Snake Alley Lessons and Gallery

I learned a few good lessons doing my first P/1/2 race at Snake Alley. The racing was good but short. Snake Alley is a race of attrition where, if you are not near the front, you fight like hell to get as close to the front as possible. However, you may learn that even in a field of 110+ riders, you better be in the top 25 if you don’t wanna be pulled – and sometimes that isn’t enough. After 2 Continental pros were disqualified, I was 21st. I got pulled with 4 laps to go. LESSON 1 – Fight like hell towards the end of the Snake Alley criterium. If there is any separation between you and the action up front, you’ll get pulled. I thought I’d take a breath and then hammer the last 3-4 laps. Game over.

Melon City Criterium – LESSON 2 – Mind your surroundings while trying to be considerate to a fellow rider who dropped their chain. Give a rider space only if you are able not hit the crack in the asphalt that will shred your tubular. Game over.

Local Omaha junior rider Dillon [DMac] had his first Snake Alley/ Melon city criterium. Brady and I sure enjoyed having him along, showing him what ropes we could, and watching him have an excellent weekend in Eastern Iowa. With Dillon and Brady racing throughout the day, it allowed me a moment or two to dust off the camera and snap a very few amount of images.