Red Kite Criterium #3 – E3/4 Teammates – NoneGarmin. Strava. So hot. All the Red Kites have been hot, but I was feeling it more this time. I got there early enough to get in my whole warm up and then some. I set up in the grass near the start/finish, so I had a lot of time to think tactics while watching the races before ours. This weekend’s setup moved the start/finish to the backside of the original course, out of the last 90* right and just before the ‘chicane’ (more like wide open sweeper that people have real issues dealing with for some reason). If it came down to a sprint finish that last corner would be sketchy. Would be nice to get in a break with someone from Suffolk-SunPower and Leopard-Sapporo as they both had huge numbers in the field. The last Red Kite 3/4 was hilariously slow at the beginning so I decided it was time to test them. I hit it off the whistle and brought us up to a nice ~28mph. I looked back at a strung out field behind me, but they were chasing. I was happy that the pace picked up early and stayed that way so I sat back into the back and started watching the teams move. Leopard-Sapporo had two riders policing the front for most of the race, Ansel Mills in particular. I’ve raced with him before and knew he was fast, so I marked him. The Suffolk-SunPower guys have been showing up consistently to all the flat crits, and I know most of them from last year so I already knew who to watch. Tom Edwards (Sonoma State) was also in the field. He has a strong kilo that has gotten him results before. A bunch of small break attempts went, but nothing stuck as the pace picked up for each prime. I was stoked to see a 3/4 field go so hard for the primes as well…doesn’t usually happen like that. Fast forward to when the lap cards went up. Seven to go. I decided nothing was happening yet, so I’d wait until five to go and then move up. Five to go. Moved up. Saw my boy Al up there in position and was stoked on that. Keep it up brehhh! Another break rolled off and got a gap. I felt like it was too risky to go with them so I sat up front and let it happen. Tom, two Leopard-Sapporo riders, and my track buddy Raul Arias (SJBC) were in it and making ground on the pack. Ansel was doing a perfect job blocking the front of the pack. Nobody was answering. If nobody attacked, they were going to take it (where you at Suffolk-SunPower?!). They were substantially away by three to go and I decided it was time to lay it down. If I was going to sprint today, I wasn’t going to do it for FIF place. I came around Ansel and pulled whoever could keep up with me. I was on the front until we caught them with less than one to go. Just like Golden State, this is where the teams with big numbers should have countered and made the race easy for themselves to win, and safe for everyone else to finish. And just like Golden State, it didn’t happen. Tom made another go two corners out, and the pack answered. It got super messy and spread out hammering into the last corner and I decided that was my race. All things considered, I had a decent race so far and I didn’t want to risk it diving a last corner to sprint for maybe top ten. Chris Leibman (Suffolk-SunPower) and his teammate went 1/2, and Ansel came in third. Good job guys! -Z
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Red Kite Criterium #3 – E3/4
Teammates – None
Garmin. Strava.

So hot. All the Red Kites have been hot, but I was feeling it more this time. I got there early enough to get in my whole warm up and then some. I set up in the grass near the start/finish, so I had a lot of time to think tactics while watching the races before ours. This weekend’s setup moved the start/finish to the backside of the original course, out of the last 90* right and just before the ‘chicane’ (more like wide open sweeper that people have real issues dealing with for some reason). If it came down to a sprint finish that last corner would be sketchy. Would be nice to get in a break with someone from Suffolk-SunPower and Leopard-Sapporo as they both had huge numbers in the field.

The last Red Kite 3/4 was hilariously slow at the beginning so I decided it was time to test them. I hit it off the whistle and brought us up to a nice ~28mph. I looked back at a strung out field behind me, but they were chasing. I was happy that the pace picked up early and stayed that way so I sat back into the back and started watching the teams move. Leopard-Sapporo had two riders policing the front for most of the race, Ansel Mills in particular. I’ve raced with him before and knew he was fast, so I marked him. The Suffolk-SunPower guys have been showing up consistently to all the flat crits, and I know most of them from last year so I already knew who to watch. Tom Edwards (Sonoma State) was also in the field. He has a strong kilo that has gotten him results before.

