Rewind almost one year ago to the day, I was starting my first full season of biking and Grant’s Tomb Crit was the first race on the calendar. I’d never done a crit before, and yes, I was terrified – mostly of being unable to stay with the pack. I got to the start line of the Cat 4/5 race dead tired from the week, frigid cold (temps were sub-freezing) and not properly warmed up, thinking that somehow, I could do that during the race (?!). Two laps of blistering intensity and yoyo cornering action later, boom, off the back with my heart coming out of my chest. Luckily, I’m a stubborn little thing and – determined not to have that be my entire experience of a crit race – I got to the start line a second time for the Cat 3/4/5. This one felt easier, I guess because I was warmed up, but I still came pretty much last, and the blistering pace and technical nature of it still rattled my nervous system so much that I left the day with the same feeling I’d arrived with – utter dread of crit racing.
Fast forward to yesterday, and I’m back at the start line of Grant’s Tomb. The nerves were there but this time I felt more positive. I’d realized how strange it was that I used to have no problem killing myself in a 10k run race – in fact that was my favorite distance – but somehow on a bike I felt so much less “comfortable with uncomfortable”. I set myself two mantras for the day – “stay positive”, and “just like a 10k”. Combined with a year’s additional race experience, I did much better, not placing but staying near the front all race, taking corners smoothly, and only falling back on the last couple laps as I didn’t quite have the strength to stay in contention for the sprint.
I left happy! More importantly, I left wanting more. Eyes up look ahead? –no problem in a crit, easiest ask ever! I love how crits force you into the present so that all your senses awaken; and how they force you to breathe efficiently so neither your body nor nervous system crash. I love how technical it is and how every lap you get to figure out how to improve just that little bit more. The only price for admission is, as Steve Cullen from ButcherBox Cycling puts it in the funky short American Crit, “you just need to work so hard you wanna die”.
I love how this kind of race is so at home in the urban environment. I showed up at two more crits last year – Orchard Beach up in the Bronx – a chance to get some springtime sea air, and Lime Rock Grand Prix, a super fun course up in Connecticut. I got a kick out of the fact that’s a real car racing track – especially when I flatted and took a pit stop, where a mechanic changed out my wheel and pushed me back into the race! I’ll be trying a few more local ones this year, and I really hope Red Hook crit gets revived in 2020 for spectating purposes. There’s clearly a rich history of crits and a vibrant race scene in the U.S. that I’d love to see more of.
As far as race goals are concerned, I developed well enough over the last year to go from “off the back” to “in the game”. This year I hope to progress to “in sprint contention”. My limiters are still fairly all-encompassing at this point:
- 30s/1min power;
- Sprint technique – I have a vague idea what to do but no experience and never practiced;
- Improving my mental ability to push hard on a bike – even if my legs are learning to crank out higher power, my mind is still stuck in what I’ll call “Ironman mode”, where pacing is king and there’s really no need for a sprint finish, and certainly no need to go sprinting like a maniac in the middle of a race…
I also look forward to getting good enough to participate in the same race category as my teammates!
On the fun side, reading about Red Hook Crit, and more generally learning about track racing as part of my coaching study, has led me to sign up for an Introduction to Track Racing Clinic at Kissena Velodrome later this month. Give it a go, why not – and I’ll have to try at least one race after that.
Eyes Up, Look Ahead 