Late Post on Bino's first Crit experience

"You spin me right round, baby

right round like a record, baby

Right round round round

You spin me right round, baby

Right round like a record, baby

Right round round round"

-Dead or Alive

So on Sunday I raced my first ever criterium road race at the Bethel Spring Series.  I had been hemming and hawing all week about going, as the weather was looking pretty bitter, and I had been fighting off a head cold, but when my alarm went off that morning, the temperature was hovering around 30, and I was feeling pretty good.  So I loaded up my car, dressed in my cold weather riding gear, and made the drive to Bethel.

I've been riding bikes as long as I can remember, racing mountain bikes for about 7 years, and racing triathlons (up to half Iron distance) for about 5 years.  I've done my share of big group rides, both organized and informal, and I've been spending a good amount of time on the dreaded trainer this winter.  My power numbers have steadily improved, and I'm actually feeling about as strong as I've ever felt going into a spring.  But I haven't ridden outside since November!  Those of you who know me know that I'm not a big fan of riding in the cold, and find it hard to motivate when the thermometer drops below 40 degrees fahrenheit.  So when people started talking about doing a crit race in early March, I was pretty hesitant, but I figured it would be a good experience, and I could always bail at the last minute if the weather was especially bad.

So when I signed up, I thought it was time to understand what, exactly, "crit racing" was all about.  Basically, it involves a very short loop (in this case, .8 miles) that you ride around for a predetermined number of laps or amount of time.  The Bethel series is set up as 15 laps for Category 5 racers (what everyone starts at) and 20 laps for the higher categories.  Some races have prizes or "primes" (pronounced "preems") for mid race lap leaders, but the Bethel series does not.  Crits are known for being very fast and very technical, with lots of turns.  The Bethel loop features a 90 degree right hand turn at the start, a steady downhill, and a short uphill to the finish line.

The race organizers require all Cat 5 racers to attend a pre-race clinic so that the more inexperienced riders (read: me) can learn some of the basic skills needed for racing safely.  This started with pairing up and riding less than 6 inches apart.  Think about being able to roll your fingers off your handlebar and touch the back of the other rider's hand.  Next we practiced "rubbing" against the other rider.  This wasn't meant to be used as an offensive weapon, but rather to be prepared if and when some accidental contact occurred.  It was surprisingly hard to force myself to make contact with the other rider, so I'm not sure how effective this drill was.

And then it was time to race.  We lined up on the start line, a few riders making nervous jokes, others looking very serious.  Some riders shed a layer or two, took in a gu and some water, while others just looked ready.  I had more normal pre-race butterflies, which for whatever reason I tend to feel in my shoulders and upper arms.  It's a weird feeling, and only seems to happen just before a race.  Then the whistle blew, and we were off.  I initially flailed a bit with my pedal, but then jumped right into the pack and settled in.  Honestly, after that, it's mostly a blur.  There were a few near crashes in front of me as people tried to take the 90 degree turn too sharply and cut off other riders, a few lapped riders to pass, and certainly no good opportunities to drink or eat.  No big deal though, it was cold so we weren't sweating too much and the race was only 12 miles so food was pretty irrelevant.  I had a hard time keeping track of what lap we were on, but I figured as long as I stayed in the bunch I was doing ok.  The first several laps were at a moderate pace, averaging about 2 minutes 5 seconds per lap, but on the last 2 laps the pace jumped considerably, to about 1:57 for the second to last and something even faster for the final.  I'm not sure what the pace was, as I got spit out the back of the group about halfway through the last lap, but I finished it in just under 2 minutes, so the leaders must have done about 1:50 or less.  I just couldn't hold on as the pace increased.  But that gives me something to work for for the next race.