2013 Watsonville Crit - Pro 1/2

Race: Watsonville Crit P12

Course: 58 lap = 35miles on Technical course! Almost always setting up for a turn, the one long straight was into a headwind. Discription per VeloPromo, "0.75 mile loop of smooth pavement, with many turns, dips at the corners and a small hill to the finish line."

Teammates: Tim & Sean.

Results: http://instagram.com/p/bwjY2zFROZ/

2nd - James, 8th - Sean, 10th - Tim

NOTE these guys sacrificed their result to ensure I was guaranteed 2nd and I could focus on going for the W.

How it went down: About 20 riders showed up at the start line, Cal Giant had Tobin & Eamon, Brandon Trafton was solo for TMB, Zipz had three but were on the 2nd race of the day. So it was clear Cal Giant and SquadraSF would be dictating the race.

Early: Sean and Tim were active early marking moves as I got the hang of the course. I had heard how technical it was so kinda eased my way into the course to dial it in. Brandon, Tobin, and Jan (Zipz) and a few other riders were anxious to get things started off fast so the first few laps were pretty damn hard and actually dropped a few riders. After things settled down a bit I moved my way up and it was clear that Brandon was either going to be in a break or he would be the first to bring it back. After many different combinations, finally I the pack letting Jan, Tobin, Brandon, Chris (Don Chapin), & myself get a gap. So with Cal Giant, Zipz, & Squadra represented I was pretty confident we could stay away if we wanted. Everyone worked hard to establish a gap, but we never got into a really good rhythm, one guy would attack, someone skip a pull due to the attack, or then someone would be upset about how much work others we doing.

Break: After dealing with the dysfunctional break for sometime, Chris was gone, Tobin hits it hard, I jump hard out of one of the corners to close it and Jan and Brandon look at each other. Jan was riding like a machine and just won the 35+ race a few hours earlier, and Brandon, I guess wanted to take Jan out of the break and jump back across. So I give Tobin and I just ride our limit and soon the two behind disappear. With about 10 to go we catch the pack, Tobin had attacked me when the pack was in a bridgeable distance. I was not about to let the race get away from me so I dug as hard as I could to get the the field. Eamon went to the front to try to make that junction a little tougher and Sean and Tim drop back a bit motivation and make sure I make contact and get out of that wind!

I anticipated this race being about 70min, but we were 70min in and still had 10 laps to go! I had been on the verge of cramping in my left calf. Tim & Sean keep me protected and let me recover a bit as Tobin and Eamon go off the front again! Tim and Sean rotate hitting the front to keep the Cal Giants in check and make sure Brandon & Jan don't catch onto the field.

Finale: Eamon takes it from 3 laps to go, Tobin 2nd me 3rd wheel. Unfortunately my legs were on their limit and anytime we really punched it my legs would start to seize. Tim and Sean on my wheel keeping others from swarming making the finale of the race the least stressful part of the whole event. The sprint opens up exiting the final corner and up the hill, all I could do was sit in Tobin's slipstream and cross 3rd or 4th in the field good enough for 2nd Place. Sean gets 3rd or 4th in the field after taking care of me all day which is good enough for 8th, Tim just behind in 10th.

I gotta say having strong, savvy teammates, really makes tactics and racing less stressful. When I needed a breather early, they would be marking the moves, when I was up the road, they were on the front patrolling, then in the finale the shepherded me to Tobin's wheel, hoping I would have the legs to jump him in the corner and take the Win, kinda bummed I couldn't finish it off for them, but really happy with the result. When I crossed the line and got off the bike my back seized up. So I think it is safe to say I left it all out there.

Sorry for the long report, but wanted to share how great it was having a small yet organized team out there kicking ass.

Data Geek Info: Strava File - http://app.strava.com/activities/66914779
Time: ~90min
Distance: ~38mi
Elevation Gain: 750ft
Power: 273w NP w/ 247w Ave.....OUCH which set a new power PR for 60-90min