Brad Lewis Memorial (Boat St) Criterium and State Championship
This year they decided to have the State Criterium Championship at the Brad Lewis Memorial (Boat St). Last year the race was up in Bellingham and that course was good but coming into the fastest corner there is parking meters on the outside every 10 ft with no protective cover over them. Most crit courses will bring in hay bales to cover poles and signs or some form of padding etc... but for whatever reason Bellingham didn't do that and I don't see it on the calendar for this year.
With that said Boat St has some of the worst pavement on the start/finish line. There are cracks in the concrete that run parallel that are 2-3 inches wide. Easily large enough for our little tires to get stuck in. The way they decided to fix the road was to spray paint the whole front straight away with bright orange paint. I guess that is better than nothing but I hope next year they repave that part of the course. Even driving a car on that section of road is hazardous. As a couple of us from the team arrived an ambulance was parked at the start/finish line loading a guy on a stretcher with a neck brace into the back. Dang. Not something you want to see when arriving before your race. The two gentleman who crashed that were taken away were pretty beat up with broken bones and even a couple broken vertebrae. Thankfully they both with heal but it will be a long journey back.
There was a break of 3 that got away and my teammate Chris was able to come through in 6th place and I finished in 10th. We had a few crashes as well and a few people when down on the straightaway. Again I hope all heal fast.
7/13/13
Redmond Derby Days
After a 2 year
hiatus from this race due to losing some precious skin (see here) I decided I should give it
another go. We had a strong squad showing up with Aaron G, Richie S, Dave R and
myself. I decided to give racing 2 crits in a day a try; after all, it was my
birthday weekend. The Cat 3 race post the below race I could only managed 10th but still earned $30. The first race was and better of the two was the Masters (35+) Category 3/4 field for
40 minutes. My goal for this race was to win some $$$ because who doesn't like
cash? The race had some very nice pay outs with 1st getting $250 and 2nd $100
plus all of the prime laps that they offered. The race started fast with Cucina
Fresca holding the most teammates with a staggering 9. They kept the race fast
and always strung out with one teammate attacking after the other. We came by
start/finish and they rang the bell for a prime lap of $20 cash. I moved into
position on the outside and when we got to the back straight the pack slowed
just enough and I decided I needed to go. I put in a big dig for a few seconds
then hit the corner full gas. I heard my Cat 2 teammate Jeff who was watching
yell at me so I got out of the saddle and sprinted again. As I came around the
last corner I took a peek behind me and didn't see anyone so I sat up to take
the prime and the cash.
Yes, those are pink socks. Easier for Lindsay to spot me in a crowd and I'm also admittedly a shoe and sock guy as you can see, I like em bright. So $20 dollars richer I sat up and tried to recover as much as possible before melting into the peloton. After that it was a great showing from SCCA/Starbucks team. Aaron went off the front a couple times as soon as the field slowed and covered moves and helped keep the pace high. Then with a few laps to go Richie moved to the front and strung it out single file. This allowed me to maintain my position in the top 5 and not be swarmed from behind when the speed slowed down. Coming into the final corner I am in perfect position and as we go through the corner everyone starts their sprint. I had to hesitate as the person in front of me moved over just a little bit but I had to adjust my line. Once I had the proper line launch was confirmed and I was off. Great pictures from the sprint from Woodinville Bicycle and Tawny Strong. 2nd place and a great team effort especially the last 5 laps. 27 mph avg.
Great to have Lindsay and Ridlee there. Teamwork!
Seward Park Cyclefest
What a fun night. We had a strong
squad as mentioned. The plan before the race was to practice getting together
for a lead out. I really feel having a team meeting prior to each race to
discuss tactics and a job is important to being successful or even more successful
than we currently are. The hardest thing to do in crit racing is get a proper
lead out from your team. That team has to be strong and have riders that can
put the pedal to the floor and get the job done several laps prior to the
finish. United Health Care team comes to mind. They dominate in the US when it
comes to crit racing and their famous lead outs. Our Cat 3 squad is starting to
put the puzzles together after the last couple crit races. I will send out a
recap of Derby Days Masters 3-4 and Cat 3 later.
