Apr 15, 2012

Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium

Two days after my 25th birthday I got hit with the flu.  It's been going around like wildfire in my part of the country.  I upped my nap quota to 3 or 4 a day, kept my legs spinning only easy, and hoped and wished to get over it as fast as possible. I only have a tenacious chest cold left to kick now, and I'm convinced it's on it's way out.  Flying from Québec, QC to Charlotte, NC I was understandably iritable.  So when a security agent asked me  how old I was, I wasn't going to tell him for nothing.  I asked why he wanted to know.  Completely serious he responded that because if I was under 12 years old, I didn't have to take my shoes off and put them on the belt.

I raced the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte, NC with 5 teammates.  There are huge cash prizes, great primes, a big, energetic crowd of supporters, and a pretty fun race course with 8 "on-the-tight-side" corners.

I was hacking up phlegm over myself for the race, determined to participate.  And it was definitely good for the morale.  Jade busted off the front solo, she scored some intermediate sprint primes too, Anna chased down an early break with everything she had, Annie and Emma stayed up near the front on guard, Courtney put in some crazy hard efforts.  Jade finished 4th overall.

I like this crit a lot and I want to come back next year in full health.

After the race we watched the United Heathcare men's team control the men's 80km criterium, which was an impressive show.  The Optum Pro Cycling boys were not here because they're racing the Battenkill UCI race.

We're off to Asheville NC, where we'll ride the Blue Ridge Parkway (my favorite road south of the Parc de la Mauricie) for a week or so, before heading to the Sunnyking crit in Alabama.

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