License To Thrill!

Been here for the best part of a year now, and needless to say, the weather allows for more outdoor activity. Our activity of choice has always been cycling, and we've had a few adventures along the way. Nothing much to note recently, but today I took the plunge and signed up for a racing license. I've been thinking about it for a while, but a few guys at work race and last week I went to check out the local criterium series to get an idea of what I'd be in for.

A criterium, for those who don't know, is a race held on a short course (usually between 1-2km's) and lasts anywhere between 20-60 minutes. It's fast and can be hectic with lots of jostling for position on a course with plenty of corners. Crashes are to be expected.

If there is one thing that has kept me at bay from racing it's the crashes. Working in a bike shop I get all the stories, and most of them involve crashes. Hideous crashes. Requiring surgery.

Anyway, as I was saying, I headed to the course this morning with two objectives: not to get dropped, and to stay upright.

The weather was on the cool side and there was a pretty steady wind, so finding shelter in the bunch would be crucial. I had some idea of what kind of race I wanted to run, but that only goes so far once everyone gets moving. As the course is a loop, finding shelter in the bunch for both directions is quite tricky as one would have to move across to the other side either through the riders around you (not going to happen), through a gap if one opens up, or from the back. Realistically you are often going to be exposed to the wind for half of the course if you aren't a bit crafty, and it makes a huge difference.

My group was about 30 strong, and we set off at an easy pace, but it picks up quickly. At 30 minutes with a sprint at around half distance, it's short enough that the pace is usually pretty high. The group stayed together the entire time without anyone going off the front and only one guy getting dropped off the back.

I had some pre-race nerves and knew it would be harder than normal to keep my heart rate at a manageable level, and I wasn't wrong. At one point when the pace picked up my computer showed 206bpm, so I had to settle into the group and recover for a bit. Checking the numbers after the race, my max was apparently 221bpm, which must have been when I went for the prem sprint (the half way point). I was mid pack and felt pretty good so decided to go for it, going early and braking clear, holding off a few comers and taking it pretty commandingly. Problem was, I wasn't sure that it was the right lap for the sprint.

I heard over the speakers something about "sprint" and decided to assume that it was the next time over the finish line, so moved myself up in the bunch accordingly. I wasn't listed as the winner, so obviously I got it wrong.

The rest of the race continued without incident. A couple of wheels almost touched but nobody went down. on the last lap I moved up towards the front and on the back straight pushed out into the lead, but it was too early, and it was into the headwind. I was a bit too eager. With about 100 meters to go my legs started to give out and I had to dig really deep to keep tenth, as I counted.

Learned a few lessons and got the first one out of the way without incident. The next few will continue to be a steep learning curve and maybe I will be lucky enough for a top five finish soon. Myra is thinking about giving it a go too. I will try to get some pictures of the next one so you can see me in all my glory!