Gaslight Crits

I wrapped up my road cycling season last weekend at the Delta Subaru Gaslight Crit in Grand Rapids, MI. It is put on by one of my favorite teams, Real Women Tri, in one of my favorite cities. I knew I would get to see lots of familiar faces and meet up with some old friends. I had a lot going on in the previous week leading to this, so I did not have any big expectations, but still hoped that I might end it with a bang. After racing in Elk Grove, one of the women there recommended that I start racing with the men to get more experience riding harder than hell as well as riding in a big group. So, before I could put too much thought into it, I registered for the women's 1,2,3 race as well as the Master's Men 35 and up. Susan Donnelly also traveled from Traverse City with me and raced the women's cat 4 race.

We arrived early Saturday after staying with friends in GR and got Sue ready for her race. While she raced, I warmed up for mine. The field was decent, with 17 women, and at a time of year

And we are off!

where everyone is pretty much in shape and pretty fast. My first race started at 10:40, and as I learned, position is everything and lined up front and center and ready to race. We took off pretty fast and right off the bat there is a 90 degree left turn. This was my first race on my new 404 Zipp wheels, and wow, it felt much different cornering on them. It took me about half the race to acclimate to the new wheels. For some reason, this first corner was the hardest for me, mainly due to the higher speed that we went into it compared to the other corners. There was another 90 degree turn, a straight away that had a full head wind, then a very sharp left turn, up a hill, followed by one more left turn. It was a fun course.

I don't know why I am smiling, I hated that turn

I made sure to stay near the front of the pack, followed a few attacks, ignored a few attacks, and

I wish this was a picture of the finish. I am in a much
better position than where I actually finished.

even attacked myself twice. I felt that I stayed active in the race and felt great physically. On the last lap, I unfortunately got stuck behind a wheel on the straightaway and watched the race move around me like a river around a stone and after I broke free I desperately tried to make up my position. At this point the girls were moving pretty fast and I couldn't get back to the front. I caught a few girls and passed them, but ended up 11th out of 17. I was disappointed that I didn't race smarter on that last lap and felt I really could have done better this time.

I rested up in the afternoon and got ready for the Master's race, which was at 3:00 pm. It was a field of 45 men, and I lined up wondering just how this was going to go. I daydreamed about me hanging in there for the whole race, and just how awesome that would be. I lined up and got in position in the second row of guys, and worried a little about that first corner. At the start, the guys took off full throttle and I jumped as well. If I thought we were fast into that corner in the women's race, it was nothing compared to the guys. I could not help tapping my brakes, due to my nervousness, but didn't do too bad the first lap. I hung in the middle, and on the straightaway I focused on the wheel in front of me and told myself not to let it go. The guys were starting to crowd in on both sides and I kept telling myself to not give it up. The very sharp left turn up the hill came up, and I took that too slow, but still stood up and pedaled and kept my position in the middle. Coming into that first left turn again, even faster this time, I touched my brakes again and got another gap. I stood up and sprinted to close it. I was moving farther and farther back, and on the third lap around on the straightaway I lost contact with the last wheel and got dropped. It was insane how fast they were going. I knew I was just going to be motorpacing, but with the turns it made it so much more difficult.

One of these things is not like the other...

I had all kinds of people rooting for me and telling me not to give up, so kept riding hard and kept my heart rate up. After awhile, the main field lapped me and I jumped in to just race and see how long I could hold on again. On one lap I was pushed over into the curb on that first left turn and I touched my brakes again, harder this time, and a man in an orange jersey rode past me and muttered the word "bitch" as he went by. This really ticked me off and I wish I would have gotten his race number. This just really showed what a pig he is.  "Watch it, move it, watch your line." Any of those would have been appropriate comments, maybe. Anyway, I think I lasted another two to three laps. Exhausted, I fell off of the back again on the straightaway. On this lap I got pulled from the race.

Racing with the guys did feel a whole lot like Tour of Elk Grove, and although I may have not had the best wheel or lines in that race, I am sure that it wasn't the worst and the more I race, the better I will get. It may be awhile before I can finish with the guys, but I think it could be possible. I have come a long way this season, and I am really looking forward to racing next season with what I have learned. I am looking forward to doing some social riding in the next month and not having to follow a training schedule for the first time in 8 months. Vacation!