Today was the third annual Tour de Fairhaven, a (what turned out to be) 41-mile Pro 1/2 circuit race which in function was actually more criterium than circuit race. The dog bone shaped course was technically 3.1 miles long, but at each end of the "bone" racers were funneled through neighborhood streets where position, cornering skills, leg speed and explosive power were at a premium.

For the past 2 years, JP and I have traveled to this race via NJ transit, but this year a conflict with Interbike ensured I was the sole Kissena representative racing in New Jersey on this cool and windy Sunday. A $9900 prize list, and convenient scheduling around the UCI Univest Grand Prix ensured that this year's Pro 1/2 field was stacked.

In addition to the usual NYC jamokes, we had a 5 guys from Bissell Pro Cycling including Frank "I am quite literally one of the best sprinters in the country" Pipp and recently crowned criterium national champion, Eric Young. Team Mountain Khakis brought ex-Kissena Neil Bedzek out to play and big teams from Team Metra/Wendy's, small but effective representatives from the Van Dessel Factory team, Team Somerville Sports, Northeastern Hardware and more were all ready to rock. Over 80 racers.

And I'll be honest, I was nervous. Coming out of the dog bone ends on this course can hurt, a lot. And it's been a while since I've raced against this caliber of competitor. But it's good to be nervous. This means, you are focused and know you have to do everything right or suffer the consequences. What are the right things to do in preparation for a good criterium performance?

Continued in next post...

As promised...

1. Get there in plenty of time to pick up your number, make a porta-john stop and suit up stress free. Check.

2. If it's there, pick up free Red Bull...because that shit is awesome (I plan to be able to sleep in roughly 2 days from now). Check.

3. Warm-up. I knew the area roads and went out for my warm-up. Fortunately, the legs weren't hurting too bad from the Kissena Club Championships (which probably means I should have raced more aggressively), unfortunately, my usual warm-up partner JP wasn't there. He can crank out a good warm-up and I missed trying to keep up with him on the back roads past the fancy-pants estates on this Jersey shore town. No matter, I got something in. Check.

4. Scout the course. Lots of orange paint marking road hazards, but all orange paint lines are not created equal. You don't want to freak out and ride abruptly around something that can easily be ridden over just because it has some orange paint on it. Check.

5. Pay attention to start line position. Knowing exactly how far until the first turn is important. If you are not on the first or second row of riders, then make sure you are on your preferred side of the pack, and leave a little breathing room as folks are getting clipped in. Much more important than being right on the ass of the rider in front of you. Check.

6. Don't dilly-dally. Get to the front as soon as is safely possible. The further back you are in the field going through tight turning sections, the harder your day is going to be. Check.

7. Suck some wind. Did you get shuffled to the back of the pack? Did the field swerve en masse to one side or the other because of hurtful wind conditions? Yes, then time for you to put your nose in it and get to the front. Now. Check.

8. Heads-up, all sensory organs on full scanning alert mode. Crits can be dicey. You have to be hyper-aware at all times of all the riders around you or else...

...with about 3 laps to go, you will have a lapse in concentration during the long straightaway and cause a massive pile-up at 35 mph, sending riders flipping and flying through the air. I double-fisted my breaks so hard I was sure I was going to snap some cables. Screams and screeching brakes mixed in perfect dis-harmony. I could see waves of riders falling to the right. My front wheel made contact with Stan/No Tube's Karl Rahn's bike, but I did not go down. My thankfulness and moment of peace was but a fraction of a second. I pleaded over and over in my head."Dear lord, please no one run into the back of me." No one did. Thank god. Karl was freaked out. He was holding onto my front wheel in a tightly clenched fist. "Are you alright brother?" No response. Do I call it a day or attempt to catch the 30 or so riders in front of me that escaped unscathed or delayed? I race. I bury myself trying to catch. Hardest effort of the day. The field is taking it easy ahead, but there is serious wind when you are out by yourself and I'm hurting. But closing the gap. I catch back on right before the south end of the dog bone end and keep my fingers crossed that they don't drill it through the corners. I need a few minutes to recover. Back on the straight away, the lead motorcycle stops the field. Because this course uses the same straight-away in both directions, there was serious "clean up on aisle 3" required. Fortunately, the start finish is at the local firehouse and there is plenty of EMS personnel around to do their thing.

Man this is long...

Now we wait. And stretch. And wait. And wait some more. I wondered why the big teams weren't more aggressive stringing things out. But I figured that with just 2 laps to go, Bissell would have the firepower and take care of business. Neutralized. I lost track of time, but by the time we restarted the race with 2.5 laps to go, lactic acid-induced groans were audible. These last laps were going to hurt.

Especially for the riders that got involved in 2 more crashes. Fortunately, I followed my own advice and was well positioned in front of the madness this time. Still lots of bunching. Where was the leadout? 1 lap to go and I'm sitting a little too far back. Pushing forward coming into the home stretch riders were taking the tailwind slightly downward sloping road and clicking into their 11s. My computer maxed out at 37.5 and I never really got to wind it up. Too far back. But with money going 25 deep, I kept the power on. Came in with a bunch. The finish line folks are going to have fun trying to sort out the results, but I was sure enough that I was outside of the money so that I just kept going straight and hopped back in my car for the return to NYC.

Next week, I'll be heading up to Boston for the finale of the USA Crits series. More money ($15,000), more pros, more technical/tight crit course. But I'm looking forward to it.

Awesome report Marc. Sounds like a rush of a race and that you prepared well and raced well. Nice work! (and glad you avoided the crash!).

marc,
sounds like survival was in itself an accomplishment...thanks for great report&insights.
-h

Marc,

I loved reading this. Nice job out there!

nice report, marc

way to mix it up with the younger/stronger/thinner members of our sport



people: i went to a Crit clinic that Marc put on - he really has a terrifically deep understanding of these events. do not miss his next one.

Marc,
Sorry I missed the race, not the crash. Next year. With two of us in the house, we can be "small but effective" too.

Great report, Marc. Glad you weren't damaged in the ruckus.

Marc,

Great report. I'm hoping to race some crits next year. Seeing (reading) them through your perspective is certainly enlightening.

Mike