Reports by:

• Richard
• Mike Z.
• Ziggy
• Tim
• Santiago

Category: Cat 4/5 and Masters 30+ 4/5
Result: Back of pack both races due to crashes.

Call me chicken, but racing the track is far safer than a criterium, especially races with large fields full of idiots who think it is a good idea to dive down the inside of corners and then realise that they have to brake suddenly.

Yes, I did Burlingame and I was rather fortunate not to go down in both of the races I rode.

In the Senior 4/5 (myself, Mike Z., Santiago, Ziggy and PP), which was at 7am, there were well over 60 riders by my reckoning. It was quite a brisk race - I would suffer a bit on the exit of corner 4 towards the library, but usually advance on the inside of the sweep towards the finish. Laps were counted down from 9 to go, and I started moving up the field from near the back to be in the top 20 or so with something like 5 to go.

We were well represented at the front, Ziggy, Santiago and I were there, PP had a mechanical problem and had to withdraw on lap 1. There was a solo rider off the front and Mike Z. decided to launch to try to bring him back. Not a bad idea, save that Mike is a marked man, and his attack caused a strong reaction from the bunch. This lead to at least Santigo and myself losing 10-15 places and having to work our way forward again. Still, into the final lap, and I am in not too bad a position, on the right of the bunch, ready for a good jump out of turn 4 and then around the sweep to the finish. Top 20 finish is probable, top 10 possible if the traffic breaks for me and my sprint is there.

Not to be. Going round turn 3 (the left-hander), there is a crash ahead and to my left, blocking my path round the corner. I was forced wide, and had enough room to stop before hitting the kerb. Whilst I slowed, I heard bodies adding themselves to the pile just to my left, and when I had stopped I heard someone complain saying something like, "Two years, two crashes". I had to reverse a little, and continued to roll over the line, rueing my luck, but at least I didn't go down!

Then came the Master 30+ 4/5 (myself, Mike Z., Santiago, Mike M. and PP) which had over 80 riders. I managed to sit in quite well, much better than last week's effort at the MVV crit, complete with tired legs. Again, with a few laps remaining, I worked my way forward into the top 15 or so. Two laps to go and into turn 1, and the rider two in front of me goes down. The rider in front of me hits him and goes down. I am on the brakes and I think I am going down. Fortunately, they kept sliding, and though my front wheel did contact the pile, I was able to stop in time. Curses, stopped again!

I got going and chased for all I was worth, and really enjoyed being able to choose my own line through the corners for once. I caught up with Mike Miu and Lance (Mike Z.'s pal) and gave them, even if I say so myself, an awesome leadout to contest 50-something place. Coming round the final sweep on the last lap, I saw that there had been another crash and that Santiago had been involved. I'll let him tell that tale.

Mixed feeling about today's racing: generally fun to ride, except for the poor skills of some of the riders and of course the crashes. I feel really lucky to have been so close to two crashes and not go down myself. Makes me wonder if I still want to do crits if the probability of a crash is so high.

Back to top

Category: Cat. 4/5 and Masters 30+ 4/5.
Result: Mid-pack and off the back due to a crash.

Senior 4/5:

First race went as Richard said. I ended up being the anti-teammate. Sorry guys. I stayed in back the entire race watching the guys in back suffer and drop off one by one. It really is a bad tactic if you want to win the race since about every third lap I would find myself drafting off 3 or 4 riders only to have the front one get droppped so I'd have to sprint back to the main group. It isn't a bad tactic if you are still getting used to riding in crits. At the back I have no chance of taking someone with me if I crash which is the last thing I want to do.

I promised myself not to attack too early this time and so I attacked on the back straight with 3 1/2 to go. I passed half the field there, but got stuck on the sweeper turn and passed the other half minus one on the left side of the home stretch running willy nilly over all red circles denoting potholes, which became my tactique de jour (apologies to any Frenchy speaker out there). It took the next half lap to catch the solo breakaway and I tried to work with him, but he dropped back into the pack. I pulled the train until the last half of the last lap where I began to be overtaken by riders.

Brian was right beside me when he thought he dropped his chain. I saw that he had actually broken it in half and was dragging it along behind him. This was about the time there was the crash somewhere behind. I talked to one of the PenVelo riders after the race. He was involved in the crash. He said two guys in front of him went for the same line and bumped each other causing the accident. The PenVelo guy somehow was sandwiched in there too. It doesn't make total sense, but who really knows what really happens. I was pretty much dying at this point and rode home for 19th place.

M30+ 4/5:

I heard the race announcer say that there were 99 participants in this race just before it started. Once again, I stayed at the back for the first 30 minutes of the race. This time, using the outside lane of potholes to pass people, I moved up 20 or so at a time until I reached the front where Paul and Santiago were lurking. I talked to them a little bit and got swallowed up in the crowds, precisely where I hate to be. Much to my delight, I was not totally uncomfortable in the midst of things. At each curve, I concentrated on the wheel in front of me and made sure I kept the exact same line. It seemed to have worked for I never got yelled at to hold my line.

Unfortunately, all the passing occurs on the inside and outside, therefore I gradually found myself losing places. With about 5 laps to go, I was near the back again. I moved up quickly again on the next few laps and settled in near the front 10 with 2 laps to go. I managed to stay there this time until the final corner. I was probably in 7th or 8th position, and 2 riders behind Santiago when the final corner crash happened.

I didn't really see what caused it, but just knew that 4 riders were down in front of me. I could do nothing but slam on the brakes and head for the barriers. Fortunately, one of the course workers grabbed the barrier I was headed towards and moved it back a few feet, just enough for me to skid to a stop without going down. Trapped behind the carnage, I watched as the field swept by me. I got back on the bike and rode in for 85th or so. All in all, I was very satisfied with the race. I mixed into the pack and was attempting to work with Paul and Santiago. Paul got 5th I think. Without the final turn crash, we very well might have had 3 FFBCers in the top 10.

