MERCO Cycling Classic, Stage 3: Downtown Grand Prix

Wow, I can feel it from today (and yesterday, and the day before that).  I raced hard in the crit, but all of that hard effort was lost in the last turn of the last lap.  I managed to take myself out of the race by coming into the turn too fast, taking a mental break for a split second and letting the bike come right out from underneath me.  But it's okay, I am already 98th in the GC, and the field was blown up by then in the crit.  I would say I'd have done a lot better if it were 3 laps shorter. (that was when the Bissell squad took it to us for the last three laps, and by then I was fried)..  Okay, so let's see how I feel tomorrow!  I'm not so sure about riding 120 miles.. That's a big number, but like Dave said, you get in the draft and it's like a vacuum sucking you down the road. (Hopefully I don't get out of that draft!)   I felt decent in the criterium, and it was definitely not as hard as last weekend in Merced.  All aside from the 180 degree turn after a 4 block straightaway.  Going from a literal stop to a full sprint wasn't quite enjoyable.  Especially doing it 50 times.
So, Scott did well taking 3rd.  The other Corsas did well and I'll post some pictures from today.

Jon getting ready to ride over to his race in the morning. 

Jon racing in the Elite 4s at Merco.

Painter hammering it in the 3's!

Scott taking third in the sprint in the 3's, after racing a very tactical race! 

(click on the picture to see his facial expression!)

Women's overall leader (wearing the yellow jersey) in the Women's P/1/2/3

Lindsay Meyers who took 13th in the criterium, standing 15th overall after stage 3!

And here is the damage from my bone headed crash on the last lap.  Hey, even though I crashed, I managed to place 76th out of 110 today!  I didn't get pulled, so that's a plus.  The race officials told me that I am supposed to crash earlier in the race, because on the last lap I don't get any of the attention!  That's true.  On the hairpin turn people were standing there waiting to see a good crash!  The whole corner smelled like burnt wheels, and there was screeching of wheels every time we came into that turn! 

And, after I scrubbed hard! (Jeff told me to scrub hard because it wouldn't hurt as bad as hardly scrubbing). 

Yea, it's not that bad, but I'm not the only one who crashed today! People were in the wheel pit the whole day! 

(see, she crashed too, just like me..)

Results:

20.  ALBRECHT David Chico Corsa 1.24'02"  

76.  FERRETTI Anthony Chico Corsa 1.24'44"   57"   

84.  GALLAND Jeffrey Chico Corsa 1.25'31"   1'44"

13.  MYERS Lindsay Chico Corsa 1.15'51"  

JONES Margaret Chico Corsa -dropped out (due to a crash)

Overall: 

35.  ALBRECHT David Chico Corsa 5.23'27"   10'29"  

95.  FERRETTI Anthony Chico Corsa 5.51'16"   38'18"  

105.  GALLAND Jeffrey Chico Corsa 6.05'40"   52'42"  

15.  MYERS Lindsay Chico Corsa 4.32'06"   4'08"  

That's all for today! Now to get some rest for tomorrow's killer road race!