Philadelphia Phlyer

This was my second weekend of racing and it was the Philly Phlyer - a team time trial (TTT), circuit race and criterium spread over two days. I had performed reasonably well in my first weekend coming 16th, 21st and 22nd out of a field of around 50 intro men's riders, but I was looking to improve on those results in these races.

First off was the TTT (Team Time Trial) in the gorgeous Fairmount Park along the river, and it was a lot of fun - although one of our guys was late to the start line so we ended up doing the whole 6.7 mile course with only two people instead of the recommended 4 person team! This meant it was rather painful, especially as my teammate didn't have time to warm up (he locked his keys in his car before the race) so started cramping meaning I had to 'pull' (ride at the front and put in the most effort) for quite a bit during the first half of the race. Still we scored a respectable time, and ended up second... out of two intro teams! In our defence, the other team had the full 4 people meaning 2 of them could 'mule it' (where you pull for long stints towards the start of the race and pull out when you are tired) and still have the required 2 men cross the finish line. Still, it did earn Rutgers 11pts in the East Coast College Cycling Championship and it was a lot of fun.

Next up was the circuit race with a field of 25 intro men, a similar course to the TTT but with an added hill (fun!) and so a little bit longer. Originally the race was 2 laps for the intro's, but after a long delay due to a nasty crash in the category before us we ended up doing just the one lap (although that was more than enough!). The course consisted of a downhill followed by a ~2 mile straight followed by an up and down hill followed by coming back along the straight before climbing the first hill then a sprint finish. Coming up the hill halfway through the race there was a pair that had broken off the front followed by a group of 3, then I was right at the front of the main pack behind them. Knowing it was now or never I really pushed it and caught the group of 3 that had broken off. We left the main pack well behind as we headed down the straight and started cycling through the 4 of us (each taking turns pulling) as we gained on the pair. I took the lead just before the end of the straight and with a big push attached us to the back of the front pair. Unfortunately, we still had the hill to come, so we all were out of our saddles, pumping the legs and trying to stay with the group. Amazingly, an RIT rider started his final push halfway up the hill, and although I was tempted to try to catch his wheel, I knew I needed to keep something for the sprint, so stayed in 4th position to the top. Then it was a full loop of a roundabout before the sprint finish, and as we looped I started to stand up on the pedals and really work the strokes. I passed the guy in 4th as we left the circle and started gaining on the Yale man in second. Unfortunately the final straight wasn't quite long enough to catch him, and I crossed the finish line in 3rd! I was pretty ecstatic, this was a hell of a lot better than I expected to do, and the 6 of us in the front group cooled down together all thanking each other for a good race and talking with excitement for the next day and the Crit. Here's the photo finish of the Circuit race:

Road race

The Criterium was being held at the Philadelphia Naval Yard and the industrial area definitely gave the race a different feel to the luscious green parkland we had been riding through the day before. The Crit was a 6 corner crit in an 'L' shape, requiring a bit more handling skill than the Rutgers crit, especially as two of the corners were *very* tight and with the same 25 man intro field as the day before I knew it was going to be a good race. I was pretty nervous going into the race, I was worried that yesterday's result had been some kind of fluke, and I felt a little pressure to make sure I did well in the Crit too. After our coached lap (all the intro races get a 'coached' lap where we cycle slowly around so we know the course before racing) we were off for our 5 laps of the 1 mile course. I immediately dropped much further down the pack than I wanted too (around 15th or so) which wasn't in my original plan (I had hoped to stay around 5th or 6th). I therefore started to slowly work my way up the pack, gaining 2 or 3 places per lap until the final lap when I was sitting around 7th or so. As we turned onto the final straight I knew I needed a good sprint, especially as there was a slight uphill and the front 9 or so riders were in pretty close proximity. Up once more out of the saddle I started to will my legs to push that little bit harder and before I knew it I had passed one guy, then another, then another to rock home in 3rd - my second podium finish of the weekend! I couldn't stop smiling as I returned to the Rutgers tent and everyone was congratulating me. Here's the photo finish of the Crit:

Criterium

Overall I had earned myself 8 points (5 for 3rd in circuit and 3 for 3rd in Crit) as well as the 11pts in TTT (which don't count towards my individual total) placing me 4th in the ECCC Division 1 Intro Men overall championship! Unfortunately, I'm not going to have a chance to gain more intro points as, after discussion with my teammates, we all agreed that I should upgrade category and start racing in the D Men field. This means longer races (over double what I had been racing), more racers (the average D field is between 40 and 80) and much faster opponents - but I am definitely up for the challenge!