Nascar for Bikes.

     Yesterday I raced in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Dilworth Criterium. This was a much bigger event than the previous weekend in Tennessee, it included three different criterium races over Saturday and Sunday, but I was only able to race the first event at Dilworth. A criterium, or crit for short, is kind of like a Nascar race for bicycles. It involves a closed road course that is typically around a mile in length and forms a loop. A crit is much shorter than a road race and usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes. They are also very spectator friendly because the racers just keep doing lap after lap and there are usually some tight turns to crank up the excitement. Crits are also considered a bit more dangerous than a standard road race because of the tight turns, lots of close pacing and jostling for position, and more wrecks. Additionally, the pace is pretty fast since the distance is so much shorter. Finally, most crits are scored only at the end with a sprint finish deciding the victor. The image below shows yesterday's course. As you can see there are two tight turns. The first turn was on Myrtle Avenue after the climb so the speeds are a bit slower. The second turn was at Dilworth Road West at the bottom of a fast descent that had numerous man-hole covers to really make it a sketchy turn. The loop finished with a climb up Romany Road to the start/finish line.

     Now that you understand the basics of crit racing, let's get to the nitty gritty of yesterday's race. We lined up around 10:50 that morning and there were a over 60 of us in the Cat 4 race. I had the pre-race jitters because there were lots of big riders with fancy carbon bikes that probably cost as much as my car. The big riders made me nervous because they are the ones that have the muscle to really tear up a sprint finish and since this was a short race I fully expected them to be there at the end. The starting whistle went and we were off.  I had started near the front and after the first turn, I got on the inside and shot up to the top five where I tried to stay for the whole race. As I said last week, the key to bike racing is not working hard until you have to. Which means one should stay near the front in order to stay out of wrecks and respond to attacks, but not at the very front working in the wind. Being near the front in a crit becomes even more important because of all the accelerations and decelerations throughout the race. When the pack, or peloton, goes into a turn the entire group has to slow for the turn. Then as the front of the pack exits the turn, they accelerate and the pack spreads out so all the riders at the back have to work extra hard to make up that gap. So, staying near the front of the group is key. The first few laps were very fast and I was hurting, but I was still where wanted to be. The course was especially difficult because in each lap we had to slow for the second turn and then climb up Romany Road and each lap made Romany Road hurt more and more. Halfway into the race, despite the fast pace, I still felt like I had the strength to finish well.

     Yet another aspect of crit racing are prizes given to the leader at different laps during the race, called primes (pronounced preems). Primes are given out at different points, usually as a way to shake things up and get the pack to work harder. They had already given one out, and then they rang the bell and said there was a 50 dollar gift card to a local bike shop for the first person across the line on the next lap. I stayed near the front and was thinking that I could waste some energy for that gift card. As we climbed the hill to the start/finish I was in second, took off for the gift card, and then won it. Boom.

     Other than winning that prime I continued to race smart by minimizing my pulls on the front, staying in the top five, and getting through the turns safely. As the race was coming to an end they told us how many laps were left in the race. With four laps to go a rider got away and managed to open up a nice gap. A few other riders and myself attempted to work together to pull him in, but he stayed away. Then, with three laps to go, I took off to catch him. I managed to get away from the rest of the field and halfway to the leader ending up in a place called no man's land. Called such because the rider is all alone working by himself in the wind. This continued for the next lap until I had almost closed the gap on the leader, but the rest of the field had caught me in the process. We raced through the start finish line and the bell was rung, indicating one lap to go. I felt pretty beat by my effort to chase down the leader, so I sat in to try and rest up for the final sprint up the hill to the finish. As we were heading down the hill one guy accelerated off the front and I followed, we screamed into the final turn with a bit of a gap on the rest of the field and made our way up the hill. Damn that hill! We all stood up and sprinted for the line. Other riders were around me and I tucked in on a wheel to rest a bit for the last 100 yards before I took off. Two guys were just a few yards ahead of me, but I knew I could finish in the top five. As I was coming for the line it was myself and another guy neck in neck for third, so I threw my bike at the line like a pro and eeked out a third place finish. 

