I last did this race in 2001 - where does the time fly? Anyway, it was just myself and Hanan on an overcast, slightly chilly summer afternoon. I have not raced a local crit since April and I feel like I entered a time warp – I barely recognize the faces of the racers around me, although it is nice to see a new crop of women moving up through the ranks. However, with the abundance of skills and racing clinics available, how come these women are so sketchy? The course was a typical four corner crit and not very technical. Yet there were several crashes, including one involving several girls as they locked handlebars as the start gun went off. What gives??? I think every woman rider should be required to take a skills clinic before upgrading to a cat 3, otherwise the racing becomes unnecessarily unsafe.
Of the faces I did recognize, I picked Flavia Oliviera (racing for Jocelyn’s) and Olivia Dillon to watch and keep an eye on the Easton sprinters. After a few ill fated attacks that I tried to cover and a couple break away attempts, Flavia took off after a Code 3 Racing rider, who was chasing Olivia out on a solo effort (I think she is the Irish national TT champ). Their gap looked like it would hold, so I took off after them and tried to bridge, bringing a Metromint (Amanda) with me. The field didn’t react, so our break of 5 riders stayed away for the remainder of the race. With the exception of the Code 3 rider, we all worked together nicely. I was third wheel coming through the final corner, behind Olivia and Amanda. This should have been an ideal spot, but my sprint lacks jump since this is my first race back since Nature Valley after taking a nice break from the bike. Olivia had just dragged us around for two laps, so she was easy to overtake, but Flavia (who was on my wheel) easily came around me and I couldn’t pass Amanda, who held on for the win. Flavia took 2nd, me in 3rd. Hanan got caught in one of the crashes and smartly surfed the pack for the remainder of the race.
~ Kristin
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