The gist....

…of last night’s criterium comes down to:

-20+ peeps showed up
-Total mixed bag comprised of racers from the college cycling team, 40+ masters guys, Cat V riders of all ages, one Junior, and two dudes on singlespeed road bikes.
-The masters guys powered the train, but I didn’t like the pace because they were just controlling the tempo and not racing. I instigated the attacks and 10 minutes later 17 riders were off the back, and five of us rode the final two laps. One lap to go and the two masters guys had a plan. One attacked, and the other one waited. I bit. I had to, because the other two dudes were spent and couldn’t catch on. I chased full gas. Once I caught the first guy, he took another dig and I barely matched it. He wisely swung off and let me fly by well ahead of the line. His teammate was on my wheel in a nice draft the whole time. They used/abused me like a Dodge Neon rental car, and sprinted past my toasted ass so efficiently in the last 100 meters that I just hung my head and coasted in for 3rd. They are extremely fit, accomplished, tactically sound racers. I am pretty fit, severely lacking in palmares, and tactically sound from an armchair, watching pros race with the aid of expert European commentary……..but, I tried as hard as I could.
-The two guys who left me for dead in the first race left early, and we held a second race with 15 guys. I pushed the pace the whole time and took it by ½ a wheel.

When I got home I remember sitting in a dining room chair, smiling, and chuckling about how spent/satisfied I felt. My head fell forward, my shoulders sank I closed my eyes, and I looked at the kitchen clock again. 12 minutes had gone by. That was fast. I think I fell asleep for a bit. That 2.25 hours of riding was the one time of the day that everything on my plate was forgotten. Absolutely everything. I know that’s why I love Tuesdays. It’s like a mid-week adrenaline rush reset button.