Well here we are. 2016. The future is here.
This post will mostly be a place holder for when I eventually (read: never) update it with my actual goals and aspirations and dreams and fears.
But I can tell you this:
-I joined Redbeard Racing for this year
-Joining Redbeard Racing includes a pretty sweet coaching package with BIG Picture Cycling
-This means I might get fast and stuff.
I have two big goals for this year:
-Win a medal at nationals
-Beat Colin Prensky's kilo time at Kissena. There, I said it. I really want to beat 1:11.
And there we have it!
2.2.16
10.11.15
2015: A look back!
I've decided I'm going to try to start blogging a bit again, so I figure why not start with a recap of 2015?
When I first started this post I thought to myself, "Did I even make an annual training plan this year?" Apparently I did. So let that set the tone for this season.
My goals, according to my ATP were:
1. Sub 1:11 Kilo
2. Win spring classic and/or states
3. Top 10 placing in NTC Calendar
Let's break it down:
1. As best I can remember, I only did 3 kilos this season. I did a 1:09.036 in Milton for Ontario Provincials, 1:09.969 at nats, and 1:14.21 at states. I guess this counts as me doing a sub 1:11 kilo, but really that goal was intended at kissena.
2. I came in 4th at the spring classic and 2nd at states. I have to say though, that I think I rode the best I've ever ridden at states this year. Maybe not the fastest, but I want to say tactically I couldn't have done much better without knowing the outcome of the races beforehand.
3. The NTC calendar was all kinds of weird this year, and I'm not sure they even bothered to log results anymore. I really could only get points at the t-town events, which were dominated by the international stars.
That said, let's look at the highs and lows of the season:
I suppose my season started with the Milton International Challenge, which was the test event for the panam games at the new Mattamy National Cycling Center up in Canada. When they said international, they meant it. I emailed the promotor to make sure it was an open elite UCI field and he said "sure, come on up, have fun." so I went. And I did have fun. But man oh man did I get my ass kicked. Really bad. But I did see some racing buddies from nats and bikeforums and met some new friends, so that was cool.
It looks like the next thing was the second life bikes roller race, which is always a great time. I think they only had one this year, which I won. I did manage to get my back wheel caught in the rollers, very likely after my qualifier? Either way, I raced the whole season on a tubular with a ripping sidewall. YOLO. Also, I had a very important mission during these roller races, because my dad had accidentally washed and dried my wool jersey from second life bikes earlier in the year, which made it tiny-sized. I got a new one, and now I'm happy and wooly. Amelia might feel different about it. Regardless, second life bikes is great and I always look forward to these.
Up next was the "six days of kissena" series I helped to put on at k-town, though it was mostly Brean doing everything. I just helped with the sprints and keirins, or in other words, the events I wanted to do. It was stupidly cold to start, but by the end of the series the spring hit.
In the middle of this, JoshS and I went back up to Canada, so I could redeem myself. I definitely did, coming in 3rd in the kilo, 2nd in the keirin, 2nd in the sprints, and top 10? in the scratch. Good job us. Josh didn't do so hot, so now he has some redeeming of his own to do. Stupid canada.
After that Erin got me the invite to race "The Keirin" at DLV, which is an invitational event with good prize money and a great vibe. I raced the sprints the night before with something like a 5th place seed, but managed to get 3rd overall. The announcer was impressed by my ability to ride while looking back at the rider behind me. In the keirin itself, I won a few rounds and ended up in the final, getting third place overall. My cousin and his wife came out to watch, and so did my old college buddy the richard. That was a great time racing and hanging out with friends. Total boost to my morale.
Next came the start of the kissena twilight series and the start of super tuesdays and the world series of bicycling at t-town. I got some good early results on a tuesday or two before the pros showed up, but the big thing I was interested in was the keirins. Once again, put up against international talent, I had my doors blown off. Like destroyed. Couldn't even hold wheels. And that was another blow to the system.
EDIT: Right about in here should be tandemonium. There's not much to write about tandemonium this year. I think there were only 4 teams to do the tandem sprints, in which Andrew and I came in 3rd again. We also came in 3rd in the tandem scratch, but I can't really remember the details of what happened.
