Superior Bike Fest: Twilight Criterium

I was nervous. It was my first crit, and my first road race. I worked a twelve-hour shift, Thursday, so I had no time for preparations that day. Friday morning, I packed up my bikes and my dogs. Unfortunately, it took much longer than I expected and I didn't arrive to Marquette until 4:00 p.m. I had very little time to get my packet, get ready, and start my race.

I started strongly. I hopped out in front, as racing articles said to do, and I lead the pack for the first lap. I took corners at top speed, leaning my bike into it while maintaining stability and grace that I only possess on the bike. The end of the lap met some difficulty as we hit a hill. I slowed and the rest of the pack went by. Unfortunately, most of them were just as fast as I on the rest of the course, but they were good climbers, so they dusted me.

The second lap brought a lot of pain as my chest burned from my deep, intense breathing. I was racing. My climbing got slower and it took longer for me to get up to speed on the straightaway at the top of the hill. By the third or fourth climb, I had to slow down for a bit and regain some of my breath. When I caught my second wind, I began climbing more strongly and the pain eased up only a bit.

I finished in tenth place that night. I was last. However, I noticed my riding skills were superior to some of the other girls as they braked like crazy into the turns and coasted down the hills instead of picking up speed by pedaling. I will continue to work on my climbing and I will come back to next year's crit with a vengeance.