RMR Criterium Series

Saturday gave us some absolutely beautiful conditions for riding. Aaron and I both raced - 30 minutes doing loops with 30 other guys around Rocky Mountain Raceway out in West SLC. Neither of us have done this race before, so we weren't sure what to expect. Turned out to be loads of fun. There was a decent headwind on the front stretch that really caused the pace to drop every time we came around that part of the loop...no one was willing to push hard into the wind. I kind of laughed when another quasi-pro got irritated and tried to wave Aaron forward to pull the group into the wind. I didn't catch the whole exchange but it looked like he was taking things a little too seriously. This was a weekly training race after all..not the world championships. Aaron led for a few laps, and I tried to stay no more than one or two bike lengths behind him most of the race. Anyway, the pace would go up a bit on the back stretch, then a fun chicane before a tight hairpin turn into the home straightaway again (a quarter mile drag race strip). It was this hairpin that caused a few gaps every now and then, but due to the headwind and easy pace on the front stretch, everyone came back together except on the last loop, where the field started to split about 3/4 of the way down the back stretch. Aaron was in the front group that made the break, but I didn't have the legs (or perhaps I was behind the wrong wheel, or I didn't dig deep enough, not sure which...) to make that last break and got stuck in a middle pack that came in about 300 meters after the leaders. Aaron did great - coming in 6th for the day.

Going into the first crit of the year, my objective was pretty clear: don't crash and don't fall off the back. I think I accomplished both. To be honest I think Aaron should "upgrade" to the next category level next time we do this series...he's pretty strong & thought people weren't pushing hard enough at times. Speak for yourself Aaron, hahaha! I'll probably need to race once or twice more in the same flite before upgrading myself...

Lessons learned:

-Get right on the gas mid way through the hairpin turn going into the headwind, or get gapped!

-Mid pack is not the place to be.

-Dig Deeper!

-Watch the Cat1/2 pros and which lines they take through the turns...need to be smarter about taking the right line.

-This is FUN!

Eye candy...courtesy of some of our sponsors

Some days, like today - when it's kinda wet outside, it really IS about the bike.  Now that we've closed out the team kit order and wait for our pals at Tex-Market USA to work their magic, why not spend some time ogling hardware?  

Zanconato:

Some of my favorite builds: 

Zanconato Cross!

SRM:

(we're not worthy!)

Ritchey:

(They make great, functional components, at a good price point, that are still quite light, and most importantly, don't make your eyes bleed with gaudy / over the top graphics)

Team Kits are In! (Order by 3/1)

(Order by 3/1: we're doing a batch order and we won't get these prices again this year).

This is seriously top-notch kit, priced well below what you'd pay for similar quality. I think (yeah...I'm biased) this is some of the nicest looking stuff out there.
Get it here:  http://www.BikeReg.com/18742 

We used Tex-Market USA for these kits, and they have come on-board for 2013 as a primary sponsor for our team. You may not be familiar with the name Tex-Market, but they make many of the kits for several pro-tour teams, rebranded with other labels on them. In other words, this is pro-level, absolutely top notch quality stuff.

We chose the very top of the line fabrics for every piece in the range. Our US distributor tells us we are one of only a handfull to actually have the bibs that we are offering. We have held them in our hot little hands, and they are SWEET!

The gear fits like Assos or Vermarc. On the snug side, with the pro fit jersey being sized as the painted on variety!

We are offering both a PRO cut and a Race cut jersey. The Pro cut is just that! If you aren't sporting a six pack, you may want to consider ordering up a size. One nice thing about the PRO cut, are the lazer cut, skin suit style sleeves...this is one of many features Tex-Market has implemented based on direct feedback from the pro tour riders they support.

**See sizing info below the pictures - a good rule of thumb is that sizing for the Race Cut jersey & bibs is the same as Castelli, Louis Garneau, Assos, etc - so if you wear US brands like Pearl Izumi or Canondale, with more of a 'club' fit, make sure to size up one size. US brands are typically sized to accomodate a Big Mac or two around the mid section...  If you want the PRO cut jersey, size up once again from the Race fit if you don't have a six pack or don't want to display every nuance of your six pack in all it's glory.  So... If you wear a Lg Pearl Izumi jersey, you probably wearl an XL Castelli and would need an XL Race fit Zanconato jersey, XXL in Pro fit.  Yes..that's an inescapable impact of living in a country where there's 10 fast food options on every corner!