Derrick and I drove up to do the last two Coupe de la Paix's this weekend on Sunday, Monday. For me I wanted to at least race a criterium this year before I went to nationals to do the crit next week and also before I attempt to defend my provincial title in less than 3 weeks here in Ontario.
From the way I rode the first crit this weekend it was probably a very smart move. Tactically with no teammates I was an idiot to say the least. I chased everything down in the first half of the race, I was on the front more than anyone and getting frustrated as team specialized had 6 or more girls and they weren't doing a thing. About half way in my new seat post popped and made the last half of my race pretty uncomfortable. The seat tilted up and stayed that way. No more riding in the drops for me. It did stop me from really getting in the race with about 5 laps to go and then my attempts to move up in the last lap were too late and I wasn't really sprinting for any kind of position. I ended up ninth and learnt some valuable tactical lessons.
Next day was my kind of race. Little longer loop and a significant little ring climb with a fast down and a sweeping off camber right hooked turn. Not add it was raining before the race started and the course with pretty wet for the first half. So we began and first time down the hill I was second wheel and took the turn on the outside. Heard breaks and wheels sliding behind me and about 6 girls went down. Joelle and I instantly got a gap on the field and then road hard and up and down the hill and then lap 3 started and the organizers let all the girls who crashed jump in on us. I was pretty ticked off......then we went down the hill for the third time, second wheel again, I hear skidding tires and crashes again from behind. Yep, the girls took the same lines and crashed again. Once again Joelle and I are off and a couple girls bridge up to us and then after another lap they let the crash victims in with us again. I made it hard up the hill each lap after and dropped a few by the end. Never letting anyone take the downhill corner in front of my except for Joelle. By the last time up the hill there was 4 of us and then through the down hill and around the bottom half coming to the finish it was 3. As I tried to take the outside line and also the furthest line away from the finish I ended up not getting around anyone. So ended up third as Derrick and Eric Lyman cringed on the sideline as they saw my line to the finish. I figured it's okay though, make the mistakes in these first two crits I did this year and then not next weekend. It will come, from Sunday to Monday's race I definitely raced smarter throughout the race, just not at the very end.
Derrick's racing also went very well yesterday. He was off in the early break of 4 guys and took all the prime laps (which was 3). He had the guys in the break on the ropes and at his mercy. The group did eventually get caught and then a LG guy countered and won the race solo. Big pack finish for 2nd and pretty horrible crash through the last corner. Derrick was out of the mess but sat up for the finish, knowing that he had done well to be there and contest and win all the primes for the day.
NCE
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