I have to agree with Richard about crits. It seems that there are almost 2 crashes per race on average. Way too excessive. If each crash involves 3 - 4 people, that is almost 6-10% of the field. Certainly doesn't take many races to have a 50/50 chance of being involved (apologies to the experts in probability theory here). I need a safer sport. Hey Richard, how much to get a good track bike + gear? Maybe I'll just go back to Rock Climbing... or take up Russian Roulette...

Back to top

Category: Cat. 4/5
Result: Did not finish - chain broke.

So I figured out what the funny clicking was that I had been feeling the past couple of days coming from my rear cassette. Too bad I had to find out 3 turns from the finish!

Today's race brought back memories of Cat's Hill with it's crappy pavement and sketchy riders. I'm not sure that there was anything I would consider a "good line" in this race due to the left hander thrown in to sort out those who wished to donate some skin to the pavement. My plan to stay up in the front of the race worked for most of the race, although I did find myself stuck on the inside of the pack a number of times. The only place I don't mind being in the middle of the pack is at the front of a race. The riders seem to be much more calm and responsible when it comes to handling their machines. So, I played position leapfrog for most of the race and was never that far back.

At two to go, I started to make my way to the front and found a nice spot amongst the top five or ten. With one to go, coming around the left-hander, I heard what nobody likes to hear, the ominous crash and skid. Just as the crash was happening behind me, I felt what seemed to be my chain come off the big ring, so I try to shift and get it back on, not looking at my chain because there was a corner coming up, when I heard Mike yell at me to put my hand up to show that I had problems. I didn't know what the heck for, but since my chain wasn't shifting back up, I slowed and pulled over to find my chain about 100 feet behind me in a nice little bunch.

The crappy part about this whole story is that the crash had split up the race enough that I was almost certain to finish in the top 10 and possibly score my first upgrade credit. Oh, and I lost my favorite water bottle today too due to the crappy pavement. Davis will be my race. Anybody heading out to Davis on the 4th?

Back to top

Category: Masters 45+
Result: Top ten

As Santiago, Paul and Richard saw, I actually place in the top 10 (9th) for the first time ever at Burlingame and believe me, it's been a long time coming. Anyway, I got an OK start and just tried to hang in the middle for awhile. For the M45 race it was pretty fast as we only regrouped a few times and pretty much railed the corners which is a total gas if you're 1 to 3 across unlike the 4/5 race which is much too crowded. I moved up whenever I could and had to close gaps while people were getting spit out the back.

I heard them say 9 to go, next thing was I looked over and saw 4, where the laps went I'll never know. Somewhere in there, Winkel made his move and towed another guy with him. They were both gone. I started moving up more and I spotted Mark Caldwell, District crit champion and got on his wheel. With one to go I was in the top group, but was worried to death I would get swarmed and relegated to the back.

Just before the left turn, we came on a group of four lappers right in the middle of the corner, I went to the outside with Mark and stayed on his wheel and we caught the inside group. As we came around the last corner I was there still fearing the swarm from behind. At that point it sort of seemed like slow motion, I stood up to sprint but there wasn't a whole lot there. I think that last lap took too much out of my legs, or I was too shocked to be there but, anyway Mark, Bob Parker, George Skaates and couple of other fast guys got away from me on the sprint, but I'm pretty sure I was still the first Cat 3 and I think even on a good day most of them could beat me, but HELL I'll take 9th anyway at Burlingame!

Back to top

Category: Cat. 4/5 and Masters 30+ 4/5
Result: Mid-pack and crash!

Quick notes of Burlingame crits..... they were terrifying, huge fields on a technical course.

Sr 4/5, was really ugly, there were guys moving all over the place, I didn't feel comfortable at all, but as usual I tried to stay as close to the front as possible, but this time I got slowed down on the last lap, the guy in front of me went down on the left turn, right behind Ziggi, good thing he kept moving to the outside of the corner (for me, not for Richard) and I made it around him, but lost all momentum, so that was it for me. I saw Mike coming by with around three to go, to bad we didn't know about it, because could had jump on your wheel and maybe had a better finish.

Now, M30+ 4/5, normally the masters race is more calm and riders as safer, and it actually was, or so I thought, I was working with Paul at the front most of the race. We went for two primes and got second and third both times, so same medicine for the finish should work. With around two to go we had Mike Z, Paul and myself together on the top 15 or so, I lost Paul wheel there and Mike also moved back a little bit, then with one to go I recovered Paul's wheel and there we went, we were just moving up pretty fast, we got to the last turn on the top 6 or so, coming on the outside, and suddenly this @#%*$# guy decides to make a quick move to the left and there goes my front wheel, next thing I know I'm flying over my handle bar and landed on my left shoulder, while I'm sliding in the "soft" pavement the guy behind me hits me and brakes on my left leg.... and there he goes, a couple of more guys went down.

Injuries: road rash all over my left leg, both elbows and knees, upper back, and a sore back and neck.

Bike: right brake lever destroyed and a broken spoke on the rear wheel. Not bad for a 40mph crash (actually I have 42mph max speed on my speedometer).

Thanks to Mike M, Mike Z, Richard and Paul for your medical assistance and help on putting me back on my car with all my stuff.

It was a great team work on the last crit, Paul did great leading me out, Mike flyer on the Sr 4 was great, too bad we missed it, but we had a lot of advertisement from the announcer. If we get a little more organize we can really do great. Actually as Mike said we could have easily placed 3 on the top 10 on M30+.

Back to top

Pictures

• Mike Z. at the start.
• Mike Z. and Richard at the start.
• Mike Z. lurks at the back of the race.
• Richard grits his teeth.