2012 Australia Day Criteriums - C Grade

The 2012 Australia Day Criteriums was my first venture into the open racing ranks and it was with a little trepidation that I made my way down to Technology Park for the morning's event. I'd been told a couple of times that the gradings for the open events is a step up from the equivalent Masters gradings so with that in mind and on Brad's recommendation to test my ability first, I signed into the C grade event.

Before I cover my race, a big congratulations to Brad Hall who managed to win this morning's Elite mens event just ahead of Travis Meyer from GreenEdge. Well done Brad, a fantastic race in the hot conditions and a well deserved win. Certainly an inspiring ride.

With temperatures beginning to soar (rapidly), I was somewhat glad that I did sign into the C grade event - regardless of the fact that the race organisers (Roues Chaudes CC) had set up an ice bath for the end of each race. I must say, it was well utilised by the end of the morning's racing. C Grade was racing for 30 minutes plus 2 laps and by the time we were on course, the mercury was certainly rising so the shorter time would be welcome.

With a few additional registrations on the morning the numbers for C grade had swelled a little but with only half a dozen women on the list, C grade and open womens were combined which triggered the thought "don't get chicked". We were called to the line for the 8:00am start and we were given a neutral lap to ride into a rolling start for the race. I'd not started a race like this but preferred it to the standing start they employ with Masters.

With the neutral lap complete, the pace picked up immediately reaching 37 km/h which remained the general minimum lap time for the remainder of the race (bar one or two). The women seemed to be very keen to show the boys how to ride and did a lot of work at the front for the first half of the race showing that some of them had the strength in their legs and to be a possible threat.

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I found myself rolling through to the front on numerous occasions which was not giving me the opportunity to size up the competition. This was a little concerning given the presense of some teams in the group who I figured would be working together in an effort to secure the race placings.

It was not until about mid-race that the true attacks appeared with some of the women looking to break away, however the boys were keen not to let them get away and each attack was drawn back in pretty quickly. When the gents decided start making some moves the group seemed to be less inclined to chase them down so I had to chase on a number of occasions to ensure the break aways were not winning ones. Visions of my last criterium at Kewdale came flooding back as I was consistently pulling the group back to the lead rider(s). This was getting frustrating.

Once again, after pulling the group back to the break away riders a strong counter attack was immediately forthcoming and I missed the opportunity to get away with three riders. The group were non-commital to the chase and the break away had put a significant gap on the field before the 30 minutes were up and the 2 lap notice was given. Not happy with the lack of intent to chase, I got up out of the saddle and began yet another solo chase leaving the group well behind.

Into the last lap and I had brought back one of the break away riders and passed him easily while focusing on the final two riders still some 50 metres down the road. With less than a lap remaining, the chase was always going to be difficult and the two break away riders successfully kept me at bay and I finished in 3rd place some 15-20 metres behind the 1st place getter, Jackson Brown.

The Garmin showed an average pace of 35.9 km/h for the race but this included the neutral lap at the start and a rolling lap at the end of the race so the final average pace was probably more like 37-37.5 km/h.

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Given an average HR of only 152 bpm, it was definitely not a ride that had me working near my maximum effort. It was not until the last lap that I reached a higher HR of 172 bpm during my solo chase effort. This suggests that I probably could have gone out before the successful break away and made a go of it myself.

I was a little disappointed that there was no attempt to work together to bring the break away back in and I felt that I was (once again) left to chase down on more than one occasion. I was feeling very comfortable through the entire race and felt that I could probably have done better under different circumstances but that is racing and I will take it as it comes and give kudos to the 1st and 2nd place getters for riding a smarter race than everyone else.

Given today's result and the result from Sunday week's Kewdale criterium, I would relish the chance to race with a team of riders who would be prepared to work together to maximise the outcome of future races. But for now, I will learn from my last two experiences and back myself to counter-attack at the right time and be more confident in my ability to ride hard enough to maintain the advantage until the end of the race.

I take a lot from today's race and feel that I could be competitive in an Open B grade event or a Masters A grade event. The recent training has been working well and know that I have the fitness and strength to ride amongst this level and with some more work in the hills and Kings Park, I might even be able to ride for a top 5 place.

For my first open event I am still happy with the ride and a 3rd place is still rewarding. It has certainly boosted my confidence to ride amongst stronger riders and I feel that I can be competitive.

My goal of riding A grade with WCMCC is now certainly within reach.