Norcal IC3 | A Bicycle Club
Race: Joseph Mendes Criterium
Event: Masters 45/55+ Categoy 4 – 45 racers
Course: 1 mile clockwise loop; wide turns, excellent pavement
Weather: cloudy, windy, 65 degrees
IC3 Racers: Serge Plasschaert
Other teams: SJBS, Taleo, TriValley Velo
Placing: 3rd
Around 45 racers showed up today for the race. Majority of them 45+ riders,
about 10 or so 55+ (we would be picked separately). It seemed lots of teams
were represented with 2 riders each. The teams that stood out to me were SJBC,
Taleo and TriValley with 3 each. SJBC had their top sprinter (Shawn Oliver),
who had won the Memorial Day Crit M45+ 3/4, took third at Cat’s Hill and
placed second at PG&E (where I came in third). Marc Gomes from Monterey Velo
was there as well (he won PG&E crit). With a fairly small field, I decided to
stay mid-pack, keep my eye on Shawn and make sure to get on his wheel with 2
laps to go.
Race started out slow with nobody willing to pull the field into the wind.
After a few laps we finally got going. Todd Munk from SJBC was the most active
with intermittent attacks. He would go…nobody would follow, stay off the
front for 1 to 3 laps, and then get reeled in. He did it 3 times. Strong
legs! All in all, a fairly uneventful race until the last lap. As planned, I
was on Shawn’s wheel going into the final lap. On that first stretch after the
start/finish line, one riders attacks and is able to build a small gap, the
field reacts quickly and I sense he will get caught so did not work in the
pursuit…coming into the first 90 degree turn, the rider crashes! By now, I am
in third position in the pack and can barely swerve out of the way. Luckily,
nobody else went down, but it did kill our momentum coming out of the turn.
Going into the next turn, speed picks up again and racing is full on. As I go
through the corner I lose Shawn’s wheel…I end up overlapping my front wheel
with the rear wheel of another rider and hit his wheel pretty hard. I am
thinking it is all over but I manage to miraculously stay upright, but now I am
in full catch-up mode. Marc Gomes decides to go for it with a fierce attack
and Shawn responds immediately. I am in full pursuit mode and the 3 of us are
the first to come through the sweeper to the finish line. Shawn overtakes Marc
for a clear win, I give it all but end up a tire width short of second place.
One of these days I am going to figure this final sprint thing out and take a
win.
Serge Plasschaert
International Christian Cycling Club