A bunch of small break attempts went, but nothing stuck as the pace picked up for each prime. I was stoked to see a 3/4 field go so hard for the primes as well…doesn’t usually happen like that. Fast forward to when the lap cards went up. Seven to go. I decided nothing was happening yet, so I’d wait until five to go and then move up. Five to go. Moved up. Saw my boy Al up there in position and was stoked on that. Keep it up brehhh! Another break rolled off and got a gap. I felt like it was too risky to go with them so I sat up front and let it happen. Tom, two Leopard-Sapporo riders, and my track buddy Raul Arias (SJBC) were in it and making ground on the pack. Ansel was doing a perfect job blocking the front of the pack. Nobody was answering. If nobody attacked, they were going to take it (where you at Suffolk-SunPower?!).

They were substantially away by three to go and I decided it was time to lay it down. If I was going to sprint today, I wasn’t going to do it for FIF place. I came around Ansel and pulled whoever could keep up with me. I was on the front until we caught them with less than one to go. Just like Golden State, this is where the teams with big numbers should have countered and made the race easy for themselves to win, and safe for everyone else to finish. And just like Golden State, it didn’t happen. Tom made another go two corners out, and the pack answered. It got super messy and spread out hammering into the last corner and I decided that was my race. All things considered, I had a decent race so far and I didn’t want to risk it diving a last corner to sprint for maybe top ten. Chris Leibman (Suffolk-SunPower) and his teammate went 1/2, and Ansel came in third. Good job guys!

-Z

Hellyer WNR #6 – P/1/2 Teammates – NoneGarmin. Strava. Scratch - I lost count of the laps and thought we had one more than we did. When I realized I was failing at positioning for the sprint (already too late), I decided I should still try to make a move. I might have passed 10-15 people before I hit the line. Not sure how I placed, but I felt good. If I made that move from the right spot I would have been in the points! Win N Out - The P/1/2 field has been so strong lately that my go-to marks and strategies are all changing. Going for first in the Win N Out is always risky because if you don’t get it, chances are you will come in last. Everyone thinks they can win second. I figured I’d keep it realistic and go for third. I paced the first two sprints and happened to rotate to the front of the line as Rob Evans (Bear Development Team) and Keith Hillier (Marc Pro-Strava) grew their gap off the front. I actually didn’t think I could close it, but I’m not one to give up. I went for it and caught them into turn three. I came around Rob through turn four and just got Keith at the line. Not bad! Miss N Out - There were certain 3’s that elected to move up and race with us today because the 3/4 field was full. I was playing the devil the whole race, and ended up getting out because of one of those 3’s who had been out for multiple laps and didn’t know what he was doing. That’s not exactly what I want to be worrying about in the Miss N Out…try again next week. Wamp wamp. Points - Larry called 50 laps with sprints at 5. LOL. I decided I should try and learn something so I marked Dave McCook (Team Clif Bar Cycling). He took it surprisingly easy in the beginning and slipped into the back of the pack. I slowly moved up with him through the first few sprints. He didn’t go for anything. When the sprint for either 35 or 30 came up we were near the front and everyone peeled off, including McCook. I saw the opening so I took it. I won the sprint, but I knew that would make me struggle the rest of the race. After the next two I was off the back and resigned to chugging along until I finished my laps. McCook was the first one to lap me…poetic. I think he also won the omnium. I still have a lot to learn, and new things to try every week. -Z
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Hellyer WNR #6 – P/1/2
Teammates – None
Garmin. Strava.

Scratch - I lost count of the laps and thought we had one more than we did. When I realized I was failing at positioning for the sprint (already too late), I decided I should still try to make a move. I might have passed 10-15 people before I hit the line. Not sure how I placed, but I felt good. If I made that move from the right spot I would have been in the points!

Win N Out - The P/1/2 field has been so strong lately that my go-to marks and strategies are all changing. Going for first in the Win N Out is always risky because if you don’t get it, chances are you will come in last. Everyone thinks they can win second. I figured I’d keep it realistic and go for third. I paced the first two sprints and happened to rotate to the front of the line as Rob Evans (Bear Development Team) and Keith Hillier (Marc Pro-Strava) grew their gap off the front. I actually didn’t think I could close it, but I’m not one to give up. I went for it and caught them into turn three. I came around Rob through turn four and just got Keith at the line. Not bad!

Miss N Out - There were certain 3’s that elected to move up and race with us today because the 3/4 field was full. I was playing the devil the whole race, and ended up getting out because of one of those 3’s who had been out for multiple laps and didn’t know what he was doing. That’s not exactly what I want to be worrying about in the Miss N Out…try again next week. Wamp wamp.

