Merco 3 - 33 und 33 - three is the magic number

So here I am, in the threes crit and the plan is to be menace and to stay out of trouble - 28miles/36laps. We had $75/50/25 prime on the 2nd/3rd and 4th lap which was sure to stir things up. I sat near the front and got into a few minor moves and nothing really stuck until about, heck I don't really know and there I was with 4 other guys. We worked well for about a lap, but one fella just insisted on sprinting through his pulls. Maybe he was super strong, but that is recipe for disaster. So about a lap and a click later we were consumed and from then on I decided to sit in and recover a bit. With maybe 15 to go I went at it again when things slowed down in the chicane. Tim Butler came up to me, but with just two guys, it wasn't going to work. After that I was starting to feel the effort and sat near the front, finishing 33rd. Crash report: we were sailing pretty smooth until about a lap and 1/2 to go, from where on I counted 3 crashes. Unfortunately, one of these ended up taking down our very own "Stone Cold". Better luck next time.

After the race, it was either pulling weeds, or sticking around for the 35+ 1/2/3; the choice was suddenly obvious.

So there I was, lining up for that race, not really sure what to expect in terms of strategy, speed, etiquette, but I was a willing student. 32 miles/40 laps. A-ha, gulp. We'll see if the legs shall carry me forth. The race was noticeably faster, not sure by how much, but Timba' (Tim B.) mentioned seeing 28/30 many time. All I saw was *RED* as I was praying the legs would not seize (Thanks Stone Cold for the IV fluids, that did the trick). Anyway, back to the novel... As I was saying, the race was noticeably faster and definitely cleaner. Compared to the 3s, the chicane was a breeze. Guys were going in no more than 2-3 deep and you always had space on either side of you. What a pleasant treat :-). However, coming out of it, a sprint ensued, and with about 15 to go the following left-hander was also followed by another 10-15 seconds of really hard efforts in order for the elastic not to pop. I found myself cruising next to our local big boy Jonathan Eropkin and have much enjoyed his draft. Boy can he move seamlessly on the sidelines... Anyway, I was watching all the action from the back row. I think there were a few breaks, but I was so far back I couldn't really tell. However, it definitely came down to a sprint and big Steve Gregarios probably ended up getting it. I was at the back of the front group (and being unsportsmanlike-like by passing guys who were sitting up); however, it must have been so, as I got 33rd in that race to. Oh, and did I mention there were no crashes?!? Me likes...

It was great hanging out with the crew and spending another great day at the races.

PS: The P/1/2 race is just fast and congrats to our boy AC for staying out trouble!