Sat In, Played My Card, Seeing Stars | NCC C Grade Crit 5th

NCC Tuesday Criterium, C Grade, Victoria Park, Adelaide, Tuesday 20 October 2026. Finished 5th of 28. I'd had a rough run coming into this one. I DNF'd in two of my last three races because I just couldn't hold the pace, and last week I finished without doing anything special. So the plan tonight was simple: sit in, save matches, and only close a gap if I really had to. I did that once all race. Coming into the last lap I wasn't in a good spot, but a wide gap opened on the inside, so I played my card and went. I'm pretty sure I was seeing stars before I reached the corner, and it was hard to focus on the finish, but I held on for 5th. Looking back, I think there was more to put down in those last few hundred metres. It's moments like that that make you try harder next time. THE NUMBERS Average speed 43.3 km/h, my fastest crit ever as far as I can tell. Even the Tour Down Under crits haven't been this fast. 26.9 km in 37:21, max speed 56.4 km/h Weighted average power 287 W (101% intensity on a 285 W FTP), average 260 W Peak power 1,066 W in the last-lap attack 35% of the race at recovery power (0-156 W), and 21% (7:40) above 428 W. Classic crit: sitting in, then sprinting out of every corner. Heart rate averaged 155 bpm, with 82% of the race in tempo. It only hit 181 bpm in the final sprint. Good to know I can hang on at that speed and still have one attack left at the end. #crit #cycling #criterium #crit racing #Adelaide #roadcycling #norwoodcyclingclub