Redlands!

Well, it's been a few years since I've done the Redlands thing. I think I remember doing this crit 3 or four years ago, and also doing the Pro 1,2 race a couple years in a row around '94 and '95. DNF'd one of those years and gutted it out during the other.

I can remember getting shelled on the Oak Glen Stage and riding hard tempo for quite a long time in a small group - barely made the time cut, IIRC!

Anyway, did a couple crits today - started with the 3's race and gave it a go a couple times including a make or break effort with 5 or 6 laps to go. Sold out on that effort and was brought back with just a bit over a lap to go. Decided to sit out of the final sprint on that one...

A bit of a rush to pull off those cat 3 numbers and reveal the 35+ numbers pinned underneath, but had a couple minutes to shake out the legs and roll to the line for the "main event" for me. Took me awhile to feel good, but was never really pressed until 4 or 5 hundred meters to go while I was sitting 5th wheel or so - got gapped a bit when someone dropped anchor in the middle of a corner and I basically wound up giving it full stick, nose in the wind for the last three corners. One person came around me in the few meters before the line - so, officially wound up 8th on the day.

Still gotta figure out a way to crack the top 5 in these pro 35+ races! :-)

Here's the SRM screenshot for the days efforts - some good motorpacing going on out there and a couple "rasise the left" vo2 type efforts in the 3's race.