Attleboro Crit

Cat 4 to Cat 3

Well, after my results at WMSR last week, I submitted my race resume to request an upgrade to a Cat 3 road AND 'cross racer. My request was approved, and I raced my first race as a Cat 3 at Attleboro on Saturday! Now I just have to get used to coming in at the back of the pack again ;) .

Strangely, I am excited about this upgrade. It means that in several New England races, I will now be racing with the Cat 1 and 2 women. This is sure to help me become a stronger and smarter racer, and to provide a different kind of experience for me!

Attleboro Crit (25K) - officially 14th

This was a combined 3/4 and Masters race for the women, and our team had 9 women on the starting line! Since I had already raced a couple of days during the week, and had just upgraded, my only goal was to help my teammates, so that they, too, could get some upgrade points for the race.

It was a strong field of women, and the pace was pretty quick out of the gate. I got a poor start, and had quite a bit of trouble trying to maneuver in the field, but my teammate stayed attached to my wheel, until I told her to move up. The original plan was for her to stay attached to my wheel until we launched an attack after the second prime, and then for us to create a break. Failing that she was to attach to another wheel, and if it came to a field sprint, another teammate would be the go-to gal. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans sometimes unfold...

After I caught my breath and got my legs back under me, I launched an attack on the field coming through the start/finish and into the only hill on the course. Apparently I managed to hold this for quite awhile, pulling the field for a full two laps before someone finally came around me. After one lap of recovery, I was back on the attack to try and shake things up a little bit (I didn't want to blindly ride around in circles without making the race at least somewhat interesting). This let my teammates sit in the pack to watch for any counters, and to save their legs for the finish.

Sadly, shortly after my second attack, there was a crash in the middle of the field (someone on another team), and I got caught behind it. This did two things - separated me somewhat from the pack, and made me nervous. I spent the remainder of the race in full on TT mode, trying in vain to catch back onto the field. I did manage to pass some of the women and not get lapped, but never managed to quite catch back up (my average HR for the crit was 179, and I averaged 22 mph, mosly on my own!).

The big lesson I learned in this race is to use your teammates - even if they are BEHIND you. I managed to catch up to one of my team, who had been lapped, and used her wheel ever so briefly to try to "catch my breath". She didn't realize I was there, and in hindsight, had I made myself known, she may have been able to help me out for a little bit. Because I was in TT mode at that point, I didn't think to say anything to her, and potentially missed an opportunity.

The team did will in the end, taking 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 14th and 19th in the 3/4 race, and 7th and 9th in the Masters race. I believe that the results were still "messed up" in the end and that I should have placed 12th, but it doesn't make a difference overall.

SheFly