Moving on up!

Well, we did it. We have now become cycle racers! Who would have thought it (not us, thats for sure)?

Polkadotlisa got out and gave racing a go and she did AWESOME (just like I thought she would). It took her just 2 races to score a podium in E-Grade (and subsequently bumped up to B-Grade women's) and I did as I had planned/hoped and took a win in E-grade and will now be racing in D-Grade.

Two weeks ago on the 24th of Feb, there was another Coffee Crits session where they teach women crit racing skills before the start of racing and after she completed that skills session, I talked PDL into signing up for E-Grade with me.

On the start line PDL was looking VERY nervous and I could fully appreciate how she felt having been through it myself just recently. She was pretty worried about her cornering speed and skills but I kept on reassuring her she would be fine.

As we started the race, the instructors who have us under control were trying to get us to do rolling turns. But this was a race dammit (hehe) and I'm gonna do whats in my best interests and so I stayed off the front. PDL however was encouraged to move up (which she did with an eye opening burst of speed) and she was left stranded there for 3 laps on a day with a pretty strong head wind up the back straight.

At one stage I moved up behind her and yelled out to her to "get back in the draft" but she didn't know it was me. Dang!

In the second last lap it was a friend from the BV forum Alison (Freckle) who was in the lead as we came up the back straight. Knowing how strong a rider she is I had a move in mind to try and work to my strengths (corner speed and quick sudden surges of speed). As we entered the last corner for the second last time I suddenly pulled out around Alison and powered into the corner as hard as I could. I kept the power down hard down the straight and past the bell (to signify the last lap) and at the end of the straight I glanced back to see if anyone was on my tail and I couldn't see anyone. WOOHOO!

I kept my speed up around the bottom corner and into the back straight where about 2/3's of the way up I hit the headwind and my legs said "cya later, I'm outta here". I dug deep and kept pushing but I was struggling and even had to change down a gear! :(

Somewhere around the last corner (can't quite remember), Ed (a guy I apparently inspired to give racing a go), went past me and left me for dead. I put my head down for the finish sprint and gave it my all and took out 2nd place which I was pretty happy with.

After the race I caught up with PDL and found out she was 3rd until the last lap when her legs gave up in the back straight and all the front group past her, leaving her with a mid pack finish.

She was pretty down on herself but considering she was in the middle of a energy slump after over training, it was her first race, and she spent too long on the front doing too much work, I thought she did awesome.

PDL was fine in the corners, she handled the pack racing without a worry and she looked a natural.

After that weekend, PDL was pretty intent on NOT racing the following week but I just knew that if she got out there and did it again, she would surprise herself and also wash way any negative self doubts she had after the first race.

So come March the 1st (Sunday) and we are off to the crit race and I had pretty much talked PDL into giving it a bash again. We both signed up and were surprised to see Stu (a BV rider) signing up for E-Grade also.

When I saw Stu there I thought to myself, "Well, there goes any chance for a win". PDL and I did our warm ups and before we knew it we were being called up to the line. All week I had been telling PDL to just follow me and NOT to go on the front unless she had a reason for it (to up the pace, or to make a break for it).

Race starts and we are under control as per usual. There is a field of about 19 riders with quite a few women and a few little kids (10yo's), and one guy on a hybrid with flat bars (I thought you weren't allowed to race with flat bars?).

Anyway, we are rolling about and all the young kids (I think 3 of them) are all yelling out to each other and I think the riders around them. At one stage one of the kids runs wide on a corner and goes around the markers and it told off by the marshals. Later on he did it again and was given a second warning. Dang kids! hehe
Good on them for having a go against us oldies though. In another few years these kids will be smashing old grandpa vidman as they sprint off into the distance. LOL

The flat bar guy was on the front which was fine by me. As long as I don't have to get my bars mixed up with him, thats cool. Slowly the pace rose into the low 30's and the pack started to sort itself out (flat bar and kids off the back, all the contenders up the front).

