Race Report: 2012 First Annual Red Wing Park Shamrock Criterium

Well I headed down south of DC to the Virginia Beach area for the First Annual Red Wing Park Shamrock Criterium.  I hopped in the Cat 3/4 race noticing on bikereg that about 40 had signed up.  Quickly flipping over to road-results race predictor to see how I was to do, I saw a pretty promising 15th.   Noticed my buddy Alex Rapavi was going to be in the race, so I figured I would know at least one. 

I arrived at Red Wing Park with plenty of time to get warmed up and look over the course.  The weather was cool and clear, around 55 degrees, and the course was flat with four turns and one straight with a head wind.

For those who follow this blog, it is odvious that one of my week points is getting in a good warm-up.  So this race I wanted to really try and do everything by the book.  So here is my warm-up:

20 min easy in the small ring-start to break a little sweat
10 min tempo pace, build to sustained threshold by the end of the last minute
2-3 min easy recovery spin
2-5 min at sustained threshold
3-5min easy recovery spin
1-2 min hard VO2/anaerobic threshold pace
3-5 min easy
30 sec spinups to max RPM, easy gear
3-5 min easy—GO RACE!id a really good warm-up and had timed things about right, went to throw on my race wheels and for some reason my rear wheel hub was seized, hastily put the training wheel back on and rolled to the line.  I knew that I was screwed because I now had a 13-28 rear cassette in a crit.  The other negative was now I was lining up dead last.

With that said, I did a really good warm-up and had timed things about right, went to throw on my race wheels and for some reason my rear wheel hub was seized, hastily put the training wheel back on and rolled to the line.  I knew that I was screwed because I now had a 13-28 rear cassette in a crit.  The other negative was now I was lining up dead last.


Race started off very quick!  The first 10 minutes the average speed was just over 27 mph, then settled down to 25.  I was tail gunning trying to move forward but there were only two long straights so I would move up as far as I could not to dive the left hand corners.  A break went off the front about lap 2, 4 guys, but I was so far back there was nothing that I could do.

I stayed about top ten for the next 25 minutes and decided with about 6 laps to go, to get all the way to the front and see if I could make anything happen. I got away a little but the head wind dropped my speed down enough for the group to catch back on.  With 4 to go the breakaway crashed, taking out three of the four.  The single was far enough off the front that we could not catch him.  The last lap I got a little out of position and came into the final straight sitting about 17th.  I could not gain on the ones in front nor get caught by the ones behind and crossed the finish line in 18th.  

Post-race headed out with Alex and Dana and did another 2 hours.  All in all a good race, poor luck in the beginning and tactical failure at the end.  Funny side note, on our post-race ride we stopped at Schlotzsky's for lunch.  With my US Military kit on, a little guy about 5 years old, told his mom that he thought I was Captain America, guess I am going to have to get a warm-up cape.

   

Good decisions:  placement in the peloton

Bad decisions:  warming up on my non-race wheels.  Not staying 100% focused on the last 2 laps, I need to start "racing" the last two laps, get in position and just go for it.

Overall finish:  18th.

Fitness is coming together should be ready for Jefferson Cup, my first "A" race.

Next race:  Smackdown Criterium on Saturday and Dismal Dash TT on Sunday.  Check road-results perdictor to see how I am suppose to do.