Points - Larry called 50 laps with sprints at 5. LOL. I decided I should try and learn something so I marked Dave McCook (Team Clif Bar Cycling). He took it surprisingly easy in the beginning and slipped into the back of the pack. I slowly moved up with him through the first few sprints. He didn’t go for anything. When the sprint for either 35 or 30 came up we were near the front and everyone peeled off, including McCook. I saw the opening so I took it. I won the sprint, but I knew that would make me struggle the rest of the race. After the next two I was off the back and resigned to chugging along until I finished my laps. McCook was the first one to lap me…poetic. I think he also won the omnium. I still have a lot to learn, and new things to try every week.

-Z

Golden State Criterium – E3 Teammates – NoneGarmin. Strava. I did well at this race last year so I had some expectations for myself at the start. The course is wide open and fast with a bunch of right turns and a sketchy finish. The line is so close to the last corner that the sprint starts before it and through it. The run up to the line is slightly curved with a bunch of road hazards. Last year, the racer that won attacked through the second to last turn and held it to the line. I got second. I made sure to keep that in mind as the finish got closer. There was nothing particularly memorable about the beginning and middle of the race. A few break attempts went off, but nothing stuck. Sierra Nevada, Roseville VW, and Rio Strada had huge team presences in the field so I was looking to them to make breaks stick or setup the winning move. I tailgunned most of the race and conserved my energy. Lap cards went up with 8 to go, but I still sat in and hung out. With 5 to go I decided it was time, so I moved up and surfed the top ten wheels. One late break went off with three riders and looked like it was going to stay away as no one wanted to chase. I wasn’t going to chase alone, so I sat in the front waiting for moves. The pace picked up and we got the two break riders (one had crashed himself out…not sure how that happened). At this point, Rio sent off two in a last minute attempt to go for the long win. They actually did a great job of then attacking the front and blocking the field while their riders tried to win it the hard way. Surprisingly, no teams countered. NOBODY! Taylor Cody (Metromint) and I love a good ole sprint finish so we decided it was time to lay it down. Every time Rio blocked one of us would attack and incite the pack to go around. After four or five rounds of this we were gaining on the break with 2 laps to go. By 1 lap to go we were within reach, but at this point I’d been riding the front for 5 laps solid. We caught them on the last lap and the field went to shit on the backside of the course. Everybody slowed down and fanned out wide, not wanting to lead it out. Now this is where a smart team would attack again with numbers, lead it out, and hope one of their guys is in that sprint. When you have 5-10 riders, it’s almost a guarantee. Especially if your strong guys have been racing smart. It didn’t happen. Everything got real messy into the second to last corner. Terrible lines. Frantic “positioning”. I didn’t even see where the winner attacked from or how it unfolded because I was concentrating on keeping my skin at that point. One racer lost his wheel going full gas through the final turn nearly taking out the entire lead group. Somehow I got around that and jammed it up the gutter safely. I knew I wasn’t placing well…just tried to stay safe and out of the way as one rider crashed at the line and another swerved off his line right in front of me. Luckily I was paying attention otherwise I would have been in the curb. I guess a finish is better than crashing, but I was hoping to place better. I need to be more aggressive about making late moves and trusting that I can do it, instead of always relying on a sprint. I think that if Taylor and I had gone for it right when we caught the Rio break it may have worked. -Z
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Golden State Criterium – E3
Teammates – None
Garmin. Strava.

I did well at this race last year so I had some expectations for myself at the start. The course is wide open and fast with a bunch of right turns and a sketchy finish. The line is so close to the last corner that the sprint starts before it and through it. The run up to the line is slightly curved with a bunch of road hazards. Last year, the racer that won attacked through the second to last turn and held it to the line. I got second. I made sure to keep that in mind as the finish got closer.

There was nothing particularly memorable about the beginning and middle of the race. A few break attempts went off, but nothing stuck. Sierra Nevada, Roseville VW, and Rio Strada had huge team presences in the field so I was looking to them to make breaks stick or setup the winning move. I tailgunned most of the race and conserved my energy. Lap cards went up with 8 to go, but I still sat in and hung out. With 5 to go I decided it was time, so I moved up and surfed the top ten wheels. One late break went off with three riders and looked like it was going to stay away as no one wanted to chase. I wasn’t going to chase alone, so I sat in the front waiting for moves. The pace picked up and we got the two break riders (one had crashed himself out…not sure how that happened).

