This was my fourth race in two days, so I was a bit beat but felt OK. The course is a very technical 6 corner criterium with one steep rise.
I got the hole shot into the first two corners thanks to the call up and Speedplays. The field stretched out in tow. The first few laps went off quite fast and the field fractured into many small groups. After about 30 minutes I was settled into the lead group of 12-15 people. There were a couple of UNH guys, guys from ECV and BRC, and an assortment of other teams.
With about 10 of 30 laps left and going into corner #1, I was near the back of the group when the rider in front of me appeared to lock up his rear wheel permanently (Chain problem? Who knows.) He went straight instead of turning left and I was on his outside. He wedged me into the corner and I stopped abruptly. I didn’t contact him, the curb, or the pavement, but I came to a dead stop. I now had to chase. (There’s no free lap if you’re simply stuck behind a crash.)
I went into time trial mode for 2 to 3 laps in an attempt to make up ground, but it wasn’t enough to catch the lead group. My race was over.
