CCNS Kermis 2017

[ChristoT]

Race: CCNS Kermis 2017
Date: Friday, May 19
Time: 5:20 PM
Category: 4/5
Course: 45 min crit on a flat, technical course
Result: 15/50
Summary: Read the winning break but did not have the power to join it. Still a decent result for me.

What’s the best way to kick off the weekend? Why, race on Friday evening, of course! The CCNS Kermis (think Belgian amateur crits with town fair atmosphere) was held on the grounds of Rentschler Field for the 6th time. The super tight, narrow hairpin from past editions of the race was replaced with two wider hairpins with different radius, allowing significantly faster speeds through them if you are comfortable with leaning on the bike. The new layout resulted in a loop just under 1 mile long. There was a 10 mph headwind on the front straight, tailwind briefly going South, and crosswind almost everywhere. Positioning in the group was crucial for conserving energy.

I was the only rider from MRC in this race. I’d looked up the riders and decided that a real break without the top-ranked rider from Northeastern probably would not happen, so I decided not to chase until he goes. A couple of guys took off on the second lap but got brought back in quickly. More half-hearted break attempts followed on the next few laps, including one on my part. I went fast around one of the sweepers and ended up second wheel, then the guy in front of me yelled “Let’s Go!” Since I already had the momentum, I decided to follow and test the field without dipping into the red. No one followed in the next few hundred yards, so I sat up and we rejoined the group. The Northeastern rider that I was watching came out on the outside of the group just before the start-finish line on each lap to take a peak, then soft-pedalled and rejoined the group. On lap 5 or 6, there was a small group of 7-8 riders forming just about 100 yards up the road when I saw him come around the group again and this time he went for it. I knew this would be the winning break and I went after him but he was too fast for me and I could not get on his wheel fast enough. He joined the small group and they took off, eventually finishing 1 ½ minutes ahead of the main group.

At this point, my strategy was to conserve and be close to the front for the bunch sprint at the finish. I was ~10th wheel when we started rounding the last left-hand turn and I took the inside line, just inches from the fence, where there was best protection from the wind. Everyone was accelerating hard and pushed out right just enough to open a lane for me to sprint into and I finished 5th in the group, 15th overall. I needed another couple of yards to pip my 15-yr old son Jason to the finish but he held for 13th overall.

“Thanks for the leedway!” I told him after the race. He goes:
“I didn’t even know you were there, Dad…”

Kids...

[cbusick]

Teenagers...