Crit news & review

Regular contributor Marshall Bassett has provided my favorite crit series photo of 2006. I have a larger photo of the file above, but unfortunately Blogger isn't letting me upload it at that size. Which reminds me, please send me your Picture of the Week contributions! I am getting emails from a few regulars, but I'd love to offer even more from all of you with digital cameras.

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone who has been coming out to the races on Wednesday night. Lately more of you have been thanking me for putting this series on. I do appreciate those kind words as they give me energy to keep doing what I'm doing. Every race you attend on the weekends I recommend finding the promoter and shaking his/her hand. Trust me, they'll love the recognition.

Do you realize there have been 64 different people to race within the B category? Check out the results file and scroll down. I find this to be the most exciting aspect because it's the growth of the B field that will help the Nashville cycling culture improve long term.

There's a handful of those B riders who will soon upgrade to become A riders. This is exactly what our city needs! Growing our racing culture from the ground up is one of the objectives of the crit series. To do that we must offer less experienced racers a chance to get better and hone their skills, and the crit series is the perfect place to do that.

At the same time there have been only 19 different people to show up and race in the A category. Some of the stronger B riders have been allowed to compete in the A field which has helped improve the field sizes the last few weeks. I'll continue to offer this opportunity for the better riders from the B field so the A field will be larger and more competitive. Just understand that I will ask that you pay the regular fee of racing in the race and not do so for free (even if you last for just a few laps). I know there are at least 10 to 15 A riders out there who haven't shown up yet, so come on out and enjoy guys!

Now would be a good time to remind you all of the overall points series awards. Don't forget, the overall series competition pays 3 deep! Right now Torsten Lyon has a commanding lead in the A field, but 2nd and 3rd place is completely up for grabs. Take it a step further, that's $90 for 2nd and $60 for 3rd overall. Money on the table boys and girls!!

Over in the B field it's wide open! Burton Coleman and Peter Rodman are battling it out for the top spot, but they are still well within reach by at least 10 other people who can claim the top spot. The overall B series top 3 pays $100 for 1st, $65 for 2nd and $35 for 3rd.

All that to say it's in your long term best interest to come out each week and compete! The weekly money prize payout totals $210, not shabby for a Wednesday night. Then of course there's the overall sprint points competition with $100 to winner of the A category and $50 the winner of the B category.

Another thing I find exciting is seeing all the spectators showing up to watch. Have you noticed there are more people watching than on a bike racing? I think that's awesome and should provide everyone racing with some motivation to show up and perform well. It's always more fun to race when there's a crowd. If you've never attended a criterium then you should come out and see what the fuss is all about. It really is worth watching and provides a nice atmosphere for the whole family.

Now onto some things I've seen lately that might be useful information for some.....

Anytime you crash in a race do not get back up and try to catch the pack. Go straight to the pit area and take your free lap. The official will place you back into the race where you were at the moment of the crash so you don't lose out. If you get back up without coming to the pit immediately then you will lose the privilege of the free lap rule. When you do this don't ever ride against the direction of the race course. You can cut across or ride along the course, but not against it.

Do not leave any trash or water bottles anywhere on the stadium lot. The last few weeks there have been quite a few water bottles left behind where the wheel pit is located. I throw bottles away and will not hold them over.

This week there was a front wheel left behind. If this is you then email me with details about the wheel and I might be able to arrange a pickup. Otherwise, I'll have it at the race next week. It goes without saying, but make sure you don't forget your wheels!

This post is long winded enough and will hopefully provide a mental break from the Floyd Landis drama. Here's to you having a great weekend of training or racing, and I look forward to seeing you all out at the race next week!