  

This is an example of what a bike throw looks like and it's definitely me.

     Anyway, I was pretty pumped about the finish and happy about the upgrade points I just scored to help me in my pursuit to get to cat 3. I now have 16 points and only need 4 more in order to upgrade. A criterium is super fun for both the racer and the spectators, so if you have one in your city this summer I recommend you go check it out.    

     

A bicycle race.

     Yesterday, I traveled to Piney Flats, Tennessee to race my bike.  Cue Queen.   First, a bit of background.  Last fall I joined Velosports Racing Team, which is a local team with about thirty members.  Amateur cycling is quite big here in the Southeast with many races taking place in North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina.  Racing your bike is not as simple as going to a 5k foot race and lining up on the starting line.  Bike racing involves a ranking system of numbered categories, which is usually shortened up as 'Cat' and then the corresponding number (Categories 1-5).  Entry level racers are in cat 5.  The categories are used as a way of separating cyclists according to their ability and experience.  For example, to get from cat 5 to 4 one simply needs to race ten races or do very well in a few races.  Then, to advance from cat 4 and upward one needs to place in races to gain points.  With the correct number of points one can then apply for an upgrade to the next category.  Wow, now that you're thoroughly confused, let's move on to the actual race.
      The race.  I raced the Milligan College Cycling Classic Road Race.  This race was a 22 mile course and my race was two laps and totaled 44 miles.  It was a rolling course with two decent climbs, large hills, and a few other small steep hills thrown in the mix (Here is the Strava link showing the course and my race).  Additionally, my race was a combined field of categories 4 and 5 with a total of 21 riders in the race.  The race began with a moderate to fast pace thanks, in part, to me since I was on the front pushing the speed.  My goal was to get the pack going fast to shed the cat 5 riders and anyone else that couldn't climb.  The first lap went by without much drama, I was on the front during the climbs attempting to make everyone else hurt without hurting myself too much.  As is typical of a small field the pace on the flats was pretty slow, since no one wanted to do the work in the wind.  Unfortunately, I probably spent too much time on the front trying to push the pace.  The key in a road race is to be near the front in order to respond to any attacks or attempts at break aways, but not actually on the front working hard in the wind.  The problem for me is that I get too antsy and end up working on the front too much.  All of this work is usually for nothing, in bike racing there are no points awarded for working on the front.  Regardless of my lack of smarts, the first lap went by and I still felt pretty fresh.  On the final climb of the day I pushed the pace pretty hard and ended up with a bit of a gap between myself and the rest of the pack.  I continued to push as hard as I could and soon another rider crossed the gap. I found myself in a two-man break away.  We worked hard to crest the climb and stay away.  I believe we were off the front for maybe a mile or so, but then we were swallowed up by the rest of the field.  Again, I wasn't really racing very smart. A little two-man break probably wouldn't have been able to stay away from the pack for very long, but I had fun doing it and that has to count for something.  Once the the rest of the pack caught us I decided to sit in the group and wait until the very end for the sprint to the finish line.  It was probably the only time in the race that I was patient and smart.  Even though I am not a sprinter, I felt that I had a good chance since it was not a very big field.  My small frame and skinny build are better suited for big climbs than the fast accelerations of a group sprint.  The pack and I motored on to the finish line.  As we neared the finish the group started to get twitchy.  Then, with less than a mile to go, everyone was trying to get near the front to be in good position for the final sprint.  I actually was in a good spot and attempted to rest a second to get ready for the pain that was about to ensue.  With about 400 yards left someone went for it and all of us followed.  Then, for the last 200 yards, we were supposed to have both lanes of the road closed to allow for the sprint finish.  Needless to say there were cars in the oncoming lane.  However, the guy I was trying to get around was on the yellow line so I jumped into the oncoming lane, traffic be damned.  Sadly my legs didn't have it and I ended up in third place.  Like I said earlier: I'm not a sprinter, but I gave it my best and had a decent result.
     I got a few upgrade points out of the race and learned more about racing.  Next week I'll be heading to Charlotte for the Dilworth Criterium.  I should have an update on that one as well, and some info about what exactly a criterium is.  Stay tuned.