Monday, March 06, 2006
1st race of the year Boulder Training Crits
This weekend was the reason I moved to Colorado. Saturday I awoke early and
rode the trainer for two hours. Then headed up the mountain to snowboard for
a couple hours. Came home for lunch and strapped on the tele-skis for a
couple hours.
Sunday I awoke nervous for the 1st race of the year. Riding up here in the
winter is nearly impossible with all of the snow - while Denver has been in
the 50 & 60s most of the winter. I rolled down to Boulder for the 1st crit
of the season and it is 70 degrees and sunny. Snowboarding one day and
basking in the sun the next. I got there in time to watch some of the 4's
race. Wow they looked fast. The thing about CO is that they are not USCF so
I'm lucky to be a cat 3 here because they are ACA. More on the lucky part
later. Course description: rectangle 1.1 mile loop. Start on a flat section
to a slight riser to a false flat to another riser to a downhill, back to
the flat section. I knew the hill would not feel slight after awhile. I line
up and there are 52 cat 3's on the line. 52 and it's considered a training
crit. We rock off the line and my goal today is to see how long I can hang
on and try not to get dropped. I've never raced this early in the season and
Joey Friel says I'm not ready to yet. The first 10-15 mins roll by and the
hill is painful. Since it is the 1st race of the year people are a little
sketch and I'm on the back just trying to hang on. I hear 25 laps to go...
Are you kidding me? 25 more times up the risers... I can't do it. But I grit
my teeth and give myself a silent whoop whoop and think of the B-wood dream
team and start to rock. The legs are starting to feel good and I no longer
just want to hang on. Somewhere before I start to rock 6 dudes get away. 15
laps to go and I feel awesome. I'm going from the back of the pack to the
front of the pack on the climb with ease. Where are these climbing legs
coming from? I roll to the front and with my new Vitamin Cottage teammate we
give chase to the break. We trade pulls for 2 laps and that's all I have.
The laps tick by and the love of bike racing and especially crits flows
through my body. 1 lap to go I make a go for the front, but it is too late
and I finish mid pack.
On to the luck part. I stick around for the pro 1/2 race and when they say
PRO they mean pro. Scott Moninger from Healthnet and a few other pros and a
little unknow that Rebecca loves, Tyler Hamilton on the line with 70 others.
Are you kidding? Tyler Hamilton on the line for a training crit? The pace
was insane and the most insane part about it... Tyler gets dropped on the
riser and misses the break.... Moninger ends up winning. I'll stay a cat 3
thank you very much....
I don't know where I got the idea of retiring last year. I've got 9 months
of racing ahead of me and I'm totally stoked to keep the dream alive.
I'm in town this upcoming weekend if anyone wants to rock...
rode the trainer for two hours. Then headed up the mountain to snowboard for
a couple hours. Came home for lunch and strapped on the tele-skis for a
couple hours.
Sunday I awoke nervous for the 1st race of the year. Riding up here in the
winter is nearly impossible with all of the snow - while Denver has been in
the 50 & 60s most of the winter. I rolled down to Boulder for the 1st crit
of the season and it is 70 degrees and sunny. Snowboarding one day and
basking in the sun the next. I got there in time to watch some of the 4's
race. Wow they looked fast. The thing about CO is that they are not USCF so
I'm lucky to be a cat 3 here because they are ACA. More on the lucky part
later. Course description: rectangle 1.1 mile loop. Start on a flat section
to a slight riser to a false flat to another riser to a downhill, back to
the flat section. I knew the hill would not feel slight after awhile. I line
up and there are 52 cat 3's on the line. 52 and it's considered a training
crit. We rock off the line and my goal today is to see how long I can hang
on and try not to get dropped. I've never raced this early in the season and
Joey Friel says I'm not ready to yet. The first 10-15 mins roll by and the
hill is painful. Since it is the 1st race of the year people are a little
sketch and I'm on the back just trying to hang on. I hear 25 laps to go...
Are you kidding me? 25 more times up the risers... I can't do it. But I grit
my teeth and give myself a silent whoop whoop and think of the B-wood dream
team and start to rock. The legs are starting to feel good and I no longer
just want to hang on. Somewhere before I start to rock 6 dudes get away. 15
laps to go and I feel awesome. I'm going from the back of the pack to the
front of the pack on the climb with ease. Where are these climbing legs
coming from? I roll to the front and with my new Vitamin Cottage teammate we
give chase to the break. We trade pulls for 2 laps and that's all I have.
The laps tick by and the love of bike racing and especially crits flows
through my body. 1 lap to go I make a go for the front, but it is too late
and I finish mid pack.
On to the luck part. I stick around for the pro 1/2 race and when they say
PRO they mean pro. Scott Moninger from Healthnet and a few other pros and a
little unknow that Rebecca loves, Tyler Hamilton on the line with 70 others.
Are you kidding? Tyler Hamilton on the line for a training crit? The pace
was insane and the most insane part about it... Tyler gets dropped on the
riser and misses the break.... Moninger ends up winning. I'll stay a cat 3
thank you very much....
I don't know where I got the idea of retiring last year. I've got 9 months
of racing ahead of me and I'm totally stoked to keep the dream alive.
I'm in town this upcoming weekend if anyone wants to rock...
