CRIT’s ( Aka – Criteriums )

CRIT’s ( Aka – Criteriums )


A criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets. ... Go round and round try to be the fastest and don’t fall down, Knock anybody else down - or in my case do something stupid as I’m new to this game. Also in my case have fun no one is paying me to do this !!!

So I raced my first CVC East Hartford training Crit last Tue 5/19. I hung on in the main pack, did not fall down and I did not case any mishaps that I know about. Hit all my checks on the Goals + Objectives !! Good deal

Next on the agenda was the Downtown Hartford Crit Sunday MAY 24. I raced the Masters 50+ class @ 9:00 Am; this was my first real CRIT. I did maybe 8 or 9 of the Plainville training Crits in March + April and the one EH Crit last week so this was a big deal - The real thing. Well just like the road races these MASTER guys are real FAST ( NUFF said on that ) . I ended up working the inside and outside where I felt a bit safer and moved into the middle a few times just for kicks . I much prefer the outside but the inside is better if a rider goes down in a corner they tend to take out other riders sliding to the outside, But you work harder. All went well till the last lap where a rider went down mid pack on the final corner. Even us old guys all want to win and wick it up all we can. John K had to jump the guy’s bike to avoid a crash. He was saying later he was thinking this is it I’m going down. But he used his skills + luck to stay up. I was back a few riders and got to swerve around and actually gain places in the overall. I got 26th.

Then I helped do some corner marshaling – and decided to hang out for the full day and do the CAT 4 race @ 3:20 the last race of the day. So it starts raining during the 2nd to last race, and I prepare for a wet race. I did one wet race in Plainville on April 11 and found out you can go way faster than you think, you just need to lean the body not the bike. Race goes off I’m at the back and am fiddling with my computer and get gapped instantly. These guys took off like a rocket. I worked real hard to get on the back of the pack and it kept fracturing into smaller groups with I guess riders who did not want to go as fast as I was willing to go. So I passed several riders in the first 5 laps + quickly found out I was not going to get on the main pack and just sprinted where I could as hard as possible till the matches were all gone . Lap 11 I was pulled and watched the race from the side line a bit pissed I messed up my start as I know I could have hung. Lesson # 258 so far on my short racing season.


Next up is another East Hartford Training Crit last night 5/26/09. The “B” Race is what I do. The race goes off and I had already decided I was going to push my limits in this race more than past races to see what happens. It’s a training race and like I said earlier I’m not getting paid to do this so why not experiment. I line up one row from the front and worked to stay near the front , if a surge went past I would move to the outside and just surge around the pack when ever it slowed down. Things were going real well I was racing smooth and feeling real real good. So about 2/3’s of the way into the race I had been moving up the right side on the final sweeper and they yell Field Prime and I kill it and Bury myself to see what happens . At corner one I was maybe 25 yards off the pack and I ended up holding my break to take the prime. Cool a can of soda or water Whooo hooooo…. I back off my pace and the group catches me at the back corner and I jump back on some wheels to recover . In a few laps we get the 5 to go and I move up a bit each lap . On the final lap I pushed for all I had and got up near the front on the chase pack . Had fun pushed my limits – What else can you ask for…..

Sunday MAY 3 ( day after race easy ride ---- NOT )

OK Sat night I decide I'm going to meet some guys and ride to Glast early . Well the ride was a bit longer than I expected . ( they always are) .. and My legs were totally cooked early - Then I started feeling good so I pushed a bit and payed for it later . All in all great time....

I missed turning back on Power Tap at one point so I'm not 100% sure on miles + time, but Keith had his unit going so I'm going to say 60 miles today ( with maybe 4500' of climbing)+ 60 miles/race yesterday . 120 mile weekend .. OK I need a rest Monday ......


BAD HAIR DAY !!! After 4.5 hours out in the wind Sunday this is what I looked like when I got home.

Jiminy Peak - ROAD RACE MAY 2 2009

OK so the Masters 45+ and Masters 55+ are all merged together and this is my first race with a full field -- 125 Guys wow. That's a lot of bodies whipping down one half of the road at 25+ MPH. So we roll along and I sorta stick to the white line on the right side as I'm a bit nervous to get in the middle of this huge mass of energy all wanting to win 55 miles from now.

I do OK and after about 10 miles John K said hey get out from the side wind and get in the middle and the draft will just pull you along. So I move to the left a bit , But I still have to pedal !! Where is this big suction?? Actually you work about 30% less when you’re in a big peleton cranking along @ 20-25-30 MPH. It was fun and not to many squirrelly riders near me.

So we get close to the end of LAP #1 - we had to do this 19+ mile loop three times. We all turn onto the road up to Jiminy peak ( oh did I say up) so just prior to this point I noticed john K working his way up front so I attempted to get closer to the lead guys. AT this point were going real real fast as everybody else had the same idea. If your not the young 45 years old studs or some of the older super fast guys you want to get up in the group so if you slip back in the pack you can hang with the group for another lap. Well I should have moved up maybe two-three more rows as I just fell off the pack at the top of the climb I mean they were right there. THEN they were gone - Just like that instant no-mans land. I would say 80+ guys were now in the lead group and I could see John K in the 1st chase group just up 50 yards but working as a group they were going way faster then the 4-5 guys I was with. We worked together for a mile or so and it just blew up. All of a sudden I was all alone. NOT A GOOD DEAL AT ALL......

I look back and see 15-20 guys a solid 1/2 mile back and take the dumb approach keep working and I can catch chase group #1. That never happened and I was overtaken and joined in on Chase #2. This group had a bunch of 45+ guys ( # 600 range) and 7-8 from my class 55+ ( 700 range) so we roll along and start a nice pace line all working and taking nice short pulls . Then it all just stopped - no one but 3-4 of us would do any work. I'm told at this point some guys are just cooked, and they may fall off soon. We kept on going got on the section going south on route 7 and most of the riders were still hanging on. After the 2nd Climb up to Jiminy Peak we shed quite a few guys and now it like 5 ea. 55+ Guys a few 45+ and a few stragglers from the Cat 3 class.

One more Lap with this group again several not working at all. You would do your pull look back and no one was moving up so I would slow down -- say screw this sit up and the few of us working just kept getting on the front. This one guy attacked several times we he always came back.

On the final climb the attack guy took off again he had reserve for sure , another guy I remember from Quabbin just pulled away and I had nothing left in the tank, one other rider who was big but strong ( he was taking more time pulling all day than anyone) he also started pulling away. So I look back will my legs to get this race over and hold off a guy who pulled up next to me.

Finish line and that’s it - 16th in Masters 55+ group

More on Battenkill

Tim Johnson + Steve @ Battenkill Race ( Talking about that day in Feb 2009) ..

Funny story with Tim + I...

Back in Feb on my first day riding with Gary on my 2 week California training vacation, as always he brings me out and kills me double over on HILLS a few times. Were on the end of the sat. ride instead of heading back to S. Barbra and semi flat roads back to the house Gary is like lets go this way .. So up + Up we proceed to go till I'm 110% shot -- so Gary gets onmy left side and Tim gets on my right side and these guys push me up this mile long climb.

Thanks Again Tim............