"Sometimes your the hammer and other times you are the nail." I don't know who said it first but today I was THE NAIL! Its no big secret that I get nervous in crits, especially when I have to race with the young guys. Today was no exception to that rule and I was a bit of a mess before and during the race. It is a cool course as far as crits are concerned. It starts with a straight going north on cascade and after a few hundred yards does a 180 degree hairpin turn and head back south on cascade for a few blocks until it makes a right turn down a hill and a cross a short flat section before a steep little climb followed by a left back onto cascade.
As with any day I race this year it was windy no crazy windy just enough to make gaps very difficult to bridge. So at the start I was more than a little anxious and when the starters gun went off I miss clipped and fought with my left pedal all the way through the hairpin turn. By the time I was clipped in I was DFL(dead fucking Last!) I started chasing and catching but the main group all ready had a big gap on the rest of us field fodder. I would occasionally catch stragglers off the back of the main field but they were to tired to help chase, so the race ended up being the Individual Time Trial. I knew going into this race and the wind out of the south east I needed to stay near the front from the word go, but I managed to screw that up.
It also made me realize I need to work on some of my explosiveness i.e. 30 sec power to close gaps. I still have to except this is only my third crit, I totally avoided them last year and if I am going to live by the bullshit I preach I have to start working on my weaknesses. So for now a am content with my base fitness and I realize that if not for a few mental errors I could have been there with the contenders. I just have a lot to learn.
On a happier note Keith had a very good ride and finished in the main group. YEAH!
