Nutmeg State Games - Connecticut Crit Championships
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:25 am
Cat 3 debut on a gentle crit course running through a park - no traffic and no yellow line to worry about.
Patrick and I lined up with 42 others for 22 laps (down from 25 because of a crash) of crit racing.
The race was pretty uneventful for majority of the laps - a few attacks that were chased down by the group - but the pace was quick. With a few laps remaining, maybe 5, a break of three went off the front. Green Line Velo had 5 or 6 guys in the race, and now one in the break, so they were on the front blocking.
What was a sizeable gap, had been cut down to maybe 10 seconds on the last 1/2 lap - nobody wanted to close the remainder, and we were still looking at GLV sitting on the front blocking - so I went with another guy and we caught the break in the last 250 meters or so.
When the guy I bridged with kicked, I hesitated for about a second, anticipating a mass swarm - however, the swarm didn't seem to come and I missed my chance - I closed in on him right at the line, but the moment of indecisiveness was the difference between 3rd and 4th/43.
Understanding the lines into the finish was key - Patrick and Stefan provided great insights. Beauty day for a race on a fun course.
Patrick and I lined up with 42 others for 22 laps (down from 25 because of a crash) of crit racing.
The race was pretty uneventful for majority of the laps - a few attacks that were chased down by the group - but the pace was quick. With a few laps remaining, maybe 5, a break of three went off the front. Green Line Velo had 5 or 6 guys in the race, and now one in the break, so they were on the front blocking.
What was a sizeable gap, had been cut down to maybe 10 seconds on the last 1/2 lap - nobody wanted to close the remainder, and we were still looking at GLV sitting on the front blocking - so I went with another guy and we caught the break in the last 250 meters or so.
When the guy I bridged with kicked, I hesitated for about a second, anticipating a mass swarm - however, the swarm didn't seem to come and I missed my chance - I closed in on him right at the line, but the moment of indecisiveness was the difference between 3rd and 4th/43.
Understanding the lines into the finish was key - Patrick and Stefan provided great insights. Beauty day for a race on a fun course.