I think the next big race to happen was nationals? That sounds about right. Nats were in LA, and were combined with juniors transitioning to elites later in the week. It was really cool to hang with the star track crowd and see them rake in the medals. It was also cool to hang with the usual crowd that I hang with. I think I had a 13th place kilo, didn't get through the keirins, was the first rider to not make the selection in the scratch race qualifier. Which reminds me. I should get this off my chest. Early in the race, I was at the head of the pack taking my pull, and some dipshit blasts underneath me on the cote and attacks. He's further up in the field than me across the finish line and I assume I'll make it through when they relegate him, but nope, no relegation. The CR decided it wasn't a serious infraction and didn't affect the race. Well, you know, except that's the stupidest and most dangerous move you can make and it knocked me out of the finals. Me being the guy he would have crashed out had he hit me while passing underneath me. Good job with that one, USAC. I guess I really shouldn't expect anything less from them and their no-fucks-given attitude when it comes to track racing.
Anyhow, team sprint and team pursuit were both lackluster. We figured we'd be guaranteed a medal in the TP as there were only 3 teams day of, but a fourth team got added and beat us. That was pretty defeating, but you know what? All the free time I had after I got knocked out of my qualifiers meant I got to drive around LA with Amelia and have some drinks and a great time. So I think I came out ahead.
After this was states, which like I say, I was happy with how I raced. Kieran had a great team working for him, who really saved his butt a few times. Jurgen looked really good this year, too.
The last big race to happen was Labor Day. I was on the fence about it for a while, but eventually we decided to go. I think Amelia and I were at a party the day before labor day, so I felt pretty hung over and beat up. I didn't really race too well, but whatever.
And that was the season. It was a real roller coaster this year, with a lot of highs and lows, and not much training in between. That said, I am feeling really motivated for next season and I'm already doing some weights and roller work. I'll talk about all this in a different blog post, I suppose.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for everybody who's supported me this season, especially Amelia. I can't wait to see you all again!
21.11.14
2014: A Look Sideways!
Well...
So 2014 has more or less come and gone. I have the CanAmQue challenge next weekend, which I'll be heading to as long as upstate doesn't get blasted with snow again. I guess that'll be the official end of the 2014 season. Maybe I'll call it the start of the 2015 season. Who really knows.
In the meantime, I'll do a recap:
As I'm sure you all remember from my look ahead post that I never made this year, here were my goals for 2014:
-Sub 1:13 Kilo
-Win Spring Classic and/or States
-Get at least 10 Cat 2>1 upgrade points
-Top 10 placing in NTC calendar
Well, how'd I end up doing? Here are my kilo times from the season:
Spring Classic: 1:16.56
Midwest Challenge: 1:15.03
Marymoor Gran Prix: 1:13.6
National Championships: 1:13.713
State Championships: 1:15.39
As you can see, I still need a little more work before I can give Francois Pervis a run for his money. Close, but no cigar.
I came in third at the spring classic, but somehow eked out first place at states, so hooray for me there.
As far as I can tell, I got exactly 0.00 uprade points this season. Womp womp.
And for the NTC Calendar? I went into the midwest challenge signed up for the enduro events, and added some sprint events on a whim. Turns out I'm not a track enduro when most of the field are national road pros. I was halfway not-terrible in the sprints, though, and ended up 19th out of 64 on the sprint standings. Still not top ten, but a surprise to say the least.
Grand total: 1/4 goals complete. Shrug.
Let's take a deeper look at the season, shall we? I did a grand total of four road races in two race days. I rode two fields at Grant's Tomb Crit and two fields at Orchard Beach Crit. I got dropped in both GTC races, stayed in the pack with no notable results at OBC.
I attended two NTC events, the Midwest Challenge, and the Marymoor Gran Prix.
MWC:
Elimination: 22/28
Scratch: 21/31
Points: DNF
Kilo: 11/23
Keirin: 5/12
Team Sprint: 2/15
MGP:
Elimination: 27/37
Scratch: 33/40
Points: DNF
Kilo: 11/17
Keirin: 14/15
Team Sprint: 3/15
Match Sprint: 12/21
Note that I created the winning break in the scratch race, but got gapped off our group of three when they announced a prime with a lap or two to go in the race.
I also raced at Nats this year. I got knocked out of the scratch in the qualifier, 7/10 in the kilo (except every single person who raced the international omnium was faster than me), couldn't get past the rep in the keirin, and 4th in the team sprint.
