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Crazy Crits
5/29/08
by
Butch Nelson
As some of you
may know, racing has changed for
me in
recent years. I have been a
competitive athlete for most of my life, and
my body has paid the price. After 3
shoulder surgeries and 2 knee surgeries in
the last two years, I have recently found
myself looking for a new sport. With
no cartilage left in my right knee, I have
been limited on my choices. It is kind
of wild trying to figure out where the Hell
my cartilage went... I still think that
maybe my teammates removed it while I was
sleeping to better enhance their own knees,
but to this day I can't seem to dig up any
proof and nobody's talking. |
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I do
have to say that I did try to
convince the team to try competitive
ball room dancing, but
unfortunately, I had no takers.
Dave
and
Windy don't dance and
Vickie
just kind of rolled her eyes.
So what
next? What was I going to do?
Dave
and I talked about it for a couple
of months, he is my friend, teammate
and coach. It was becoming
increasingly harder to develop a
training schedule for me, with no
short or long term goals. So
one day I called him and said...
"You are probably not going to
believe this, but what about trying
some road racing?" After a
long pause,
Dave
said let's give it a try. I
purchased a road bike and the rest
is history... O.K., not really.
Turns out road racing is really
tough, and I am not really built
like a road racer. So within
road racing, what opportunities
exist? Well, we are trying
everything. If I can get my
weight down, I can become a decent
long racer, and competent enough not
to lose too much time during climbs.
That is going to take time and
training... and lot's of learning.
So as I pour myself into long road
rides, tempo training, and hills...
is there anything I can do in the
meantime.
Windy
mentioned a weekly Crit series.
O.K. great! That sounds fun!
"So... what is a Crit?" I asked.
After we stopped laughing, she and
Dave
told me. It did sound fun and
possibly up my alley.
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So
what is a Crit? A Crit or
Criterium race is a type of road
bike race held on a closed course.
The courses are typically short, and
can run through city streets or take
place in parking lots. There
are lots of high speed
turns, burst accelerations,
drafting, breakaways and... Oh yes,
LOTS of strategy. Let me
re-emphasize the last point...
STRATEGY!
These
races also have laps called primes,
or prizes for specific laps.
So in addition to trying to win the
race, there are also advantages to
winning primes. Primes can be
anything from a new set of tires to
cash! |
Criterium racing is
quickly becoming the
most popular and
common bicycle
racing in the United
States, and has
maintained
popularity overseas
as well.
In order to become a
solid racer, it is
important to focus
on several factors:
-
Fitness
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Cornering
-
Attacking
-
Sprinting
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The races are
extremely technical
and physical... I
like to refer to
them like "Hockey on
a Road Bike!"
And, let's not
forget the mental
piece.
So what
does this all mean for me?
Well. let's just say that I had my
ASS handed to me during my first
several races at the beginning of
the year. The good news is
that I am getting stronger, faster,
and much more strategic. The
last few races have gone much better
and I am certainly having fun.
I can attribute this to patience,
riding with confidence and stellar
coaching. I have made some
significant step gains from the
beginning of the year and am pleased
with my progress.
In
March, I made a breakaway after the
first 5 laps, and held a lead for 2
laps. Although I finished
8th overall,
it sure felt good to feel like I was
winning. 2008
is my building year... Look out
in 2009! |
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As always none of this would
be possible (or at the very best would be a
lot more difficult) without our excellent
sponsors:
Big Fish Creative,
Maxxis,
Rudy Project,
Fox Racing,
Carb Boom,
Sierra Adventure Sports and
Racelab. |
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