Woemn's Cat4: Collar City Crit, Jen Cunningham, Troy NY, Aug 13
Collar City Crit, Downtown Troy NY
Women’s 4s
7 women, 4 junior boys mixed at start
NEBC: Jen Cunningham Butler (2nd), Blake Fitch (4)
Fun!!!!!!!! Technical 7 corner crit, not quite a mile in length. This course was fun start to finish. Off the line to a fairly immediate 90ish degree left, one short block to 90 degree left, one short block to another 90 degree left, another block to 90 degree right (whee!!!!). Three blocks to Dunkin Donuts corner 90 degree left, one block to 90 degree final significant left, one block to sweeping left with a slight rise to long finish stretch. Hit first corner and do it again (and again and again – yay!).
The Plan: Blake and I have complementary strengths, so our plan was to win the race using them. She has a fiery sprint, and I have a good sense of where/when to attack. We planned for Blake to be at the front for the last lap and for me to attack with two corners to go – the Dunkin Donuts corner. (It’s good to have a beacon like that in a technical crit. Helps you pay focused attention when you’re on the rivet!) My attack would create the requisite gap which I would, of course, keep to the line for a dramatic win. If someone jumped on me to foil the plan, Blake would jump on them and pip them at the line. Either I would win and she would be second, or she would win and I would be second or third. Piece of theoretical cake.
The Preamble: Blake and I got to Troy at 7pm on Saturday, rode the course enough times to set it in our heads a bit, and went to our hotel (practically on the course). Dinner was a trip – a story for later. We went to bed and both had dreams of missing the start and were happy to get up at 6:15 without incident. The race was supposed to start at 8. They were still towing cars by 8:15. I warmed up on the course for what turned out to be an hour and a half, checking out potholes (lots) and decent lines (fun). Decided that if there was a sketch in the group, it would be important to go through those corners always in the front 5 or so.
The Race: Race start time 8:45. We came into the first corner four wide so I hopped to the front to pick fast lines and show the group around ;) In warm up, a woman named Amy told me she didn’t know how to “really corner” so I pulled off after lap one, tucked in behind her in third wheel and said, “those are the lines”. End of tutorial, we began racing. First prime for women was called after a spicy 6 laps or so. Blake and I had picked CBRC as the best sprinter aside from Blake. Blake beat her by a good 5-6 bike lengths. Easy. I attacked after to see how attentive people were being. Very. Gap didn’t stick, though we had already dropped two women. We settled in, surfed the junior prime, protected each other and cruised the corners at speed. Second prime was called with Blake on the front, then CBRC, then me. Perfect. I’d test to see if I could get around CBRC at the line. With two corners to go, Blake sat up to make CBRC come through, which of course she didn’t. Saw me third wheel and – oops! There goes CBRC in the ensuing confusion. She gets Prime 2 (we cracked up about this later). Surf another junior prime then 8 or 9 to go and Prime 3 gets called for us. At the bell it was GMBC, then Blake, then CBRC, then me. Blake sat on GMBC. CBRC started early to the right, GMBC had to follow suit on the left. Blake went up the middle and beat CBRC by 1/2 bike length. At this point it was clear what the finish would look like. Primes were excellent practice! Blake and CBRC had a decent gap, so I surfed the others to see if the gap would widen. Amy and GMBC pulled, and I attacked when we got there. Everyone was too attantive for that, and it was back enough in a 1/2 lap that I bagged it and drifted to the back to sit for the ride til Dunkin Donuts.
Six to go. GMBC has done Jack for many laps so I sit on her. Junior prime and we let them go to get out of the way for the finish. Five of us marking each other, and Amy goes to the front. CBRC very attentive and always moving to wheel 2. Two laps to go and I move around GMBC for 4th wheel. Blake strong and ready at wheel 3. Bell lap, early corners set the order solid. Amy still wheel 1, but I figured Blake had it covered even though she wasn’t on the front as planned. I make the decision, seeing where CBRC was and knowing she was attentive and sprint-ready, to wait one more corner. Didn’t want to give CBRC enough time to come at me. Jumped hard, apexed the last 90 degree corner as Amy led a more circuitous route, got the gap and rode for my life. Line was coming, coming, I heard people behind me…hurry up line! I see CBRC moving around to my left. No more gears, can’t turn the ones I have any faster, she’s still coming…. gets me by a wheel at the line. Ummm…where’s Blake? Ummm…Blake? Cool down lap and Blake is literally swearing. I’m pegged and trying to breathe again so I’m not sure what it’s about or what happened. “I am soooo mad!” I hear her say. Wow.
OK, so what happened? No comment necessary on this one! Blake and I have talked this seven ways to Sunday and think it’s hysterical (because it happens people!) though at first it wasn’t too funny. Blake thought we had a lap to go – didn’t hear the bell. So when I took off she was thinking I was a lap early. She was plotting the last lap and ready to execute when the sprint went up the road. Hey, that’s racing.
So, we had an absolute blast. We had a plan, which we executed…just on different laps (hahahahaha). She got two primes (a T-shirt and a water bottle), and I got a pink bike pump with hibiscus flowers on it (!?). We sat on the corner eating bagel sandwiches, drinking coffee, watching the next race, rehashing ours, chatting with race organizers and police, and cracking up about the last lap. Long drive home but what the heck? Don’t get too many downtown crit courses anymore. We highly recommend for people to do this (and the Sat rr next year). We had both been out that way on Sat anyway, but next year would make a weekend of it. Tactics can play and breaks can stick. A good day at the races.
Jen and Blake