I got to the race in plenty of time to register, warmup, etc for the B Grade women's race, which had been at 10am the previous week. Unfortunately, this week the B Grade race was at the same time as the C grade race ... which was about 15 min after I arrived. I registered and went for a quick warmup, but my 5 min warmup wasn't quick enough - the race had started by the time I got back.
After all the effort of getting to the race and mentally and physically preparing, I wanted to race. So, I figured I would do A grade. I had raced C grade the first crit, then B grade for my second race, and now A grade.
It was stinking hot, about 40 degrees, so it was hard to know the best thing to do for a warmup. I needed to warmup my muscles ready to work hard straight off the line, but I didn't want to overheat too much. So my warmup was shorter than normal and I didn't feel that great after warning up. This time I made sure I did my warmup with plenty of time to get to the start line before my race.
There were about 12 women in the A grade race, including two of my fellow Hall Cycling Training riders. Due to the heat, our race duration was reduced to 25 min. Thank goodness. Unsurprisingly, it was a fast hard race, with sprints and attacks several times each lap. I had a good awareness of the race and was able to respond quickly to each sprint. But with the pace and the heat, I didn't know how long I would be able to do that for.
The first five minutes were quiet hard, then I felt okay for the next five minutes or so. I was really glad to still be with the pack after ten minutes. My next goal was to stay with them for 15 min. I almost made it .... But after a couple of attacks in quick succession, it was taking me longer to get back on each time. Then there was an attack while I was still off the back, and that was it.
I lasted 14 min with the bunch. The rest of the race I was on my own, working hard on the start-finish straight into the headwind and trying to recover on the downhill and back straight. The heat was oppressive, my heart rate was really elevated. Thank goodness I had some water with me that I could spray on myself to cool down. It was also easier going at my own pace, without the sprints off the front of the bunch, and taking my own line into corners. I discovered that I was more confident cornering by myself than in the bunch.
I did the last 10 min of the race, counting down until the finish and trying to work hard to stay ahead of the bunch. The group passed me on the last lap, halfway around, and I had a great view of them preparing for the sprint finish.
It was great to do an A grade race, to see the difference between A and B grades, and to realise that I could actually stay with them for half the race. This time last year, I did my first crit ever, women's B Grade, and I had the same result as today - I stayed with them for about 10-15 min. It's really pleasing to see the progress that I've made in a year, which I attribute to the training that I've been doing with Hall Cycle Training and the race experience I've had in the past year. It bodes well for ongoing development for next year!
This was the last race in the Smashfest Crit series. Thanks to Hall Cycle Training and Vic Hotel for sponsoring the women's races, we had A, B and C grade women's events for each race which was a great opportunity for women of every ability to race in their own grade - or to try out every grade like I did!
