Saco Bay Criterium Race Report 8/23

Masters 35+
16th?


I did a double this weekend and in the event the fam didn't want to go to both, I asked them if they wanted to go to a road race or mountain bike race. Throw in the opportunity to hit up Aquaboggin and it was a no brainer! So we loaded up the family truckster and headed south for a 10:25 criterium, 11:45 kids race and 1:00 wave pool.
I was mentally a bit off heading into the race because my emphasis was on the next day's XC event @ Sugarloaf. Last year I led a 2 then 4-man breakaway eventually finishing 4th and 1st for Mainers. As much as I wanted to have a good showing and possibly repeat that performance, I did not want to totally exhaust the legs. So I tried to just enjoy the ride. Unbelievably, this was only my 2nd road event of the year, a stark contrast to last season. It also marked only my 3rd group ride! I wanted to be sure to ride safely.
The pace was pretty moderate throughout. The McCormack brothers were there so the potential for some fast laps were prevalent. I spent most of the time near the front, leading a couple of times, joining a 5-man break that lasted 1/2 a lap, and trying a 2-man break with 3 to go that also failed. I burned a couple of candles, but never went into oxygen debt or anything. On the penultimate lap I drifted all the way to the rear, caught my breath, then rode to the top 20 as we entered the technical S-turn. The field made a long dash to the finish after the last turn and I went semi-hard, but didn't push it to gain maybe a couple more spots. I'm pretty sure I counted about 15 ahead of me. The finish line camera must have malfunctioned because they just listed the rest of the field without any times or official places after the top 5.
So, the race was semi-fun and I survived it intact. The boys then had their event. Fenix spun out his gear to the max and finished 3rd. Drake got out to an early lead but faded towards the end and got nipped at the line by 1/2 a wheel for 2nd. Babs got to watch!
Next is the MMBA event @ Sugarloaf.