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| Early Season Racing for 2013? |
So far this off-season, the weather has been amazing in allowing me to put in a lot of miles for training (a lot of miles is relative of course). As I type this, the rain has started to pour and it looks like winter is setting in and my indoor trainer will be getting some serious use. However, the good weather has got me excited for racing and yesterday the NCNCA (Northern California Nevada Cycling Association) released their 2013 racing schedule.
The 2013 racing schedule is packed with some quality racing from the first of January straight through mid-September. January has just three (3) races scheduled, but considering how early in the season this is, three is still a good number. February picks up with twelve (12) races, then eighteen (18) for March, twenty (20) for April and the most races of the year for one month are in May at twenty-two (22). Following is the complete breakdown of each month and the available races on the calendar:
Races offered per Month in Northern California / Nevada
January - 3
February - 12
March - 18
April - 20
May - 22
June - 17
July - 14
August - 18
September - 11
Its good to see a lull in June and July after such a strong hit of races early in the year and the star factor for the June races deserves more attention anyway. Plus, mid July is also when the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend Oregon takes place and this race is definitely on the Data Driven Athlete Racing schedule.
The early season racing is the typical mix of hard road races, criteriums and a few time-trials. The early season road races are usually brutal due to a wider range of fitness for the riders as the off season means different things to each person, and the possibility of bad weather also plays its part (who wants to hammer in the rain or freezing cold wind?) It appears that June will be a stellar month for the power climbing circuit/crit guys with Montserrat (Loomis) and Old Auburn back-to-back on the 8th and 9th, followed by Nevada City the following weekend. What I like about the racing schedule for this year is after the July slowdown, August and September come back with some really fun and demanding racing in Winters and ending the season at Folsom Cyclebration in September rather than having that three-day race in mid season, like 2012. The whole season full of races allows for each cyclist to take a deserved break when their body and goals dictate rather than when the cycling schedule dictates. Nothing is worse than being super fit and not a race in sight to actually test it out.
For me, the highlights of the early racing calendar (pending cancellations and changes) are as follows. I will be looking to get around 20-30 days of racing in 2013:
Jan
1/26 - Cal Aggie Crit
Feb
2/9 - Folsom Winter Criterium
2/10 - Cherry Pie Criterium (Napa)
2/23 - Snelling Road Race
2/24 - Merced Crit
Mar
3/1 - 3/3 - Merco Classic
3/16 - Land Park Crit
3/17 - Bariani Road Race
April
4/7 - Auburn Old Town Crit
4/13 - 4/15 - Chico Stage Race
4/27 - Wente Vineyard Road Race
4/28 - Wente Crit
4/28 - Clone Town Center Crit (This was a great race last year, but rumor has it that it's cancelled for 2013 so I was surprised to see it on the calendar. Maybe "clone" means it's tentative. Stay tuned)
May
5/4 - 5/5 - Golden State Series
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| Rocky Fletcher - 2012 Nevada City |
5/18 - Modesto Crit
5/19 - Modesto Road Race
5/25 - Folsom Classic Crit
5/27 - Memorial Day Crit (Morgan Hill)
June
6/2 - Pescadero Road Race
6/8 - Montserrat Circuit Race (Loomis)
6/9 - Auburn Downtown Crit
6/16 - Nevada City
6/23 - Burlingame Crit
6/30 - Lodi Crit
July
7/4 - Fourth of July Crit (Davis)
Mid July - Cascade Cycling Classic, Bend Or.
Aug
8/4 - Patterson Road Race
8/4 - Fast and Furious Crit
8/10 - 8/11 - Little City Stage Race
8/24 - Winters Road Race
8/25 - Vacaville Grand Prix
Sept
9/2 - Giro di San Francisco
9/6 - 9/8 - Folsom Cyclebration
9/15 - Milpitas Grand Prix
9/16 - Oakland Grand Prix
Of course these races and my schedule are subject to change depending on fitness, goals and family time. But I am looking forward to a good season and smashing several of these races with my team, Data Driven Athlete Racing. Good luck in 2013!
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