Benicia Race Report

Benicia Crit
Masters 35+ 1/2/3
Teammates: none
Placing : 13^th of 45?
https://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2011&id=1795&info_id=38542

I first did this race about 3 years ago and the course was a basic square layout. I guess they changed it and it’s now a large hourglass or 2 boxes w/ the corners touching kind of layout. Really fun course with an uphill sprint.

I had brought a set of the new Ritchey Carbon 88 tubies’s to use but the high winds were enough to change my mind and I just used my alloy Zeta wheels instead.

The field wasn’t the biggest but it was chocked full of all the local heavy hitters. I stayed attentive and near the front for the majority of the race despite being shuffled towards the back a few times.  If you wanted to put your nose in the wind it was possible to move up pretty fast.

Most of the laps were around the 22-23mph mark and I felt fine but near the end of the race I was having a hard time breathing (more than normal for that stage of the race) and while in the right place on the final lap I lacked the boost need to move up before the last few turns and got slowed a bit with the bottleneck into the last turn and finished 13^th  not a bad race, however a telling thing happened after the race while sitting on some grass taking a rest, my forearms started to break out in hives from touching the grass. I think I finally have the proof that indeed I am having some allergy issues with grass pollen…


 P 1/2/3
Teammates: Dana and Scott P
Placing: DNP

Well I don’t have much to say here.. The pace from the gun was very fast.  All the laps I recorded were 25 mph or faster. After the break I made the error of going to deep too soon-  I think.  After 20 min I was huffing and out of breath and going backwards thu the field. I was not going to make it and dropped out. A disappointment for sure but in the end about half of the almost full (100) field did not finish either. Scott did a great job to stay in the race until around the 30 min mark and Dana crushed it to finish in the top 10. Way to go Dana! We had a short discussion about tactics before the race and sure enough as I feared a break did managed to stay away for the win. I really wanted to be there to help him but in the end it was so strung out, it was every man for themselves for the most part.  That’s how it goes sometimes. The win went to a Garmin Pro kid with Joel Roberts riding his wheel.

For the most part I felt fine and the bike was great I just need to get a handle on this allergies thing. Of course by late July it will be a moot point but I need it fixed now!

Shout out to Nate S and Scott P for representing in the E 3 race! Next week Pescadero M 1/2/3!

Nick