Menlo Park Grand Prix Criterium April 11 2010-written by Dave Jevans (ed.note: Glad to know there are some other nut cases on the team racing in driving downpours)
Sunday dawned cloudy and promising rain throughout the day. I drove over to the start of the Menlo Park Grand Prix at the bayfront park area of Menlo Park. The Velogirls put on a great show with top notch race announcing, corner workers, and pit area. I signed up for my lowly cat 5 race, and settled in to watch a couple of races.
The cat 3 mens race was exciting, with the Specialized team leading the charge throughout most of the 40 minute crit race. Fortunately for them it was dry....
Once the women's cat 1 2 3 race started, the heavens opened and the rest of the day was rain soaked madness. The womens race splintered into 6 distinct packs, with the leaders (including several tibco team riders) about 2 minutes ahead of the chasing field. Two riders went down in the back part of the course. Fortunately this was one of the few wet crashes.
5pm finally arrives and all looks good for my race. Its not raining, and its warming up to a balmy 41 degrees. As soon as I start my warmup ride, the storm returns and we've got pouring rain and driving winds from the south. Great.
A small field of about 20 stupid riders line up in the driving rain. We get a warm up lap and do a rolling start, reminiscent of my days racing cars. The pack settles in and we all try to learn the lines around this 1.4 mile circuit, and we try to avoid crashing.
Basically its all quite civilized, until about lap 4 when the breakaway attempts start to happen.
What I noticed is that I tend to exit the slower corners more cautiously than the field, and I'm getting dropped. Then I've got to work hard to catch back up to the pack.
5 or 6 laps in, and someone loses a water bottle in the middle of tight left hand turn 2. Riders are scattering to avoid it (remeber it is pouring rain with 1 inch of standing water in some of the corners). The pack splinters. Naturally I'm caught in the back group....
The rest of the race is basically a story of creating a virtual "team" with the guys who got dropped by the front pack. We coalesce and work together as a "team". I pull around most of the back part of the circuit, and my new friend Steve pulls hard on the upwind straightaways, giving me a welcome break.
As we come to the "2 laps" sign, we pick it up. Finally its the "1 lap" sign and we pull the pin. I drop Steve, but half a mile later he's on my tail. I'm expecting him to pull past on the first straightaway before the final finish straight, but he hangs back. Aha! Some race strategy enters my tiny brain. Let's hold back till he comes past, then sprint....
Clever guy, Steve's thinking the same thing, and doesn't fall for my trap.
Finally we enter the final straightaway, and Steve makes his move. The rain is hammering down, and I'm out of the saddle sprinting like a madman, and its wheel to wheel. I think I've got it, then I think I've lost it, then finally I out sprint him to the finish.
We ride a cool down lap together and discuss the race.
Its amazing how much drama can transpire at the back of a cat 5 race.
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