Kew crits 7/12/05

essendon93 said:

Dave should I bring the knitting needles? 😉 Ok maybe that was a
cheap shot, and well I can't exactly talk myself.

Well at the point i was dropped I was seriously thinking about the
knitting needles too (7 min mark=worst yet). But my average speed for
the Dave ITT was up by over 1km so I'm improving, it's just that
everyone else seems to be improving faster. I'll probably keep doing it
every 2 weeks and treat it as mid-week interval training.

DaveB

quote='DaveB'essendon93 said:

Dave should I bring the knitting needles? 😉 Ok maybe that was a
cheap shot, and well I can't exactly talk myself.

Well at the point i was dropped I was seriously thinking about the
knitting needles too (7 min mark=worst yet). But my average speed for
the Dave ITT was up by over 1km so I'm improving, it's just that
everyone else seems to be improving faster. I'll probably keep doing it
every 2 weeks and treat it as mid-week interval training.

DaveB[/QUOTE]

I thought 3 minutes was an eternity the first time I did the Kew crits. I think its the hardest criterium in Melbourne. Its excellent as interval training and providing mid week incentive to get out and train.

After 2 weeks of cold/flu/lurgy and running the rego table (and having fun pinging sandbaggers 😄) I decided to bite bullet and just race, damnit.
Still coughing occasionally, but what the hell...
Dgrade. Usual drill. field of 25-30?.
Pace early on was a tad quicker than 'usual'. Spotted a Sandbagger who had already placed and Won in D. Had a 'chat' to which he added "I have won ONCE, [censored]". Gee. Must have missed that committee meeting where we decided 17 wins and a wheelie over the finishing line means you get bumped up 🙄
Didnt see him again after that. NFI if that was due to 'chat' or just not up to it this time...
Stayed in the first 5-6 for pretty much the whole thing.
My thinking going in was that today would be a 'flush the lurgy away' session so no ambitions of 'doing' anything.
Dean Roberts, a Dgrade regular who had almost made C last year then had a knee op and was getting back to near placings again, pulled up next to me. I suggested to him i didnt 'have enuff n me' today for the last chapter so did he want a domestique?
He grinned and proceeded to sit on my wheel.
Few laps later got '3 laps to go'.
Pace only slightly picking up (altho it had been uppish consistently anyway)
and concentrated on staying at the frontend and smooth for Dean.
GOing up that hill in the first few is a truckload easier than further back as you dont struggle to catch up every lap and get a much faster entry-exit on the hairpin.
Obviously staying at the front was having a decent effect on the field as the swamping i was expecting wasnt coming??
As we went round corner and up the hill I ask Dean what he wants (we could talk quite easily so pace wasnt that bad 'or_I'm_super_fit :rolleyes🙂
"Just kep me near the first few and get me to the corner 3rd-4th. you got that in you?"
Surprisingly, i did. I hadnt counted on feeling that OK by this stage...
Sat at 3rd wheel down hill and really wound it up fast, but smooth, making sure nobody could fly past (<insert images of slow-version of Alajet's train here>😄)
50m out form Hairpin i was wavering and decided it was up to Dean now.
Put hand behind back and said "GO!"
Dean got to corner 4th and nailed 3rd. Apparently went round corner in 2nd biggest gear accudentally so coulda been better 🙄
I waited for field to go by and a few minutes later rode up to finish line.
Young guy, Jeremy Palmer placed and (i think) another 'other-club' youngy.

Very satisfying 😄 Just like on telly. This tactix stuff is a buzz 😄😄

Strange thing was I felt so OK as we approached that last corner I really should have stayed on and seen just how far I could push it!?!?
Oh well, I was hoping to shake a cold at the start.
Next week, next week...

flyingdutch said:

GOing up that hill in the first few is a truckload easier than further
back as you dont struggle to catch up every lap and get a much faster
entry-exit on the hairpin.

Bah, I made a serious effort at getting near the front at the hairpin
for the few laps I lasted with the pack, and still got passed by
everyone in DGrade and had to do the big catchup down the back. Maybe I
should just go to Glenvale. 🙁

DaveB "who ate all the pies"

"flyingdutch" wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

Pace early on was a tad quicker than 'usual'. Spotted a Sandbagger who
had already placed and Won in D. Had a 'chat' to which he added "I have
won ONCE, [censored]". Gee. Must have missed that committee meeting where
we decided 17 wins and a wheelie over the finishing line means you get
bumped up 🙄

haha, what a [censored]... sounds like he was already feeling a bit guilty with a
reply like that...

There was a dude in D grade on an '03 Giant OCR - pedalling though the
hairpin all the way!!... one lap he hit his pedal, which you'd think would
have been the wake up call... but nooo... very next lap and while mid-pack
he plants the crank and lifts the back of the bike up... he somehow
unclipped and jumped and danced his way all over the track to the gutter..
then comes the best comment made last night from Dan Braunsteins "hah, that
didn't look very pro"...

cheers,
GPL