July will be another quite month for road racing. The annual Davis July 4th Crit will not be held this year due to the streets used for the course have been opened up to restaurant dining.
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So the month will start with this weekends Leesville Gap road race held at Williams. I can’t tell you too much about this race as I have never done it, but it is apparently one big 60 mile loop for all categories and has one major climb of 1500′ and a total of about 8 miles of gravel over 3 sections.
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Next on the calendar will be the Watsonville Crit. This is a tight 6 corner residential course with a slight uphill sprint to the finish line. On two of the corners there are drainage runs that you hit at an angle as you go through the corner, as long as you’re concentrating when crossing these you’ll be fine, but other than that it’s a fun easy course.
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If you’re into Time Trials there is the Cull Canyon TT out at Castro Valley, a simple out and back course with about 150′ of elevation.
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At the end of the month will be probably the biggest Crit to experience on the NCNCA calendar, the San Rafael Twilight Crit held right in downtown San Rafael. Not one I’ve raced yet because July has always been a major rest block for before my CX season starts, but from what I hear it is one of the best crits to race. It has a slight course change this year but remains somewhat a similar profile. There are smaller than usual field limits on this race (because of combined fields) for all categories and will likely fill up quick. They are also having a MTB crit race category if you fancy that. If not racing it’s a great race to spectate with outdoor dinning available but can get very busy.
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If looking for some local training races there is the Wednesday night San Jose Bicycle Club crits, checkout their website for details.
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Have fun racing
Mark Howard
Road/Track Team Director