Casey Auto Group Criterium, Todd Stadium, Newport News, VA

April 23

I did two races- the Cat 1/2/3 and the Cat 3 (in that order).

Cat 1/2/3 race
I said I was going to sit in. I always say I'm going to sit in. I had one teammate who was unsure of his fitness level, so we agreed to race our own races and see what happened. In the first part of the race, a breakaway with one of the dominant teams got away (eventually lapping the field), and all early efforts to bring it back were futile. I did, however, help chase a few smaller chase groups down. We had 60 half-mile laps to do, and I lasted for 45 of them before deciding to save some energy for the Cat 3 race. I dropped out, chilled out with Brian M. and had some food and drink before the...

...Cat 3 race
First few laps were fast. Too fast, if you ask me. I felt horrible, but managed to sit in long enough for the legs to warm back up. We were doing 40 laps, and I was the only rider from my team in the race, so again, I was working for myself. A breakaway got away about lap 10, and many chase groups tried to reel them in. Again, the dominant team from the 1/2/3 race was controlling everything, and because of it, the pace was variable. Fast, slow, faster, slow, moderate, really fast, really slow... you get the idea. This took a serious toll on my legs, as did the many accelerations and my attempts to chase down the chase groups that formed every other lap or so. I did my share of work considering my situation, and probably did too much. In the last 5 laps, when the pace was picking up, I just couldn't turn the gear fast enough to make up any ground. I sprinted to stay in the group, but was nowhere near the front when the finish line arrived.

All in all, I'm happy with the day. I felt a lot better in the 1/2/3 race than I did in the 3, and probably could have placed better if I'd stayed in (but wouldn't have had anything left for the later race...) It proves that my form is there, and that I'm still capable of staying in a fast group...