Another Tuesday come and gone...

The crit went off again last night and was a safe affair once again. It was a strange ride though. The first 20 minutes seemed to me, and several others, to be much slower than normal. We stayed right at 40 kmh for the entire time, but there were no jumps or attacks. We just rode around like a school of mackeral. The pace picked up, but it wasn't close to the attacking stlye of last week's race.
Team Sippy Cup was out in force, and while I think what TS is doing is great, they aren't as strong this year as last. The race this week was great for them, as it was slower and more controlled. Last week, they wouldn't have performed nearly as well. There were a couple of new kids out who should probably get some additional riding under their belts before they come out to the big boy race.
Overall, there were several new faces, and for the most part, they couldn't get out their own way. A Vicious Gaper actually made an appearance last night as well. At least one of them has the stones to come out and ride with the men. He was in the way, and looked like a grizzly trying to have his way with a field mouse, but he was out there.
Personally, I had a BAD ride. I was flat and my stomach was a knot for the entirety of the race. I made one huge, suicidal effort to bridge a gap and that pretty much sealed my fate. I could move around in the group at will, but just didn't have a whole lot last night. I don't know if it's the Claritin or not eating enough before the race, but I was at about 75% last night. I gotta stop sharing my lunch with Il Bambino. He eats half my sandwich these days...
With 2 to go, I really thought about dropping out, but my pride got the better of me and rolled across in the middle of the group. No reason to sprint from the back and get taken out while passing folks in the gutter...