You are here: Cherry Pie Crit 2010
Feb 16, 2010 Criterium, Race report, Road Race
Going into this race my goal was to stay in the top 20 spots for the first 20 mins of the race. I have been doing primarily base and strength training so far, and just now adding intensity. Also, the race was after one of my peak volume training weeks (13hrs). So I wanted this race (plus M35+ 4/5 following) to be my intensity training for the week, and to kick-off getting back into racing for 2010.
Primarily, I was able to stay in the front half of the pack for the first 21mins, and mostly in the top 20. I would slip back on the back side as the pack would swell up and start passing after the course’s first R90 turn after the hill. Goal achieved so far. As we received the word “5 laps to go”, 2 things happened: (1) I realized I still felt really good, surprisingly ready to mix it up for the finish, and (2) the pack started getting very jumpy. In fact, there were no crashes until this “5 to go”…and during that one lap there were 2 crashes! The second crash ended with a guy falling into my leg, knocking my foot and chain. By the time I recovered the peleton was split and I was last guy in the chase group.
Our chase caught the main group during the 4th lap, and I moved up to ~25th. At the 3rd lap, I was 15th. Then 10th. Then with 1 to go, I was 6th. I was concerned that the pack would swell again at the bottom of the hill after the R90, so I hammered down the hill to accelerate up into the slipstream of the front guys and keep the pace high. I think I entered the corner at 35mph, with my rear wheel sliding. I entered a slide twice and recovered twice before I ended up hitting the curb, slamming me down into the hard dirt. The net is a broken collarbone and 2 or 3 cracked ribs. Bike looks fine, still pending a detailed inspection. Several lessons learned on bike handling.
Meeting with the doc on Friday. Expect that I can get on my trainer this weekend with easy spinng. Racing by late May `10.
Dinuba Criterium Master’s 35+ 4/5
Feb 15, 2010 Criterium, Race report
I had about 15 minutes to recover from the first race… In this race I was the young guy. In this category I felt pretty safe and just hung out in the back of the pack until there was about 5 laps to go and I then made my way up in the pack. I took the the second to last turn to fast and too hard and slammed into a garbage can and ran over some cones. I expected to eat some pavement, but I recovered and sprinted my way into to 7th. :-)
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Erik Camacho
Dinuba Criterium 4/5
Feb 15, 2010 Criterium, Race report
This race was with the young and the old. The road was like lumpy oatmeal. The course is completely flat L-shaped. There was a bunch of sketchy riders it was fast and scarry. First race of the day and I was playing around in the field there was some break aways that went nowhere I resisted the jump until the last lap which I then pulled away and was swallowed up in a pack finish at the finish line and placed 11th.
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Erik Camacho
Cherry Pie Criterium Masters 4/5 35+
Feb 7, 2010 Criterium, Race report
Let me start off by saying I barely made it in this race.
I got my number about 10 minutes before the start of the race and then ran to get my bike and gear on… my watch said it was 5 minutes before the race started and I had to use the bathroom. When I came out with 3 minutes to spare I seen the field leaving. So I did what anyone would do I jumped on my bike and yelled out to the crowd to part like the Red Sea and joined the race about 500 meters back. After finishing the first lap I was given a free lap and joined the group at the top of the hill in the 3rd lap mid pack. There was a lot less braking and most corners were pretty smooth. The hill was still a great place to attack and I worked my way up in the pack and finished 9th.
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Erik Camacho
Bicycles Plus Folsom Criterium
Feb 3, 2010 Criterium, Race report
Race Name: Bicycles Plus Folsom Criterium
Race Type: Criterium
Category: Cat 4, 30+ Cat 3 /4
Result: Middle of pack
Decided to do the Folsom Crit for the chance to do two races in one day. Carpooled with Tim (now with BBC) and got there with more than enough time to register and take my time getting suited up. Tim said the course was shaped like the letter D with two right turns and one large continues turn which allowed lots of time to just sit and hide in the pack and since I didn’t bring a trainer Tim said warming up was not that necessary.
Cat 4
Turnout for this one was close to 50 and the pace from the start was comfy allowing me to get my much needed warm up in. Kept my place more towards the back with little movements to the front. Couple of breaks went up the road but the wide open layout of the course made it difficult for any breaks to stick, this was a course that would end in a bunch sprint. Hatched a plan with Tim to either lead him out for the sprint or tow him to the front with one to two laps to go but that went out the window when going into the last turn to start the last lap some rider upfront slid while going over a wet manhole cover and caused a pileup. Being towards the back I had no problem going around the crash but by then the field has splintered and it was just a matter of chasing to make the front group. Spent the last lap trying to bridge over to the lead group jumping from one wheel to the next, dodging riders going backwards only to blow up on the last turn and coasting to the finish. Finished in 30th place.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23681437
30+ CAT 3, 4
After a 40 minute break, the ladies Cat 4 race was between bought races it was time to do it again. Turnout was comparable at around close to 50. What a difference a one mile and hour average makes compared to the first race. The race was at most times single file and what impressed me that most was one Cal Giant dude easily pulled the pack around for what seems like half the race distance. The race was smooth all the way with very little close calls. Kept my place mostly mid pack just inserting myself through openings and following wheels towards the front. Same as the first race breaks were attempted but non stuck which made the race end again in another bunch sprint. Tried to move up on the last lap but lost steam and drifted towards the back on the finishing straight. Finished in 33th place.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23681428
Jorge
EBCS # 5 Race & Clinic
Jan 31, 2010 Criterium, Race report
Today We’ve got graduate it from the ebcs and since it was the last from the series it count the points for the top finished riders;Race was up and down for the first laps;but when we got the 5 laps cards to go everybody want to go crazy and start to attack but never success just because the pack put the gas on and bring them back to make at the end a field sprint,on last turn the pace got higher and riders start to sprint very early so when i was in the end of the last curve i saw an open gap and decide to go that way but unfortunate many riders tough the same as me and i ended up boxed;since nothing else to do i just ride within the stream of the riders in my front.
Legs feel good since yesterday ride Fernando,Gonzalo and me we went to the Tunitas Creek Ride,and like we (Fernando and I) say to Garry we’re planning to make a team ride on this side of the peninsula,hopefully we can make this ride is really awesome.
Cheers
Alex Cortez
Early Bird Crit #3
Jan 17, 2010 Criterium
This week the rain seemed to keep a lot of people in… There was only a little of 60 riders broken into 2 packs. Surprisingly the race this week seemed a lot faster than in previous weeks corners were a lot smoother and not as much accordioning going on. Same strategy as last week held mid pack until the last 2 laps and started moving up. I took the last turn on the inside and someone hit their brakes in front of me AGAIN, pulled to the outside after the last turn, jumped for the sprint and finished 7th.
From now on I plan on finishing on the outside unless I manage to be in front on the final turn.
Erik Camacho
Early Bird Crit #2 1010
Jan 11, 2010 Criterium, Race report
The race started off really fast again this week. But thanks to the cornering practice in the pre-race clinic, the corners were a lot less exciting this race. Hung with the pack, but got dropped about half-way through. One of the mentors towed me to the start/finish line where I waited for the bunch. Got reintegrated and made a serious effort to move up into gaps as they opened up. This made a big difference as I was easily able to stay with the bunch. With one lap to go there was a massive pile-up in front of me. I jammed on the brakes and just did avoid it. By the time I got around the crash, the pack was long gone, so I just cruised the last lap.
Once again it was great to have a bunch of teammates there for support. Thanks also to the mentors as I learned quite a bit from them in both the clinic and the race.
Bryan
