Andrea
06-02-2008, 06:02 AM
Well, I've been fine at smaller local criteriums that typically have ~30 starters, but end up with a leading group of around 5 or 6 riders (me included!) I went to my first NRC crits in early May (see earlier post), and they didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped. However, I gave it another shot at Tulsa Tough. Luckily, the CSC invitational race was also being held over the weekend, so all of the huge names (Colavita, most of Cheerwine, and Aarons) were not in Tulsa.
Friday night was OK. I started out being pretty nervous about navigating the large pack and being assertive about taking open wheels/moving up in the group (the only way to stay out of the back!). By the end of the race, I felt better, but still managed to finish in just 33rd place out of 58 starters.
Saturday was much better. The weather was HOT, and for some of the riders, it showed. Instead of getting shuffled to the rear of the group at the end of the race like before, I hammered the last two laps, rubbed elbows to keep my position, and was able to persevere and take 19th place :D
Sunday, a huge storm came through the area & obliterated the course (trees, powerlines, and tents were blown onto the street!) I was told by a race official that all of the afternoon races were canceled, so I packed up & went home, only to find out later that they held the pro races as scheduled! WTF?!? I am still pretty mad about that one. Only 28 people were listed on the results sheet, so I'm guessing a lot of them got the same bad information that I did.
Riding in criteriums with a large group of very strong riders definitely comes with its own learning curve. I've still got a long way to go, but I think I'm off to a pretty good start.
Friday night was OK. I started out being pretty nervous about navigating the large pack and being assertive about taking open wheels/moving up in the group (the only way to stay out of the back!). By the end of the race, I felt better, but still managed to finish in just 33rd place out of 58 starters.
Saturday was much better. The weather was HOT, and for some of the riders, it showed. Instead of getting shuffled to the rear of the group at the end of the race like before, I hammered the last two laps, rubbed elbows to keep my position, and was able to persevere and take 19th place :D
Sunday, a huge storm came through the area & obliterated the course (trees, powerlines, and tents were blown onto the street!) I was told by a race official that all of the afternoon races were canceled, so I packed up & went home, only to find out later that they held the pro races as scheduled! WTF?!? I am still pretty mad about that one. Only 28 people were listed on the results sheet, so I'm guessing a lot of them got the same bad information that I did.
Riding in criteriums with a large group of very strong riders definitely comes with its own learning curve. I've still got a long way to go, but I think I'm off to a pretty good start.