Mystic Velo Criterium Masters Report, Hot Racing [Tim Dodd]
The Mystic Velo Criterium, held at Ninigret Park, is purpose build,nearly 1 mile, criterium course, pancake flat with a mix of tight and gradual turns. Strategic features are a tight turn leading to a sweeping turn onto a longish finishing straight. A warm 88F seabreeze kept the weather bearable and provided a side tail wind for the finish. I was the only NEBC’er in the roughly 60 riders in the 45+ field that included many of the top Masters riders, including Skip Foley in his stars and strips skinsuit.
The race kicked off with a flurry of fruitless attacks doomed by alack of team work to hold back the peleton. After the initialexcitement of the race wore off, some attacks by top riders started to occur. While recovering from an attack I missed 10 top riders regrouping off the front and now making good progress on the pack,Skip Foley jumped off the front in pursuit and I followed well offhis wheel. Convinced this was a winning break, I attached over a halflap later to a nicely oiled break and committed myself to pulling my share. Once in the break I noticed Paul Curley and Mike Norton were missing from the group, but hoped for the best. The fast break was caught 5 laps later with Paul Curley being one of the first to join.The pack now whole, settled into a rythem with bouts of fruitless attacks. With about 8 laps to go, five riders lacking many of the top riders got off the front. The pack didn’t panic and maintained a solid pace and pulled back the break with less than 2 to go.
I slotted in 10th place behind Skip Foley and Paul Curley for the lastlap, only to get push off the wheel in the final last tight turn. Inthe sweeper the manthat took my position sat up forcing me around and to sprint down the straight without a wheel. Nobody passed me and I passed nobody for a 10th place finish. John Grenier narrowly edged out Brian Wolf for the win and a ever so strong, Mike Pavlov took fourth. The race average was 27mph.
With a quick number change, gu and chugging a bottle of water, Ijoined 43 riders in the 35+ race. I took this race very conservatively for the first half trying to hold down my gu and drink.The attacks in this race were not as violent as the previous race andI sat in having a chance to say hi to John Smathers racing smartly at the front. Tired from my previous race I was starting to feel the heat and paid less attention to who was attacking who and focused onriding smoothly.
By 10 laps to go, I was feeling very dehydrated and poured the last bit of my water bottle over my head. I bridged gaps as I had to but,make no significant moves hoping to make it to the finish. On the bigsweeper a big crash forced me to the inside of the turn and gave all I had left. After an initial sprint, I felt way too warm and disoriented, and coasted across the line for 11th place. I struggled to keep the bike verticle and get the legs turning again. In a few moments, all was good despite goose bumps on my arms and legs, and I chugged multiple cold drinks, and recovery food in the shade of a tree.
John Smathers finished well in 15th place, and Mark McCormack won the field sprint.
Racing is fun, and sometimes too hot.