SugarCRM Memorial Day Criterium

When I registered for 45+ 3/4 for this crit, I did not realize that my race was combined with 35+ 3/4. Although I do like to race with 35+ 4, racing with 35+ 3 made me feel bit uncomfortable because I have never done it before. Instead of fierce pace, the problem was - crashes. There were five that I heard or saw, way too many for a simple, flat course with four 90-degree turns and excellent pavement. Total of 77 racers started the race, 64 finished. The average speed was 26 mph, certainly not result of a steady pace. None of several attacks survived more than half a lap, thanks to the wind and some strong teams. There were two crashes in the last lap, one after another, right before and inside 4th corner to go. I had to break to avoid last crash but managed to catch tail of the lead group of approx. 25 that opened a small gap after the crash. I was still breathing hard from that effort when another attack started with 600-700m to go. My chance to recover just a little bit before the sprint went bye-bye, you could hear me cursing something nasty that no one could understand. The attack was neutralized and I used few seconds of confusion to move up before the last corner and final sprint. I was around 14-15th position in the last corner, passed few guys in the sprint and ended up 9th overall. Results were split by category and that brought me 3rd place in 45+. Too bad they did not split results further to 3 vs. 4, I would have ended up even higher :)

Cheers,
Vlada