Northfield crit race report

Cruised down to Northfield with Brett for the Masters 4/5 race and possibly the 3/4 race as well. We got there in time for a decent warm-up, and although it was getting warm and muggy I was feeling pretty good. We resolved to do the 3/4 race as well, and Drew showed up as well, so we had some good representation in the race. As Brett and Drew rolled up, the announcer called us out, saying that Category 6 Racing is so fast that we need our own category! How funny is that?
__This turned out to be Drew's big day, as he took a nice flyer off the front and held it for 10 laps before he finally got reeled back in. In the process he grabbed a prime, and they had to do a field prime to get the rest of the field moving, since Drew was gaining time on them, and it didn't look like anyone was doing anything about it. Drew didn't know how this worked so he was annoyed, but it was nice to see a little big-time crit racing flavor mixed in! Brett went went for a prime too, but got nipped at the line.
__My race started out well, I queued up at the line and got a good start, staying near the front and getting the best lines into the corners and up the hill. The riding was pretty easy if you stayed near the front. At the first prime lap, I was sitting comfortably near the front and someone was dangling off the front. No one seemed interested in chasing him or going for the prime. I know I always regret it when I go for a prime, but it was so tantalizing that I went for it. I escaped the field decisively, got the perfect line into the final corner and rocketed (as much as I could anyway!) for the rider off the front, whom I prayed wouldn't look back. My timing was such that I would cross the line first if he didn't speed up, but at the right moment he looked back and saw me coming and kicked it up enough to take the sprint. Damn! Fortunately I wasn't totally spent and settled back into the field. However with each lap the heat kept taking its toll, and I drifted back through the pack, which made each corner into more work, which wore me down even more until I got spit off the back. After that it was just a matter of time before I got pulled by the officials. Average speed before getting dropped: 23.3mph (average after getting dropped: 19.8mph, HR 162). Max speed was 35.1.
__Still, it was a fun race, with lots of activity going on in Northfield to liven things up, and we all had a good time.