Manhattan Beach Grand Prix:
Trina and Greg are amazing. They woke up with me at 5:45 this morning to drive 2 hours up to Manhattan Beach for a race. My race started at 9:40 am, while Greg's race wasn't scheduled to start until 1pm. And the best part was that Greg drove so I quietly fell back asleep in the back seat of the car.
The Manhattan Beach Grand Prix has been around for 45 years. And it's a HUGE event. Hundreds of spectators come out to watch. Sponsors set up tents along the race course and gave out free samples and schwag. They even set up bleachers at each end of the course so spectators could watch the 180 degree turns. This is how bike racing should be!
The stands at turn # 2.
Greg and Trina helped me get set up before the race...pumping my tires...putting my wheels in the pit...pinning on my numbers...directing me towards registration. Having him around was really handy, especially since I haven't raced in 2 months and I had forgotten much of the pre-race process. Registering and warming-up used to be second nature to me. But today I was thankful for their direction!
Well, the 9:40 race didn't go so well. It was a Cat 3 only race (what a great idea not to lump the 3's in with the P/1/2's). Things were looking good on the first lap as I was sitting 4th or 5th wheel. The promotors decided to give out a prime on EVERY lap. So the 2nd lap, the girls sat up on the back side of the course. I decided to have some fun and attacked. I ended up pulling the entire field around for half a lap (the laps were 1.5 miles long, so this was a pretty decent effort). Well, the good news is I came in 2nd on the prime and won a case of Clif Shots. The bad news is that on the next lap, I hit another girl's wheel, unclipped (but managed not to crash), and lost the group. So after 15 minutes my race was over.
So what's a girl to do? Sign up for the P/1/2/3 race that starts 40 minutes later. This race went much better for me as I decided to learn from my previous mistake and just sit in the field. I also quickly figured out that taking the 180 degree turns on the outside would allow me to move up 5 or 6 spots in each corner. I also learned how to ride in the gutter and sneak up a few spots. I lasted about 40 minutes when I suddenly found myself at the back of the pack when we hit the first climb. My mind said "go" but my legs said "no way". I lost the group and struggled at about 100 yards back for a few minutes. The follow motorcycle tried to pass me. I knew if it passed me my race would be mentally over. So I swerved in front of him and cut off the motorcycle. He backed off for a while. But on the next climb the motorcycle came up next to me. I looked over, gave him a smile and shook my head "no". I wasn't going to let him pass me. He gave me a laugh and backed off for a 2nd time. The crowd was great. Hundreds of strangers were yelling and encouraging me to catch the group. Unfortutely my legs were done and I couldn't deliver for my new fans. But I had a great time. And there was some steep competition in the group - a few national champions, a rider from Team Lipton which is the strongest women's team in the country, and some other Coloradans who race for Colorado Premiere Training. It was the most fun I've had at a race in a long time.
So what's a girl to do? Sign up for the P/1/2/3 race that starts 40 minutes later. This race went much better for me as I decided to learn from my previous mistake and just sit in the field. I also quickly figured out that taking the 180 degree turns on the outside would allow me to move up 5 or 6 spots in each corner. I also learned how to ride in the gutter and sneak up a few spots. I lasted about 40 minutes when I suddenly found myself at the back of the pack when we hit the first climb. My mind said "go" but my legs said "no way". I lost the group and struggled at about 100 yards back for a few minutes. The follow motorcycle tried to pass me. I knew if it passed me my race would be mentally over. So I swerved in front of him and cut off the motorcycle. He backed off for a while. But on the next climb the motorcycle came up next to me. I looked over, gave him a smile and shook my head "no". I wasn't going to let him pass me. He gave me a laugh and backed off for a 2nd time. The crowd was great. Hundreds of strangers were yelling and encouraging me to catch the group. Unfortutely my legs were done and I couldn't deliver for my new fans. But I had a great time. And there was some steep competition in the group - a few national champions, a rider from Team Lipton which is the strongest women's team in the country, and some other Coloradans who race for Colorado Premiere Training. It was the most fun I've had at a race in a long time.
After my race Trina and I stayed and watched Greg's race. It was an NRC race with a $10,000 purse, so some strong teams showed up and Greg had some touch competition. Toyota United, Health Net, and Successful Living all sent strong teams. It was a fun race to watch. Toyota United and Health Net both sent guys into a break of 7 that formed within the first few laps. Then both teams spent the next 60 minutes blocking and slowing down the field. They Toyota sent their entire team to the front of the race and chased down their own teammates. I guess there was some team strategy involved in getting their best sprinters at the front for the finish. I wasn't quite sure what was going on...I still have a lot to learn about bike racing. But it was a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Lesson of the day: It's good to be on Health Net. They had their own fancy tent set up. They had a whole spread of food and drinks for the team and their possee. It's something to strive for. :)
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