Race Report: 2026 Sea Otter Crit - Men’A

Date: April 18, 2026

AVRT racers: Jack Liu

Top Result: 11/14

Course: 1.1 mile hotdog course with two hairpins and back-to-back ~20 sec 4% climb on the Laguna Seca race track. Pretty windy on the race day.

Nutrition: 1 bottle of skratch mix

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/18163036659/overview

Recap:

The course looked simple and manageable, but the small field plus cross wind on the exposed race track made it much harder. Furthermore, the climb is similar to the long drag uphill of Santa Cruz crit. Right after the descent from the first climb, you're thrown into a hairpin, immediately followed by the second climb, and then another tricky hairpin leading into an S-turn on the far side. I thought the track would offer better grip than normal roads, so decided to run a higher tire pressure than I would normally do. This turned out to be a mistake as I slid out on that tricky hairpin 12 minutes into the race. I was able to get back into the race, tried to survive in the small group, but eventually got dropped and pulled after 35 minutes. Still, I got to witness the race unfold as the lead group whittled down to just 6 riders as Terun chased down a two-man break, Eamon Lucas tried to go solo, and ultimately Alex from Terun won the sprint.

The Sea Otter vibe was incredible, with the gravel crowd treating it almost like a cyclocross race as they handed out dollar bills at the hairpin. One guy even generously handed me a stack of cash after my crash, saying “for you to fix the bike!” which I gladly accepted the $5 to cover my loss. Despite the mishap, it was a fun experience and I hope more riders come race this challenging course next year!