Westlake Training Crit - 6/5/2007

I did my first Westlake Tuesday Night World Championship training crit last night joining Ray and Tom in the A race. Ouch... I was supposed to race smart and get some "motor" pacing.

The teams with numbers were RGF with about 100 guys, and maybe 50 Lake Effects, Torrelli had all 3 guys... and Paul Martin from Roadhouse in the field of about 25. We started civil enough until Dick Brink (RGF) decided to go off the front with Matt Weeks (LE). RGF and LE rolled easy to open the break up pretty large. Somehow I managed to rolled off the front behind Cameron from RGF, and we got about half way to Dick and Matt. Cameron must have decided it was a stupid move, because as I pulled through I looked back and he was gone. I decided it was dumb then to, and sat up also. But my heart rate well into zone 5, even sitting in the field. Uh oh.

I got about a half lap recovery when Paul decided to bring the break back, pulling the group along at 30 per. Gaps were opening like crazy, and I closed a few before and I found myself WELL off the back with 16 of the 23 laps to go. Crap!

I was not alone as many others were just gone, and I ended up with RGF's Cameron and Polo(?) and another kid in a QuickStep kit. Cameron kept rolling through hard, almost attacking the rest of us, and I kept trying to get the small group to work together to maybe close the gap to the field. I guess Paul got the break back, and then another went off, and the field slowed again, because we actually made it back to the group in about a lap and a half... with some significant efforts on my part.

I got about a lap to recover as Paul decided to again go at 30 per to bring the next break back, and this time I managed to hold on. I think we repeated this exercise again, though I don't quite remember. Brain fog.... With 7 to go, the pace picked up yet again, and I ended up rubbing my front wheel on Dick's shoe when I tried to see how far back I was, no damage, just a little adrenalin rush. Though I then told myself I must be getting tired to make that kind of mistake. I guess that was a signal of things to come, and should have let the guys that saw it know too.

With 6 to go, Paul went again. I was hanging on Dick's wheel as guys were blowing in front of us. Dick ended up closing gaps repeatedly, and only Batke was behind me when a gap opened between Dick and I that I was having trouble with.... I motioned for Batke to come around, and I think his reaction got into my head... instead of digging in to follow his wheel, I sat up.

I'm pissed at myself because I quit, not because I fell off the pace. My HR was in zone 4, so I guess I should have been able to go harder, but I just shut it down. I don't know if I could have gone the distance at that pace, and I guess it doesn't matter now anyway.

I ended up riding tempo for the remaining 5 laps on my own. Doug Williams (riding B's) caught me after his wreck, and we kind of rode together... well, he sat on my wheel, then would come around and roll ahead of me for a while. I don't think I really drafted off him at all. As we came in for his final lap, he asked if I wanted to sprint with him, so I said sure... we rode side by side to 100 meters, when I jumped, and I just heard him laughing as I pulled away.

In the end I averaged 25.4 for about 1:45 with the group, peaking at near 40mph. The last 5.5 laps, I did at 22.8 on my own for about 20 minutes with a 35+ sprint with 3 to go. I probably came in about 3 minutes behind from the group.

It's pretty incredible to watch Paul totally control the race. A break goes, Paul pulls at 30 for two laps to bring it back. Another break goes, Paul brings it back again, alone. In the end, he still pulled the group to the sprint, and won. Had he not been there, I suppose that one of the breaks with RGF and Lake Effect would have stuck. Torrelli would have certainly been represented, and the rest of us would have had an easier night.