Mothballs Criterium, 2011

This is a traditional early season criterium in Goleta. It is a one kilometer "D" shaped course and normally the only dicey part is the last corner. There's a manhole cover in the middle of the final turn, which leads onto a bend. Things straighten out about 200m from the finish. I wish I could give some solid advice about the course, but it was a liquid day. Our event (55/60+) began in a driving rain. Guys I saw warming up in the parking lot 15 minutes earlier with numbers pinned were already in their cars on the way home. I kept at or near the front for three laps just to avoid drowning. I was doing fine hanging onto Dale Luedtke and Witold Czulak in prep for the finish. The rain had let up and now the only problem was the sun reflecting off the pavement going in to the final corner.

On the backstretch on the last lap a guy in a Time jersey took a flier. The correct response would have been swinging out and snagging his wheel, but I didn't react soon enough. As we approached the last turn Luedtke took off like a shot and frankly I didn't feel I would be safe entering the last corner that fast. He was right, I was wrong and dropped a couple of places while six guys shot off the front. I recovered well enough and with Harold Schneider on my wheel closed on the front group and passed one. Harold won the 60+, I got sixth in 55+.

It's interesting, the 60s have pegged me as their sled-dog. At the first CBR crit one surfed in on my wheel and passed me for third. This is actually very useful, it doesn't hamper me from doing better with positioning, but gives my opposition one more body to beat before they get to me. Now if Craig would get healthy, maybe we can accomplish something this year.