Tour de Delta Road Race

Yesterday we rode the Tour de Delta 1.2 road race. We did 12 laps over a 13 km rolling and technical circuit that featured two climbs that were not very long nor very steep. The race started off fast from the gun. Since the course was not too difficult my plan for the day was to let the course take its toll on riders over time. This ended up being an error as I sat at the back of the race for roughly half of the race saving energy. At the front of the race Evan, Oliver, and Jonah covered moves to put Evan into a roughly 20 rider front group where he sat on and made Rally and the other teams drive the move. The break was always really close to the peloton throughout the entire race. 6 laps into the race I followed a move over one of the hills and tried to make the junction to the front. The big reshuffle came with 3 laps to go when the groups came together on one of the hills but then split again over the top of the hill. I saw this happening but was about 20 riders too far back to make the split and thought the group would stay together. With 2 laps to go the field brought Evan's group back, but there were still riders off the front. The final time up the largest hill on the course I attacked over the top with a couple riders and Oliver was able to counter me. However, we were unable to make a selection happen. Going into the finale Oliver was leading out Evan, and I came by Oliver to shield him from the wind. Ryan Roth of Silber ended up taking the win, and Evan came home in 16th place. I was very disappointed with how I raced the race because I had preconceived notions of how the race would play out and I stuck to them. I had good legs but did not use them at the back for the first half, and when the split happened with 3 to go I also had the same thoughts. It is good to have ideas of how races will play out, but it is smarter to adapt those ideas as a race progresses. We resume racing on Wednesday with the Gastown Grand Prix. I look forward to having a great race there.

Ladner Crit

Last night we raced the Ladner crit here at BC Superweek. It was a short, flat and tight, 4 turn course over a 700 meter circuit. I started off at the front, but the first 5-10 laps started out like a sprint, so I was shuffled to the back. Throughout the race riders were getting shelled from the pace and I would pick them off. However, I could never find good lines to pass a lot of people through the turns, so I could never make it to the front of the race. This is the first time in a long time I have been unable to actually participate in the action at a race. It was like a 1 hour motor pacing session. Evan was able to make his way to the front even though he flatted mid race and was put back in at the back of the race. He stayed up there and was able to come away with 9th place yet again. Today we race the 100 mile UCI 1.2 Tour de Delta road race. It should be a fun one.

North Delta Crit

Last night the North Delta Crit kicked off BC Superweek. It was a tough 4 turn, 1 km circuit that we raced for 55 minutes plus 5 laps. It was my first race in a few weeks, so I was a little bit nervous going into it. The race started with relentless attacks from the gun. I started at the back and settled into the race rather than try to just move to the front immediately. I have found when you just try to pass everyone in the first 5 laps I may blow up, so I like to settle into races. Winning moves usually do not go until 15-30 minutes into a race, so I have found this to be an effective strategy. After 3 laps I looked back and was last wheel as riders were going out the back. That lit a little bit of a fire under me, and I picked off riders a little more quickly than I normally would have. Evan was covering some moves early. After about 15-20 minutes of racing the pace lulled, so I took this chance to surge to the front. There was a move with all teams represented, so I bridged up to it. However, I dragged the whole field with me. An effort like that makes you pay a price on a course like this, so I had to sit in for 10 minutes or so. During this period Evan and Oliver did a great job covering. With 10-15 minutes to go I tried covering again, but once again brought the whole field with me. After this point Silber and Rally seemed to be controlling the race for a sprint finish. Evan ended up coming 9th in the field sprint. This race was a good effort by our smaller team battling teams of 6 up here. It was one of the toughest crits I have ever done according to the watts, so it was a good way to get thrown back into the fire. We race another crit tonight in Ladner.