Rick Adams reports from the podium at Sea Otter!

Rick Adams Sea Otter Report

55+ Criterium & Circuit

Having never been to Sea Otter before, I was pretty mesmerized by the total bike party. Next year I am going back, racing, wandering around more and camping. Tom Rice’s stronghold was meant to enable some intoxicating fun. But with racing and driving, my post race recovery beverage decisions were all wrong.

Crit
Result 3rd
Teammates: Super Dave

The first 2 laps, 18 guys crawled around like no one warmed up. Lap 3 several guys started testing their legs and we lost a few. Lots of attacks from southern cal guys, but nothing really stuck. Going into bell, I was focused on which wheel to be on. I picked Larry Wolf, a 60+ current national champion. I just knew that Larry would go long and string us out and he would pray to hang on for a top three. Yet going through the last set of corners this hopefully story had not played itself out and I was slightly box on the inside when the eventual winner jumped hard and got a gap. I made it across in 3rd – slightly disappointed.

Circuit
Result 4th
Teammates: Super Dave

Now I must say several guys described this course as not much harder than the noon ride. Humm. A 300m hill at 12-15% in my sprinter’s head is bloody hard. Strategy revisited: survive!

40 riders rode the first lap easy. Lap 2 was a bit faster and by the top of the climb on lap 3 we were down to 15 guys. Wow – that was a pretty fast selection. Then the 2nd place guy from yesterday’s crit started to attack. We brought him back without any organized effort. With 3 laps to go he attacked again and Kevin Susco, a well know Webcor rider bridged up. I was still simply thinking about surviving the climb 2 more times and I did not help in the chase. The group brought the gap down to about 50 meters on those two guys, close enough for one more guy to bridge across. If that hill was a bit less imitating, I would have risked closing the gap, but, I chose not to and the last time up the hill I was thankful I did not help with the chase because I was off the back of the now group of 5. Down the corkscrew I caught the other riders and hoped a bit of lactic acid would evaporate from my legs.

With about 700 meters to go, the Morgan Stanley rider attacked and the other 3 gave chase. I was sitting 5th in this group thinking to myself – why do they want to give me a perfect leadout after nearly killing me on the climb? Seriously 4 teammates could not have provided a better leadout. I won the sprint for 4th. One spot off the podium.

Rick