Pedalling Squares

Presidio Crit, September 19, 2004

Who:
Vaughn Van Naughty
Robbie 'O Canada' Robertson
Yours Truly, Master P

The Course:
A longish crit course that has a long uphill, a very short flat section (nearly a hairpin back down the hill), followed by a long downhill with one jog in the middle and then another short flat section to the bottom of the climb. The finish was near the top of the hill and the wind was blowing . . . you guessed it - down the hill! Nice! Oh and the course was still a little damp from the rain earlier in the morning. We were scheduled for 50 minutes and the field size was somewhere around 50.

The Skinny:

I started at the back - no biggie since it was a long tough crit and it I wasn't worried about losing it on a poor start. So I hung back for a bit. I was a little worried about the corner at the bottom. It was at the end of a long downhill, so you came into it hot. There was a little storm drain on the inside line, some botts-dots to rattle you off the middle line, and some wide, slippery crosswalk stripes to make you think twice before attempting to defy any laws of physics as you're leaning it over with 50 of your closest friends. The gnarly barriers on the outside at the turn's exit made me think of Abdu chowdering in many years ago in the Tour. Oh and did I mention it rained earlier?

I felt comfortable on the hill, but not explosive. I haven't been training too hard lately and I'm missing that extra something. So I sat in. After a few more trips around I felt like I had that bottom turn dialed in and decided to move up.

Perfect timing - they ring the prime bell. So I decide to see what I can do. Once we hit the climb the wind is in our faces and people are sitting in. Finally someone makes a good move to get a gap. I decide I'll try to follow him thinking he might tire near the top. He doesn't, but the two of us have a big gap. I put on the baggy pants, and decide it's hammer time - so we roll with it after cresting the top.

I pull all the way around, down the hill, up most of the hill and give him the elbow flick to take his turn. He sits.

I turn around - "You gonna work?"
"Not right now..."
"At all?"
"Well, I just uhhh, you know... the prime... and uhhh... "

Screw that. I may be blonde and ruggedly handsome, but I'm not that dumb. So I sit up.

Lo and behold, two more guys are bridging up to us. They pull right through and immediately start working with us. So we work together for probably the next lap and now everybody is contributing. I find myself pulling at the bottom of the hill, trying to keep the tempo high. But the guys can't hold my wheel. So I ease up - not gonna happen with this group.

There were a few more opportunities for primes that I could have contested but I really wanted to save it for the end. So I stayed near the front and out of trouble.

I think Van Naughty got pulled a little early but was able to encourage us on the uphill part of the course with the occasional golf clap. I was relieved to see Rob around this time - hanging tough in the front group. I was hoping for a little Pegasus love on that uphill, headwind finishing straight.

4 laps to go. I've got good position and just try to maintain my position each time on the descent. I knew I probably wouldn't make up any places on the descent, I just wanted to try not to lose any. So after two laps I look up at the lap counter, expecting to see 2 laps to go (4-2=2, right?), but it wasn't meant to be. They had counted it wrong, so now there was 1 to go. Bell Lap! Shit.

I wasn't quite as far near the front as I wanted to be and I knew I wasn't going to make up much ground with 1/2 a lap to go. I got through the bottom turn without incident, probably in around 12th position heading into the bottom of the hill.

But it wasn't gonna happen. I made up some places in the painful uphill sprint, but only managed top 6 or 8, I think. I was just too far back.

Post Race:
I've been kicking it old school lately - yes, sans heart rate monitor - the horror!!! So I don't know what my average HR was, but I only felt really bad warming up and sprinting to the finish.

Avg speed: 22.4 mph