First off, it was drizzly and overcast with a 8 to 10 mph wind from the SE creating a head and tail wind depending on where you were in the course. There was about 12 to 15 racing in a combined field of Cat 5's and 35+ 4/5's. There were also 2 women, Pamela Leblanc included in the race.
Pamela will be writing about her exploits soon I guess. (To end the suspense she got lapped several times during the race). The other woman was named Betty and she rode for Austin Flyers. I don't know what it says about me, but I was looking at her as a potential competitor--maybe it was the skinsuit.
She got dropped in the 2nd lap.
The Cat 5's consisted mainly of a bunch of UT Cycling guys. The 35+ 4/5's were myself the incomprable Daniel Norton of Velocity, Inc. and a smattering of unattached folks. The first lap started off pretty liesurely. A guy from UT Cycling went off the front-ish which means he was cruising off the front adn there wasn't much interest in him. On the 2nd lap I believe he got a flat. On the third or 4th lap in the turn going into the finishing straight, I came up the middle with an attack and got a small gap on the bunch. I glanced back and there was a rider from UT named Tony who was in last week's race. "Let's go!" I shouted to him and unlike any other time I was in a break of any kind, he glanced back and went for it.
Tony and I took turns off the front several laps creating a sizable gap with the main field and lapping Pamela LeBlanc a few times as well.
The only threat was a Cat 5 guy who caught on wiht 6 laps to go. Before he caught on, Tony noticed him and mentioned that the other rider "seemed to be taking it easy." I figured I had 35+ 4/5 in the bag, so I said, "He's first to your second unless we stay away." When we came to the finishing straight, the other rider called out "I'm on!" at which point Tony stepped on the gas and we dropped him.
Tony and stayed together until there were 2 laps to go wherein he really threw down and I had couldn't hang on. He was about 50 yards up the way the whole way. He soloed to a Cat 5 and overall victory and I sewed up 35+ 4/5.
There were puddles on the course during the race and Kenny Hill the title sponsor of the race was so kind to be sweeping them off the course during the race.
The crit was loads of fun and a real confidence builder. Afterwards when Daniel and I were watching the Cat 1,2's, I wondered aloud how Gerry King would fair in the 35+ 4/5's given his Cipollini-esque sprint.
Perhaps I'll find out some day.....
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