Race: GSVA Fall Track Classic

I was looking forward to this race for a while.  Originally I thought it was at the end of September, because I fail at reading things.  When I realized it was the same week as when I would be in Jersey City, I started to think I wouldn't actually be able to race.  This is ironic, as getting to the track is actually a whole lot easier from Jersey City.  The problem lays in that I had no way of getting my track bike.  Were I smart, I could have left it in the shipping container at kissena after sprint training last sunday.  Oh well.

So Josh asked me if I wanted a ride down to the race, and originally I said no, it wouldn't work out.  Then I thought about it more, and I figured I might as well just go to spectate and see what the track was all about.  I told Josh my situation and a little while later he said he would check with Andrew B about letting me borrow a bike.  The next thing I know, I have a ride down to the track, and a bike to use when I get there.  Sweeeet.  Now the big problem was the squats and cleans I did with Lucas the day before.

With a large threat of rain still in the forecast, I decided to treat the day as a big experiment.  At the least, I would learn how to get to the track, and how long it would take.  On a larger scale, if the rain didn't show up, I would be able to see just how my body reacts in a race situation right after lifting weights.  As fate would have it, the rain held off until we packed up the car to leave the track, when it came down as a light sprinkle.  The sky actually cleared for a little bit.

Backtracking a little bit, I met Josh, Jen, and Amira down by Reade street, we packed the car, threw on the bikes and headed out.  The trip down actually seemed pretty straight forward, though we did overshoot the exit, which was more of a pain than I realized with the 50 cent toll each time.  We got to the track, changed, registered, I adjusted my loaner bike (care of Andrea B), and did some laps.  There are some scary concentric cracks along the track, which Andrew pointed out in a slow lap before the A field went to the line for the first race.

Our first race was a miss and out.  I figured this would really tell the theme for the rest of the night.  We started out and my legs were screaming in pain.  Just clipping in, I had trouble using my leg strength, and had to push my heel down by hand.  Either way, I was able to stay ahead of some riders, but on the fourth place pull, I just couldn't get my back wheel ahead of Josh's.  This seems to be a recurring theme for me with these races.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/230299234

Next was a 20 lap Points race.  A good bunch of us seemed none-too-excited about the length of the race.  I think a big part of it was that the humidity must have been 100%.  Just sitting on the ground, my helmet, glasses, notebook, et cetera all had condensation covering them.  We started the race just rotating pulls at a moderate pace.  The first sprint, I was maybe around 4th or so?  We kept rotating pulls again, and I found myself leading into turn 4 just before the bell lap for the second sprint.  I just stayed on the front trying to keep the pace hot.  This was enough to give me first place on that sprint.  After this, the pace slowed a bit, so I gave an attack over the top a try.  The group caught back up with me, and the pace slowed again.  My glutes were really killing me at this point, so I figured I should try another big move to get the blood flowing, maybe win another sprint and probably blow up magnificently doing so.  The group moved uptrack a bit, so I attacked down below in the sprinters lane and was able to get a gap going.  I kept my head down for a few laps to win the third sprint, where I then swung up track again to wait for the group, but the gap wasn't really closing down.  I resolved to put myself deeper in pain, and kept soloing off the front to get the final sprint.  This gave me first overall in the points race.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/230299222

The final race in the omnium was the Keirin.  This was the race that I was really looking forward to.  GSVA happens to have a legit straight-from-europe derny.  I was sad that I didn't have my casco to wear to really get into the mood, but I was still happy to race.  We drew lots to start, I think I was fourth or fifth.  The start order didn't really seem to make much of a difference after the derny came around, though.  It was a little bit hectic.  Rather than slot in line, I opted to sit next to the second or third rider behind the moto.  This worked pretty well as the pace ramped up, but I did find myself starting to fade by the last lap with the bike.  I actually completely lost track of the laps we did, so I was slightly surprised when the moto pulled off.  My timing was a little off for my sprint, but I was still able to come in fifth.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/230299219

This concluded the omnium, and since my legs were shot and Amira had to catch an early flight, the four of us decided to call it a night and not do the feature race.  Andrew B and Sam were understanding, so we did the podiums quick, where I came in third overall in the A's.  This won me $20 and a pumpkin.  We packed up quick, and headed off to a diner to get some food.  It was delicious.  We got back on the road, listened to some good music, had some good talks, and Josh was kind enough to drop me off right in Jersey City.  All in all, I'd say it was a successful evening.  Thanks, everybody!  I certainly hope to race at the GSV more next season.

Finally, what's the verdict on racing after lifting?  My snap definitely wasn't there, nor was my top end.  Steady state seemed about the same, though certainly a lot more painful.  My quads just above my knee and my glutes hurt the most.  My lower back also wasn't too happy.  I certainly wouldn't recommend it.  Especially since I felt even worse the next day than the day after just lifting.  I thought my legs would collapse on me a few times while walking around the apartment.  So there's that.