Oxford Endurance Weekend - Oxford Square Criterium - CycleCriterium


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Oxford, Mississippi
United States
Start 2 Finish Event Management
90F / 32C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 36m 36s
Overall Rank = 15/25
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

When I arrived I walked the course once to get an idea of what the turns were like and what to watch out for. Mainly was looking for cracks in the road and manhole covers (which the Square at Oxford has a million of!). After that I got my bike set up to warmup.
Event warmup:

The ladies race ended with 15 minutes to go before the Cat 5 race started. Gave me enough time to ride 4 laps before everyone waited for instructions from the official
Bike
  • 36m 36s
  • 11.6 miles
  • 19.02 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my first criterium, so my objectives were to not crash and finished the race without getting pulled for being lapped. I stayed with the front pack for the first half of lap one, but I realized that to keep up with these guys, I was pushing the envelope of what I could do when it came to cornering the turns. To make up for it, I had to accelerate with all I had. About halfway into the lap, one of these turns was followed by an uphill. That's where I lost the front pack. From that point on I was stranded in the middle of two groups for most of the race. As the race went on, people in the front were getting dropped with me passing them. As I was starting my last lap, the guy who won the race finished, so my time was the last that got recorded. I had no chance of catching that guy, so the race was basically a well organized LTHR test as far as I was concerned.
What would you do differently?:

Before the race I would practice turning more. During the race I'm not sure what I could have done differently.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched immediately after, grabbed a coke, and headed home. Nothing fancy here.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I really didn't anticipate how hard taking some of those turns would be at the speeds that we were racing. Bike races are just as much about handling as they are how much power you can put out.

Event comments:

It's a technical race, but if you're a roadie, I'm willing to bet it's up your alley. I completed my objectives for this race. It was fun, but I'll stick with triathlons. I feel I have a far better chance at success in that arena!




Last updated: 2011-07-11 12:00 AM
Biking
00:36:36 | 11.6 miles | 19.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 15/25
Performance: Good
Avg HR - 180 Max HR - 187
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Course was a technical one mile loop consisting of 10 right angle turns. A few of these of these turns were preceded by downhills.
Road:   Cadence: 91
Turns: Average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4