Snowball #2 Training race

Sunday March 11th, 2007 (first race(s) of the
year).

3/4 race, 33 laps, 20 miles:

Was pretty much able to move around in the field as much as I wanted.
Felt pretty good throughout. Chased a lot, put in a great solo attack to
bridge to 2 guys who were off the front, but they were toast as soon as
I got there, and I tried to recover, sitting on, but they wanted me to
pull through. I decided it wasn't worth it and settled back in. I chased
down 2 guys who were off the front on a prime lap, and caught the lead
guy in a dicey turn- he took the turn narrow, I went outside, he swung
wide, I yelled as I almost got run into a curb, had to get on the brakes
and lost the mo'. I tried to get on the wheel of the guy who won the
prime, but he had too much going by me that I couldn't get the wheel.


With about 3 to go I was sitting near the front, but backed off in the
final lap due to all the jackasses being sketchy- jumping wheels, and
not holding lines in the straights. There was a crash (dude hit a cone
on the outside of the course) with about 4-5 to go while I was on the
front, and I thought it better to go home with all my original skin,
er.... well, save something for...

1/2/3 race, 50 laps, 30 miles:

Start line- guy in front of me slips a pedal, I overlap his wheel (I'm
clipped in), and *almost* crash. I put a foot down and stayed up.

About 10 laps in the race separated into 2 groups, so it turned into a
kind of 20-man multi-team pursuit. Of course, being without teammates in
the second group, and 2-3 major teams controlling the race, I was stuck
in the second group. That's not to say there weren't attacks, and not to
say I didn't follow, or even try a few of my own. I felt pretty good for
a while, moved up, went with an attack, settled in, moved up, went with
an attack (once even going with an attack that was a counter to my own
attack, which, needless to say, was fruitless.) Twice I fell off the
back but sucked it up and chased back on. With about 15 laps to go, I
was starting to open some gaps and struggled to get back on, and at 10
to go decided I'd raced 33 and 40 laps, for a total of about 43 miles of
crit racing, and that was enough for one day.

Overall, it was a good indicator that I'm finding some early-season
form. I also have some confidence going into the University of Maryland
crit this weekend that I can be a factor, and ride in the front of the
race (one that gets strung out and stays that way, and being in the back
is BAAAD.) Kinda makes me wish I'd signed up for Jeff Cup...