Lucky 77

Hors Categorie Photo
For those not yet alert, or not a member of the NorCal fellowship of biker geeks - 2007 Race Season has begun! Yeah sure, some teetotaling lunatics raced up San Bruno hill on New Year's Day and we've had a coupla Early Bird training crits, but seems as though the Cal Aggie Crit is truely the first race of the season. I skipped it last year as there is no Old Sportie category and Jan 20 seems awful early to start racing. This year, it came at the end of a RnR week and I needed some fast pack riding experience sooner rather than later - so with a lift from Gianni - and a few other Sporties ready for action - I could not resist the chance to race two or three different races available for an old cat 4 like me on that day. We arrived to find the ever popular 4/5 Elite race filled nearly two hours before it started, so - it was time to "man up" and lay down the cash for two races: 35+ Open and 3/4 Elite; unfortunately, back-to-back races.

A rare and kind of scary prospect to race with the elder 1,2,3 boys we admire so much. Turned out to be nothing but fun, speed and anaerobia. We sporties found the speed a bit higher but pack dynamics much smoother than our usual 4/5 races. Though I spent most of my 38 minutes tagged onto the back, the pack was tight and I could still see what was happening at the front of the race. I was running just over LT, wondering what I was doing in there when I could see a trio form a gap - spidey sense up! Looked like Nathan in the break; Sierra man pulls out of the pack and wants to move up so I prepare to take the ride just as Gianni commands 'grab that wheel!' I take the ride all the way to front and Sierra wants to bridge... so I swing into a polite blocking position, let him go, and BLAM - it's Hernando around us both to make the trio a 4-man break that almost lasted. (Magically, Hernando still won, even though that break was caught.) I pull for a paltry amount of time, drift back, and take myself out with 6 laps to go simply for some extra rest before the 3/4 race. Most of the other EMC Sporties lasted til the end of 35+ race and even did some work for the team - Richard even scored a 23rd place.

Race 2: I actually lasted the full 50 minutes with the 100 man (including at least one woman) totally full 3/4 field. True, I rolled over the line in 77th place - DFL - but at least I made it! My last 3/4 race was late 2005 and I got lapped... Those slow downs on the one true turn of the course resulted in 15 to 30 mph sprints every lap. Great day of training for me - great to see the NCNCA race scene again - and I believe this is an indication I am more fit than last year at this time; at least more confident and recovered from the June Pneumonia debacle. Raced 40+ miles total in 1:38 for ave speed of 25+ mph. Not getting older, getting fitter. Ronnie Nome scored a 5th in the 35+, finished the 3/4 raced and lasted about 1/2 the Pro 1/2/3 race... now that's some training!