During the last month, I have been trying to squelch my tendency to become insanely competitive again. So it didn't take long for me to try out a new type of bike racing this weekend and quickly become coo-coo for cocoa puffs about criteriums. My original plan was to do one crit in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, but I had fun and my team encouraged me to race the second crit this morning in Homewood.

As usual, I was stressed out about racing, no matter how much I told myself it doesn't matter. And it doesn't. I guess I am just wired to be competitive and can't convince myself to relax about it.

I went into the race feeling encouraged and rested. There were nine of us in the field. The first few laps were fast but I had plenty of energy. I did not feel tired until about halfway through the race. At the end of the race, I dug in deep for the final sprint and crossed the line in fifth, behind women of lower categories than mine (lower cats = faster racers), and one teammate, the Little Beast. My payout: $70. We pooled our winnings together ($250) and each teammate went home with $50. I quickly learned that women's crit racing has very nice payouts since there are so few of us competing in the sport. I suspect part of that is a barrier to entry (the high expense of bikes and equipment), and another part of that is that women make babies.

The distance in my Saturday crit was only 16-17 miles, but it took a lot out of me. This morning, my legs were not sore, just a little fatigued. I didn't feel that fantastic when starting the race. The first few laps were quite brisk, and it was very hot outside, and I was immediately suffering. I began to feel stronger as the race progressed, but at the end, I was fading again. This race was faster because the race directors offered several primes (pronounced "preems"), which are prizes for the person who wins the lap. That makes the lap pace fast and furious. They had several prime laps and I was about to scream, "STOP ALREADY WITH YOUR DAMN PRIMES!!!" But I couldn't scream anything since I was about to die. The end of the race involved myself and a teammate trading places trying to gap up to the leaders. We were successful, but not in a position to sprint for the win. I dug in deep again for the final sprint, and was neck and neck with my teammate at the line. In the style of Davis Phinney, I threw my bike forward across the finish line for the fourth place finish. I was very excited about the chance to throw my bike across the line. It is an act of much drama and flair. I'm not sure it was entirely necessary, but I thought it looked cool.

Today's payout: $65. We will pool our winnings together again. I couldn't have done so well without my teammates. We're just getting started racing together and need to work on strategy. These being my first two crits, I don't know what is going on most of the time other than my need to hang on and not get dropped and to sprint hard at the end. I was doubtful I would like this kind of bike race, but it seems to suit me well aerobically, as I have grown up doing interval-type sports like tennis and ultimate frisbee. And despite my (misleading) diminutive size, I am not the best hill-climber. My bike does weigh more than most racing bikes (around 19 lbs), which does not matter as much in a crit as it does when climbing hills. I could probably improve my performance with a lighter bike, but I also need to increase my leg strength.

Next weekend I am doing a road race, which will require hill climbing skills. Hmm.