Why they race

I'm just a weak-ass Cat 4 racer, and an old one at that, but I swear I spent my first season at a Cat 4 (last season) developing a mental understanding for how hard-assed you have to be even to win club races.

Last season, I felt bad about bumping a guy and breaking his spokes, and instead of staying at the front of the bunch and risking bumping shoulders and wheels again, I took off on an ill-advised break-away at a crit and ended up finishing 6th after being caught on the final straight.

Later in the season, I watched a guy go down very hard beside me, took advantage of the break in the peloton to latch onto the last of 12 riders on the final lap. On the closing straight, I sprinted around the group and would have gone for the finish alone, but I mistook the screaming of the announcer for a response to the two ugly crashes on the last lap--I though they were calling off the finish--I pulled back into line, tried to listen more carefully, and while I did, the front of the pack took off. I finished 5th.

Developing a tougher psyche--plotting out the crashes--seems key to improving for me even at my very low level. It must be even more important for pros, especially for oft-criticized sprinters like Robbie McEwen and Pettachi.

Not sure if you wanted my 2 cents, but you get it anyway.