Midweek Mayhem

I just did my first Midweek Mayhem race, the Tuesday night crits at the U of C Research Park. Wow! It was sweet. We had 20-some racers for a short, fast, fun race. I will definitely be back for more. You can get a whole season of racing in for 40 bucks (if you have a racing license). Wicked deal!

Today I just wanted to ride my bike and see how these unfold. I didn't have any goals for placement. At first I just went for the ride mid-pack hanging on to the yo-yo around every corner. At the mid-point of the race I decided to pull the group for a bit (not attack, pull)... not an intelligent move but I wouldn't be able to call myself a mountain biker if I didn't! Also, I wasn't feeling very challenged physically so why not? I did this for a couple of laps but (of course) it was just a waste of energy. So I dropped back and tried to stay in the top third of the peloton as the attacks began increasing in the waining laps of the race. I managed this until the last lap where I ended up getting boxed a bit before set up for the the last turn before the sprint. In the end I sprinted in for sixth or seventh I think. I was happy with that. Congrats to Cyrus K who won.

I really recommend doing these races. They are short and fun. I know I don't do enough road races to get really good at the strategy aspect of them but this will help me invaluably.

Cheers.