Toowoomba Be Better Psychology Criterium

Toowoomba recently invested in a fantasic cycling facility - a purpose built 1.7km criterium track, with club house and full facilities.  What a top notch course it is, and a great change up from the few flat courses I have experienced locally in Brisbane.

After a reasonable training week, including rediscovering coot-tha, racing a club crit stupidly the day before, and staying out late for the Club Presentations night I was more than a little cooked going into the Crit.  Still a few sessions of legs in the pool, eating anything I could find and committing some serious fashion crimes by 24 x7 compression gear I was recovered enough to head for Toowoomba and atleast join in.

The new CQ registered Koiled / UQ kit was order of the day, and we certainly stood out in the bunch.  It was nice, safe racing though we did seem to lose a few from the bunch as the race progressed and people were shelled on the hills.

Despite my reservations it turned out to be my day with a course that probably suited me the most out of our Koiled team.  With three climbs and an uphill sprint into the line, there were plenty of pain faces on display.

I had a dig at the Prime, just as a measuring stick for the finish...... I discovered it is significantly harder to recover even hiding in the bunch on that hilly little course.  How Shannon rode a 3/4 lap solo attack for the prime and didn't die I will never know.  He would have been in the hurt box for sure, but I am starting to suspect that might be his home address.....

Managed to get back out of the red zone in time for the finish.  Katrin had tried hard to get herself into the break, and I made sure I stayed up where I could go if it looked like she might do it.  Then I think time had run out and she rolled back. I knew the girls were sitting on me so I backed off to see what was what.  Katrin came around and attacked hard on a hill.  Good hill legs there!  Coming up the final turn she went hard again on the small hill and gapped me.  I could see her starting her sprint and she had a reasonable gap. Never know, if you don't go - so I did. I managed to peg her back and came over her for the line.  Great racing!

All in all a good day out for Koiled.

Next up HPRW twilights....