Seattle Mikes First Crit
At 52 I competed in my first real bicycle race. I learned a lot about myself and racing.
The Garret Wonders Memorial race is held in Westerville Ohio. This year a second day is being added to the event; on Saturday the race is in Westerville, on Sunday Columbus.
I came to Columbus and became Seattle Mike, an unemployed aerospace tool engineer who loves to ride his bike. Being unemployed I get to spend extra time riding the bike. This preserves my sanity and keeps my blood sugar levels in the acceptable range. The goal is to ride 120 miles a week. I almost always exceed that amount.
When you ride a lot you get pretty strong. When you are strong people assume that you race. One of the most common questions I get asked is,”Where did you race?” The answer is always the same, “I don’t race cause I hate to lose.” It is part said in fun and part in truth. I mean face it with all the racer spandex and race bike the only thing that I am missing is the shaved legs and massage…oh and a race.
It is similar to my adopted profession, aerospace tool engineering. I always get asked the same question, “Where did you go to school?” Well to be honest I went to school for three and a half years and never got a degree, well except for the certificate in technical management from Cal Tech. Most of my career has been spent managing engineers.
So for me my first race is like graduation.
I got talked into racing Garret Wonders on a Westerville Wednesday night ride. Mike Perakis kept telling me that he would see me Saturday morning. His coaxing gave me inspiration to race. I had confidence that I wouldn’t embarrass myself too much, after all I had over 5,000 miles in my legs this year.
Of course I know that racing is a lot more than lungs, heart and legs. It takes brains. The ability to turn a bike without braking. The ability to stay on the wheel in front of you without touching it. Knowing that you could crash without thinking that you will crash. And just the plain knowledge of how to stay in front of the pack.
On Thursday night I talked with Rick Jefferies about racing in the Garret Wonders race in the Cat 5 group. Rick told me that he had raced it prior. His biggest gripe about the event was that quite a few Cat 3 and 4 racers race in the Cat 5 race. Seems that they like to win. I was undeterred but felt that I may need a little more understanding of Criterium racing.
I cleaned the chain, cassette and chain rings on my Scott Addict. I scrubbed the wheels and brake pads. Lubed the chain and wiped down the frame. The bike was ready.
To understand criterium racing I turned to, “Racing Tactics for Cyclists” by Thomas Prehn. I got this book 5 years ago when I took up bicycling again. I wanted to understand how bike races were run and what strategies were employed. I also learned about bike handling, pack riding and the psyche of the bike racer. In the process I got the idea that I would like to try racing sometime. I re-read the section on Criterium racing. My head was ready.
Off to bed and dreams of the podium.
I awoke at 5:45AM, time to walk the dog and eat breakfast. I decided that since the Criterium is only a half an hour that a light breakfast would be in order. Plain yogurt with blueberries, juice and toast. For pre race I would have a Gatorade, Odwalla fruit drink and a Cliff gel. I figured that would get me through 25 minutes of exertion.
The registration line opened at 7:00AM. I didn’t preregister on line. So I needed to complete my paperwork prior to the race.
To race you need a license. I choose to get a one day license, for $10.00. A one year license is $60.00. The license is all paperwork, no written test, and no field test. You acknowledge that racing a bike is dangerous, and that you won’t sue. You also give your age as of December 31, 2010. So in racing years I am 53…I like 52 better.
As far as events go, due to my age, being over 40 I have two choices. I can race with the over 40 men Cat 3 or 4, or, I can race with Cat 5 novices, no age restriction. I am not really sure which one I should be in. The helpful volunteer suggests that I race in the Cat 5 event. Because I truly have never raced and the over 40 men know what they are doing and probably just turned 40. I take her advice.
So here it is. I am now registered for my first bike race. Time to go put the front wheel on the bike and get into my roll: team kit.
The juniors’ race is at 8:00AM. I decide to watch to see what happens.
I see Mike Perakis and go over to say good morning Mike gives me the lowdown on the Cat 5 race. First off, there were 35 racers who pre registered for Cat 5. There are an additional 14 who registered like I did the day of the race. Mike says that the first lap will be fast and that the pace will probably drop about the third lap. There are a few experienced guys in the race. I tell him I plan to hold back for the first lap and then move my way up towards the front of the pack on lap 2 and 3. It sounded pretty good.
Next off are the men over 40 Cat 3 and 4. The field is about 12 riders. I am starting to think that maybe I should have ridden with that group. Fewer riders less chance to crash, or be crashed. The pace is high. The group is completing laps in about 2 minutes which means that they are averaging close to 30 mph.
In between races the organizers open the course for riders to practice. This criterium route has 4 left hand corners. The start finish line is about three quarters of the way down one of the straights on the main street in Uptown Westerville. You leave the start it is slightly uphill go 100 yards and take an open left hand turn, a little less than 90 degrees onto Park Street. Park is uphill, the grade is less than a percent, but you know that you are going up. Your next turn is a little more aggressive, sharper than 90 degrees, on to Summit. Summit runs slightly down hill. Next 90 degree turn onto College. College runs downhill. Fast left turn onto State Street and the run for the finish line. The organizers place hay bales in front of street signs, telephone poles and electrical boxes. The course seems to be very fast and fairly safe to me. I practice taking the turns and figuring out what the inside and the outside of the turns feel like at 20 mph. Of course I know that it will be different 3 to 4 abreast. I really want to know how comfortable I am by myself. My goal for the day is to not see Jesus waiting for me in the corner.
