Hi! It's been a long time... Well, I've started bike racing, and I have my first two races under my belt. Well, they aren't real races, because no results were taken, but they are great practice for the real thing. Before each race, we have a training session to learn how to ride in a pack, take corners, what not to do, etc.
Criteriums are a strange race. First of all, the racers go around in loops -- usually downtown or in a business park -- for a specific amount of time. But, that time is only an estimate, because the race official will count down the last 5 laps for the field, after figuring out how much time it will take the particular race to go 5 laps. The first cyclist across the line at the end of the 5-lap-countdown wins. Primes (pronounced preems) are sprints for the finish line in the middle of the race. The official will let the field know when a prime is coming up and the first cyclists through the start/finish line on the following lap win the prime. The race keeps going after.
I'm having a blast. In the first crit, there were only about 16 of us averaging 17mph, with a breakaway at the end. I was in the breakaway and 4th. The field wasn't too great at taking the corners, so they were an easy way to move up. The second probably had about 35 women with one prime. I was either 1st or second in the prime and in the top 10 for the finish. Corners were tighter that time around and we averaged 20mph. My front wheel was loose, so one of the mentors helped me out and we got back in the race when the ladies came around again. (Only in a practice race can I do that.) We have two more practice races and then one real one. I'm so excited!
Morning Weight: 143
Miles Today: 3.5
Other Exercise: Biking to/from work, 35 miles
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment