Cal Aggie Criterium, 35+ 4/5, 26 Jan 2013

It’s great to show up to your first race of the year and be greeted by the sweet looking Folsom Bike Team Volskwagan Jetta parked near the race registration and to have the team tent set up trackside. Kudos to Mark F. for getting down to Land Park and getting things set-up for the rest of the team that would be racing in various fields from 8am till 4pm.

The Cal Aggie Criterium is put on by, and supports the UC Davis cycling team. The course is a nearly perfect 1 mile oval in William Land Park in south Sacramento, but to make things interesting, a chicane with a sharp 45 degree turn and a near 90 degree turn are thrown in before the finishing straight. The weather can certainly be a factor racing in January. Though it looked like it wouldn’t rain, the pavement was still wet in the chicane due to the shade of the trees, and the finish is typically into a headwind. It was a perfect day to spin-up my new Zipp Firecrest 303 carbon tublars wrapped in my Continental Sprinters (and put to the test my first ever glue job!).

Kevin K. and I represented Folsom Bike-VW-Raley’s in the 35+ Cat 4 race that included Cat 5 racers. I’m not sure how big our field was on the start line at 9:40, but 45 were pre-registered. Team Bicycles Plus fielded a team of 9 and was certainly the team to keep an eye on. My strategy for the race: stay near the front to avoid any funny business, follow any big splits, and hope it comes down to a sprint with good position.

Half way through the race, Bicycles Plus attacked off the front with 4 or 5 riders heading toward the chicane. It was a dangerous move and something Folsom Bike needed to be represented in, or have pulled back. Everyone chased the move, including myself. After nearly closing the gap, I felt like I was doing too much work and they were not getting away; time to fall back into the peloton and recover.

For the remainder of the race I did my best to hold my position near the front, but not at the front. Easier said than done sometimes with the ebb and flow of the peloton, but Kevin leant a wheel and pulled me back up to the front at an opportune time. There would be a few more flyers off the front, but it looked like no one would get away.

Heading into the final lap, Bicycles Plus attacked off the front again, and had a good gap. I got in the chase group, but I was thinking I was racing for a top 10 finish. Coming out of the chicane I was able to move up a few spots out on the downwind side. Surprisingly, we caught and passed the Bicycles Plus led break before the final technical corner and Folsom Bike was posited well at fifth wheel. I kept telling myself to have patients and good timing as it’s a long finish into a headwind. I waited till the final 200m to come out and try and sprint around the guys in front of me. I ticked off one, two, three guys and threw my bike to slot Folsom Bike into second on the podium.