Race Report: Sand City Crit P12

Date: July 7th, 2024

AVRT Racers: Jon, PA

[Report written by PA]

Still feeling the burn from Saturday's race in Watsonville, I rolled up to the first 90-minute crit of the season in Sand City a bit wary but ready to tackle its technical twists and turns. I usually like courses like this, so I was quietly hopeful.

With the same fast crew from Saturday, the race kicked off intensely. Various teams were eager to dictate the pace, launching attacks left and right, aiming to break away early. Mid-race, I found myself in a dicey two-man break with a guy from Mike's Bikes. Given that it was just Jon and me from AVRT this time, I decided to roll the dice and push hard, hoping we could make it stick.

We gave it our all to stay out front, but with about 15 minutes left, Voler Factory Racing teamed up with Terun, and they reeled us in. After that, I did what I could in the field sprint, but my legs were shouting at me from the earlier effort. Looking back, betting so much on a two-person break might've been too bold, especially with so many teams itching for a chase.

I crossed the line 12th, and honestly, that last lap felt like it lasted two hours.