I wasn't able to race at kissena at all on wednesdays because of no Cat1/2 racing there. I raced a bunch of tuesdays (forgot how many) in the Pro/Am this year, and started racing Fridays as well. Andrew Brennan and I got 3rd at tandemonium in the flying lap seeding and in the tandem sprints. We ended up 4th in the tandem scratch. Keith Hatton and I raced the final madisons of the season. Our first madison was tuesday and our second was friday. I might have almost killed the field, but the number of times we got yelled at as the nights went on decreased, so I think we're making progress, right?
Oh, better not forget I raced at GSVA again this year. I think just once. And I did the second life bikes roller races again.
I had the fastest qualifier at the NYVC roller race this year, but I screwed up my first round, which somehow kicked me straight off the podium. 4th. Womp womp.
I guess that's it. Stay tuned for next season.
So 2014 has more or less come and gone. I have the CanAmQue challenge next weekend, which I'll be heading to as long as upstate doesn't get blasted with snow again. I guess that'll be the official end of the 2014 season. Maybe I'll call it the start of the 2015 season. Who really knows.
In the meantime, I'll do a recap:
As I'm sure you all remember from my look ahead post that I never made this year, here were my goals for 2014:
-Sub 1:13 Kilo
-Win Spring Classic and/or States
-Get at least 10 Cat 2>1 upgrade points
-Top 10 placing in NTC calendar
Well, how'd I end up doing? Here are my kilo times from the season:
Spring Classic: 1:16.56
Midwest Challenge: 1:15.03
Marymoor Gran Prix: 1:13.6
National Championships: 1:13.713
State Championships: 1:15.39
As you can see, I still need a little more work before I can give Francois Pervis a run for his money. Close, but no cigar.
I came in third at the spring classic, but somehow eked out first place at states, so hooray for me there.
As far as I can tell, I got exactly 0.00 uprade points this season. Womp womp.
And for the NTC Calendar? I went into the midwest challenge signed up for the enduro events, and added some sprint events on a whim. Turns out I'm not a track enduro when most of the field are national road pros. I was halfway not-terrible in the sprints, though, and ended up 19th out of 64 on the sprint standings. Still not top ten, but a surprise to say the least.
Grand total: 1/4 goals complete. Shrug.
Let's take a deeper look at the season, shall we? I did a grand total of four road races in two race days. I rode two fields at Grant's Tomb Crit and two fields at Orchard Beach Crit. I got dropped in both GTC races, stayed in the pack with no notable results at OBC.
I attended two NTC events, the Midwest Challenge, and the Marymoor Gran Prix.
MWC:
Elimination: 22/28
Scratch: 21/31
Points: DNF
Kilo: 11/23
Keirin: 5/12
Team Sprint: 2/15
MGP:
Elimination: 27/37
Scratch: 33/40
Points: DNF
Kilo: 11/17
Keirin: 14/15
Team Sprint: 3/15
Match Sprint: 12/21
Note that I created the winning break in the scratch race, but got gapped off our group of three when they announced a prime with a lap or two to go in the race.
I also raced at Nats this year. I got knocked out of the scratch in the qualifier, 7/10 in the kilo (except every single person who raced the international omnium was faster than me), couldn't get past the rep in the keirin, and 4th in the team sprint.
I wasn't able to race at kissena at all on wednesdays because of no Cat1/2 racing there. I raced a bunch of tuesdays (forgot how many) in the Pro/Am this year, and started racing Fridays as well. Andrew Brennan and I got 3rd at tandemonium in the flying lap seeding and in the tandem sprints. We ended up 4th in the tandem scratch. Keith Hatton and I raced the final madisons of the season. Our first madison was tuesday and our second was friday. I might have almost killed the field, but the number of times we got yelled at as the nights went on decreased, so I think we're making progress, right?
Oh, better not forget I raced at GSVA again this year. I think just once. And I did the second life bikes roller races again.
I had the fastest qualifier at the NYVC roller race this year, but I screwed up my first round, which somehow kicked me straight off the podium. 4th. Womp womp.
I guess that's it. Stay tuned for next season.
3.12.13
2013: A Look Back
Well with the CanAmQue challenge now over, I'm going to call 2013 done and move on to 2014. So let's take a look back:
Here were the goals I had come up with:
1. Sub 1:15 kilo
2. Win Opening Weekend and/or States
3. Race Pro-Am (Upgrade to Cat 2)
How'd I do? Well, at states I had a 1:14.65, so I beat goal 1. I also won Opening Weekend, so that's two for two. Finally, I put in for my Cat 2 upgrade and got it as of September 23rd, so while I didn't race any pro-am races, I did get my upgrade.
