EVENT
Budweiser Sequoia Cycling Classic Criterium
CATEGORY
Women’s Pro/1/2
DATE
Sunday, April 26th, 2015
AUTHOR
Hanna Muegge
COURSE DESCRIPTION
0.7 mile counter-clockwise course starting in front of the City Hall. Lots of spectators, lots of primes, great prizes!
WEATHER
Perfect weather for our race, though the day saw some scattered clouds.
TEAMMATES
Chelsea & Siobhan
GOALS
* Team – get one of us in the break. Help each other cover attacks. Practice that lead-out train we’ve talked about!
* Personal – Be smart, conserve energy, go for an early prime and then rest, have good positioning going into the final turn.
RACE SUMMARY
This course is fast, fun and a wee bit technical. The first couple of laps the tempo was moderate, then the attacks came one after the next. I remained close to the front, trying to avoid taking long pulls or turns pulling the field completely.
When the bell was rung signaling the first round for a prime, I was right there among the first 3 going into the final turn. I took the prime and continued my momentum when I heard them announcing the next lap would also be a prime lap. Two primes collected! Yay. Though it was time to relax, I couldn’t seem to stay far from the front. It was great having both Chelsea and Siobhan in the race with me. Especially after a hard effort, the bright colors of the Mike’s Bikes kit was a calming factor.
There were a few more primes for which I ended up too close to the front going into the final turn, and I hesitated and exerted too much energy going for primes that were far gone. Oh well. Recovery time again.
Having now had several goes at the course, it became clear that it was essential to be in the front out of the final turn in order to win the race. Unfortunately, when the time for the final turn came, I was around tenth wheel. I ended up getting ahead of one more person, but couldn’t move up any more. I had to be ok with 9th place, but to be honest, it was a bummer not to have placed higher up since I was feeling good and it was just a bad strategic move. I should have attacked prior to the second to last corner in order to get up to the front. Instead, I was mid-field and only tried to move up about 20 meters before the final turn.
Here a 5-minute compilation of the race.
TAKEAWAYS
I need to work on timing
Placement going into the final turns for me is key
Don’t hesitate on primes, if you go, GO!
