2023 Santa Cruz Classic Masters 35+ 3/4 Race Report
Race: 2023 Santa Cruz Classic - Mens 35+ Cat 3/4
Date: March 26th, 2023
AVRT Racers: Bernardo Tapia, Shai Traister
Results: Shai (6/17), Bernardo (9/17)
Course: Start/finish is at the highest point of the course. Sharp right hairpin after the start line, which begins during the descent. The descent takes you into a fast flat section of the course with two 90 degrees right turns into a narrow, sort of winding section with a tiny kicker and a tailwind. This leads you to a 90-degree right turn into the finish straight, which features a punchy hill. Notably, the finish is about 50 meters after the end of the climb.
45ft climb, beginning quite steep, but then it keeps going at a few percent into a headwind.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8783044616
Nutrition: Oatmeal before the race. One bottle of Skratch mix
The race: The race was only 40 minutes long, so obviously it started fast (and stayed fast throughout). First couple of laps the racers were getting used to the course, the turns, and the wind. Some small gaps opened then closed. Bernardo and I tried to stay close to the front, just in case.
The first prim lap was called, so the pace picked up a bit. A Penvelo rider got a gap but was brought back. We got to the climb, and I decided to give it a go. I attacked on the right side on the steep section, but couldn’t keep it up on the run to the line. A few more laps went by, with Bernardo spending some time on the front.
Second prim lap. I decided to give it another try, pace the climb better and leave some power for the sprint. Again I was outsprinted by two other riders, which opened a ~5-10 seconds gap on me by the time we reached the hairpin. I decided to chase and keep pushing. Others caught from behind and I continued on the front until we got to the climb. We closed the gap to the two in front and it all came together.
Third prim lap – after the previous two attempts weren’t successful, I decided to skip the 3rd prim and conserve some energy for the finish. I guess the others felt the same, as the 3rd prim lap was considerably slower. Oh well.
Last lap. Everything came together. Bernardo told me he was going to attack, and that I should counter if/when he got caught. Bernardo got to the front but couldn’t get a separation and soon got passed by another rider. We got to the climb and sprinted to the line. I ended up in 6th.
