Yes. I pretty much have the track racing bug. I think that after U23 nats I will try to put in a lot more track work and see what happens. At the very least it's great training for my road racing.
Today's races were a keiren (with qualifying rounds), miss and out (see previous post), points race and scratch race. It turns out that I won 3 of the 5 races on Wednesday and took the overall omnium so I was pretty excited to see what I could do today.
There were 11 riders in the combined field which worked out great for me since I wanted to get points to qualify for the American Velodrome Challenge. This is a big event that has good payouts, exposure and sees some of the best athletes show up. I think the past has seen olympic and world championship athletes compete. If you've ever wanted to watch some track racing this sounds like one to attend.
The keiren was brutal for me. My legs protested too much and I made some mental errors in positioning and timing for the sprints. Because there was 1 field today the qualifiers were pretty much back to back. I think I did 3 Keirens one right after the other and by the end I was getting tired. The worst part was getting 3rd place so many times...I needed a 1st or 2nd in order get to the final.
At that point I pretty much thought that the rest of the day would be me, the roadie, getting schooled by the trackies. So, there I was awaiting the miss and out in anguish thinking that of all races on the track this is probably one of the hardest for a roadie to figure out. During the race I tried to be smart and was fortunate to always be in the right place at the right time. To my joyful disbelief I found myself in the top 3 going for the win. The only obstacle now was the rider that happened to be my nemesis Wednesday night. However, when he beat me in the last miss and out on Wednesday he made his move at 1 to go by dropping down from the up track position and proceeded to put an insurmountable gap between us. I was ready for that this time and started licking my chops as soon as he made the move. I glued to his wheel, got a nice draft and came around for the win. Now I was in first for the omnium.
So far, I've pretty much covered the most important pieces of my racing today. After the win I kinda' declined and lost a few places in the omnium...Not sure exactly where I ended up though.
I took somethingeth in the points race (somewhere in the top 5) and top 5 in the scratch race.
All in all nothing spectacular... just having some fun on a nice Sunday afternoon!
U23 nationals is approaching quickly and I do feel that the legs are coming along pretty well. Hopefully I can report some fun and exciting news from Georgia in about 1.5 weeks from now.
See ya' on the road!
Why do we like to write about ourselves? The cold reality might be that we are narcisists. Why not be? we've accomplished so much. Yes, we are great! We own blogs where we write and dream that we have "rock star" status due to the 1 person (our own self) who reads this. That is the essence of this blog. Please see links to other blogs and enjoy reading the narcyclistic jibberish of my fellow narcyclists.
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Dont stop pedaling!
...Or you might end up like this.
Weeell. That was no problem for me tonight. I kept pedalling and pedalling and it sure paid off. Track racing is pretty intense the whole time and you always have to stay on your toes. This is especially true during a miss and out race. This track racing event works in such a way that the last rider is pulled out of the race each lap until 3 riders remain. So, the nerves, aggression and speed build and build into the climactic 3 up sprint. I had never done this event, let alone watched it, so I decided to get to the track early for a miss and out clinic with Larry Nolan. This was very informative and I am thankful for the coaching before racing the night's omnium that featured 2 miss and out Events.
I was excited to see my younger brother, Jon, also racing 3/4's as we both love going off the front and racing aggressively. Last year we did a few 4/5's races and frequently found ourselves off the front together. We would typically fare pretty well...At least we'd stay away long enough for some sweet photos.
Enough background story. Now on to the racing...
First race was a 10 lap scratch race. One sprint, all or nothing on the last lap. I was not paying attention and found myself a bit caught out in the final sprint and came up with 5th.
The next race was the win and out. Basically, you race 5 laps sprint for the win and if you win you are out of the race. 2nd place is decided on the next lap and 3rd through the rest after that. Thankfully, the pace ramped up really well into the final lap and I had a good lead out into the sprint. Of course, it wasn't really a sprint (or I probably would've lost) but more like a "who can hold this pace the longest contest". I could! Sweet, a win. The guy who won the scratch race got second behind me though so I had my work cut out for me if I wanted the omnium.