At this point, Rio sent off two in a last minute attempt to go for the long win. They actually did a great job of then attacking the front and blocking the field while their riders tried to win it the hard way. Surprisingly, no teams countered. NOBODY! Taylor Cody (Metromint) and I love a good ole sprint finish so we decided it was time to lay it down. Every time Rio blocked one of us would attack and incite the pack to go around. After four or five rounds of this we were gaining on the break with 2 laps to go. By 1 lap to go we were within reach, but at this point I’d been riding the front for 5 laps solid. We caught them on the last lap and the field went to shit on the backside of the course. Everybody slowed down and fanned out wide, not wanting to lead it out. Now this is where a smart team would attack again with numbers, lead it out, and hope one of their guys is in that sprint. When you have 5-10 riders, it’s almost a guarantee. Especially if your strong guys have been racing smart. It didn’t happen.

Everything got real messy into the second to last corner. Terrible lines. Frantic “positioning”. I didn’t even see where the winner attacked from or how it unfolded because I was concentrating on keeping my skin at that point. One racer lost his wheel going full gas through the final turn nearly taking out the entire lead group. Somehow I got around that and jammed it up the gutter safely. I knew I wasn’t placing well…just tried to stay safe and out of the way as one rider crashed at the line and another swerved off his line right in front of me. Luckily I was paying attention otherwise I would have been in the curb.

I guess a finish is better than crashing, but I was hoping to place better. I need to be more aggressive about making late moves and trusting that I can do it, instead of always relying on a sprint. I think that if Taylor and I had gone for it right when we caught the Rio break it may have worked.

-Z

Wente Vineyards Classic Criterium - E3 Teammates - NoneGarmin. Strava. I did the Wente road race two years ago as a 4, and somehow survived. Then last year I came to my senses and skipped the road race in favor of the crit. I ended up finishing second by a tire at the line, and that was the first in a series of good crit results that got me my 3 upgrade. I haven’t been finishing well yet this year, but I know the fitness is there so Wente would be a good test. The course is wide, fast, and technical…perfect for me. I started the race how I usually do: on the front. One rider attacked from the whistle and we let him dangle for a few laps, but never out of sight. The first prime was $40 cash and I was in perfect position to contest it. I told myself I would only go for it if I didn’t have to get out of the saddle. I surfed a Leopard-Sapporo train that blew up too early (for them, but perfect for me) and was well on my way, but one of the Tieni-Duro kids went all out, so I let up and let him take it. Better to save it for the end anyway. The rest of the race was fairly tame. There were a few near mishaps in the chicane, and some overly aggressive wheel riding from a few teams (putting your front wheel into my foot…really?!)…but luckily no crashes. The field got a little frisky under five to go and there were a few break attempts. Everything got reeled back, except for one. A solo rider (team wasn’t familiar to me) went off with three to go and got a substantial gap. I was at the front positioning myself for a late bridge attempt, or a pack sprint finish. Magnus Gille (Suffolk-SunPower) decided he didn’t want the break to stick and I saw him hit it hard. I went on instinct and bridged with him. We pulled some Don Chapin riders with us and started gaining on the break under two laps to go. Magnus gassed out and Don Chapin took over. More of the pack had chased on so I sat in and waited for the catch. We were all together with one to go. There were a few sprinters in the field, but I had my eyes on Tommy Lucas (Bear Development Team). He consistently finishes well so I knew he’d be in the right spot. Last year, the field went way right out of the last turn, and I went for it up the gutter on the left. The gutter line is the shortest, but also the riskiest because the pavement isn’t good and you can get trapped with nowhere to go if the pack collapses on you. When we came through the last corner a Colavita rider chopped my wheel so I had to slow down a bit. Tommy was up a wheel to my left, with a string of riders to his left in the gutter. A Suffolk-SunPower rider jumped from the front of that group and Tommy and I hit it. I had to weave around a Tieni-Duro rider who was gassing out and Tommy and I drag raced it to the line. We hit the line shoulder to shoulder behind the Suffolk-SunPower rider. After checking the cameras, I found out I came in third. First time on the podium this year! -Z
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imageWente Vineyards Classic Criterium - E3
Teammates - None
Garmin. Strava.

