-Criterium with one Steep Hill
-Touchstone Riders: Markham
The great thing about Cat’s Hill is that my race started in the afternoon. The bad thing about Cat’s Hill is that it started in the afternoon. I was able to sleep in (7am-when my 2-year old daughter wakes up these days) and putz around the house. BUT….I can only putz around for so long, so I decided to finish watching Into the Wild-bad mistake before a race, a crit no less. It’s a good film but kind of a downer. Okay…it’s time to get down there and get pounded on by these crit riders. When I looked at the roster to see who was in my race I didn’t recognize anyone‘s name from the road races. By now I’ve gotten to know some of the guys and contenders in my field. I didn’t realize that you have your crit racers and then you have your road racers. I guess that’s true since Cat’s Hill was my second crit ever, and the only reason why I signed up for this race is because John Ormsby, Mr. Crit, talked me into it. I said that I’d do it to help him but don’t find me anywhere near the sprint. Unfortunately, John crashed at the Martinez crit and cracked his pelvis and hand (good news, he’s now back on the bike). I decided to still do it and experience for myself why John loves these things. Plus, if I were to do a crit this would be the one because there’s a steep hill in it. I figured that might string the field out a bit. I have to admit that I was a really nervous about crashing for two reasons. One, I crashed at Wente Road Race the weekend before. I limped away with road rash and broken handlebars. Two, I saw Mr. Crit in a cast and walking with a cane after his crit crash.
I got to the race early so I could see the “Hill”. As I walked by people in their front lawns BBQ-ing and drinking Coronas I couldn’t help but think, man, I’d love to just sit down, throw back a few and watch these idiots suffer up that Hill. And this was, of course, before I saw the Hill. I walked on as the Cat 3/4 women zoomed past me. They took a left and, oh s--t, that’s the Hill? That’s steep! It literally goes instantly from flat to 23%. How far do we have to go up that Hill? I got to the base of the climb with music blaring and the announcer blabbing in his microphone and a crowd cheering on the riders. Wow…this is kind of cool. I looked up the Hill to see that it wasn’t that long. 12 times up that thing? Hmmmmmm.
After a good warm-up I got to the “staging area” for the riders. They finally called us in after waiting for the Masters 1/2/3’s to finish. They were delayed due to a large and nasty crash. Oh man, that’s not what I wanted to hear. John said to be sure to race up to the start to get a front position. When they let us in 60 of us bolted to the line. I looked behind me to see that I was toward the back. Damn. John told me that when they blow the whistle to sprint for a good position at the front. Damn. He really meant it. 60 guys sprinted to the first corner. I was toward the back. You really have to feel aggressive from the get-go in these crits. In a road race it’s a little more relaxed at the start. You have more time to get situated. Here, it’s balls out. Powering up the Hill on the first go around was easy, thanks to adrenaline. The downhill to the straightaway was a little sketchy because of uneven pavement and cracks. I was still in the same position going into the 2nd lap- towards the back. We were going pretty hard the first few laps mainly because people were trying their damnedest to get in a good position. I decided to wait a little to get into a rhythm (i.e. feel more comfortable doing a crit), and to see how things play out. Incidentally, that’s a dangerous strategy for a crit. I found that I would always move up significantly on the Hill but fall back a few slots on the downhill corner going into the straightaway. I realized that I didn’t have a problem on the Hill as much as I did on that downhill corner. I always got gapped there and would have to drive to stay attached to the group.
Half way through the race I started to feel more comfortable, to the point where I could try different lines on the Hill and the descent. I was also starting to find the right gear to crank up the Hill. It took a few laps to find it. Sometimes I’d go up on way too heavy of a gear and other times spinning too much. By the 9th lap I was ready to really make ground on the Hill. I found an inside line that looked to be clear to the top. It was clear until a big Third Pillar guy went dead in his tracks in front of me. The loss of momentum cost me. I was still in the last 1/3 of the front pack going into lap 10. Again, I cranked up the Hill and gained some more ground but not a lot. I did the same on the 11th lap. Going into the final lap I remember John and Scott saying to be sure to get in a good position before going into the descent. If you hold position there that’s where you will most likely end up. I decided that the Hill was going to be my sprint. I believe I was about 20 deep going into it and went as hard as I could. I managed to pass quite a few. I held my position going into the descent and gunned it as much as I could to the finish line to make sure that no one passed me. There was no way in hell that I was going to pass anyone because, yes, that downhill corner got me again. I was happy to come in 9th but I wished we had another couple of laps because I was finally in a good position.
For those who are not typically a crit rider this is a great race to do. The Hill isn’t so bad and makes it a classic. It’s fun because there are a lot of people on the sidelines cheering you on. It’s one big party! And, there’s a great Irish Pub down the street for a post-race cold Guinness anad fries.
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