This was going to be my first race after almost a month off of racing. Lots of training on the legs, so I was excited to see how I would stack up against the competition. I picked my teammate, David up at 11:30 and we were on our way to Lakeland. My goal for the race was to finish in the top 20 so I would qualify for the Amateur Finals race in the evening. David said he was feeling good and wanted to get the win today, so I offered to lead him out for the sprint. Our plan was in place now all we had to do is execute.I got my usual poor starting position on the line and was going to have to work hard to move up and avoid getting gaped off the back. As expected the first few laps were fast and I had to work hard to move up and close gaps as people started to drop off. As I moved up into the top 15 places I started looking around for David. He was not there, so it was time to figure out what the new plan of attack was. I was feeling good so I opted to make people suffer and moved to the front and pushed the pace for a couple laps before dropping back into the group to recover for the sprint.
About half way through the race the heavens opened up. I usually avoid racing crits in the rain as I like to keep my skin and bones in one piece, but I really wanted to make the finals, so I stayed in. It was a very weird feeling to have the cold rain hitting you from above and warm water splashing up off the pavement. I was sitting in the top 10 to 15 guys, and was glad I was there. The last five laps were insane and I heard guys going down in the corners behind me. I came around the last corner in about 15th and hit the gas and was able to pass a few guys to finish in 8th. I was not in the money, but was still happy with the result considering the conditions.
The rain was letting up as I got back to the car and changed into dry clothes. I had a few hours to relax before the amateur finals at 8:00. We watched the Cat 3 race were my team mate Eric qualified for the finals as well finishing in the top 15.I was nervous about the finals race and my whole goal for the race was to finish with the main group and if possible give Eric a lead out in the sprint. The field was made up of the top 20 Cat 4, top 5 women, top 15 masters 45+, top 20 masters 35+ and top 25 Cat 3. Most of the masters were Cat 1 and 2. I knew this was going to be hard, but at least the road had dried out.
After a weird neutral lap the pace was quickly pushed and we averaged 26+ mph for the whole 40 minutes. I hung in and made a move to the front with 3 laps to go, but could not hold my position and dropped through the pack to finish just off the back. Eric finished in the top 15 again with a good sprint out of the last corner.
It was a fun day of racing and I definitely gained some confidence racing in the rain. This was also my first twilight crit which was fun. We stayed to watch the Pro race which started after the amateur finals. I am always amazed at how fast these guys can go.
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