Boat Street Criterium 2013

A nice start to this race with sunny and dry weather, however news got around that the seams in the front straight were a little crazy and had caused some big crashes (including Ingy) in the morning.
The race was also the state-championships, so people were amped to do well.
Most of the crew was either skipping this one or had raced in the morning, so I was solo for the race. The field was a decent size with big groups from Keller-Rohrback, Audi, and HSP all present to put in work and make for a fast and hard race.
I got a good start and managed to hold a solid placing for the majority of the race, trying to stay out of trouble but also making sure I could stick with the front group. I had to jump across gaps a few times to stick with the lead, but it was turning out well, and I was still in good position when we finally hit laps to go. The pace picked up again for the last 15 minutes of racing and Audi and HSP were both working hard to hold the front of the race. I moved up a few spots on the back hill and then tucked in along the front to keep position. Things were looking good and with 2 to go I was in the top 10! Just another minute of work and I was done!
As we rounded corner 3 for the last lap I must have caught a turtle as I was suddenly sliding sideways. I popped back onto my feet and got out of the way as the field ripped by, but the crash had rolled my rear tire off the wheel, preventing me from jumping back into the race (and since it was the last lap, there was no free laps to give). So instead of a top ten, I instead got a DNF and some road-rash... Not the idea I had in mind
At least I am in one piece and got a great test for Redmond next weekend. Time to heal up and give that a go with the team.