I think that means I actually beat all my goals for once. I'm shocked, and yet honestly I feel like this season wasn't all that great. I don't know why, but I don't feel satisfied or fulfilled. Maybe it was my poor performance at States. Maybe it's just end of season burnout. I swear it gets worse each year, as I suppose it should. I keep racing more and harder each year, so it stands to reason that the burnout gets more intense, too. I wonder how long I can keep this up. I definitely suffered with motivation all year, and despite good results I hardly ever felt on top of my game. Instead, I generally felt frustrated. I think this was from a combination of forces, like frustration with not enough training, endless frustration at work, not having team-mates to race with, and just general dissatisfaction with how things are going.
By the numbers, it looks like I wrote 39 race reports, which seems like a respectable number. Granted, four of those are roller races.
Here's my 2013 palmares:
1st - Pennsylvania Track BAR - Stagiares
1st - Kissena Spring Classic
1st - 2nd Life Bicycles Roller Race Series
2nd - Kissena Omnium
2nd - NYVelocity Roller Race
3rd - Kissena Labor Day Track Meet
3rd - GSVA Keirin Cup
3rd - Kreb Cyclocross #1
Here's my 2013 palmares:
1st - Pennsylvania Track BAR - Stagiares
1st - Kissena Spring Classic
1st - 2nd Life Bicycles Roller Race Series
2nd - Kissena Omnium
2nd - NYVelocity Roller Race
3rd - Kissena Labor Day Track Meet
3rd - GSVA Keirin Cup
3rd - Kreb Cyclocross #1
6th - State Championships
Fuji Super Tuesdays
Times raced: 9
Omnium placings:
First: 3
Second: 3
Third: 1
Kissena Twilight Series:
Times raced: 15
Omnium placings:
First: 4
Second: 3
Third: 2
Note that a few of the wednesdays didn't have an omnium.
And that's that. Thanks to my team and everybody else who has supported me over this past year.
R13.39: FCV CanAmQue Challenge
This race report is basically just a copy/paste job of what I sent to Jamie Swan about racing his bike up at FCV for the CanAmQue challenge. My gearing was 86" again.
Well, I've returned from Canada. I rode the swan this time, and it rode like a dream. I'm not sure if it was the geometry or just from being on the track more, but I noticed right away that I was able to hold a tighter line going around the track.
I was able to breeze through the first round of qualifiers. There were 60 riders registered, so everyone was randomly arranged into five different 40 lap heats of 12 riders, where the top six from each heat would advance. Early in my heat, a group of four went off the front to take a lap, but I just conserved energy in the rear group, which slowly disintegrated until there was just one rider and myself, so we had our top six figured out. When the first group of four came around again, I hopped on their wheel to make sure I maintained my position.
These groups were then split up into two 60 lap semi-final rounds of fifteen each. Joe Brennan was up racing with us, and he was giving me tips on how the races would play out. He had said that these semis would be fast, but stay together since the riders were all of similar strength. Naturally, this didn't happen, and I found myself on the wrong end of a gap with 8 riders up and 7 back. I tried to surf wheels, but our group shattered pretty quick, and I found myself doing an individual pursuit trying to catch back on. I wasn't able to, maintaining a quarter lap gap until the end when I sat up to try to conserve energy for the repechage. In hindsight, I should have sat up sooner, but I was hoping the group would slow up to play some cat and mouse before the end so I could catch up.
The rep round was maybe five minutes after finishing the finals, so I was pretty toasted. These consisted of two 30 lap heats of roughly 12 riders with only one rider from each advancing. A rider attacked early, and I hopped on his wheel to take a lap on the field. I sat two riders behind him to save energy until the backstretch of three to go, where I kicked hard, got a gap, but got passed on the backstretch of the bell lap and was out of contention for the final.
The final was 138 laps with a 14 person field consisting of the 12 riders from the semis and the 2 riders from the reps. By the end of the race, there were only 6 riders left. Amazingly, nobody was able to take a lap on anybody during that race, which just goes to show how strong the whole group was.
