I'm not entirely sure what this race was called because I just referred to it as "the race down in Doswell" whenever people would ask. I find that to be much more useful than the names of races unless they have some sort of history. It's even better when the name of the race is actually where it's being held. That certainly makes things simpler. But, that's not the point.
This was my first race of the year and I'm pretty pleased with how I felt throughout. It was a 30 mile circuit race on a really technical course. They claimed to have 9 90 degree corners but I only counted 7. There were 3 big sweepers so maybe a few of those were thrown in for the 9 count. There was also a hill but it wasn't long enough or steep enough to really make a difference.
The 4s started out with something like 70 people but that was whittled down to about 25 or so by the time we were at 5 laps to go. We ended up doing 31 miles in just over 1:10, so it was fast. But I think the yo-yo through the corners probably shed more people than the hill or the actual speeds.
With 2 laps to go there was a group of 6 that were about 30 seconds or so up the road. We came through the start finish and everybody slowed so I went to try and bridge up to those guys. It seemed pretty obvious to me that everybody else left in the main field was content for sprinting for 7th and I wanted nothing to do with that. In hindsight I probably went a bit early as I attacked into the cross wind, then into the headwind after the right hander and burned a really big match creating the separation through there. I'm not sure if anybody would have tried to come with me had I waited till the tailwind, but I wasn't interested in towing guys with me to the break so I wanted to make sure I was by myself. Some guy after the race said he tried to go with me and couldn't, so that's at least encouraging.
Trying to get up to the guys I had to fight my way through a ton of lapped traffic who were kind enough to essentially take whatever line they wanted through the corners. I'm not sure why these people weren't pulled but they were still on the course chatting with each other or picking their noses.
I knew I had to make it to the break before the downhill with the headwind or I'd never catch on. I didn't make it so at the bottom of the hill I sort of sat up a bit to wait for the field. As they came by, much to my surprise, it somehow ballooned to at least double as all the lapped traffic decided it was a good idea to latch on and get a free tow. I wasn't sure who in this group was actually still on the lead lap so I forced myself in somewhere about 20 guys back. As we turned left into the headwind it became apparent which guys weren't on the lead lap as they all blew back up and I was left with at least 15 bike lengths between me and the guys in the main field. This was obviously annoying and so I yelled at quite a few of the lapped guys to get the F' off the course as I tried to close that gap down to the main field. I think we're all friends now. (I did apologize to a few of them on the cool down lap) But seriously, what makes you think that getting back onto the main field after you've been lapped is ok? They'd obviously be pissed if they were in my situation as well.
I chased as hard as I could the final lap but couldn't quite catch back on to field. I ended up being scored 19th but I have no way of knowing if that's actually accurate or not. If I hadn't tried to bridge up I'm sure I could have finished top 5 out of the main field but that's only a 7th place finish at best. Anything after that gets the same upgrade points as my 19th. I'm happy with my decision to try and bridge that gap. I'd rather risk losing in an attempt to win than sit in for a marginally better finish on paper.
And a small rant:
Once again the USAC officials enforce all the rules that don't make a difference and completely ignore the small things that can actually make a difference in a race. Why they stopped pulling lapped riders with 2 to go is beyond me. It seems like that is the time they should have been most vigilant about getting guys out of the race off the course. They are the only people at the race being paid to be there so I wish they'd do their jobs a bit better. I know in the grand scheme it's still just amateur bike racing but it's an amateur bike race that everybody there paid to race in and part of that entrance fee certainly pays their wages for the day. They need to worry less about the imaginary perfect place for a number to be pinned on and whether a rider has his/her hands on the handlebars and more about ensuring race results are actually accurate.
At the same time, if you're a 4 you've done at least 10 races and should in theory understand a bit of race etiquette. If you are out of the race, get off the course or at least get out of the way. You do not get to take the good line through a corner when the group is coming up behind you and you are about to be lapped. In fact, you may even need to pull over, slow down, and let the field pass you before you go into that corner. Also, under no circumstances should you get back into the main field that is on the lead lap when you are not. The guys that are still fighting to stay in the field shouldn't have to try and remember who is and isn't on the lead lap. It should be pretty evident by the people that are around them in the group.
I also saw an official up a rider taking a free lap due to mechanical into a breakaway instead of the main field the other day. This is completely inexcusable. Getting a free lap is nice enough. You shouldn't get free entrance into the break as a reward for your flat tire. Luckily that guy wasn't good enough to be in the break and after a few laps was shelled.
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