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| Garret Wonders Race Route Westerville |
When the over 40 race finishes they open up the course. I take two laps, a little faster than my earlier spins around the course. I want to feel what it is like to be a speed around corners 3 and 4. I get to the start line late. They are giving the riders instructions. I am at the back of the pack. A couple other racers come to the line after me. They meander up further in the field.
There is a pace car that precedes the head of the pack. In our case we get to follow a yellow Corvette. The announcer asks if the pace car is ready. The engine is revved. Pace car is ready to go. The race is started. Time for our 25 minutes of racing. A pro criterium is an hour. It is not based on miles, like a road race, only time and the pace of the field dictate the distance.
The race is started. I am at the back of the pack. We start up Park Street. I don’t like the feel at the back and decide that I need to move up in the pack. I pass a few souls on Park, but am not making the kind of progress that I want to.
We turn onto Summit. I decide to go. The easiest way to pass the pack is to come up on the inside. I learned from my book that this is an effective way to move up, but that the crit racers don’t like people to move up this way. They call them “insiders.” The chief complaint is that they come up on the inside get to the corner and brake. Half way down Summit I hear someone callout, “here comes an insider.” I hold my line and come out of the corner third wheel. I complete the lap in third. It is pretty comfortable up here. It feels safe. My move up the inside seemed pretty easy. Our average speed for the first lap is 25 mph, according to the Garmin. The second lap is just as fast.
On the third lap riders start moving up on me on Summit Street. The same place where I moved up. I let them pass. I am overly confident. When I want to move up again I simply will. As we come around onto Central College I am continuing to move back in the pack. As we come up to the turn on State I am out the back. I bury myself trying to catch the field. I take the turn onto Park Street pretty fast and wide. I grab the rear brake and kick the back of the bike around. I won’t see the front of the pack again.
I try to catch the field on State, I can’t. I try to catch the field on Park, I can’t. I dangle off the back waiting for the field to slow it doesn’t. I see another rider getting spit off of the back on Summit. He takes the turn onto College too wide, locks up the rear brake and is up onto the sidewalk. He catches my wheel as I roll by.
Another rider gets spit out. The field is getting further away. I can’t see the pace car. I can’t see the field.
Criteriums have rules for when to pull a rider. There are course officials. In our case if you get gapped by a minute 50 seconds you are pulled. Unknown to me riders have already been pulled off of the course. One rider went down in turn 2. Another rider went up onto the sidewalk.
This other rider like me is participating in his first crit. When we come to the finish line we sprint. He tells me it was the last lap. I win the sprint to the line. We chat on our way around the course. As we come onto State Street he tells me that we still have another lap. I am in a small gear spinning out my legs. I can’t get into the big gear. He wins the sprint. We still have one more lap.
This time I am going to get him. We do the lap side by side. I pretty much decided that I am going to let him onto State Street first. He makes the turn and starts his sprint. The previous two laps I have always come at him from the left side. This time I am going to come around him on the right. He has the jump onto State. But I am going to get him. He sits up before the line. I scream by him on the right.
As we take our cool down lap he says you weren’t supposed to come by me on that side. I said I know that’s why I did.
My average speed for the race was 22.8mph. I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor. But I am pretty sure I was at maximum for a good portion of the race. My fastest speed was 32.3mph. My slowest lap is the one I took when I thought that the race was over 19.3mph. Average cadence was 90rpm.
I learned a lot in my first race. If there would have been another race Saturday afternoon I would have competed in it.
Alan Martin gave me my best lesson that afternoon, and, funny thing is that is one I read about the night before. In a criterium you don’t give up position. If you start to get spit out of the pack through the middle you need to get to the outside and work your way back up again. My mistake was that I expected a lull and the chance to move up again.
I also figured out that if you look at the electronic reader board you can see how many more laps there are remaining. The clock counts minutes until the last 5 laps.
Another racer was forced off the road by a crash. If he had fallen off his bike he would have been granted a free lap. A free lap is one where the race officials place you in the pit area until the pack comes around again. They then let you join the group.
Criterium racing is like very intense intervals. Your heart rate is up at maximum. You are constantly accelerating out of a turn. On Monday, my legs felt fine. My diaphragm was the only muscle that was sore. I was sore from breathing.
Not all Cat 5 racers are cat 5 racers.
I used to say that baseball was life, but now I think it may be criterium racing. You have to stay in the pack. If you snooze or slow to recover you’ll get left behind. Once you get behind you have to work twice as hard to catch back on. Having to wait for someone else to fail or cause a pileup is no way to race or live.
Winning can be defined as not getting pulled and beating someone 2 out of 3 times in a line sprint…for nothing. For the record I was placed 27th out of a field of 49.
I learned that I actually like racing. I need a new pair of shoes.
posted by Seattle Mike @ 2:05 PM
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