Jo, Mark H, Anthony & I fronted up at Lansdowne Park for the WV crit last Sun. This was to be my first real crit race, or race of any sort (the one DHBC crit I did with 2 people in E grade doesn't count).
Mark & Anthony did C, Jo did D and I did E, although the organisers were sceptical that I belonged in E and advised me against winning first time out - I assured them I was no chance!
So, 45 mins plus one lap for E and I felt fairly comfortable amongst the 20 or so riders in E. Managed to stay on, loved the course - great mix of fast downhills, corners and some climbing. Some of the riders weren't that great at holding a line or cornering fast but all in all it was pretty good - I was guilty of overtaking on the inside in corners a couple of times too but now know that's not nice! Last lap and I was in the front 6, hoping to hold a top 10 position but got out foxed and out sprinted and came in towards the back but not last! Had a blast and will definitely go back to that track. Avg for E was 32.9kph. Dist 28k's.
Jo came mid pack in D, Anthony towards the rear of C and Mark got dropped by C - combination of a late night, getting on the front too early and poor cornering skills!
Ian D turned up for the A & B at 9:00 - was going to race B have no idea how he went.
On another note, this course would be a great place to hold the DHBC cycle skills courses - perfect for cornering training, bunch riding & most other things as well. Getting out there could be problematic for slowies riders but I think it's worth looking into.
Waratah Vets Lansdowne Park 11/04
GO son!!!! good to see the racing skills! i dont know if it is really bad etiquet to undertake on corners in races or not, depending if riders are doing really bad lines etc!
Yeah the vet lads are known for foxing it all, going slow, and they are all really good at sprinting compared to the rest of their riding!
Yeah the vet lads are known for foxing it all, going slow, and they are all really good at sprinting compared to the rest of their riding!
Nice one Stuart!
It was also my first real crit race too - like Stuart I had only ever participated in the DHBC club crit at Dunc Gray.
I wasn't too sure what grade to go in - hoping for D, but ending up in C. There were around 25 riders in C grade and it was a 55 minute + 1 lap race. Average speed was 38Km/h. Certainly got outfoxed, having been in 5th place on the last lap but ending up in towards the back of the bunch when the sprint took off....
Great circuit with small undulating dips and climbs where you can hit speeds of up to 55Km/h. Had a great time and will give it another go.
I wasn't too sure what grade to go in - hoping for D, but ending up in C. There were around 25 riders in C grade and it was a 55 minute + 1 lap race. Average speed was 38Km/h. Certainly got outfoxed, having been in 5th place on the last lap but ending up in towards the back of the bunch when the sprint took off....
Great circuit with small undulating dips and climbs where you can hit speeds of up to 55Km/h. Had a great time and will give it another go.
D grade was 50 minutes + 1 lap, with the average speed 35.7 km/ph including a the last warm down lap. Nick G was in D grade giving me lot's of advice. All in all, most of us finished with the main bunch - but all seemed to lose the sprint at the end. Anthony did well to stay with the pack for his first ride in C grade and first competition. As for Stuart......I still can't believe he raced, and I was surprised to see him stay with the front of the pack regardless of his 1 ride a week + 1 carton of beer a week training plan.
Landsdowne is a great track with some good down hills and great turns. As Stuart said - a really great place to run some kind of club skills training for the newbies.
Landsdowne is a great track with some good down hills and great turns. As Stuart said - a really great place to run some kind of club skills training for the newbies.
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