Tuesday evening was the WTNC at the UBC course. It was also my second crit race to date.

Monday night there was a lightening storm...which I slept through. Tuesday, was windy and blustery, with bits of rain here and there. Riding out to UBC after work was challenging against all the headwinds - but I managed.

I made sure to be ready and in the line up for the start time this week. Last week was a bit of a scramble for me, figuring out where to go and when.

The women's cat 1-2-3 rolled out first, followed by the men's cat 5, and then finally us women in the cat 4 group. The start of the course was slightly uphill, followed by a sharp right turn onto a flat and then downhill section, sweeping right corner downhill, and then another right corner going back uphill before the last right corner heading uphill and up past the finish line. It was a short and fun course.

I found the lap board this time, so I had a better idea of how much longer we had to race and how much energy I should expend. I found that I was holding back on the downhill sections because I didn't feel too comfortable getting that close to the pack in the corners. I had no problem getting ahead in the uphill sections - which I proved about midway through the race when I took the lead for about a quarter lap. My efforts were squashed when we had to neutralize for other racers to get by, and a bunch of the girls passed me...kind of defeats the purpose of being neutral?!?

My legs were certainly burning and feeling tired from the long riding I had done over the weekend. But the fatigue seemed to disappear after I got a couple laps in, and I was able to ignore it.

Last lap I tried best to stay tight with the pack and when we got around the last corner, I started to pick up my pace to sprint to the finish. I could only get so far, because I caught up to the wheel of a Glotman rider who was not going as fast as I, and I couldn't pass across the yellow line to get by.

Still, I finished in 11th place, feeling strong and happy about the entire course. I've now been out front, at the back, in the middle, squished on the side...I love how unique each race is, depending on the abilities of each rider and the course. I'm looking forward to next week's race, back at the Burnaby location.

Do you race crits? What was your first experience like?

This weekend I took part in my very first cycling road race. Not even a year after getting my road bike, and jumping into Lycra, and I'm already giving road racing a shot.

I can honestly say I tried, hard as I could, to do well in this race. My bike had other plans for the day though!

The race was Jeremy's Roubaix, out in Pitt Meadows. This is a classic race put on by Local Ride, and is part of the Cycling BC Premier Series. The race takes place on the same day of, and is inspired by, the Paris Roubaix, a really famous cycling race in France. The race featured a 10 km course, with about 50% of the course on gravel paths. The proceeds from the race go towards helping a local young and talented racer, Maggie Coles-Lyster, make her way to race World Championship races - which is a cause I'm happy to support.

I had my normal pre-race nerves - and with this being my first road race and not knowing what to expect, I was a little extra nervous. I'd barely been riding a road bike for a year, I had barely been on my bike all winter and I am not generally the fastest rider in any group.

Because the registration line-up was so long, I had only a short couple of minutes to warm-up my legs. The women's Novice/Cat-4 group was small - less than 10 of us. The majority of the group was decked out in team colours and kits....I was just happy to be sporting my fancy new SAKO7 socks.

The race started a little behind schedule, and off we were...

I started off close to mid-pack, and had no problem staying in that position until a corner came up. I would fall off in the corner because I was taking it too slow, and then I'd have to sprint to get back in. By the middle of lap two I was in the back of the pack - but I had managed to figure out the corners, so that I wasn't falling to far behind the group.

In my mind, I was going to hold on as I was, until the third and forth lap, where I would take chances on the paved sections to sneak up a place or two. My bike had other plans.

On the second lap, as we came off of the gravel section and back onto the paved road, the group went to sprint ahead. While I went to stand, push and sprint, my gears decided to jump around and caused my to spin wildly and make no head way. I frustratingly fumbled with my feet on the pedals and tried to get my gear to a better place - but by the time I was set to sprint, and sprint I did, the pack of women riders was far ahead. I used as much energy as I had in me to sprint and push and sprint and try to catch back up to the group - but they pushed faster than I could before I ran out of energy. Gassed, I finished the race on my own.

I finished the race and headed straight home.

I was being a poor sport. I was frustrated with my mechanical failure. I was embarrassed with my performance. I was being hard on myself because I knew I could have done better.

I eventually got over it. I had a bath, drank a beer, swore a bit, talked about it. When I left the race, I swore I would never race road again - I was that frustrated. When I calmed down, I realized that road racing presents a new challenge for me. I may not have a fancy bike or equipment, I may be new to this sport, I may not be the strongest rider or the fastest sprinter...but I am determined and I don't give up. I like this challenge.

I have a couple weeks until the next race, and I have plans to practice hard and get prepared. As my boyfriend was reassuring me, I will only get better if I keep trying. He's right. I know he is. I may fail a few times, or a whole bunch of times, along the way - but as long as I keep trying, and don't give up, that's what matters the most.

So, for now, I'll race my Frankenbike. It's been all dialed up since the race, and the gear issue has been fixed so that won't happen again. I'm looking forward to having a better attitude at the next race, and being more prepared, now that I have an idea of what to expect.

 Tell me about a time you did something for the first time, and how it went for you.

Event Organizers - Local Ride