Sprinting Into the Zone

April 05, 2019

Sprinting Into the Zone

I remember distinctly what it felt like at the end of each of my criterium sprints. It's such a weird feeling blocking out all other sensations but the power to the pedal.

First Crits

I remember being first around the corner, confused at the Giro di SF on when to start sprinting, and the people behind me zooming past, going from lead wheel most of the race to 6th place and barely missing podium. I remember breathing heavily through the early bird sprints (Laura with the leadout and me popping out in response to others trying to jump out) and thinking "omg this is painful." I was on my cross bike at the time and was still a little out of shape from the holidays. I remember Cherry Pie crit, getting caught at the line, not knowing that I could have gotten first if I had tried harder and stood up for my sprint.

First Wins

I remember Madera's Chowchilla crit coming third wheel around the corner, where the only thing on my mind was "I need to beat that wheel" and I stood up for some extra pedal strokes and bike swings in the final moments to get me over. That was my first standing sprint. My first crit win. It felt priceless. When I reviewed the data later, my heart rate had peaked at 196bpm. But the weird thing is - I don't even remember feeling pain. I don't even remember feeling pain. Just the need to keep going and do what I came to do. Focus.

There was this spark I'd been missing for a long time. The drive to win - to really want something instead of cede to falling short.

Then came Land Park Crit. I tried a counter attack after a preme. I led the pack for a bit. I let myself fall to third wheel on the last lap and kept it, then pounced on the most powerful sprint (515 watts over 30 seconds) I'd put out since Red Bull Bay Climb. Another win.

First Team Win

Next, Santa Cruz Classic... the goals were different this time. A teammate really wanted the win and Becky and I firmly believed in her. A win for her would be a win for the both of us (funny how that team identity thing works, right?). So I took it on myself to do the leadout. And leadout I did. With my job done and Ari catapulting to first, I chased an opponent for second place wanting to make my team proud and catching my opponent 10 feet from the line. Another successful sprint! With a strong leadout through the second lap, I learned that I might have an exceptional 1 minute power (anaerobic capacity) for my category, while still being able to sprint for the line, even if it meant my power output would be slightly lower (450 watts over 30 seconds). This was to be a useful weapon in my final race as as a 4....

Last Win as a Cat 4

Chico Downtown Crit. The biggest, largest stage crit I'd ever been in (28 riders, many of whom were very strong 3s), the first a lot of my team members (7 other JLVelo jerseys!), and the 4th stage of Chico Stage Race. I really wanted to podium this race after kicking myself for not staying with the front group in the road race the day before. I had confidence in my abilities: cornering and fast acceleration. And that 1-minute power thing. It was a short and sweet crit (30 minutes) and so we tried to make it fast from the start. Teammates attacked and did their job and Ari and I tried to sit in, waiting for a chance to attack and try to create a break with Victoria. We almost had a break but... no dice. Victoria didn't want to sacrifice Ari or my legs even when we had hopped onto her wheel. I thought maybe I should have just went for it then and tried to get a lot of time on the field but I trusted my teammates and sat back in. Everyone on our team did so much work to create the best opportunities for the team. I had so much gratitude for them and so much trust in what they're doing that it gave me the confidence to stay strong. When it came for second to last lap, Laura led me out. Then Sunpower tried to help lead their GC contender out for half of the first lap. Knowing the course though, my instincts kicked in. With a short sprint to the finish from the last corner, there was a good chance the win was going to be left to good positioning if it was a bunch sprint. I wasn't sure if I could outsprint the best in that field. I felt strong though, and if I wanted a good chance at winning, I needed to use my current best weapon (my acceleration and 1-5min power). I accelerated into the second to last corner, cornered quickly, and drove a good kick that took no other wheels with me. Then I took the last corner and sprinted for a photo finish. Another girl crossed the finish line at the same time as me but I did what I could to drive the sprint home, with perhaps a bike throw involved. I wasn't sure what place I'd come in but coming in after the cooldown lap, Ren and I heard the announcer say "and here comes our winner!" Damn. That felt so good!!

One thing I learned from that sprint was that I needed to bring more speed from the corner. I took a really bad corner and lost quite a bit of speed and momentum which is probably what made the final sprint so close. I know better now and will work on that!

Chico Downtown Crit was the peak of my cat 4 career and I'll forever be grateful that I got such an awesome result in my last race as a 4!