this is what suck looks like

Race Report: Hopkins Crit, July 9, 2006


So this one sucked. Partly self-fulfilling prophecy, I suppose, since my teammates and I were discussing strategy on the way over and every time my name came up I was like "yeah, right, if I'm even still there." But I suck at crits, and I know I suck at crits, so I'm not sure how much positive thinking would have helped me.

What would have helped me is not getting myself stuck at the back of the pack from the very beginning. The course was a plain rectangle with nice wide, smooth roads, so there shouldn't have been any sketchy stuff in the corners, but there was. My theory is that since it was so wide open, people figured they could take whatever crazy line they felt like taking. Anyway, I was stuck behind them all, and with people all over the road like they were, I never felt like there was a safe time to move up. Gap after gap opened. I sprinted around people to close them, but after a while I had closed one too many gaps and dang it, I was tired. So I fell off and rode around by myself for a while. It was like last year all over again!

Then June from NV caught up to me at about the same time as I caught a GW girl, and the three of us worked together for a bit. I could see the main pack not too far ahead of us, so I sat on for a couple laps to rest and then attacked hard from the back. Unfortunately I think I picked a prime lap (ice cream primes!) to try and bridge. The pack had been SO CLOSE, it should have been easy to get on after those rest laps, but when I came around the corner expecting to see them, they were long gone. Curses! Foiled again! I tried to TT my way up there for a couple laps, but it wasn't happening so eventually I sat up and waited for my two pals from the original chase group.

The three of us worked together for a few more laps (but apparently we weren't radiating cooperative enough vibes to stop spectators from yelling "WORK TOGETHER!"), until going into turn 3 there was some sort of crazy spaz-move from GW girl and next thing I saw she was stopping at the side of the road. June thought her leg had cramped or something. I didn't hear a tire blow out, so it's possible. Anyway, it was me and June for the rest of the race, and after minimal cat-and-mousing I sprinted around her at the finish and snagged myself the prestigious honor of 11th place (of 17). Woo freaking hoo.

Fortunately, my dismal performance wasn't enough to bump me out of my spot in the CMR series, which had slipped from 3rd down to 6th after I had to miss the Northfield crit. The series is now over--Gilby easily kept her lead with a second-place finish on the day--and I ended up 6th and scored some more schweet schwag. Which got even sweeter when Alix decided that she didn't need her third-place frame pump and traded me for my Pedro's seatbag and pink-striped socks! I just lost my frame pump a few weeks ago (ok, longer ago than that, I haven't actually seen it since the Withrow time trial), so between that and the phat cash ($20) and the two cases of Luna bars, I made out pretty well. All you cat 4 women who elected not to participate in the series, you are now on notice. Show up next year! Look what you missed out on!

And then we all went to Sascha's for a Tour-watching party, and I brought a raspberry pie, and now Sascha, Gilby, Special K, Jojo, Equipoise, and nonbloggers Alix and Holly can ALL vouch for the deliciousness of the pie! Which they'd better, or I'll kick their asses.

Here is a picture of the pie.