I sat in around 3rd/4th wheel with PDL mostly behind me. With about 10 mins to go, Stu made a break for it off the front. It was about then that Stu's question to me before the start was ringing in my ears- "Will you be chasing any breakaways?" to which I dismissed saying "Nah, its E-Grade, there won't be any breakaways of note". LOL

With Stu opening up a 50-75 meter gap, the guy in 2nd made a lunge for him but I didn't panic. I just upped the pace without going too hard. I have discovered that the hard surges to keep up are what hurt you- NOT the actual speed. So I moved up in due course until I was back on Stu's tail (3rd) where upon Stu started weaving across the road, wanting to get off the front. But of course, we all followed him- left... right... left... right... hehe

Two laps to go and I have lost sight of where PDL was. I didn't want to mess about looking for her to much so I just pushed onwards. Last lap bell and I was feeling good in about 3rd/4th wheel. Stu was back up the front and I moved up on him after the first corner and surged forward HARD into the 90 degree corner. My aim was to fly through the corner FAST and make a break for it (making my surge later then last week so I would have some thing in my legs for the finish).

I sliced through the corner a good 10kph faster than at any other stage during the race and kept powering on up the back straight. As we came around the sweeper past the barriers, I could see a riders shadow right behind me (I assumed it was Stu) and as I could feel the early beginnings of burn coming on, I backed it off to keep something for the finish straight, all the while watching the shadow to my left.

With 20 meters to go before the final corner I piled on the power again, accelerating HARD and flew through the corner, barely pausing to lift my inside pedal. I felt the tyres slip just a touch through the loose stones on the road works in the corner but I was un-phased and kept hammering.

Up the straight and I could hear people yelling and the commentators yelling too. I was worried that I would see Stu come past me but as I closed in on the line there was no sign of anyone either side of me. As I crossed the line on the far RHS of the course, the chequered flag was waving and .... I was alone on the road - 1st place! I did a fist pump in the air as I crossed the line out of pure joy! Sure I know its just E-grade at a local club crit but I was thrilled to have achieved my aim and to have ridden the race EXACTLY how I wanted to.

After the finish on the warm down lap (after catching my breath), I looked around to try and find PDL but I couldn't see her anywhere. It wasn't until I got back to the finish line and saw Kathy and Dave that I found out the she finished 5th (or so we thought). PDL pulled up and she was grinning from ear to ear and I told her that I won. We were both on SUCH a high- it was awesome!

Later on during the next race, we were standing around chatting when somebody said my name was being called out for the presentation, so I ran over (well, as best you can run in road shoes) and was given my 1st place voucher ($25 for Total Rush cycles in Richmond). Then while we all stood around talking, PDL's name was called out as being the first place female and that they had a special award for her. Turned out as the first place woman, she was given a voucher for free race entry and as she was given the voucher she was told she was up to B-grade womens! Wow! Were were a bit confused as it said 3rd on the envelope but assumed it was a mistake.

The rest of the day was spent chatting to friends and then when Sara turned up, we went for a ride with her down beach road to just before Brighton and back to get Sara back in the spin of cycling again after her break from it. Sara did great and she had the right attitude to it, gritting her teeth and showing some guts and determination when it got hard for her. Good to see! :)

Cut forward to today (Tuesday) and I checked the St Kilda Cycling Club website to see the results up (gotta see my name in 1st hehe) and low and behold, PDL finished 3rd and not 5th as we first thought. Turns out it was 2 instructors that passed her off to the side in the finishing straight. It was like she had raced and done well all over again to see that she finished 3rd, and we were beaming with grins from ear to ear once again. Great stuff.

This coming Sunday, I get to watch PDL in B-Grade womens (GO LISA) and then she gets to watch me hang on for grim death in D-Grade. I think she is in with a chance to podium in Women's B-Grade (prize money!) while I will just be happy to finish with the pack in D-Grade.

Can't wait! :)

PS- Sunday morning the 1st i did my usual weigh in and I'm now down to 115.7kgs which is slightly ahead of schedule to reach double figures by my birthday. My clothes are all falling off me (hehe) and I'm looking and feeling great.

Moving on up!