On to the tempo race. 10 laps with 1st and 2nd get 2 and 1 point(s) respectively every lap. Umm why is there so much math? It's hard enough when your heart rate is normal. Track racing forces you to stay sharp. It's hard to make all these calculations once your heart rate hits the 180's. At that point you just try to win every lap and then you know you're good.
Jeff Galland attacked about 3 laps in and I followed with Bubba Melcher right behind. We got a gap and kept it. We rotated through and did not contest each other and it looked like Jeff took most of the points. Before 2 to go Jeff hit it hard as Bubba was pulling off and that was it for the big dog. Jeff was fading after that so I took advantage and won the last 2 laps. Not sure how it ended up. Could be a win for me or a win for Jeff.
The first of the 2 miss and outs went well. I was sure to never be last wheel all the way to the finish where I won the sprint. It's pretty cool as you hear the number of the last placed rider getting called each lap until there are only 3 left. At this point the pace has picked up pretty good and the tension is high.
After that race I felt like I had done too many hard intervals. Beside that, I knew the last miss and out would be treated like the last stand by all the racers who needed to place for omnium points or redeem themselves. This was the case and a bit more fighting for position ensued. This race was also very fast with attacks starting from the whistle. Jeff and I went again but the pace was too high for us to stay away for long. I was able to stay away from elimination and it came to a 2 up sprint between me and the rider I was fighting for the overall in the omnium. He drilled the last lap and still had a little kick at the end which was enough to hold me off.
I'm not sure if I won the omnium but I know there's a good chance I did.
If you've never given track racing a shot you should. there's a lot happening at once and even if you don't race you should at least watch a few races.
Weeell. That was no problem for me tonight. I kept pedalling and pedalling and it sure paid off. Track racing is pretty intense the whole time and you always have to stay on your toes. This is especially true during a miss and out race. This track racing event works in such a way that the last rider is pulled out of the race each lap until 3 riders remain. So, the nerves, aggression and speed build and build into the climactic 3 up sprint. I had never done this event, let alone watched it, so I decided to get to the track early for a miss and out clinic with Larry Nolan. This was very informative and I am thankful for the coaching before racing the night's omnium that featured 2 miss and out Events.
I was excited to see my younger brother, Jon, also racing 3/4's as we both love going off the front and racing aggressively. Last year we did a few 4/5's races and frequently found ourselves off the front together. We would typically fare pretty well...At least we'd stay away long enough for some sweet photos.
Enough background story. Now on to the racing...
First race was a 10 lap scratch race. One sprint, all or nothing on the last lap. I was not paying attention and found myself a bit caught out in the final sprint and came up with 5th.
The next race was the win and out. Basically, you race 5 laps sprint for the win and if you win you are out of the race. 2nd place is decided on the next lap and 3rd through the rest after that. Thankfully, the pace ramped up really well into the final lap and I had a good lead out into the sprint. Of course, it wasn't really a sprint (or I probably would've lost) but more like a "who can hold this pace the longest contest". I could! Sweet, a win. The guy who won the scratch race got second behind me though so I had my work cut out for me if I wanted the omnium.
On to the tempo race. 10 laps with 1st and 2nd get 2 and 1 point(s) respectively every lap. Umm why is there so much math? It's hard enough when your heart rate is normal. Track racing forces you to stay sharp. It's hard to make all these calculations once your heart rate hits the 180's. At that point you just try to win every lap and then you know you're good.
Jeff Galland attacked about 3 laps in and I followed with Bubba Melcher right behind. We got a gap and kept it. We rotated through and did not contest each other and it looked like Jeff took most of the points. Before 2 to go Jeff hit it hard as Bubba was pulling off and that was it for the big dog. Jeff was fading after that so I took advantage and won the last 2 laps. Not sure how it ended up. Could be a win for me or a win for Jeff.
