Race Report: GMSR, Stage 4 - Burlington Criterium

My criterium report really starts about 8 minutes into my warm-up. That’s when I discovered that my body was still in a total shutdown from the previous three day’s efforts. Throughout a 45 minute warm-up, my heart rate did not break 174 beats per minute. I include a number of one to two minutes intervals in my warm-up, but my body was not responding to high-end efforts.

That being said, shit went further south.

I staged excellently in the first row during the “pre-staging,” but was knocked down by someone more aggressive and about 50 pounds larger on the ride up to the line. What shit luck, too, because Drew A. had told me to stage up front “at all costs” for this criterium. I thought I’d snagged a spot.

I had to laugh, in a way. Although I was pissed I’m sure the guy I landed on was even more livid. I would start the race from the congested fourth row. There really wasn’t any worse place to be. Yon had to leave town for urgent business, but Schlomo managed to save his spot up front. He’s the crit racer, so that was good.

My race, as expected, was over before I gave myself a chance. Deadlegs from the back won’t get you to the front. It’s that simple. I chased gap after gap until I was officially dropped, then tried to work with other victims to fight the friction of crappy roads and make the halfway mark so we’d be ranked in GC. At 21 minutes and 36 seconds into the race, the referees requested that I become a spectator. Throughout that entire ordeal, my heart rate still never peaked.

Three racers had taken off, including the now-former yellow jersey (he lost it on App Gap) who’d won the TT. The trio had half a lap on the field and were sure to hold it. Schlomo, however, was sitting pretty in the main bunch. He held position in about sixth wheel every lap. I even told his dad, who came to watch the race, “He’s getting a top ten today.”

I must have jinxed it. With less than 8 laps left in the race (the free-lap rule having expired), the peloton passed and Dan wasn’t in his usual spot up front. He wasn’t there at all. It was an emptiness I hadn’t felt for a teammate in a wihle. Some other rider had side-swiped him.

Though the refs told him he didn’t have to continue and would be placed, Schlomo finished the race with a cracked carbon, crooked helmet, ripped bar tape, bend shifter, and scrapes all over. Unlike myself, he crossed the last finish line at GMSR.

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GMSR as an experience was awesome and horribly challenging. It's exactly what I needed and wanted, although I wasn't in prime shape and had probably eaten a bit too much ice cream the few weeks before it.

Sunday, then. In a dozen hours I’ll pin on my last race number for 2010 and give 'em hell in an attempt to snatch the Cat 3 attendance award (oops, I mean BAR). My season ends after Turkey Day at approximately 1:45 p.m. for better or worse. I’ll be happy to tweedle into the best riding weather of the year. My body has been sending me signals, like a brick in the back, saying, “Sit the F- down, son, and take a break.” Moreso, I'm just sick of the routine of having to pay, drive, pin, warm up and line up just to pedal. I want a few weeks to just ride.

This time tomorrow night, though, no matter what, my Cat 2 upgrade request will be in Tracy’s inbox.

Thanks for reading. Let's tweedle.