I did the Wente road race two years ago as a 4, and somehow survived. Then last year I came to my senses and skipped the road race in favor of the crit. I ended up finishing second by a tire at the line, and that was the first in a series of good crit results that got me my 3 upgrade. I haven’t been finishing well yet this year, but I know the fitness is there so Wente would be a good test. The course is wide, fast, and technical…perfect for me.

I started the race how I usually do: on the front. One rider attacked from the whistle and we let him dangle for a few laps, but never out of sight. The first prime was $40 cash and I was in perfect position to contest it. I told myself I would only go for it if I didn’t have to get out of the saddle. I surfed a Leopard-Sapporo train that blew up too early (for them, but perfect for me) and was well on my way, but one of the Tieni-Duro kids went all out, so I let up and let him take it. Better to save it for the end anyway.

The rest of the race was fairly tame. There were a few near mishaps in the chicane, and some overly aggressive wheel riding from a few teams (putting your front wheel into my foot…really?!)…but luckily no crashes. The field got a little frisky under five to go and there were a few break attempts. Everything got reeled back, except for one.

A solo rider (team wasn’t familiar to me) went off with three to go and got a substantial gap. I was at the front positioning myself for a late bridge attempt, or a pack sprint finish. Magnus Gille (Suffolk-SunPower) decided he didn’t want the break to stick and I saw him hit it hard. I went on instinct and bridged with him. We pulled some Don Chapin riders with us and started gaining on the break under two laps to go. Magnus gassed out and Don Chapin took over. More of the pack had chased on so I sat in and waited for the catch. We were all together with one to go.

There were a few sprinters in the field, but I had my eyes on Tommy Lucas (Bear Development Team). He consistently finishes well so I knew he’d be in the right spot. Last year, the field went way right out of the last turn, and I went for it up the gutter on the left. The gutter line is the shortest, but also the riskiest because the pavement isn’t good and you can get trapped with nowhere to go if the pack collapses on you. When we came through the last corner a Colavita rider chopped my wheel so I had to slow down a bit. Tommy was up a wheel to my left, with a string of riders to his left in the gutter. A Suffolk-SunPower rider jumped from the front of that group and Tommy and I hit it. I had to weave around a Tieni-Duro rider who was gassing out and Tommy and I drag raced it to the line. We hit the line shoulder to shoulder behind the Suffolk-SunPower rider. After checking the cameras, I found out I came in third. First time on the podium this year!
image

-Z

Red Kite Criterium #2 – E3/4 Teammates – GabeGarmin. Strava. I went off the whistle and gaped the field off…what? I was going at a super easy pace and the field was just sitting there in a blob behind me. I turned it down a bit to a low tempo pace and the gap was still growing…lol ok guys. I guess nobody wants to go fast? After a lap of dangling and sort of wondering what was the deal I just sat up and let them roll up. The pack was moving so slow. At least they were taking the corners way better than the last 3/4 field at Red Kite. The rest of the race, with the exception of a crash near the end, was just like this. I paced the front of the pack and just sat in. I knew we could get away with 3-5 guys who were willing to jump, but nobody wanted it. Time to wait for the sprint. With five to go I sat up front. With three to go I was consistently top five wheels, surfing wheels as various people put in attacks. There was a small break of two or three that went for the long win, but I knew we would catch them. On the backside of one to go I was in second wheel and saw Kalani Hines (Metromint) jump hard up the left side. I was near the gutter on the right, but I got out and chased. I was maybe fourth wheel through the second to last corner catching on to Kalani’s long effort (aka leadout!). He was losing steam coming into the final corner, but he got us out of the pack and past the few off the front. It got a little bunched up into the last corner and I knew I wanted the tight inside line so I wouldn’t get guttered to the right in the sprint. I got it, but I had to slow down slightly to avoid some messy cornering. I hit it as best I could, but was a bike length too late. Top six hit the line six-wide in relatively close proximity. I finished sixth. It was a bummer because I was fresh and felt like I didn’t even wind my sprint all the way out. Next time… Red Kite Criterium #2 – E2/3 Teammates – Joe, NaveenGarmin. Strava. I started off the 2/3 race with the intention of covering as many moves off the front as I could, and then setting up either Joe or Naveen (or both) for the final move. I did just that for the first half of the race. Rotating between the front and the back, covering moves and the recovering. Joe was sitting nicely in the top 15 at all times…perfect. My chain was making some noises and I didn’t know what was going on with it, so I decided I’d rather be safe than sorry and roll into the pit on the next lap around to check it. Unfortunately, I ripped my rear derailleur clean off the hanger before I could make it around. Luckily I was slowing down, and out of the pack, when it happened. My race was over, but at least I had my skin. Joe and Naveen finished strong with a prime win and some wine to take home. Looking forward to the next one where I can be of some help! -Z
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Red Kite Criterium #2 – E3/4
Teammates – Gabe
Garmin. Strava.

