later than 4am on a race day and had time to pack everything the same day instead of feeling rushed the night before.
Showing up at a race I have never been a part of before made me nervous. I had no idea how bike races work compared to running and triathlon races. This was all new to me, but basically identical. I got registered, got my numbers and waited for my turn to go off. Since it was my first I had to start in the Cat 4/5 group. Basically the entry-level. Which I was glad for.
I had spent the better part of the weekend training some hard miles and this crit came up last minute as something I could do. So I knew my legs wouldn't be 100%, and they weren't.
I spent some time scoping out the track as the women were racing. The course was about 3/4 mile with no hills, just a small rise, 2 90 degree turns and one 120 degree. The wind was coming in slight on the far straight about 8mph, so nothing terrible, but noticeable.
After a warm-up lap or two, it was time to go. I had lost my chance to be up front by taking the second warm-up lap. I was pissed. I was planning to start up front and I'd rather be dropped through the pack than off the back if I lost my legs. This wasn't good.
The gun went off and we were moving! I clipped in quick (pro tip) and was feeling pressure. I did everything I could to hang on to the tail end of the lead group. I spent the first 5 laps or so redlining it to keep on. I was floating just off.
Something I learned quickly is that once somebody falls off, especially in this category, they're not coming back up. At least nobody else was. I spent some time trying to recruit people onto my wheel to help get back up with the group, but to no avail. A few guys tried to hold on for a lap, and even they couldn't hold just my pace, coasting smoothly between 23-25mph per lap solo.
At one point I did have a lone cyclist come up along side me, putting himself in the hurt locker to get in front and help me out. I sat on his wheel for a lap to catch my breath, but he faded pretty quick to slower than what I could maintain riding solo, so I had to let him go. I worked hard for another 4 laps to so to bring the group back in, but each lap I was losing ground. I knew unless they dropped someone or a fast guy crashed out I wouldn't be able to make it back up. Neither of those two happened. One younger kid got dropped hard and I zipped passed him. He was toast. Tank emptied.
About 35 minutes in to the 50 minute race, I was told I had two more laps left and they were going to pull me. Damnit! I was hoping to at least make it through the race solo. However, they saw how the group was working so they gave a 10 lap counter to reign in the race. My final lap I surged and gave it everything I had just for one final effort. I heard the announcer say "Let's give it up for Dave working hard in his first ever crit!" So that was pretty cool. Made me feel better. And knowing I was the last person off the back to be pulled was a good feeling too. I was fighting hard the whole time, just not quite having the legs to pull them back in. The pressure was there, but I had no surge of speed that I usually can put down for 2-3 minutes at a time that I needed.
I coasted to the side and watched the race pan out the final 3 laps and watched how it unfolded for the finish. It was an amazing experience. Each lap I got smarter and more excited to keep going. Every corner I got more and more aggressive, really getting into the lean and accelerating out as best I could. This was where I felt I was weak. Not my speed but coming up out of the corners was something I have never worried about. Something I will practice. It is one of the best places to hammer down and drop someone, especially on this course.
After all was said and done, I was pleased with my effort and happy to have my daughter there to see me race. I could here her yell a few times and I saw her dancing across the track as I caught my breath.
Once the race was done and I calmed down, we grabbed some food and a drink at the bar and my mom and I went our separate ways. What a day. I loved it. I think I may have found a new adrenaline fix.
-Dave
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