The bike got a lot of attention, with just about everybody on the infield stopping to take a good long look at it.
Well, I've returned from Canada. I rode the swan this time, and it rode like a dream. I'm not sure if it was the geometry or just from being on the track more, but I noticed right away that I was able to hold a tighter line going around the track.
I was able to breeze through the first round of qualifiers. There were 60 riders registered, so everyone was randomly arranged into five different 40 lap heats of 12 riders, where the top six from each heat would advance. Early in my heat, a group of four went off the front to take a lap, but I just conserved energy in the rear group, which slowly disintegrated until there was just one rider and myself, so we had our top six figured out. When the first group of four came around again, I hopped on their wheel to make sure I maintained my position.
These groups were then split up into two 60 lap semi-final rounds of fifteen each. Joe Brennan was up racing with us, and he was giving me tips on how the races would play out. He had said that these semis would be fast, but stay together since the riders were all of similar strength. Naturally, this didn't happen, and I found myself on the wrong end of a gap with 8 riders up and 7 back. I tried to surf wheels, but our group shattered pretty quick, and I found myself doing an individual pursuit trying to catch back on. I wasn't able to, maintaining a quarter lap gap until the end when I sat up to try to conserve energy for the repechage. In hindsight, I should have sat up sooner, but I was hoping the group would slow up to play some cat and mouse before the end so I could catch up.
The rep round was maybe five minutes after finishing the finals, so I was pretty toasted. These consisted of two 30 lap heats of roughly 12 riders with only one rider from each advancing. A rider attacked early, and I hopped on his wheel to take a lap on the field. I sat two riders behind him to save energy until the backstretch of three to go, where I kicked hard, got a gap, but got passed on the backstretch of the bell lap and was out of contention for the final.
The final was 138 laps with a 14 person field consisting of the 12 riders from the semis and the 2 riders from the reps. By the end of the race, there were only 6 riders left. Amazingly, nobody was able to take a lap on anybody during that race, which just goes to show how strong the whole group was.
The bike got a lot of attention, with just about everybody on the infield stopping to take a good long look at it.
R13.38: QCW Roller Race 11/15 - Trackies vs Messengers
This is one race of a four-part goldsprint series. I was invited down to try roller racing using the goldsprint seonsors. The track guys weren't allowed to drink until they were done competing, but this wasn't supposed to be an issue and the roller race was supposed to be the first event. I showed up early, and in typical goldsprint fashion nothing was set up. Come to think of it, I don't usually write goldsprint reports. Also come to think of it, I did a goldsprint at 318 cyclery a month or so ago. I came in second there.
So the deal was the track guys doing roller racing weren't allowed to drink until after they were done racing. This wasn't supposed to matter, since the roller race was supposed to happen first at 6pm. Instead, the goldsprint qualifiers happened first, which meant all us track guys were sitting around with our legs getting cold and being stone sober. This was compounded by the fact that the operators of the goldsprint setup seemed to have no clue what they were doing, with rollers constantly malfunctioning and one setup actually falling apart mid-ride. By the time 7:30 came around and I still hadn't raced, I got a beer figuring at this point if they had an issue with it, I just wouldn't bother racing. Most of the track guys figured we wouldn't actually end up racing anyhow.
Eventually, we did get our chance to shine. I clocked the fastest qualifying time of 20.332 seconds while racing against Andrew B. After this I raced against Andrew B again. And then again. And again. As much as I love racing against him on the rollers, I was expecting there to be some kind of bracket or round robin style competition. Half the time the sensors didn't even work and our rounds were nullified. I was getting really frustrated with this completely half-assed event, which I made well known.
Eventually they said the roller racing portion was over, which none of us understood, as the fastest guys didn't even race against each other, and we all only raced three times, if that. After doing some digging into the matter, it turns out they decided my qualifying time actually belonged to John Chambers, despite us qualifying in two completely different heats. Beyond that, I have not a clue what else happened. We decided among racers who was the fastest and who should get the prizes that were handed out.
After this, I packed up and left, but I can only imagine what kind of fiasco the rest of the night was.
Long story short, what a waste of my time.
