Bathurst Criteriums, this weekend.

[Kev365428]

So, I've had a rush of blood to the head, and entered this weekends hillclimb, criterium, and B2B race at Bathurst.

Just checking the start lists for all events, and I notice in the crit I'm entered in Div 3 (I'm MMAS4), along with a raft of different category riders, from JM19 to Elite to MMAS7.
How does this work, does anyone know? Div 3 is scheduled for 18 laps, and Div 4, which also contains riders from JM19 to MMAS7, is scheduled for 15 laps.

Am I really supposed to compete against guys half my age (and most likely half my weight)?

Anyone with past experience know what's going on here?

Kev.

[sogood]

All I can say is, good luck and enjoy pain!

[Kev365428]

Mmm, not the response I was looking for, but thanks anyway Sogood.

Kev.

[aeroslave]

I reckon if its flatter like Smeaton ,..div 3 is a go...but hillclimb terrain

[JV911]

entered this weekends hillclimb

world of pain

[hannos]

So, I've had a rush of blood to the head, and entered this weekends hillclimb, criterium, and B2B race at Bathurst.

Is this one of those "It sounded like a good idea at the time" situations?

[NotFlyingScot]

So, I've had a rush of blood to the head, and entered this weekends hillclimb, criterium, and B2B race at Bathurst.
Am I really supposed to compete against guys half my age (and most likely half my weight)?
Kev.

Don't you do that on a weekly basis anyway when you run at Smeaton Grange?
Now if you'd come with us to the mountains we might have been able to do something about your weight concerns Particularly since if you did not eat fast enough, Rainer finished it for you Can't help you with the age discrepancy. Tell me about it
SW

[Kev365428]

The crit is my main concern. Never been good at the surging and jostling that goes on.

The hillclimb is entirely up to me. No other riders to worry about. Race of truth.
Can't be much harder than old razorback looking at the profile and distances. But I may be wrong.......

World of pain - bring it on.

Now, back to my original question, to which I'm guessing no-one can answer.
Suppose I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Kev.

[scotto]

i wish theyd have a different kind of event to favour those not 'built' for climbing, specifically
"hill descending." i roll even the slightest of hills faster then many can pedal

GL BTW, wish i could be going there

[Kev365428]

Well, my Bathurst weekend of torture is over.

Hillclimb went better than I expected. Official time was 11:44. I was going to be happy if I bettered 12:30, so I can't complain.

The Div 3 crit however was another story. The start consisted of a 10 meter straight, then up a short, sharp hill, which figured greatly in all races. This hill made the start difficult, because if you couldn't clip in on the first try, you were behind the eight ball from the start. Luckily, I clipped in first go, but it made little difference. After climbing the hill, the course swings left and heads downhill to Conrod Straight, then another left turn into Pit Lane, before turning left again to go to the back of the pits, then a right hander up the small hill again.
Once we turned onto the downhill towards Conrod Straight, the pace had hit 60+km/h and I was at max to hang on. Going up Pit lane (which is about 1-2%), the pace was still at 50km/h and I knew i was in trouble. By the end of the 2nd lap I was 20 meters off the back. No need to say anymore about this race, except by lap 8 I was lapped and pulled out. I had no chance.

Today I did the 70km B2B in wet, windy and freezing conditions. Had an absolute blast. Managed to break away with a clubmate with 30km to go and was never headed by the bunch again.

Definitely going back next year.

Kev.

[NotFlyingScot]

Well done Kev. Would loved to have joined you out there this weekend but family commitments precluded. Maybe next year?
NFS

[Davidtcr]

Well done Kev, it was a pretty tough day out there on Sunday; in particular the headwind on the run into Bathurst was hard. I was in the second bunch after Rockley on the 110km race and I tried to help out in the chase but, being a smaller (and older!!) guy, I found that as the rider on the front pulled over and the wind hit me I just wasn't able to pull through - so I was very happy when one of the guys went past me and suggested that I should sit on the back of the bunch and rest! That was after narrowly missing the big crash earlier in the race where the guy right next to me had his front wheel taken out, and on the slippery roads his bike just went out from under him. His bike hit my leg as it went down and gave me a hell of a fright - but not as bad as half the bunch behind us who went down with him.

Still after a frustrating hillclimb where I finished second after dropping my chain half way up the hill, and having to get off to put it back on, I was pretty happy with being able to be with that bunch over Rockley and to then stay with them to the finish. And I know I am not a crit rider, so I didn't bother entering the crit.

[Kev365428]

Your not wrong Davidctr. I don't think I've been that miserable during a race. The wind I can handle, the rain I can handle, and the cold I can handle, but when all three arrive together, it's not the best.

Here is my vid of the 70km short course.



Bummer about dropping the chain. I was amazed at the amount of riders I heard going up that hill (especially kids) with gear meshing issues. It was like they hadn't ridden their bike for 6 months, let alone warmed up on it.

Kev.

[Davidtcr]

Hi Kev,
Yeah, mine had been jumping a little bit for a couple of weeks which had been put down to a pretty stuffed shifteer, but as soon as I took it for a ride up Mt Panorama before the event it started dropping off the front chain ring under load (not even when shifting)! Amazingly when I was in the small chain ring it jumped off inside, so I put it in the big ring and it jumped off outside!

I had the mechanic look at it, and he tuned the gears and set the limit stops, and it looked as though it had been fixed - but then it dropped off in the event. Then on the way back into town the chain snapped, so eventually I found out what the problem was!! Actually it was probably me, because I had put that chain on new about two months earlier, and I must have managed to get the join a little bit wrong, because it was obviously moving under heavy load. I think I might start using Connex links:)

David

[toppity]

Great Vid Kev' really enjoyed it.

Did you win? Was the guy in the longs and blue shirt your team mate?

[Kev365428]

Thanks.
Nah, didn't win. The categories are a bit weird in this race. For example, I was in the 35 to 49 y.o category, so riding against some guys 11 years younger than me.
Makes it a tough ask.

The guy in the longs was a club mate. Although we've raced together many times, it was this race when we realised how closely matched we are.
Make a damn good two man time trial team I reckon.

Kev.

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Nice going. Wet and cold I hear.

One of my athletes won the 70km event.

Open crits (and road races) are usually graded scratch, not age based. Age based racing is only for championships or local club stuff like Waratah VCC events. Usually the age based championship racing is much harder than graded scratch - where you are riding (supposedly) against riders of similar ability, not age where the difference in abilities can be quite large.

You were probably in a grade too hard - but that's the fault of your club secretary who is responsible for providing CNSW handicapper with the gradings. Or not as the case may be.

[Davidtcr]

Alex
Being a cyclo sportif rather than a pure race, Blayney to Bathurst is a bit different than most races. The start is in waves based on an average speed that you nominate at entry time, not one given by a handicapper. However results are in actual finish time, not against other people in your wave, and are given overall as well as in age categories (35 to 49; 50 to 64, 65+ for masters). As a result in previous years I have "won" my wave, but only come around 110th outright and 10th in my age category - the last couple of years I moved myself up to the first bunch, so while I haven't won the wave I have been able to win my age category.