I had extra motivation Saturday for my second ever Sherman Park Criterium. Method had some great team support from Bill, Garry and Mark as well as my mom and fiancé. It sure makes a difference when suffering in front of a crowd rather than by yourself. Warm-up for this race was a little longer and more intense due to the shorter duration of the race. Being only 35 minutes it was important to start firing on all cylinders.
Warming up for Sherman Park
In the starting blocks I really didn’t feel any nerves. I looked around and began to recognize some more familiar faces from past races. I noted Rhythm Racing and Tati and marked a few guys I knew would be tough. The free lap uncovered what I knew was already going to be a problem. The course was a disaster! Two years ago it was pretty chewed up and two more Chicago winters didn’t do it any good. To the credit of XXX they patched it up, by still loose asphalt was everywhere and potholes at every corner. I knew the race was going to be dangerous and to stay at the front.
That me right behind the guy in the yellow
Off the gun I accelerated to the top 10 spots and tried to stay there as long as possible. Maintaining position was hard because the peloton was very nervous and twitchy, especially over the very bumpy roads. I had to ride very aggressively to hold wheels and maintain position.
About half way through the race a prime lap was signaled. I have never gone after primes and did not hear what it was. Halfway through the lap the saw that there was no one off the front. On the back turn I accelerated and rode to the front of the group. Going into the last corner there were 5 or 6 guys ahead of me on a small breakaway. As they drove into the final corner they cut me off sharply as I was taking an inside line. But as they came out of the corner they pulled wide which allowed me to come up on the inside. I saw they weren’t sprinting and knew the line was only 200m away. I decided what the hell! I stayed in the saddle and did a short 20 second burst of power. I powered by the break on the far inside out of their view. As I passed them I saw the lead guy jump but it was too late. I nabbed him at the line to score my first prime! YEAH!
Riding Easy in the Pack
After that I recovered and rode back into the pack. With 4 to go we were coming around the back turn when a rider made a shady move and took a sharp right directly into my front wheel. I heard the sickening sound of crunching metal and carbon and my body clinched up! I waited to hit the pavement picturing my front spokes disintegrating. As he pushed me further right, someone hit my back wheel too… from then on it was pure chaos. I heard riders going down behind me while I fought to stay upright. Somehow my wheel stayed intact and I didn’t fall. After a quick examination and assessment I couldn’t see any further damage. The pack had passed me but I was able to accelerate back on and continue racing.
After that I was in poor position to contest the sprint and had somewhat lost my nerve. One of the riders who went down behind me was seriously hurt and my bike was questionable. I managed to make it up to the front again for the sprint but was in no position to contest the top 10 places. After the race I noticed my front skewer was flipped open and my back derailleur cable was all chewed up. The bike certainly showed the signs of battle damage.
Founders of Method Cycles Garry Alderman and Matt Bosman
I went and claimed my Chicago Velo Campus Polo shirt and checked the results. 24th out of 71. Later in looking at the stats I realized the race was much faster than any previous. My full results are here. Can’t wait for Vernon Hills in a few weeks after a short break and some work on those intervals!
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