R13.37: FCV Special 11/9 - "B" Field
I went up to Forest City Velodrome to get a feel for the track and try some racing as I was hoping to race in the CanAmQue challenge right after thanksgiving. We drove up friday, got an early start on Saturday with an open training session that I was able to get in on from nine to noon. Right after that was my Track 1 session, where I went through the whole "learn to ride the track" process, which was honestly pretty cool. I know some guys complain about having to do intro classes, but I find them fun to see how other tracks run their clinics. After this, we grabbed some lunch, and then I came back to do some training with the juniors. I was able to do some 1 lap standing starts, and then flying 1 laps. These definitely were smart to do, as going around those tight turns at high speed is something I've never experienced before. The G forces really slam you into the track.
For racing, I was placed in the B field, which seemed appropriate. Turns out I was a fair bit stronger than them, but that didn't really matter since I was told to just sit on the back and get comfortable. This was actually more annoying than I figured, since everybody was expecting to slot in behind me, so I had to tell them to come on in. Once I got on the front of the race, my big strategy was to go really hard so I could get more fast track time, since this is frowned on during those open training sessions. And that's basically how the races went.
The first race was a win and out, which didn't mesh well with the whole 'sit on the back' strategy, so I didn't really place at all.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236158
Next was a miss and out. Also not won from the back. I had a bad starting position, and floated up and down the track at the back looking for a hole, but I didn't find one I felt comfortable with, so I was the first one out. I think they pulled riders every three? laps.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236152
After this, I decided to try to mix it up a bit more. The third race was a 50 lap scratch, so it was a good test of what to expect for the CanAmQue. The start was much slower than the first two races, and I found myself too high up on the banking (I was on the pole line) going into turn one off the rail, which I tried to adjust for, but gravity took care of that for me, and I slid down and crashed out myself and a junior rider. They let me get back into the race, where I employed the go hard off the front strategy, which let me win the mid-race prime, after which I re-integrated, sat in and went off the front again with maybe 5 to go, which gave me the win.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236147
The final race for those not doing the feature Madison was called "last man standing", which is basically an australian pursuit. I started right on the banking going into turn three, which I figured would put me at a distinct disadvantage, but I put in a hard start and found myself not passed immediately. I think I only passed one rider when I heard that there were only three riders left. Soon we were down to two, with us basically on opposite ends of the track. The other rider ended up giving up and I came around to pass them for the win. Hooray!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236145
By this time my neck was killing me from looking through the turns. And my sit bones were hurting from being slammed into my saddle so much.
For those interested, I raced with an 86" gear, aka 50x16. Warming up and early training I did in a 48x17, which is a 76" gear.
I did another training session the next day and then headed home, with some mountain biking added in for good measure.
http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/results/132/results_-nov_9__2013.pdf
For racing, I was placed in the B field, which seemed appropriate. Turns out I was a fair bit stronger than them, but that didn't really matter since I was told to just sit on the back and get comfortable. This was actually more annoying than I figured, since everybody was expecting to slot in behind me, so I had to tell them to come on in. Once I got on the front of the race, my big strategy was to go really hard so I could get more fast track time, since this is frowned on during those open training sessions. And that's basically how the races went.
The first race was a win and out, which didn't mesh well with the whole 'sit on the back' strategy, so I didn't really place at all.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236158
Next was a miss and out. Also not won from the back. I had a bad starting position, and floated up and down the track at the back looking for a hole, but I didn't find one I felt comfortable with, so I was the first one out. I think they pulled riders every three? laps.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236152
After this, I decided to try to mix it up a bit more. The third race was a 50 lap scratch, so it was a good test of what to expect for the CanAmQue. The start was much slower than the first two races, and I found myself too high up on the banking (I was on the pole line) going into turn one off the rail, which I tried to adjust for, but gravity took care of that for me, and I slid down and crashed out myself and a junior rider. They let me get back into the race, where I employed the go hard off the front strategy, which let me win the mid-race prime, after which I re-integrated, sat in and went off the front again with maybe 5 to go, which gave me the win.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236147
The final race for those not doing the feature Madison was called "last man standing", which is basically an australian pursuit. I started right on the banking going into turn three, which I figured would put me at a distinct disadvantage, but I put in a hard start and found myself not passed immediately. I think I only passed one rider when I heard that there were only three riders left. Soon we were down to two, with us basically on opposite ends of the track. The other rider ended up giving up and I came around to pass them for the win. Hooray!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/403236145
By this time my neck was killing me from looking through the turns. And my sit bones were hurting from being slammed into my saddle so much.
