The Ultimate Urban Race (well that's what they say)

http://www.houstongrandcriterium.com/

This will be my first road race, and crits really aren't a good place to start road racing. I have been forwarned there will be crashes, try to stay on the front for the begining of the race.

Basically I will be racing the Cat 4/5 race at 8 am, its 6O minutes of Lactate Bliss. I have been forwarned there will be crashes, try to stay on the front for the begining of the race. There seems to be 2 main strategies.

One sit in the middle of pack, and rest the whole race so you can explode at the end, but it's risky you could be involved in a pile up, or not be close enough to the front to catch a breakaway.

Two you get to the front immediatly, and stay in front, try to get a break started. This seems like a viable option since there will be 4 of my teammates there, we could wait for the most oportune time then start a 4-6 man break.

THREE, Dont get hurt my wedding is in 6 days after the race.

Whatever happens, this race in going to be fun..................................................

Updated back ground music TOOL

10
right in two
•
Angels on the sideline,
Puzzled and amused.
Why did Father give these humans free will?
Now they're all confused.

Don't these talking monkeys know that Eden has enough to go around?
Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys
Where there's one you're bound to divide it
Right in two

Angels on the sideline,
Baffled and confused.
Father blessed them all with reason,
And this is what they choose?

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs they forge a blade
And where there's one they're bound to divide it
Right in two

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs they make a club,
And beat their brother down.
How they survive so misguided is a mystery.
Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability,
To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here.

[Cutting it all right in two
Cut it all right in two]
Cutting our love right in two]

Fight over the clouds, over wind, over sky
Fight over your lie, over blood, over anything
Fight over love, over sun, over nothing
Fight till they die,
(Ahhh!) over what? for their ending

[This whole part above needs a lot of help -
head for the Opinion page and help out!]
Angels on the sideline again,
[Mixing love / Benched along] with patience and reason.
Angels on the sideline again,
Wondering where this tug of war will end.

[Cutting it all right in two
Cut it all right in two]
Cutting our love right in two]

LAKE^2

Thanks Toninator for the great pic.
I think Toni was looking for the first person to bite it into the other side of the dip (and if you were racing you know which dip I'm talking about) The most technical 3 feet of trail this place had to offer.
If it wasn't for double lake though I would have never got experience the feeling you must feel riding a "Star Wars speeder bike"

Or the first time I raced this place it was a neck and neck finish and I got slid out into the orange snow nets just 30 yards from the finish I had to yank the bike out of the nets and run for it.

This is the last race for me this season, I'll be leaving to get married in Costa Rica in 9 days.

I had great fun this year, the whole sport 19-29yo group was a great bunch to race with.

I hope to get a chance to race with them next year