Ft.
Ritchie Age-Graded Criterium Championship
Womens
45+ (racing with the 35+)
Flat
1.5km loop with a chicane and one final corner that tells it all……
Happy to
discover that I could still walk and my legs seemed to be willing to pedal a
bike after Saturday, Wendy and I chatted before the race. We were racing at the same time but different
races – how do we manage if one of us is up the road with someone from the
other’s field? We agreed that we needed
to treat this as two different races and if I were up the road with a 35+, she
should chase and vice versa.
My field was
VERY small – and I was concerned about Janette (Colovita Mid-Atlantic) who I
knew wanted to win (she crashed last year the day before the crit championship
which I won and I figured she wanted a little justice from the “crash” gods)
and is very good at sitting in and sprinting at the end. I either needed to get into a break or wear
her down.
I jumped at
the gun and Mary Breed (NCVC 35+) was on my wheel. We had a gap and she pulled through but we
were caught by the final turn. I tried a
couple of times to get away as did Wendy and Tania and we tried our best to
counter each other’s attacks. Throughout
the race, we had three premes for beer.
I used them as a way to not only stock the Race Vehicles refrigerator,
but also to see from how far away I could sprint and not die. After the premes, I continued to sprint,
hoping my competitors would sit up and I would get away. We stayed together. Drat.
On the last
preme, Tania crashed just after the finish line. As we made the 2nd to last turn,
the motor ref slowed us, for she was still lying on the ground. Mimi told us that an ambulance was needed as
a precaution since the impact destroyed her helmet. Once Tania was safely on her way to the
hospital to be checked out, the race resumed with two laps to go. (From Phil’s email: Tania is ok, mad about the crash.) Wendy and I talked about what to do – we both
had strong sprinters in our fields and we both knew that you needed to be in
the top three coming into the final turn.
I decided to attack on the last lap after the chicane. Cornering had been slow and careful through
that part and I thought if I went quickly and accelerated up the right side, I
could get away. I had a small gap but
was caught and decided to stay on the front to make it through that corner both
safely and in good position.
As we made
the final turn, Wendy accelerated on the inside and I was able to follow her
wheel. Stacey (Cloud Nine Racing 35+)
accelerated up the left side. Out of the
corner of my eye, I saw Janette also moving left. Where is the darn line? As I crossed, I could tell Janette and I had
a foto-finish for 1st in the 45+.
When we checked the results, my bike push across the line may have made
the difference….I defended my jersey.
Wendy was nipped at the line by Stacey, who, we learned, was eligible
for the 35+ jersey despite racing for a non-MABRA.
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