Welcome to the wide world of racing crits. Sherman Park, hosted by ***. 30/40+ masters. 35 min crit. This was suppose to be an easy crit because there were no technical difficulties...course was oval. How friggin easy can that be? Right? Over eight crashes throughout the day. Unfortunately for me, just getting back in saddle of racing after more than 15 plus years it should have been a piece of cake. I ride with Turin out of Evanston, Illinois. One of our guys took first place in a previous race; I was pretty pumped, especially after getting great advice from my riding partner and others on strategy. I was totally ready for this crit.
Getting to the point. I was pulling my partner and was making headway towards the front of the pack; I made it a point to keep watch on everything around me and especially in front--I was looking for more openings to get to the front (I felt hopeful and confident). Three rounds out some older guy (had to be pushing 68-70), loses control and crashes about 50 ft in front of me. I was able to get around him, but my partner was close on my tail and clipped my rear wheel: that was all she wrote. I was out of it before I really got into it. Destroyed my helmet but no serious injuries. Miraculously, I didn't scratch my bike at all. Was able to walk away with minor issues. My partner was able to avoid the crash after clipping me but because he slowed down so much (the crash took out 5 guys, some with some serious injuries) he had to pull out.
I was extremely ****** because I really felt strong, ready and confident that I could have gotten my partner and I a decent placement. Afterward it made me realize that I'm a lot stronger than I have been wanting to give myself credit for. Of course, it was early in the race, but the training that I've been doing with my team and solo has been paying big dividends leaving me to believe that the potential is there to do better next time. I'm even more pumped up now to start riding with some of these group rides that are particularly challenging. We have a Sunday ride tomorrow. Can't wait.
Getting to the point. I was pulling my partner and was making headway towards the front of the pack; I made it a point to keep watch on everything around me and especially in front--I was looking for more openings to get to the front (I felt hopeful and confident). Three rounds out some older guy (had to be pushing 68-70), loses control and crashes about 50 ft in front of me. I was able to get around him, but my partner was close on my tail and clipped my rear wheel: that was all she wrote. I was out of it before I really got into it. Destroyed my helmet but no serious injuries. Miraculously, I didn't scratch my bike at all. Was able to walk away with minor issues. My partner was able to avoid the crash after clipping me but because he slowed down so much (the crash took out 5 guys, some with some serious injuries) he had to pull out.
I was extremely ****** because I really felt strong, ready and confident that I could have gotten my partner and I a decent placement. Afterward it made me realize that I'm a lot stronger than I have been wanting to give myself credit for. Of course, it was early in the race, but the training that I've been doing with my team and solo has been paying big dividends leaving me to believe that the potential is there to do better next time. I'm even more pumped up now to start riding with some of these group rides that are particularly challenging. We have a Sunday ride tomorrow. Can't wait.
