Last night's small group of six had me feeling better about my chances. Five of us would be racing for second as there was no chance that we'd beat one guy. The course is a .5 mile loop with wide roads, good pavement, and two turns in a yet to be developed subdivision; a far cry from the previous training crit on the old Navy base (insert any of the following synonyms: hood, ghetto, Compton, projects etc). Fifty minutes plus five laps for the World Title!...or just some recognition among the local cycling circle.
Down to business. The race was on at a steady 24-25 mph, but rather than feeling like a crit, it felt more like a team time trial. Each person took a lap-long pull at the front and rotated out. There were no attacks, though there were a few charges and a few people dropping out. The thought of sitting out a lap did cross my mind. It sounded enticing. It sounded demoralizing. "No, I won't quit," I told myself. There were only three of us still on the same lap and therefore I had a chance at second if it came to a sprint. The lap countdown had begun and on the bell lap, Jamie put in a huge pull. A 30+ mph, three-quarters of a lap lead out for the final sprint. I was in second coming into the final turn and I could feel third coming up fast. Apparently he was starting to feel it too, so I gave it what little I had left and managed to hold on. Second. I'll take that.
Don't expect those kind of results often, but do expect more appearances at the WCW crit. This was awesome crit training and loads of fun.
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