I went off the whistle and gaped the field off…what? I was going at a super easy pace and the field was just sitting there in a blob behind me. I turned it down a bit to a low tempo pace and the gap was still growing…lol ok guys. I guess nobody wants to go fast? After a lap of dangling and sort of wondering what was the deal I just sat up and let them roll up. The pack was moving so slow. At least they were taking the corners way better than the last 3/4 field at Red Kite. The rest of the race, with the exception of a crash near the end, was just like this. I paced the front of the pack and just sat in. I knew we could get away with 3-5 guys who were willing to jump, but nobody wanted it. Time to wait for the sprint.

With five to go I sat up front. With three to go I was consistently top five wheels, surfing wheels as various people put in attacks. There was a small break of two or three that went for the long win, but I knew we would catch them. On the backside of one to go I was in second wheel and saw Kalani Hines (Metromint) jump hard up the left side. I was near the gutter on the right, but I got out and chased. I was maybe fourth wheel through the second to last corner catching on to Kalani’s long effort (aka leadout!). He was losing steam coming into the final corner, but he got us out of the pack and past the few off the front. It got a little bunched up into the last corner and I knew I wanted the tight inside line so I wouldn’t get guttered to the right in the sprint. I got it, but I had to slow down slightly to avoid some messy cornering. I hit it as best I could, but was a bike length too late. Top six hit the line six-wide in relatively close proximity. I finished sixth. It was a bummer because I was fresh and felt like I didn’t even wind my sprint all the way out. Next time…

Red Kite Criterium #2 – E2/3
Teammates – Joe, Naveen
Garmin. Strava.

I started off the 2/3 race with the intention of covering as many moves off the front as I could, and then setting up either Joe or Naveen (or both) for the final move. I did just that for the first half of the race. Rotating between the front and the back, covering moves and the recovering. Joe was sitting nicely in the top 15 at all times…perfect. My chain was making some noises and I didn’t know what was going on with it, so I decided I’d rather be safe than sorry and roll into the pit on the next lap around to check it. Unfortunately, I ripped my rear derailleur clean off the hanger before I could make it around. Luckily I was slowing down, and out of the pack, when it happened. My race was over, but at least I had my skin. Joe and Naveen finished strong with a prime win and some wine to take home. Looking forward to the next one where I can be of some help!

