June 26 - Burlingame Criterium
Race website & results

Family of Four race report by Lauren Haughey    Master 35+ 4/5 report by Dennis Pedersen
Premier Series coverage

Race photos: PK Photography, Garrett Lau, ODH Bikes, Dashaun Duffy, Chris Patterson, Race website

Family of Four report by Lauren Haughey, Bay Area Velo Girls

Not Your Ordinary Race Report, Burlingame Crit - A Family of Four Races Lauren Haughey - Women's 3/4, Bay Area Velo Girls Morgan Fletcher - Men's 35+ 4/5, SF Sport & Spine Sam Fletcher, age 5 - 8 Kid's Race Lulu Fletcher, age 5 - 8 Kid's Race Women's 3/4 race The team's goal was to get Shaun the win. We had nine of us out there to help.

Sam, Lulu and Morgan Fletcher

My job, in tandem with Shari, was to go for the primes and if possible cover a few breaks. This all sounded great in theory, but deep down I was wondering if my skinny legs could muster it all up.

Now, I'm still essentially a beginning racer. With less than 20 races total over the past two seasons, no training plan last season, a sporadic and late training plan this year, full time work and two kids to attend to - I'm constantly skating on the edge of sucking and just plain barely making it through each race. It's during those few crits a year when I can hang in there and experience the rush of whipping around with the pack and contributing to my team that keeps me coming back. But this one, I had a feeling, wasn't going to be one of those rushes for me.

We took our pre-race lap, and while it helped calm my pre-race jitters a little bit, it placed me in the back line at the start. We were instructed of the rules, introduced to the clock, the whistle was blown and off we went.

It took a few laps to settle everyone in. Trying to stay toward the front was proving to be difficult for me and my twiggy legs, so I settled in toward the middle, moving around and observing wheels that were proving to be steady and strong.

I began to look around for Shari after it felt like we'd been going for a while, thinking that a prime was due upon us pretty soon. Instantaneously she appeared on my right and began to edge up towards the front. I hopped on her wheel and we steadied towards the top third. As we rounded the corner and the straight-away near the finish line the bell started ringing for the first prime.

The pack picked it up a bit. I knew it would take me a long time to get up towards the front, so I started ramping up immediately after coming through the first corner. But we were so strung out that I just couldn't muster it through all the turns and scoot to the front before getting to the prime line.

By the time we were on the back side the pack had accelerated ahead of me and I was off the back with a few stragglers.

We straggled around the course for a while and the mental anguish of racing off the back & alone took over in my mind. I decided to sit up and wait for the pack to come around and hop back on. Again I was back in and struggling to hang on and the voices were starting to take over (oh man, maybe I *should* join that knitting club that my kid's school had advertised last week. It sure would be cheaper than this cycling hobby; I can't believe I paid 25 bucks to ride around in a circle by myself; ohh, there's Cathy Wong, how come she's not racing today; etc, etc.).

Shaun came in third place, a great accomplishment and a super cool success for our team. My finish wasn't as thrilling - but I'll keep trying, striving to get that rush back again.

Men's 35+ 4/5 race

Morgan's raced fared much better. While not having raced in a crit in almost 14 years, he'd been training with great consistency and determination over the last year. With a field of 90 and a late arrival to the start line his place at the start wasn't optimal. But within three laps he'd made his way to the front of the pack and was looking strong.

Feeling good, he lead the pack for a few laps out front with a gap of six or seven bike lengths. As exciting as it was for him to be feeling that good after not having raced a crit in years, our kids Sam & Lulu were even more jazzed about seeing their Dad out in front of the massive pack. They listened excitedly as the announcer gave kudos to SF Sport & Spine and a strong looking Morgan Fletcher. The kids seem to think he might make it to the Tour de France now.

He continued his pull to win a prime and then settled in the pack to recover for a while. As the end of the race neared with five to go, we watched as he positioned himself toward the front to wait for the last sprint. As they came around the last straight-away we saw him leading the pack working his sprint hard to try and make it in front to the finish line. Having no team members to work with he ended up giving a great lead out to a few others and he still ended up with a top 20 finish.

And I must say, there's nothing sexier then seeing your man out there leading a pack around a crit course, looking strong and enjoying himself. Better then any aphrodisiac I've ever taken.

Sam finishes in 3rd place !!

Kids' Ride Ages 5-8 (Lulu 6 & Sam 8) This was the most exciting race for all of us. Their first race (or "parade" as we had explained it to them in order for them to feel ok about it). Both of them had determined their own goals and both were a little nervous. Sam's strategy was to imagine that this was a game-boy course and he was going to play it hard. He'd decided he was going to try for a break-away. Lulu, having just learned to ride a two wheeler two weeks ago, just wanted to stay upright for the whole lap.

