Race Report: Cal Aggie Crit - Men's Cat 4

Race: Cal Aggie Crit - Men's Cat 4

Date: January 31, 2026

AVRT racers: Adam Beliveau

Top Result: 12/48 Adam

Course: Round-ish course with a chicane ~1.09 miles/lap. Nice pavement except two small potholes inside the chicane, close to the right curb.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17242254862 

Nutrition: 1 bottle with 120g consumed ¼ before (during warmup) and ½ during

Recap (written by Adam):

First race of the season for me. My plan was to gauge my fitness against the Cat 4 field and stay near the front to avoid any potential crashes.

Driving in, there was a thick fog. I couldn’t see more than 25 meters ahead. I joked to myself that it was a perfect day for a breakaway. However, as soon as I took the highway exit, the fog vanished, making way for warm sunshine and perfect racing weather.

From the get-go, I positioned myself at the front as planned, but I definitely overdid it. During the race, I found it difficult to move through the pack, and I felt the field wasn't taking the chicane optimally, which only motivated me to stay at the front even more. This didn't pan out well; I spent the race oscillating between first and second wheel, burning far too many matches. The only upside to this strategy is that I managed to avoid a pretty gnarly crash that took out ~10-15 riders. Attacks kept coming, and I ended up chasing most of them (don’t ask me why).

Eventually, with about three laps to go, a successful breakaway of three formed, and I missed the move. Confusion hit the peloton, and most riders sat up, waiting for someone else to chase, which allowed the gap to balloon. By the bell lap, it was clear the podium wouldn't be decided by a field sprint. I still tried to contest the bunch finish, but I had nothing left. I’d been in the red for almost 40 minutes.

Overall, I'm happy with where my fitness is, but I definitely need more tactical experience for the next one.