Well, almost… we didn’t have any cobbles to rider over but that would have been even more fun. The conditions we faced over the weekend though were close to what you could expect for spring racing in Belgium; cold, wet, and windy. Except, we’re in Wisconsin! The weekend’s racing kicked off on Saturday with the Whitnal Park Criterium in Hales Corners, WI hosted by Team Wisconsin/MC2. The course was a short loop with about 80 feet of climbing per lap which really put the hurt on the racers mid-way through each race.
The cat 3 race started in an easy drizzle which turned into more of a light to moderate rain. We couldn’t really tell it was raining because of the water being kicked up off the bikes. Thank goodness for Rain-X on the shades! Attacks came quick and often throughout the race until a group of 4 riders got off the front and gained time on the field. I managed to bridge the gap from the field to the break at the mid-point of the race. Already feeling burnt out, I struggled to remain in the break. Phil Liggett’s voice was running through my head saying “he’s cracked!” Thanks to Phil I was able to hang in the break to the finish of the race. I rolled in last in the break and happy to have been there.
Looking back, it was an awesome race in the conditions. The break group didn’t work well together because of repeated attacks on each lap. The fact it held together was in of itself impressive and another reason I was happy to have finished with the break. After finishing I was cold, wet, and tired but ready to race again on Sunday.
Sunday’s criterium was in Fitchburg, WI and hosted by the Madcity Velo. The course layout was a short loop with a slight uphill rise after the first turn. The cat 3 race was fast from the start. Initially, a break was started and half, yes that’s right, half of the field was in the break (there were less than 20 riders in the race). The break should have stuck but no one wanted to work. The break failed and our main group caught on the back. Remainder of the race was dull. My teammate and I did about 80% of the workload for the race. Near the end, two riders broke away and stayed away. The rest of us mounted a field sprint. I positioned myself on my teammates wheel and sprinted behind, not looking to gain or lose any positions. We rolled in 6th and 7th. It was a fantastic course and we managed to get the race in without any rain. Lucky number 7 for me over the weekend.
Next up is the Circuit of Sauk Road Race In the hills west of Baraboo, WI. This race is always an intense, lung-searing, leg-bursting climbing event. The cat 3 race will feature 3 laps of a 15 mile loop of which each lap consists of two critical and difficult climbs.
Will this race come down to a sprint finish? The answer is: most likely, but only for those individuals in the break. This will be painfully interesting!
The cat 3 race started in an easy drizzle which turned into more of a light to moderate rain. We couldn’t really tell it was raining because of the water being kicked up off the bikes. Thank goodness for Rain-X on the shades! Attacks came quick and often throughout the race until a group of 4 riders got off the front and gained time on the field. I managed to bridge the gap from the field to the break at the mid-point of the race. Already feeling burnt out, I struggled to remain in the break. Phil Liggett’s voice was running through my head saying “he’s cracked!” Thanks to Phil I was able to hang in the break to the finish of the race. I rolled in last in the break and happy to have been there.
Looking back, it was an awesome race in the conditions. The break group didn’t work well together because of repeated attacks on each lap. The fact it held together was in of itself impressive and another reason I was happy to have finished with the break. After finishing I was cold, wet, and tired but ready to race again on Sunday.
Sunday’s criterium was in Fitchburg, WI and hosted by the Madcity Velo. The course layout was a short loop with a slight uphill rise after the first turn. The cat 3 race was fast from the start. Initially, a break was started and half, yes that’s right, half of the field was in the break (there were less than 20 riders in the race). The break should have stuck but no one wanted to work. The break failed and our main group caught on the back. Remainder of the race was dull. My teammate and I did about 80% of the workload for the race. Near the end, two riders broke away and stayed away. The rest of us mounted a field sprint. I positioned myself on my teammates wheel and sprinted behind, not looking to gain or lose any positions. We rolled in 6th and 7th. It was a fantastic course and we managed to get the race in without any rain. Lucky number 7 for me over the weekend.
Next up is the Circuit of Sauk Road Race In the hills west of Baraboo, WI. This race is always an intense, lung-searing, leg-bursting climbing event. The cat 3 race will feature 3 laps of a 15 mile loop of which each lap consists of two critical and difficult climbs.
Will this race come down to a sprint finish? The answer is: most likely, but only for those individuals in the break. This will be painfully interesting!
1 comment:
The elastic is stretching!!
He's reaching into his suitcase of courage!!
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