With the starting whistle they both took off and while Sam set a blistering pace, Lulu cruised confidently away. I'm not sure what transpired during the lap for each of them, but by the time I'd walked to the finish line, Sam was there! Two had finished in front of him, and we were pretty sure that he'd come in third place. A medal was placed over his neck and a ribbon thrust in his hand and he was ready for his ice cream! Lulu cruised in a while later. Both having succeeded in accomplishing their goals for the day. Prior to going to sleep that night, Lulu affectionately hung up her medal and commented on how she just couldn't believe that she'd won a medal that day. Well worth the $25 I paid to ride around in a circle by myself that morning.

Lulu at the start

Mens 35+ 4/5 report by Dennis Pedersen, Team Santa Cruz

This race is part of the NCNCA's "Premier Series," as is Cat's Hill, so this was my second big criterium, I guess. Originally I'd planned on racing the Pescadero Road Race, but racers in my category had taken all 50 slots a month in advance, so I signed up for this one instead. I also missed CCCX race 5 (due to a wedding), dropping me from fourth overall to sixth. Argh!

To prepare for the race I rode in the crazy "Crow's Nest Ride" that Saturday morning. David Gill had mentioned there'd be a bunch of Team Santa Cruz members riding (we ended up with seven Team riders!). I thought it would be fun, vowing to take it easy so as to save some energy for Sunday. Maybe not my smartest move, as the group of about 40–50 hammered down San Andreas Road, and then turned south out of Watsonville to ride the extra loop through Aromas. I considered just soloing through the short route, but I figured I might be able to work less by staying tight with the pack. I think I was wrong! After furiously pace-lining our way along the highway, and nearly getting hit by two cars (!), I voluntarily sat up at the base of the hill leading up to Aromas and let myself get dropped. Last time I rode with these folks I got dropped involuntarily at the crest of that same hill, and once more on Hazel Dell Road, so I figured I'd be better off just soloing back on my own from there instead of blowing up in a vain attempt to assuage my ego. So I rode alone for 30-plus miles, though I ended up rejoining the Team Santa Cruz riders later on. They (except Philip and Matt Wocasek) had taken the short route without me noticing, and then enjoyed coffee and pastries at The Buttery while I was fighting the wind! All were planning on attending the Team BBQ at Philip's place, but not the race.

OK, so race day: I don't think I'd ever been to downtown Burligame before, and it's really quite nice. The weather was partly cloudy, in the mid 60s. I parked, signed in, got my number, got all ready, took a deep breath and looked around. Pretty neat event! Kodak, Fidelity and other sponsors had awnings. The announcer was pretty fun too, which is great for the spectators. They even had some amazing performance artists to entertain us: one was dressed all in red velvet with a tail, holding a whip (the devil?) and riding in-line skates, another two were on stilts and had feathered wings (angels?)!

We all got a chance to take a warm-up lap. The course was pretty basic with six turns, one of them a sweeper. Though it did have some sharp bumps here and there, some pavingstone crosswalks, and some heavily-crowned sections, it was really pretty decent. The course through the old-fashioned downtown was lined with cones, tape and hay-bales, and had a nice digital timer/lap counter, so it all looked very high-end. In spite of the 60–70 miles I rode on Saturday, some at race pace, I felt pretty good about racing that course for the next 40 minutes.

The start was almost a sprint, and I was soon sucking air. Nothing too terrible though, but the pace left me with only a small reserve. During the race I heard somebody call out my name. It turned out to be Robbie Abundis, in his Family Cycling Center jersey. I'd met him during the ride on Saturday. Nice guy.

Amazingly, our race progressed very smoothly, and I never did see any crashes. Lap after lap we managed to agree on our lines, though with about five laps to go another rider and I nearly hooked bars when he turned wider than I'd expected. But we both just smoothly held our lines and disengaged. I then shot through an opening to gain some spots. That was pretty cool! I think my dirt experience has taught me to just hold on until things sort themselves out instead of trying to influence events too much and only causing problems. Another time I watched a guy veer sharply across the path of another rider, for no good reason, provoking some shouts. That was about it. I did learn that my wheels can wobble a bit when I'm really cranked into a turn and I hit something... or somebody.

The final two laps were an oxygen-deprived blur as the peloton picked up the pace and I maxed out. I kept contact with the main pack, but I didn't have enough reserve to move up to the front. Soon the final sprint formed, and a handful of guys up ahead flew past the finish line, leaving me between 20th–30th, or so I thought, which turned out to be 47th out of 80 per the official results (how can they keep track of us in that short space of time anyway?). Oh well. This is starting to sound like a broken record. Maybe I need to train more in zone 5! Or not ride like crazy the day before.

I talked with Robbie later, and he mentioned that Peninsula Velo riders had worked together to put the winner, Murray Swanson, in the lead. I had noticed some same-jersey riders leading out at times, though earlier in the race I think it was maybe some of the Sana Security team members. That's awesome; I wish Team Santa Cruz worked together like that. At least we know how to party! OK, so I even missed the BBQ, which bums me out. There's just not enough hours in a day, and it was my mom's birthday.

They had the cutest kid's race afterwards. I'd never watched one before, but I was laughing so hard I nearly cried! Imagine several dozen kids, all riding their tiny bikes with training wheels, baskets, flowers etc., with the performance artists chasing after them! Too funny, too cute by far!

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