Early Bird Criterium - First Road Race!

For 2010, I set a goal of doing a few road races and learning some of the skills and knowledge I would need to compete in them. Road racing is completely different than mountain bike racing, which I've been doing for a while now. You have pacelines and breakaway groups and you are a lot closer together moving as a pack, drafting off one another. it can be pretty nerve racking at times since you are only a foot behind someone's rear wheel with people on each side of you, so if anyone goes wrong, you're toast!

I decided to attend Early Bird Clinics held in Fremont by Velo Promo since 1988 (http://velopromo.com/ebcr-ent.htm). You pay $15 each week (+$5 for 1 day license if you don't have annual) to do a 40 minutes skills clinic which you get mentored from more experienced racers and then you do a 40 minute race simulation afterward for weeks 1-4 with week 5 being an actual race. It is a 5 week program but unfortunately I only made it out to week 1 & 5. Week 2 I was sick and week 3 had heavy rain, week 4 I was just lazy haha.

The race I did is called a 'criterium' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criterium) but basically it's a short track (in this case only 1.1km loop with four turns, really smooth and flat terrain) around closed city streets. For most of the race I kept toward the front, probably 10-20 back with another 30 or so behind me so I could try to position myself toward the front when there were only a couple laps left.

I actually was in front ,#1, at the beginning of the last lap but man it's tough being up there since you aren't drafting off anyone and you are doing all the work, so after turn #2 I slowed down and pulled out to the side to get back in behind the pack so I could recover a little before the final sprint. Unfortunately I couldn't find a hole to sneak back into the paceline till 10 spots back, I wish I could have snuck back in within the top 5. By now we were on turn #3 and people were picking up speed, I had little time to recover from leading a few moments ago but I gave it my all and sprinted. I got up to 32.1mph before crossing the finish line and ended up 19th! I would have liked top 10, but I mean the seperation between 10th and 19th is so small, I dont see how the officials distinguish between us, since we are all crossing within 100ths of seconds from each other. Not like the first place guy beat me by 1 minute like in mountain biking, he probably beat me by 5 seconds?!

One sketching part of the race was when we had 4, maybe 3 laps, left and we were going through turn #2 and the guy ahead of me took it real wide but I was behind him so I kind of took the same line as him but I managed to keep it tighter (it was close but I cleared it!) and not hit the curb that he hit as he exited the turn. In addition, I heard the guy right behind me slam into the curb but they told us don't look back if you hear crashes just keep going. I guess that's how more crashes happen, people look behind, instead of paying attention ahead. I think the guy blamed that someone took a bad line around the turn, was it me? Hey, I was just following the guy in front of me, sorry I pay attention and look over the guy ahead of me frequently and pay attention what is coming up ahead, stupid just to watch the guy directly in front of you. Haha, see I learned something! Crashing on the road sucks, asphalt isn't forgiving like dirt on a mountain bike.

Here are the stats from the race, about 15 miles, 37 minutes, average speed 24.4mph and max 32.1mph: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23660825 Sorry no pictures, hard to stop and take picture of yourself when you are racing haha! Maybe next time I can get someone to take pictures of me, that would be cool.

I think my next race will be at the Sea Otter Classic in April, that will be a 47 mile traditional road race with hills and not as smooth roads so that will be interesting. I hope to take what I learned from these clinics and use them on that. I'm sure the groups in that race will be split up into smaller groups and pacelines, since the hills will probably separate the weak from the strong :)