Further adventures in criterium racing

Kat controlling the pace. I'm in the back somewhere, hiding. Photo courtesy of Roger Harrison

One of the things I’ve figured out in these last couple of years of cyclocross racing is that in order for me to be able to hold my own on the big power courses (that are less technical and tend to favor the road racers) is that I need to get out there at the criterium and road races in my area, accept getting my face melted off, suck it up and develop more power.

This includes taking my ego out into the back yard and beating it with a sand-filled rubber hose until it stops its endless sniveling.

I decided to give a couple of local criteriums a try last summer and got a taste for the hard-edged anaerobic fun that is “crit” racing. Yeah, fun+hard-edged+danger is pretty much what I am all about (I have stopped asking why at this point and just embrace it with as much safety equipment and health insurance as I can muster… that’s a phycological puzzle for another day).

The first three were about figuring out how riding in tight quarters and drafting works. These were cat 3/4 races, so I was able to make the first breakaway with the more experienced riders who held their lines, making it safer for me while being able to see how twitchy it can get. I learned right away why I don’t ever need to take the lead and got dropped like a bad habit on the third lap.

A few weekends ago I showed up for my first Spring Fling race out at Clinton Lake to take part in a true cat 4 women’s race. This time with two of my teammates, Kat and Christy. This was important. Up until the last year, I have been a solo rider and that has been my mind-set for years. These last few months have been a crash course in exactly how much of a team sport this kind of racing is. Kat took control of the first two and a half laps before I came out of my spot in the middle of the pack to make the first two of three breakaways. I placed well for someone coming in at this part of the season and for not really working on my speed legs yet.

It was also apparent at my second Spring Fling that team tactics make all the difference as I watched the Velotek girls execute a race plan with precision and confidence. Again, I was dropped on the final breakaway as I helplessly watched the attack with fried legs, unable to respond because of spending them way too early.

So, as the weeks roll on Kat takes us through all the different race scenarios on Tuesday nights, showing us attacks and counter attacks that I never knew existed. This has also deepened and enriched my respect for road racing in general and has given me a whole new appreciation for the spring classics as JP points out the different nuances of what is taking place throughout such races as the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. I am actually able to watch these races now with an understanding of what is going on.

In cycling, as in life, you never stop learning. Event’s and lessons continue to feed on each other in interesting and fascinating ways.