Things at DG went much better this year as compared to last year's debacle. The temp was perfect, the sun was shining and there were no clouds in sight. I'd had some decent days of training the past few weeks and my legs were feeling really good today so I was hoping to have a strong showing at this season's criterium nationals. My head, on the other hand, was in sorry shape. I've done a decent job of handling pressure and nervousness this year but today was another story entirely. In fact, I'd been horribly anxious the past 3 or 4 days about the race and had slept very little because of it so I was also tired - not a good combination.
I did start to feel better after arriving at the venue and seeing my teammates - they're a great group of girls who are always very positive so being around them before start time was good for my always fragile psyche. That, some groovy tunes, a can of Whoop Ass and some pre-race encouragement from a friend (you know who you are) helped me get to the start line with a better mindset - thanks for that, it made a tremendous difference.
Representing for Kenda today were myself, Catherine, Kat, Kristin, Jessi, Andrea, and Amy - all strong, smart racers. Standing on the start line and waiting waiting waiting in the field of 86 for the 'go' signal just kills me but we were off soon enough and things were hot from the very beginning. The national championship course in DG suits me - an 8-turn mile-long course with tight corners, a couple gradual uphill sections and one very minor bump of a hill between turns 3 and 4. All the big US teams were represented and there was a lot of action at the front with a fair number of primes and a couple small breaks - we really never sat up at any point in the 31 lap race.
Gaining and holding position on this course is the real battle. I always had to be thinking 2-3 turns ahead, deciding whether to use energy to move up only to lose position 3 turns later or just stay where I was. I guess you could say I raced conservatively - safe and protected. I tried to stay in the front third to half as much as possible which worked out pretty well - I was usually able to move up when I wanted to and managed to mostly stay out of trouble.
At 6 to go I was sucked into a wreck just after turn 1 but fortunately got up and was put back in without much problem. Things were starting to wind up and the pace was pretty high. I was happy with my place in the field on the final lap - until someone skipped her back wheel in turn 7 and someone else scraped a pedal in turn 8 - I lost a LOT of positions because of those two things and ended up finishing 23rd. Really, when you think about it, criterium racing is the ultimate crap shoot. You can have the best legs of your life, be exactly where you think you need to be and still end up as an also ran. I didn't check the results very closely but I know Catherine and Amy were just ahead of me and the rest of my teammates finished respectably - well done, ladies.
Thanks to all my friends who came out today to watch the racing - there were so many of you that I can't possibly list you all here - I appreciate your cheers and encouragement. Congrats to Bill - you do belong out there. Also, I had the occasion to talk with Jim Scott who is recovering after a pretty heinous wreck at a Superweek race - so great to see you, Jim. That's a mighty nice scar you have...
Up next, the state pursuit championship on the track. Should be interesting - I've never ridden a pursuit and I understand that they hurt a lot. We all know how much I love to suffer (NOT!) so I'm really looking forward to it!! Beyond that maybe the state road race and then the state TT championship before transitioning into cyclocross season. If I happen to get my hands on any photos or links to photos from today, I will update this post. Thanks for reading....
I did start to feel better after arriving at the venue and seeing my teammates - they're a great group of girls who are always very positive so being around them before start time was good for my always fragile psyche. That, some groovy tunes, a can of Whoop Ass and some pre-race encouragement from a friend (you know who you are) helped me get to the start line with a better mindset - thanks for that, it made a tremendous difference.
Representing for Kenda today were myself, Catherine, Kat, Kristin, Jessi, Andrea, and Amy - all strong, smart racers. Standing on the start line and waiting waiting waiting in the field of 86 for the 'go' signal just kills me but we were off soon enough and things were hot from the very beginning. The national championship course in DG suits me - an 8-turn mile-long course with tight corners, a couple gradual uphill sections and one very minor bump of a hill between turns 3 and 4. All the big US teams were represented and there was a lot of action at the front with a fair number of primes and a couple small breaks - we really never sat up at any point in the 31 lap race.
Gaining and holding position on this course is the real battle. I always had to be thinking 2-3 turns ahead, deciding whether to use energy to move up only to lose position 3 turns later or just stay where I was. I guess you could say I raced conservatively - safe and protected. I tried to stay in the front third to half as much as possible which worked out pretty well - I was usually able to move up when I wanted to and managed to mostly stay out of trouble.
At 6 to go I was sucked into a wreck just after turn 1 but fortunately got up and was put back in without much problem. Things were starting to wind up and the pace was pretty high. I was happy with my place in the field on the final lap - until someone skipped her back wheel in turn 7 and someone else scraped a pedal in turn 8 - I lost a LOT of positions because of those two things and ended up finishing 23rd. Really, when you think about it, criterium racing is the ultimate crap shoot. You can have the best legs of your life, be exactly where you think you need to be and still end up as an also ran. I didn't check the results very closely but I know Catherine and Amy were just ahead of me and the rest of my teammates finished respectably - well done, ladies.
Thanks to all my friends who came out today to watch the racing - there were so many of you that I can't possibly list you all here - I appreciate your cheers and encouragement. Congrats to Bill - you do belong out there. Also, I had the occasion to talk with Jim Scott who is recovering after a pretty heinous wreck at a Superweek race - so great to see you, Jim. That's a mighty nice scar you have...
Up next, the state pursuit championship on the track. Should be interesting - I've never ridden a pursuit and I understand that they hurt a lot. We all know how much I love to suffer (NOT!) so I'm really looking forward to it!! Beyond that maybe the state road race and then the state TT championship before transitioning into cyclocross season. If I happen to get my hands on any photos or links to photos from today, I will update this post. Thanks for reading....
