Old Capitol Criterium

After Saturday's Road Race, I have to admit my spirits were a little low. The weather though was AWESOME! Actually, it was a little to warm for just spectating, but you didn't notice it while racing. The same faces lined up as Saturday's race, with a few more from the IS Corp team. I knew who to watch, so did my best at doing so. Our race was 20 laps. They through out 3 primes. The first one Sydney Brown and Catherine Walberg took off for. The two held a gap for a few laps. Fortunantly the chase pack decided they didn't want those two to win the race that early on. So we chased and caught them. Then the race slowed down. It was actually a pretty slow race when the group was together. We came through the start/finish and I looked up at the miles per hour speed thing-a-ma-bob they had set up and we were going 13 MILES PER HOUR...come on! Sure I could have done something about it, but I didn't. I was alone in the group and there were several other teams represented with multiple numbers. Anyway, eventually Cathrine and Sydney got off again during a prime lap. This time the group did nothing about it. A few Mercy riders took turns chasing, I think I might have pulled through once, and a few other people made some attempts. Nothing closed the gap. Those two were gone. They really didn't have a huge gap on us...maybe 15 seconds. We just couldn't do it for some reason. Towards the end another girl took a flier and held it for 3rd. Now it came down to a sprint for 4th. Coming into the last lap I was cooked. I really was expecting to get shelled at the top of the hill. However, I kept on the gas and stuck with the group. Through the last corner I thought I had really screwed myself over with my positioning as someone had already taken the wheel I wanted. I took the corner on the inside, sprinting against Anne Meyer, from Mercy Specialized. It reminded me just like Eagle Point. The finish probably looked the same too! Anne got me AGAIN by about half a wheel. I need to practice my sprinting and/or bike throw or something! That's why I'm hitting up Night at the Oval tomorrow night. And, I'm considering doing the A's race! I took 5th in the crit. I was alright with that as it covered entry fees for the weekend and parking. Not sure about the gas side of it though...stupid gas prices anyway! Even though I was hoping for better results, I learned what I need to work on for the rest of the season. I'll post more about that later on in the week. Now it's time for bed. Next race other than tomorrow night is Camp Ingawanis Mountain Bike Race on Sunday in Waverly. Need to decide what race I am going to do though...Expert or Sport? Good night!
-A

P.S. I'll be posting pictures soon!