A Race of Attrition....

A little windy, a lot toasty. I almost didn�t go� I�d done a long ride on Saturday and my legs were tired. But it was the Elite Women 1/2/3 District Criterium Championships, and although I knew there was no chance of actually being in contention up against some of these stronger, more powerful crit riders, from where I live, Vacaville is only about a 35-minute drive so I couldn�t justify not going. Besides, I figure I would get a good workout in trying to keep up with these girls.

It�s a technical course � a 1.1 mile loop with 8 turns and one hill. The hill is slightly bigger than the one at the Santa Cruz Criterium, but different in that with Santa Cruz you climb and then get to almost a false flat and then you have to climb again. Here, it�s a steady climb to the top followed by a fast descent into a right-hand turn. It was actually a good place to move up in the race, but having to go up that thing 16 times it certainly wears you down after a while. I saw one Palo Alto girl crack� HARD� on the hill about halfway through the race.

Not that many on the line for a District Championship, but maybe people had heard about the course and stayed away. Or perhaps the heat kept them away. In any case, 33 women started the race, but nearly half were pulled or dropped out. I couldn�t believe it! Some of the women I would never have imagined would not finish were getting pulled. The pace was pretty fast throughout. A few moments of respite, but not many. In the end, only 19 completed the race� and I was number 19! It was a hard race and I�m just glad I was one of the girls to finish. And I can say I finished in the top 20!

-rita

2008

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