The first Tuesday Night Crit was this evening. Bill the Bike Man blocks off the streets in a business park up near my work, a half mile circuit with wide turns and good pavement.
It’s a fast course, flat with three real turns and one long gentle bend. I raced the C race, which is the only spot they’ve got for beginners, and pretty much got dropped on the first lap. But I still hammered pretty well, and turned in a respectable 22.8 mph for 20 laps, which is a personal best, almost a mile an hour faster than the last crit I rode.
Lissa’s verdict is that I’m getting sucked in. Guess she’s right, but whatever. It sure is fun riding a bike fast.
Can you work with someone (~paceline) while you’re riding? You’ll delay getting lapped and go faster as well.
D
Easier said than done, Dano. I kept trying to latch onto groups, but the pace was so high I had trouble keeping up even drafting. At one point I tagged onto the back of one of the groups that had lapped me (is this bad etiquette? whatever) and held that for a couple of laps, but eventually I popped off of the back.
It’s tough. Sometimes you can find one or 2 people that have been dropped off the back too and you can rest with them so you can keep going. If no one gets dropped, then you’re solo.
D