6+7

Hi. Superweek is still going. Not without some difficulties, but hey. Hmm...what stage do I have to report on? I think the 2 per entry is working out well. So that leaves us at stage 6. I took 5 off: No ride out there, but more importantly...the saddle scene can get out of hand after 100k crits day after day on spotty pavement. So on with it...

Stage 6: Bensonville Criterium Day 2

This race was in the western suburbs of Chicago, just south of the O'hare airport. I took the metro. Nice chance to check out another metro system and not have to beg for rides. Got on the metro blue line. 20 stops. It'd be a long way. The station was completely empty when I got there...so took a nice shot of photo studio-like conditions.


The train came soon enough, and I was off to the end of the line 20 stops away, Ohare Airport. Except......the last two stops were under construction. Merde. Iphone out, sorted the directions, and figured it would only be 30 minutes or so until we got to the course. Iphone is great, but it doesn't say anything about pavement shittiness, unfortunately. Perhaps 2.0 has that feature. It was miserable...and my rear tire was already a bit suspect. After a miserable hour of riding, I got to the place: Bensonville.


"Ray Basso International Bike Race" read the banners and flags all over the mostly parking lot course. I don't understand the need to promote the international-ness of this series, (take the name of the event, for instance...why not "Superweek"?), but if it gets sponsor cash, then go for it. The course was an odd one, but didn't worry me too much. When the legs are good, minor things like course type, pavement, hills, etc are just interchangeable variables that don't mean much in crit racing. Same scene as always, but with 5-10 new riders coming each day. The Columbian Olympic team was out in full force, ripping. I'd slipped to 16th overall, so didn't get a call up today, but no sweat. Started off. Not a smooth course. Really strange turn 2, but we managed it, though the backside was strung out and difficult almost every time. The first 50k were difficult. I didn't do much. Oh, I did a little cyclocrossing...I was warned officially not to ride on the grass on the chicane 200 meters before the finish. Anyhow, lots of circles later, and half the field was gone. It was rough going for the first 50k. Rear tire felt a little soft, so I changed it. Eventually we got to 5 to go. On that lap, while jockeying near that chicane before the finish, I was forced into the grass, nearly running over the USCF official's foot in the process. Prrrretty sure he saw that one. Merde! Thinking I'd most probably be DQ'ed, I went for the next prime. $100, and after some lobbying with Eddy Van Guise (who was going to wrongly award it to a dropped breakaway rider), got it. I had a big gap, so by the time the peleton came back, I was sufficiently recovered, and slipped back into the top 20. 3-2-1 to go. It's almost matrix like. Everyone slows down, and I can move up as I please burning too many matches. As a total contrast to the first couple of days, this time I found that Rasaan was on my wheel heading to turn 2. Flattered, and happy to repay my wheelsuck debt. He went around and I tried to stay there, but eventually rolled in for 9th in the field sprint. 1 Columbian was up the road and won solo, so 10th overall, and back in the omnium game.

Stage 7: Shorewood

Ahh. Fond memories of this one. Crowds are always great, and at the superweek races, there's nothing cooler than the start finish area once you hit 5 to go. It's dark, there are tons of people on the barriers cheering loudly, and there is total madness in the peleton jockeying in the dark for position. This day was no different. A break of 3 slipped up the road which is realllllllly hard to do on this course. We averaged 45k/h! Tip of the hat to those guys. About midway through, they announce "$100 for first, $50 for second". 2 places, good odds. I was in front, so went with the first little group that attacked, and we got the gap we needed. I attacked the little group on the back straight, and got the gap I needed (it's much less taxing to take primes this way). Coming around the final turn, I had a good 100 meters over a single chaser, put in one more hard effort, and though for sure the guy would give it up. That finish straight......gahhh. It's long, and this kid (#222) cleanly took me at the line. TWO place prime though, so I'd get $50, no? Nope. They shut me down after the race and didn't have an envelope for me despite even #222 confirming that it was 2 places. Total bummer.

So, Shorewood. Not much to report. It was fast. There was one dicey crash between the poorly-paved section between turns 1 and 2 that claimed both jerseys, and lots of others. I sneaked through unscathed. The position battle for this race started early. Perhaps with 7 to go. And what? That rear tire? Yeah...after slipping a bit in one of the many corners here, I knew it couldn't have had more than 50psi. I was still outside the 5 laps to go mark, so could have pitted, but......I also had optimum position up front and felt good. Plus, you never know where you're going to rejoin after leaving the wheelpit. Peletons go fast at 5 to go...this one flying. So I stayed in. Warned a couple friends *not* to get on my wheel in the finale or any corner because I was losing spots. I went for it. I'm usually pretty timid with this stuff, but felt like I had nothing to lose. I tried to shift most of the weight to the front wheel in the corners, but it was terrible. The straightaway was particularly difficult...probably more mental than physical, But I was able to make ground on the back straight and the terrible section (which is realll smooth with 50psi) between 1 and 2. Bell lap, I was in it. When you're 10 wheels deep, it's fine and smooth and strung out. When you're 10-30 wheels in, it's complete and total chaos. I was in the latter group here. The tire was begging to come unglued. All bad. I just kept making a deal with it to last 'till the final corner...and it did. Big blobs of riders sprinting 100 wide. I think the bike throw at the end got me 5 places. 23rd! Still with cash! Wooooooooo! But having to glue up a tire in the middle of super week: bummer.