IVRR and North Bend Criterium

Independence Valley Road Race (IVRR):Its a good race in my book but I just don't do well at it. The weather was good and it warmed up by the time we started. As usual we lined up middle of the pack only to get going and somehow I found myself at the back of the field. The problem with IVRR is you really can't move up much until you get to the first climb. That put me right towards the back of the pack which for me isn't good. I need all the help I can get. First climb I was able to hang onto the back of the first group. Surprisingly, I lost contact to the front group on the downhill. I got stuck behind a group of 5 or so who were pussy-footing it down the hill. Once on the flat section we had a large group of 20+ working together chasing down the lead group. I just came off the front when we got to the 2nd climb. BOOM. That was it for me. I was off the back. I knew leading up to the climb that I shouldn't do anymore work but I hoped I could make it. That was my race. I was in a small group of 12 or so. Coming into the finish I wanted to practice my sprint, even though it was for 41st place. I am not sure who all sprinted but I went for it and took the group sprint. Small prize for the day. I came home and wanted to look at the data from last year where I finished 25th. Here it is:
2011 IVRR40 miles
1:49:02 duration
22.1 avg speed
47.5 mph max
2012 IVRR40 miles
1:50:32 duration
21.4mph avg
48.3 mph max
Crazy to think I finished 20 places down on last year and the timing was very similar.

North Bend Crit:This is new this year and we were going for 30 minutes full gas. The course is 4 corners and had good pavement except before turn 3 which was pretty bumpy but did have a smooth-er line through the corner. It is a branch off of the collegiate Omnium that took place Saturday and Sunday. First criterium of the year and its flat! There was 58 starters and once again I was at the back. We all lined up on a side road and the yellow team lined up in the grass right in front of start/finish, smart. So they were all on the front and the rest of the field was in the back. Then to make matters worse I couldn't get clipped in when it was GO time. I had work to do. I spent the first 10 laps moving through the carnage of riders who were being blown out the back by the fast pace being set by the Starbucks Team. Once I got to the lead group Starbucks sent a couple guys on off the front along with UW but nothing stuck. Some of the guys in the pack need to go back to cornering 101. (We do hold those clinics that I would highly recommend.) That leads me to THANKING Amara and Kristi for letting me race. I was supposed to help them teach the Cycle U Clinic on Sunday. THANKS LADIES!
I was towards the front a couple times and chased a few moves down but didn't want to do to much work and figured I should slide back a bit and let the teams with numbers in the field do all the chasing. Turns 3 and 4 reminded me of the crit that was used for the Bellingham Stage Race in 2009. I came through those final two corners in 2009 at the front expecting my teammate Rolly to be on my wheel as I was leading him out for the finish. I came out of turn 4 and put in a good dig then pulled off the front but Rolly never came by. A few seconds later, some guy on other team went by for the win. DUH. I felt pretty stupid as I could have easily finished in the top five there if not won. So lesson was learned to never stop that close to the finish. He got tangled with a guy as he was trying to get on my wheel and finished 30th. Okay, back to 2012. That lesson immediately came to mind half way through the race when I felt I had the legs to do something. It was a big question mark after Saturday's race. With 3 laps to go I moved to the front 3rd of the race and coming through turn 3 I heard a peddle clip the pavement then the horrible sound of bikes and bodies hitting the ground. Thankfully I was in front of it. Ouch. Dude laid on the sidewalk with the medics until the race was over. He looked pretty banged up. Final lap and we came by start/finish and the head wind really started to pick up. Once we got to the back straight I knew I had to be at the front of the race going into the final two corners 3 and 4. That way I could carry maximum speed through the corners. If I blew up, I blew up but based on what I learned in 2009 I thought I could do it. Big dig and I got to the front and thankfully nobody came by me before turn 3.
(As most cyclist these days I am addicted to Strava. Below are pictures of my last lap)


This was perfect, this let me pick the fastest line through the corner and get on the gas in between turn 3 and 4.


Since nobody saw me at the front of the race through those corners, they wouldn't know my pace (a motorcycle racing tactic I had learned during my racing days). I had an Ace in the hole. Coming out of turn 4 I punched it.

Where is everyone, someone has to be coming around me I thought as I got closer and closer to the finish line. I got roughly a bike length away and I was out of gas. I extended the bike (bike throw) as far as I could as I came across the line and to my surprise nobody came by me! I had finally done it. That deserved a fist pump. Pretty exciting stuff. Lindsay was even there to see my first Win and we celebrated with a burrito from L-Taco. Hopefully this will lead to more top finishes in the criteriums to come. Thanks to Coach Colin & the Cycle U Team!