Chris Hinds Crit 2019

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jraguin
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Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by jraguin »

OK, might as well start the reporting.

50+ with Rich, Dave M, and Don K and about 60 of our closest friends. 60 minute race. Big field. As usual, not much to actually report in any Ninigrit crit.

There were a few mini breaks in which Dave got in a few but they didn't stick even a 1/4 lap. No one in the field wanted to let the big guns go and Dave said that they couldn't get cohesive in the break. About 40 minutes in, they signal a prime lap. I am about 4th wheel at the time and say, hmmm, maybe if I am in position. We come around with about 1/2 lap to go and I decide now is the time. I jump and I think no one reacts. But one guy definitely did and is on my wheel. I look back and we have a big gap with one guy in the middle of us and the pack. I try weaving but he stays on my wheel. Coming close to line he jumps and wins the prime. The 3rd guy comes rolling up to me and says let's go. So I say OK and we catch the prime guy and say let's go. The 3rd guy and I are working and rotating but the prime guy does nothing. We stay off the front for about 2 laps but I know we are doomed. We get caught just before 5 laps to go.

I had asked for a high pace the last 3 laps so Don goes to the front with 4 to go and tries to pick it up. Dave later does the same. My own fault I am lax and realized with 1 lap to go I am somewhere around 15th wheel and the field is strung out. I start to rev things up, go by a few people and 1/2 lap to go try to pedal hard to slingshot around a turn, hit my pedal, make a good save, but my chance at podium or even top 10 is gone. Training race.
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peterkuhn
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by peterkuhn »

Men's 3/4

We had a serious gang going into this and whenever you have a serious gang you need a serious plan. So the serious plan was to be constantly attacking and we definitely did this. Absolutely, no question, we executed that plan.

There was a pretty fast guy, Mark Carpenter, who's just tops at both hauling around and also sprinting but fortunately he raced in the 4 race so he'd be on tired legs. NBD. No problemo. Not a worry at all. Entirely unconcerned. He owned the heck out of the category four race so there was extremely little chance of also getting owned in the cat 3/4 race.. !

I have a huge head unit now. here it is:
IMG_20190316_142748.jpg
IMG_20190316_142748.jpg (144.27 KiB) Viewed 3134 times
that thing is massive.

Anyway, we wait a few laps then start bouncing attacks out, and sometimes being so stoked about the attack that we tried to bridge up to our own attack and add additional firepower to the break. We proooobably did a few too many of these. I did one of these. Races are also like an hour, so it's better to wait until late and we could have done that a little better too. At one point we needed a distraction, so Derin tactically wrecked in a corner to sow some chaos. Solid work Derin.

The laps, they whittle down. There were primes. I didn't personally go for any of them, and that's all that matters.

Whoosh!!! Off goes Tucker like the president fleeing a prostate exam. Then a neutrally beautiful thing happened, less beautiful if you're Tucker. In harmonic unison twelve or so dudes from entirely different teams formed a arrow-like paceline and drove deep, and fast, like the president experiencing a prostate exam. Tucker tucked and hammered, but after a long hard effort he was tuckered out and the snowpiercer of chasers caught him. This happened again a few laps later. After the race I was talking to another guy and he mentioned his plan was to get into a break with Tucker, so now we know what happens when the whole front of the race wants to get into a break with the same guy.

It was looking like it was going to come down to a sprint. After mixing things up at the front for a lot of the race Jacob was nowhere to be seen, which I later found out was due to a mechanical. I found myself in a less than awesome position coming into the last lap, but fortunately here comes rootin-tootin Colin Reuter (the words rhyme) who has great instincts about where to be for a sprint so I followed him. Into the headwind straight before the final turn and I'm hunting wheels, I'm fierce, I'm a shark, I'm a pair of oakleys in a sea of guy fieris, ready to feed. We rip around the final corner and everyone opens up their sprint and a guy on my right pushes me into Eric L. on my left, whose boa dial goes into my front spokes. We both pause our sprint, his shoe is very loose now, I want to see if my wheel is wrecked, and get swamped; the best I can do after that is 9th. Eight places behind Mark, the same cat 4 who has just owned two consecutive races for his 5th consecutive win.

