1 week 5 crits 1 contact

As Rob mentioned, last week we had the chance to race 3 different venues. It has gotten super hot - crit season is here. These races are 30 - 60 minutes, so the heat isn't the factor it would be in a 3 hour road race.

First up, on Tuesday, the New Braunfels Camino Real Cycling Club Crit at the Tree of Life church off of I-35. This is a slower race due lots of turns including 2 180's. Great, safe venue. 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month thru the summer.

Althought it is dead flat, the turns yield the "slowest" of the 3 crit venues averaging just under 24 mph for the A and B races.

B-H's own Addison McAuliff won the C race (juniors, Cat 5) in convincing fashion.

2 days later, on Thursday we went up to the Driveway Crit in Austin. Raced on a go kart track and although there is elevation change, the flow of this course makes it super fast.

It was "Ladies" night with clinics and a race on the "top half" of the course (the gray course left in picture, so we raced only on the "bottom half." This yielded a 1.05 mile course. Other weeks the course has 2-3 alternative configurations making this venue fresh each week.

Barn burner of a race yielding a 27.1 mph average for the Open event, 26.5 mph for the 3/4 running.

Finally, 3 days later on Sunday we got to race 10 miles from home at the University Oaks Crit, put on by B-H affiliated Peak Fitness racing. 1 k nice, nice venue. Well organized and run.

I love the occaisional idiosyncracies of the Garmin - here the ever "sinking" elevation profile (in black) of a fixed loop? Perhaps it's my ever increasing heart rate (in red) pushing the ground downward!?!?

Amongst the many benefits of being old and without much talent, is the variety of racing options afforded. At the CRCC crit I raced the Masters (B race) and the 1/2/3 (A race.) At the Driveway crit I raced the 3/4 race and 1/2/3 race (later this month they add a Master's race giving me a third option.) So those 4 races plus the University Oaks Mens Open race gave me 5 for the week.

I went to the eye doctor Monday, hadn't been in years, since I lost a contact at the Gila. Somehow I made it thru the 5 races seeing out of only 1 eye (shhhh!!) since my new contacts came in this week!

Come race these. They're "fun."