Racing One of the Country's Longest Running Crits: the Tour of Somerville
First time experiencing Big Crit Energy for me at Tour of Somerville and I’ll definitely be back. Great race experience. TBD had a decent sized crew out in NJ across a handful of races. Megan and Hannah were racing in the W4s, Corey, Baker, and myself were in the M2/3, and Leah was out for the W P/1/2. Downside: Not so convenient for spectating given that meant we had a spread of start times from 9 to 5.
The Drive
Baker and I drove out with Friend of the Pod, Mark Steffen. We know he’s a sneaky fox, so we didn’t talk too much of our race plans on the drive. However, now that Mark is definitively out of our car, the race is over, and we drove to a big race and got no results*, I can tell you all about it. (*note we refers to Baker, Corey, and myself – Leah definitely got results!)
The Plan
For context, Corey is a strong and experienced crit racer. I’m on the newer side for TBD, having never done a proper 4 corner crit but having spent the past 2 years putting in my time at Floyd and a handful of local races. Baker is new. A few months ago he was a cat 5, but he’s now a 3 and if he’s not yet a 2 at the time of publishing, you can start calling him out for sandbagging. He’s a nasty freak.
Over the previous few weeks Baker and I had developed a good rapport in races. I’ve been his designated lead out man and have loved finding the gaps for us at the end of races and setting it up for him to launch his sprint. Which has been almost always good enough for the podium, if not the tippy top step. The plan has worked at Floyd and in the park, and so that was the plan at Somerville, with some slight adjustments for the course. From friends and teammates who have raced our field in the past, we heard that a break sticking it would be extremely unlikely, so Corey was going to keep an eye on the front of the race while Baker and I sat in the back 1/3 for the first half of the race before being opportunistic about moving up towards the end. It was a long sprint and into a headwind, so our goal was about 8th wheel into the second-to-last turn, hold that position as we drove downhill into the final turn, and then be patient until just over 200m to go.
The Race (not the plan)
Well, after connecting about a lap in after our gridded start, Baker and I began finding our way together around the course. The field was large and as a result it was pretty thick through the turns and then stretched out on the straightaways. Baker was chirpy when he was on my wheel and then… he wasn’t. He just sort of fell away and for a few laps I just assumed he was further back in the pack and that we would reconnect later on. As the laps wound down it dawned on me that he was likely no longer in the race. Corey and I connected and, neither of us having any idea about Baker, decided to resort to Plan B, which unfortunately didn’t exist.
Baker, as it turns out, had dropped out of the race with a rear derailleur that was basically shorn in half. Our best guess is that someone knocked his drivetrain, he slipped his chain, and then ripped the derailleur in two sprinting out of a corner. Our team’s #random-gear channel has seen a lot of derailleurs over the years, but never one that looked like this.
With the nonexistent Plan B in effect, I settled into riding my own race and trying to freelance my way to a result. I narrowly avoided a crash on the start/finish line with a few laps to go, and began to move my way up the field. Last lap I hopped on what I thought was a great wheel for the sprint. Our grid positions matched our pinned racing numbers and the guy ahead of me was number 2, essentially the second seed for the race. Down the back straightaway I held his wheel, even as I saw Corey scoot up outside of me. Mistake #1 right there because I should have ditched an unknown quantity for a trusted teammate. As we went through the second to last turn I watched my chances slip away as my leadout slipped out and skidded his rear wheel. A gap opened up in front of us and I immediately went to work to bridge up. But as I came through that final turn I realized that we were actually much farther back than I had realized. Even without issues we would still be racing far behind the winners.
That’s a broken derailleur
The results
I crossed in 25th and the lesson for me as a first-timer in a crit with a field of this size is a lesson that most people reading this already know: you really need to be at the front at the end. My sense was that I was towards the front and I felt good about that position over that last lap. But the difference between being 8th wheel and 20th wheel is the difference between sprinting for a result and riding through the finish at the back of a very long line of racers.
It’s OK though. Not for nought for TBD. After we left, Leah did what Leah does and sprinted to 3rd in the elite field. So if you’re looking for advice for this race, she’s really the one you should talk to!
The verdict
As far as race vibes go, this one is excellent and I strongly recommend adding it to your summer schedule. It’s an historic race, is close to NYC, has a great atmosphere, and boasts good-sized fields. Plus, it’s one of the few opportunities to race your bike in front of spectators out on their lawns and on their town’s main street, cheering on this niche amateur sport that we all happen to love so much.
Photo gallery by Lucia D