Takeaways: 1. This was great fun 2. We should get better at seated attacks and counterattacking. 3. Still fun tho!
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JeremyC
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by JeremyC »

Here's my quick report(s):

Cat 3/4: Peter is right. We attacked a lot and were in every major break attempt, but none of them came close to working. I watched Jacob's video, there were 3 or 4 random dudes with no teammates who basically chased everything. Never once was MRC or GLV chasing. Also I got crashed out (with Derin) by a dude who took a 90 degree corner, at..... 90 degrees!!!! Not recommended!!!! He crossed a wheel, high sided and wiped out across the track, My last second bunny hop attempt almost worked, but just like a hand grenade, almost doesn't count. After getting back into the race, I chased one final attack with 2 to go that felt promising until the 2 guys sat up when we caught Tucker who was just off the front, I pulled through but no one else did. I stayed on the front until the bell and did the "pro" pack slide through the middle and off the back, protecting my fresh wounds from earlier.

P123: I told myself to ease into the race. Then I was near the front when CCB and GLV attacked so I went with it. Why??? I was 1 bike length behind the break for almost 2 laps until finally closing the gap. Once I did a larger group caught us from behind, the race was totally split in half. Basically the 1st 20 minutes of the race was an FTP test, what an idiot. Eventually It came back together. Another break went later, I saw on Adam Myerson's video that Rees almost bridged up to it, too bad because they ended up lapping the field. While they were away, both Robbie (5-ish laps) and Rees (10-ish laps) spent significant time off the front of the peloton with me patrolling the front and chasing a few bridge attempts. Eventually we all got lapped by the field and the race went back to P123 level pain and I was hanging on by a thread. With about 3 laps to go I decided to move up if I could do it without vomiting or crashing. I made it to the top 25 and had a clear shot on the outside coming out of the last corner and sprinted "safely" for 16th. Robbie took the inside line and was 13th, highest finisher behind the "lead" break riders. Normally I don't care about finishing in the teens, but 2 and 1/2 hours of racing in circles changes a man...
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peterkuhn
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

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JeremyC
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by JeremyC »

peterkuhn wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:49 pm we're getting rave reviews

https://www.strava.com/activities/2252009196
He's confused. Chasing the break and chasing attacks are 2 different things. Probably why he's a Cat 4.
AGestrich
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by AGestrich »

The Cat 5 was my first ever race. Overall, it was a blast and I'm looking forward to giving it another shot with some teammates in a couple of weeks.

Early on there was a lot of braking and crowding in the corners - I allowed myself to get pushed fairly far back in the field, and had no chance of responding to an early solo break that was the winning move (and really the only strong move of the race). After a crash coming onto the back straight around lap 6 (at least 1 BU student went down, maybe 2?), the rest of the race was the solo rider well out front, a group of about 12 that I was on the back of, a second slower group that got lapped once or twice, and some riders well off the back. There were also some other riders and small groups strewn about because the 65+ group started 1 minute behind us, which altogether made the course busy in spots.

I figured out about half way through the race that the left side was consistently open and slightly sheltered on the back straightaway, and I managed to move up a couple of wheels each time around without expending any real energy. With around 6 to go I tried a very halfhearted move from 3ish wheels back, got a few seconds away from the group, realized no one was coming with, and fell back in. The pace quickened a little, and when I tried again with around 4 laps to go I didn't so much get away as I dragged the group along for a while - live and learn, I guess.

A combination of not having a great sprint, very poor sprint positioning/planning, and being a little spent from my late efforts resulted in a weak sprint.

9th overall. Could have done better with some better decision making, but for a first race I was happy to stay upright, be in the group, get a sense of how things work, etc. Had a great time and excited to get back out there.
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remad
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by remad »

JeremyC wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:23 pm Another break went later, I saw on Adam Myerson's video that Rees almost bridged up to it.
Not quite, I was on CCBs wheel when he attacked in the video and tried to follow, but got the door shut on me and had to hit my breaks (A better/more ambitious rider would have gone for it). Once it opened back up, it was too late, but I still went for it. Caught up to Adam Myerson's group of 4, but they were all looking at each other hoping to get a free ride. I just kept moving, but the bridge was way too far up the road to say that I almost bridged up to it. Once that group was gone, the rest of the race was just for the workout.
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eboos
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Re: Chris Hinds Crit 2019

Post by eboos »

AGestrich wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:25 pmand had no chance of responding to an early solo break that was the winning move (and really the only strong move of the race).
That was Erik Caldarone. You get a pass on that. He lapped the entire field at the Frozen Four Day 3. Needless to say, he won't be a Cat 5 for long (or 4 even).
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