Mystic Velo Crit 2019

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jraguin
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Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by jraguin »

OK, might as well start the reporting... I double up back to back with the 50+ and 40+.

50+ with Rich, Dave M, Mike, and Fintan for a field about about 45. 45 minute race.
Nothing stuck. At all. With that said, a few people tried, including Rich & Dave (who were in a 2 man break together) but the field just would not let it go. A few of us tried to block but hopeless. Old guys are too aware of teams etc. I know there is a sprint coming and stay in the top 10 wheels on the final few laps. With 1/2 lap to go (as we caught Rich in a last ditch break), I am in perfect position as 4th wheel but the pace is not very high. 2nd to last turn, now 3rd wheel and I know the sprint is coming. Coming around the last turn, the front guy peels off and the guy in front of me opens up his sprint. Except he has no sprint. A huge group of guys goes by us on the left and I am stuck behind this slow guy. Try to peel left but it is too late. Got 9th.

Now the 40+ with Oscar, Rich, and a few others (sorry to forget). 50 minute race. Smaller field with maybe 30 guys.
Doing back to back I am absolutely cooked from the 50+ sitting at the start line. Race goes off and I feel like a pile of mush. Not that long into the race, an Aetna guy goes off solo. Then a second Aetna guy goes up with him. I think that is ridiculous, if I had the legs I would have jumped on that. The pace dawdles for a bit but then people wake up. It takes a number of laps and we are getting close. But then Miles & two other guys go to the front and bridge across (another case of I would be on that but my legs are dead). That was it. The 5 of them hold off the pack and the rest of the field end up riding along for the workout. I sprinted at the end to finish the workout but my legs were cooooookkkkeddd.
Last edited by jraguin on Mon Apr 15, 2019 11:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
ppereira
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by ppereira »

I'll take a turn, did 4/5 under 40. I'm not very experienced with crits so I was just hoping not to get dropped off the back, so I managed to do that. Pretty unremarkable overall for me, but I was happy that I stayed with the field, but unfortunately wasn't in a spot to see people move off the front about 18mins in. I was trying to keep an eye on a few of the guys but lost track of them and didn't do a good enough job staying toward the front of the pack. I got to the front on the last lap and pulled and then did a half-hearted sprint and came in 26th. It was fun to get out there, would like to be more of an active player
djming
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by djming »

50+ was interesting. Rich and I were constantly at/off the front, with Mike and Fintan also putting in some good pulls to keep the pace up. I tried a couple times to create a break and at one point had 5 with a small gap and a good mix but the field was having none of it. Rich went solo a couple times as well. On his 2nd dig he had a clear gap when 3 guys go to jump and I follow their wheels. Suddenly they just slow but there's a gap to the field so I just keep rolling and push up to Rich (making damn sure nobody following). We have a decent gap and I'm thinking surely a couple will try to bridge. Nope, we just keep plugging along for a couple laps when coming into turn one I see/hear Alice screaming and I look up to see a woman walking right out into the middle of the course. She freezes, I'm not sure which way she's going so Rich and I need to slow/weave. Then apparently she turned around as the main field was coming! No crashes though, but all in all that shut us down.
Fast forward to 2+ to go and right on cue Rich goes and gets clear. I sit and wait as people start chasing with the intention to counter. He maintains a bit longer than I expected. As we approach come into the finish straight with 1 to go I sense he'll get caught and should just blast down the left side but I hesitate, since he still has a gap. But then I get nearly clipped by someone hopping back in from the grass on the turns, touch the brakes out of self preservation and instantly lose 10-15 spots. No final attack for me, which at a minimum would have kept the pace higher into the final turns to help John out.
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twetmore
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by twetmore »

This was a fun one! After our pre race strategy talk our main objective was to get Gibba in position to contest the sprint with fresh legs, and wanted to be in any threatening moves (aka ones with Drake, Tate, GLV, and JImmi Hayes) in case something stuck.

Right from the gun Tate launched an attack that set the tone for the race. Attacks would go, and the over eager pack would chase everything down. I joined a couple of moves, and one looked promising (given that it consisted of the above riders) but Tate and Drake sat up, and the moment of hesitation was enough for the pack to close the gap. In addition to the main threats there were several non threatening riders who would repeatedly attack, and then slowly get brought back. It made riding in the pack easy, as I could rely on the field to act as a team and drag the group up to whatever break was up the road. With about four laps to go Gibba and I found each other, and I signaled for him to jump on my wheel. I wanted to hit the front with 1/2 a lap to go, but the field slowed way down with just over one lap left and I decided that a long lead out was preferable to getting swarmed. Over the final lap I slowly picked up the speed and intended to give one last kick out of the final corner, but two GLV riders took the inside line at speed (note to self, be better about closing the door on this option in the future). Happily Gibba saw them coming and hopped on their wheel and contested the sprint. I had no idea who won until I rounded corner two and made eye contact with Gibba up the road. He threw up his arm in the air, indicating he took the W. It turns out that he roasted the sprint so badly that he had more than a full bike length between him an second place. What a monster!
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peterkuhn
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by peterkuhn »

Well done folks!! Monster lead-out and monster sprint.

The Tactics Critic is still unsatisfied, not sure who he's talking about this time though lol https://www.strava.com/activities/2290446218
djming
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by djming »

peterkuhn wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 3:52 pm
The Tactics Critic is still unsatisfied, not sure who he's talking about this time though lol https://www.strava.com/activities/2290446218
Maybe he just thinks anyone with any mix of red and blue in their kit is all the same team. And obviously he's quite clever by the "rocket surgery" quip.
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JeremyC
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by JeremyC »

peterkuhn wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 3:52 pm Well done folks!! Monster lead-out and monster sprint.

The Tactics Critic is still unsatisfied, not sure who he's talking about this time though lol https://www.strava.com/activities/2290446218
Shouldn't he be happy?
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Fintan
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by Fintan »

Maybe he doesn't know what a lead-out is.
The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.
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KTeves
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by KTeves »

JeremyC wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:44 pm Shouldn't he be happy?
I guess he just wants the MRC to be the best it can be. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Fintan
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by Fintan »

I wasn't going to write a report, but I just saw the drone video and is shows some points of interest.
I was doing domestique and sitting back and only moving to the front to pull back breaks.

Minute 0:00
The video starts with a break forming and I move to the front to pull. When I looked back the lead rider (white helmet) was not following my wheel. I gestured for him to take my wheel but he didn't. Mike powered up and we both chased down the lead group. I then settled back back in the group for the next split.

Minute 2:30
When a couple of guys went off the front I started to move up on the right and got crowded over the lip on the right. When I bunny hopped back up my handlebars dropped and that was it.

https://youtu.be/9mR7m5CYgPk
The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.
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jraguin
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Re: Mystic Velo Crit 2019

Post by jraguin »

Ugh, watching this made me barf in my mouth. I am 2nd wheel at the 2 min mark with Rich alone up front. I am 4th wheel starting at 5:11 when the team in yellow takes over the pace. I hold that position all the way to the final curve. You can barely see in the distance at 6:05 that the yellow guys go wide around the turn (why I don't know) and the swarm goes on the inside. You can make me out around 6:13-14 where 5 guys are already gone way past and clear and I just go out from behind yellow guys and am trying to sprint not even really on anyone's wheel. Dumb. Yuck.
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