-Z

Hellyer WNR #2 – P/1/2/3 Teammates – NoneGarmin. Strava. Scratch - We probably averaged 28-30+mph the entire race. When the jump went I was with it but couldn’t pass anyone. Not sure where I finished…we were all strung out. 8th maybe. Snowball - Before the Snowball I was joking about going for the last two laps in a row and winning it. In a Snowball you get 1 point for lap 1, 2 points for lap 2, and so on. So you can either win a lot early and hope the same guy doesn’t win a few late, or you can go every few laps, or you can go for it all at the end. Since every lap was a sprint this race was FAST off the whistle. I just sat in line and let the first few laps pass. I started moving up as people gassed out and shuffled around up front. Coming into 8 I was in 3rd or 4th wheel…perfect to contest lap 9. Fergus Tanaka (Team Chica Sexy) jumped off the front and nobody went with him. I soloed up to him and caught him in the backside straight going into turn 3. He knew I was going to take the point because he did way more work than me to get there…sorry buddy! I came around Fergus hard and took lap 9. When I looked back I had a gap so I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth was before the race. I put my head down and tried to hammer out another lap at sprint pace (that’s 670m full gas!). Unfortunately, Alex Farioletti (Affinity) was not going to let me have it. Him and Garrett Hankins (Sierra Nevada) had chased me down, and Alex just pipped me at the line. Damn! Miss N Out - The Miss N Out started off as usual: chaos. With a nearly full field int he P/1/2/3 it is fast, very close quarters, and aggressive. This is where bike handling and tactics become paramount. Unfortunately there was a mishap and somebody went down hard behind me in the first half of the race. I rolled back around on the next lap and saw Garrett laid out on the apron. I’m not sure what happened, but he hit hard cracking his helmet and breaking his collarbone. Seeing anyone go down like that is humbling, but the race usually goes on. We helped Garret back to the infield so he could get some medical attention and restarted the race. I was in the remaining group with Dave McCook (Team Clif Bar Cycling), Owen Gillott (Team Specialized Racing Juniors), and Raul Arias (SJBC). Coming into the last elimination McCook pushed me into the lane behind Gillott. Gillott was picking up speed so I was hoping to push Raul off the red line and get out. No such luck. Gillott slowed down and I was stuck last position in the lane…boxed in. Finished fourth. I should have slowed down and come way over the top. That would have forced McCook and Raul to sprint for it. We may have even taken Gillott out if I did that. Next time. Points - Larry called a 24 lap points race with sprints every 3 laps. Really?! That means that we will sprint for a point, roll another lap with that momentum, set up for the next sprint (which is somewhat of a sprint itself), then sprint for the next point…times eight! Effectively, this was now a 24 lap Tempo race and I had nothing to offer. The only sprint I “won” was at the very end of the race where I beat out the leaders so that they wouldn’t lap me! -Z
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Hellyer WNR #2 – P/1/2/3
Teammates – None
Garmin. Strava.

Scratch - We probably averaged 28-30+mph the entire race. When the jump went I was with it but couldn’t pass anyone. Not sure where I finished…we were all strung out. 8th maybe.

Snowball - Before the Snowball I was joking about going for the last two laps in a row and winning it. In a Snowball you get 1 point for lap 1, 2 points for lap 2, and so on. So you can either win a lot early and hope the same guy doesn’t win a few late, or you can go every few laps, or you can go for it all at the end. Since every lap was a sprint this race was FAST off the whistle. I just sat in line and let the first few laps pass. I started moving up as people gassed out and shuffled around up front. Coming into 8 I was in 3rd or 4th wheel…perfect to contest lap 9. Fergus Tanaka (Team Chica Sexy) jumped off the front and nobody went with him. I soloed up to him and caught him in the backside straight going into turn 3. He knew I was going to take the point because he did way more work than me to get there…sorry buddy! I came around Fergus hard and took lap 9. When I looked back I had a gap so I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth was before the race. I put my head down and tried to hammer out another lap at sprint pace (that’s 670m full gas!). Unfortunately, Alex Farioletti (Affinity) was not going to let me have it. Him and Garrett Hankins (Sierra Nevada) had chased me down, and Alex just pipped me at the line. Damn!

Miss N Out - The Miss N Out started off as usual: chaos. With a nearly full field int he P/1/2/3 it is fast, very close quarters, and aggressive. This is where bike handling and tactics become paramount. Unfortunately there was a mishap and somebody went down hard behind me in the first half of the race. I rolled back around on the next lap and saw Garrett laid out on the apron. I’m not sure what happened, but he hit hard cracking his helmet and breaking his collarbone. Seeing anyone go down like that is humbling, but the race usually goes on. We helped Garret back to the infield so he could get some medical attention and restarted the race. I was in the remaining group with Dave McCook (Team Clif Bar Cycling), Owen Gillott (Team Specialized Racing Juniors), and Raul Arias (SJBC). Coming into the last elimination McCook pushed me into the lane behind Gillott. Gillott was picking up speed so I was hoping to push Raul off the red line and get out. No such luck. Gillott slowed down and I was stuck last position in the lane…boxed in. Finished fourth. I should have slowed down and come way over the top. That would have forced McCook and Raul to sprint for it. We may have even taken Gillott out if I did that. Next time.

Points - Larry called a 24 lap points race with sprints every 3 laps. Really?! That means that we will sprint for a point, roll another lap with that momentum, set up for the next sprint (which is somewhat of a sprint itself), then sprint for the next point…times eight! Effectively, this was now a 24 lap Tempo race and I had nothing to offer. The only sprint I “won” was at the very end of the race where I beat out the leaders so that they wouldn’t lap me!

-Z

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