From the gun Todd was at the front
setting pace and keeping things animated. He would go off the front and 2 laps
later he would win the prime, great timing on all of his attacks. Aaron and I
hovered around the front and marked a few people every time Todd was off
winning cash and a drawer full of new socks. I was just telling myself I needed
to move up front and was kicking myself for falling back when I saw 3 laps to
go but I found myself next to Jesse and told him, "its time to go". I
moved over and get on his wheel and he promptly took me right to the front of
the race just before the downhill section. The picture link below has a good
shot of the action. Coming around he almost got himself a new pair of socks as
he reeled in the solo break but missed it by half a wheel. Stunning work as he
faded back into the field, Aaron came up to the front just after the downhill to
take over and I got on his wheel as he towed everyone around. Then Todd made
his way back up to the front and moved in front of me for the final lead out.
He took me down the hill while Aaron sat on my left to protect me from any wind
and kind of block me into the inside which allowed us to control the front more
and only allow attacks to come from the long way around. It really was a great
tactic as nobody came by us. Todd got me halfway up the hill and then I heard a
deep yell that sounded like it came from Aaron but wasn't sure as it may have
come from his legs. Scared I was about to be eaten by the pack of crazies behind
me I went to the left of Todd and started my sprint up the hill. I told myself
as I got to the top to slow down a bit as I knew I would need to sprint again
from the corner. I took the turn full gas, picked my optimal line that carried
me out to the curb and then immediately got out of the saddle and sprinted
again. My legs started to scream as my mind told me to sit down and go easy.
After sitting down and listening to my head, I was able to re-convince myself
that I needed to put in 1 more sprint and not fail the guys. Up and out of the
saddle I went one more time and my legs stopped just before the finish. 1st
place was so sweet. I coasted around waiting for the guys to thank them as
several teams came by and gave us kudos for our racing. We were off the front
or at the front the whole night and finished at the front. That was a proper
lead out. So proud to bring home the "W" for the team and exciting by
how we have come together in our crit racing. As Jeff always says, make it
fast.
Some good pictures from the race.
7/28/13
Georgetown Criterium
Well crit season is over and I think we did very well as a team in the Cat 3’s. I am sad to see it go but also excited for next year as we know what areas we can work on.
There was a lot of talk about how bad the course was and I must say KR did a great job getting it ready. The hole in turn 2 was nonexistent in the race as they patched it and put tape over the creases in pavement. There was only 1 hole that you moved around or bunny hopped and it really wasn’t even that bad, I would compare it to the hole on the front straight at Ballard Crit. The last corner was more of a kink and you could take it very fast but it tightened up as you exited and that is what happened to the Cat 4/5 race where a major pile up happened. There were a few times I was pushed out wide by guys on the inside and came very close to touching the garbage cans or the cone. I really enjoyed this course though and found it to be a lot of fun. I hope it is on the calendar again for next year. Having the beer garden and the fans was great too.
We had Sam, who did an easy 80 mile leg opener on Saturday to get ready for our race, Aaron and I going to battle for the team. We had a decent size group for a first year crit and there were the notable sprinters that showed up. Our plan was for Sam and Aaron to go for a prime and I would take up the mantle for the finishing sprint. I took my time moving towards the front changing my lines and seeing how easy it was to pass. As is with most crits everyone wants to pass people in the corners or right before them so this always creates difficulty holding your position in the field. Of course being at the front is the best place to be in order to avoid that. An Audi guy had a good size gap on the field at one point with I heard, a 20 second lead but that is debatable. Aaron went to the front and put in some good pulls and even got a way for a lap. Then Sam was up there as well and we could see the Audi guy coming back. I mentioned to Sam you should attack when he comes back if you wanted to. My thought was that Sam would get away and take a prime. The solo break came back and a lap later Sam rode off the front for two laps and just as the pack caught Sam they rang the bell for a prime. Dang it. I was already up at the front while Sam was away seeing if anyone would try to bridge and decided if I wasn’t swarmed in any of the corners I would go for the prime. I was 2nd wheel on the back straight when RAD Racing jumped. I moved over to get on his wheel and was able to come around him for the prime, goal #1 done; now we need to get ready for the finish. The last couple of laps were really hard to move around and hard to hold my position. The pace had to be super-hot to keep the dive bombers at bay but Sam and Aaron were also having the same problems I was. I sprinted on the back straight on the last lap to close a gap and was able to move up towards the top 15 or so but that is not where I needed to be. I knew that you had to be top 3 coming through the last corner in order to have a chance of winning or even getting on the podium. My pace through the last corner was fast and I felt my tires sliding as they screamed for grip and was able to do a toe tap on the cone for good measure. This still wasn’t enough and I was only able to get 8th place. What was really good was to have Tony our Cat 2 there to provide us instant feedback.
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