My favorite race of the year...The Burlingame Crit. Why? I guess because this was the first race I ever did when I moved out here to SF 2 years ago and I use it as motivation and a way to gauge how I have improved as a bike racer. After getting completely "smoked" in 2005 (I think I actually went backwards in the sprint) I double podiumed in 2006 (5th in CAT4/ 4th 35+4/5) and this year I was looking not only for a podium but for my first ever elusive win.
This year was a bit different though in my leadup. I got sick and was Nyquil-man all week trying to shake this cold and then I decided to race in Stockton the day before..(8th place CAT3...hacking and coughing). But I woke up today and felt better and thought this is it.
Burlingame is always so well done....great setup, fun course, good crowds and the huge banner across the start/finish line. Race goes off a bit odd as the guy giving instructions all of a sudden says go! No 30 sec countdown, nothing. He was talking and then said GO! I along with many others weren't even clipped in. Oh well...no problem and we are off. Early on, I thought "hmmm....me don't feel so good". Just kind of felt weird. But as the race went on I started to feel better. Could have been the 2 bottles of cough medicine I downed the day before to try and get rid of this cough. Is that doping? Or just stupid?
It always amazes me some of the sketchy riding I see in races...its almost like the IQ level of some just drops to Corky level when they are in a race. Today was no different. On one part of the course there is always a bit of a slowdown/bunch up and it was definitely cause for concern but I decided that to combat this, just stay all the way inside or go wide outside and thus eliminate the problem.
As the race goes along a few try to escape and one rider actually got away for 3 laps but as usual they are always pulled back and this was no different. The pace stayed pretty high and I was rolling along forgetting how crappy I felt earlier and now started thinking that today could be going better than I thought.
Then with 5 laps to things started really heating up. More break attempts and the pace is now moving with the pack seemingly strung way out. As we hit the 3 laps to go mark, I was right where I wanted to be, sitting in the top 20 and away from the craziness of the mid-pack. As we flew threw the S turn I was feeling good and had a few guys marked and I was on their wheel. As we came to the slowdown/bunch up area I did not like what I was seeing. A lot of guys not pedaling and the inevitable bunching happened and I was not in or outside but dead center. Not good. Here is the insane part...even though we had been through that wide turn 20 times, guys still freaked the F out. They went Corky and I got F*&k'ed! 2 guys hit their brakes and got into each other right in front of me.
In my 2 plus years of racing and doing a ton of crits, I have managed to avoid all crashes. I've skidded sideways, bounced off guys and had to duck as bikes have flown over my head. Even last year at Burlingame, some guy got into me in the sprint and I still managed to pedal him off my leg and get 5th. All that good luck ended yesterday. Just as i thought I would be able to escape the carnage, the leg of one of the fallen swings out and next thing I know I am on the ground...F*&k!!!!!
And that was it...CRASH! My first reaction was "why couldn't his have been a few laps earlier!" so I could have gotten the free lap and got back in the race. But then I thought...well I'm ok. Amazingly no cuts, no road rash...nothing. My bike...or should I say front wheel not ok. A complete rupture.
Oh well...so there ends the 2007 Burlingame Crit for me...no win, no points, no podium, no glory for the Mouse. BUT...I did get my first ever RACE CRASH! Thats bike racing.
