...well, it wasn't really a race per se as there were no 'placings' but rest assured, everyone one in my race [65 people] were all gunning to win. First things first: really good experience but I'm just no crit racer. I like climbing and road races and this was just off-and-on speed. Sometimes it was slow and other times it was getting fast.
Race - 10 laps, 4 turns.
Race started and that's when I switched the SRM on. First 5 minutes I was barely working and then the pace went up as jitters and attacks were thrown. Really kind of pointless in my opinion. This was my strategy going into the race [per recommendations of a good friend]: Sit tight in the bunch first 5 laps. At 5 laps to go, begin to move up. By lap 2, be in the top 10. On last lap, go with every attack but be sure to never touch the wind until final 100m, then go for it. First 5 laps, I just stayed with the bunch and never really was at the front. I just moved up where possible but let the idiots throw attacks for the first 5 laps.
With 5 laps to go, I decide it's time to break a sweat and move up a bit. Little by little I move up and start clawing my way to the top 20. With 3 laps to go, still stayed in the top 20 and moved up with people that were bracing the elements. Basically, I sucked wheel all day and tried to never touch the wind and have others do it for me. 2 laps to go, I'm in the top 15 people. Effort was mixed, sometimes I could feel it start to rev up and other times, I'm spinning at 180 watts or so. Really up and down and not one hard effort. With 1 lap to go, I place myself in the top 10 and it seems a lot of people are moving up so I think I slip into the top 20. Then approaching the final turn, this one guy [this was the winning move] launches an attack and I see 2 others following. I decide it's go-time and get down 2 more gears and go with this group of 4. We take the turn and this one fellow starts to sprint. I wait [my big blunder] for the other 2 to kick so that I can get a free ride up. In the end, I finished 4th and didn't even get out of my saddle!
So I KNOW I can go harder. Big lesson learned: Don't wait with final 100m to go.
On your first race though - that's amazing! Great work! And I loved your description of the race. I felt like I was watching. You're the next Lance. Except you're a vegan. So you're way cooler.
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