The first of the 2 miss and outs went well. I was sure to never be last wheel all the way to the finish where I won the sprint. It's pretty cool as you hear the number of the last placed rider getting called each lap until there are only 3 left. At this point the pace has picked up pretty good and the tension is high.
After that race I felt like I had done too many hard intervals. Beside that, I knew the last miss and out would be treated like the last stand by all the racers who needed to place for omnium points or redeem themselves. This was the case and a bit more fighting for position ensued. This race was also very fast with attacks starting from the whistle. Jeff and I went again but the pace was too high for us to stay away for long. I was able to stay away from elimination and it came to a 2 up sprint between me and the rider I was fighting for the overall in the omnium. He drilled the last lap and still had a little kick at the end which was enough to hold me off.
I'm not sure if I won the omnium but I know there's a good chance I did.
If you've never given track racing a shot you should. there's a lot happening at once and even if you don't race you should at least watch a few races.
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Cat's Hill/Dana Point Quickie
Dan Point Harbor
(I love beach towns and racing in them is totally awesome!)
Cat's Hill.
This is a must do race for anyone who lives and races in nor-cal. First off, Los Gatos is a very cool and classy place. Second, it's pretty amazing to be racing through a fancy old neighboorhood where homeonwers are BBQ'ing and enjoying the race in their front yard. Third, there's this thing called "Cat's Hill".
Have you ever seen a pissed off cat? Well, that image perfectly describes the course. This race takes you up a 23% short climb levels off and desends quickly into a 90% corner. After that, there are cracks that run parallel to the direction of travel wich threaten to catch a tire and leave one in similar fashion to a cat attack.
I played the role of pack filler the whole race just sitting in and holding back. I don't normally race this way but decided to try something new. I was too far back on the last lap and could not move up on the hill. Unfortunately, someone let a gap open so rather than passing guys I was closing a gap coming to the last corner. I was basically last in the bunch sprint (18th).
Dana Point.
On Sunday morning I left for Dana Point with my friend, Daniel, at 6:30 and drove 7 hours down hwy 5 for a 1.5 hour race. This was not any race though. Dana Point is a big Criterium on the NCC calendar that attracts some of the best riders around with a $15,000 prize purse for the Pro/1 men.
United health care was there with Karl Menzies (tour down under leader's Jersey winner), Hilton Clark and Boy Van Poppel. Jelly Belly was also there with a good team supporting Brad Huff. Mountain Khakis, Optum Pro Energy/Kelly benefits and Cash Call were a few other crit squads taking the line. If you don't know these names just wait for the tour of California and you will.
I felt good the whole race. It didn't feel too fast but that's due to the nature of the course. There are plenty of corners but nothing too technical. I was in great position as the end came near and felt good. All the favorites were near the front and all I needed to do was stay there... but I didn't. At one point the pace really slowed and the front got swarmed. I dropped way back and before I could react UHC was on the front setting pace. It wasn't really fast, so there was a lot of pushing and shoving going on and I simply got nervous. I got my guts back with a few to go and made it back near the front but not close enough. I needed to take more chances and trust myself more. I used brake too much in these closing laps.
So, I finished 24th...Just out of money.
Afterwards, we drove the 7 hours back up and got home really late and tired. We decided we would do it again but not for a long time from now!
This is the weekend of a young bike racer trying to get to the next level. You make sacrifices (like not having a G.F. or not hanging out with friends or not spending money on those cool new nikes) and take big chances to travel and race the bike. Maybe all you get from a race is experience. Maybe you get a couple thousand dollars....But one day you might get noticed and have the opportunity to live your dream.
If folks outside of my family/friend circle find this to be a resource for insider views on elite racing around NCNCA and beyond that's great! I hope to also use this blog as an avenue to promote and thank my team, sponsors and supporters who make racing possible. Thanks for reading and check back often as I will try to update this site on a weekly basis.
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