So....It took nearly two days to recover from the slaughter fest that was the Crystal Cup. Did they actually give away a crystal cup? Well I wouldn't know as I was in the car heading home before the race finished.
Normally I would rant about how much it sucks getting dropped from a race, but I won't. Instead I would like to report on the really cool things that happened before, during and after the race.
1. I got to meet my cycling hero Rahsaan Bahati. Getting the "good luck bro" before the start of the 3/4 race was pretty damn cool. It might have gave me the extra juice to hang on the group for a lap more than expected.
2. Hanging out and watching the pro's slay each other around the course before our race was damn cool as well. Not the finish I was hoping for. Since the whole Dana Point crash, I've not been a fan of the United Healthcare team and their tactics. Kinda sad to see Bahati without a team. Impossible for him to challenge the United sprint train...I digress.
3. The course. I love fast technical courses. The turns were tight and the group was killing it on the long straight into the finish. At one point I may have hit 30 and the group was riding away. There were two points on the course where I really lost it. The back straight after turn 2 was crucial to be out of the wind. I never found a good wheel to get on. The long run in to the finish was crucial as well. I just don't have the leg speed just yet to hang on to the pack for more than a few turns. We did have a sweet 180 degree turn and some bumps on the road. I had a couple of sweet bunny hops.
4. The fans! It was nice seeing all the fans that stuck around after the pro's to cheer on the amateurs and the women.
5. The heat. Nothing like slugging it out in 90 degree temps.
Well can't wait for the next crit. Looks like it's gonna be the Reston Grand Prix.
I love bike racing!
Adam