For those interested, I raced with an 86" gear, aka 50x16. Warming up and early training I did in a 48x17, which is a 76" gear.
I did another training session the next day and then headed home, with some mountain biking added in for good measure.
http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/results/132/results_-nov_9__2013.pdf
2013.43-53: 9/16 - 12/1
After states, I basically stopped training. My riding was sporadic enough that individual weekly synopses aren't really worth writing.
One notable ride was the Kissena 150 on Nov 2nd. I only did the first 100 laps, which was plenty.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/399624251
There were a few more races that I'll write reports for.
One notable ride was the Kissena 150 on Nov 2nd. I only did the first 100 laps, which was plenty.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/399624251
There were a few more races that I'll write reports for.
R13.36: New York State Track Championships 9/15 - Cat 1/2/3
Well this was the big race of the year for me. It was originally scheduled for some time in August, but due to a lack of certain-level officials, Alan had to cancel. I stepped up to take over promoting after Eric R talked to some of the t-town officials who agreed to Sept 15. This was the only day in their schedule they were free so it'd have to work. Alan had assured me that promoting would in no way affect my racing, which I believed. Boy was I wrong. Don't promote your A races, people.
A short time before states, I realized that the schedule Alan set up for me was a little wonky. The first event was the team sprint, which meant that people had to quickly come up with teams on the fly without having any metrics for other riders' abilities. This momentary chaos did give us a chance to let the officials figure out how to use the fancy score keeping spreadsheet that Alan usually uses. The next moment of chaos came when we realized the team sprints were being done in order of sign up instead of the category start order that was posted on the schedule. This meant that Karl had no clue that we were up, and had to get ready quickly. Josh and I lined up and waited for Karl. Dave the official said he didn't have time to wait, so one of us would have to do two laps or forfeit the ride. I said sure, why not, but somehow I lost my balance and fell over right before the start, which gave Karl enough time to get over and ready for the start. Funny how those things happen. Karl and I knew our big team to beat was Kieran's kissena team, which we overheard we were able to do. They had a bit of a split up at the start that they didn't recover from. Our team integrated nicely and felt fast the whole way around. I tried looking for our opposite team while riding, which was a composite team of Al, Lucas, and Dan Lim. Turns out they just edged us out for the win. I wish I had known because I'm sure I could have dug a little deeper. Our final time was 1:26.60
Next up was the kilo. I rode hard for a 1:14.65, which was the third fastest time behind Kieran and Karl. Those of you who know standard Kissena times probably have realized by now that this year was screaming fast. I don't know if it was the timers, the weather, or what, but I haven't seen that many sub 1:15 kilos and well below 1:30 team sprints ever before.
The third race was a 25 lap points race. I tried to attack from the gun to see if I could either get some solid early points or preferably connect with another strong rider or two and take a lap. It didn't happen and I fizzled out. After the second sprint, a group of four got off the front who did eventually lap the field. I didn't really end up doing anything noteworthy, which put me in last place. This basically put me out of contention for states, which was fine by me because this is when shit really hit the fan promoting-wise.
The kilos, 500s, and team sprints took up over half the day, which meant we were running well behind schedule. This meant we might have to cut an event. We decided right away that flying 200s would have to go, as that would take another hour alone. This angered the sprinters, who are an emotional bunch. Then right after my buddy Randy the EMT left, there was a touch of wheels and Mike P went down cracking his collarbone. This put us further behind schedule which meant we'd have to scrap all but the championship rounds of sprints. This really angered the sprinters, most of which weren't even NYS residents.
So then I had to do a scratch race. By this point I had thrown my helmet down in complete disgust with how my event was going, which naturally cracked it. I still rode with it anyhow. In fact, I'm still riding with that helmet. Since I was basically out of contention and partially out of my mind, I spent the race attacking and venting my anger and frustration. Somehow despite completely wasting myself, I still came in fifth.
The final race for the 1/2/3 combined field was the match sprints. We decided to run them based on top kilo times, but since this excluded last year's state champ Al, who was very close in points to both Karl and Kieran, I opted out as the third seed. Kieran unsurprisingly beat out both of them to win the overall, but Karl and Al gave him hell, with Karl only being one omnium point down.
I then spent another hour or more sorting through results, handing out medals, cleaning the track, packing away gear, and vowing to never promote a race again.
And that was state championships. At least I didn't get stuck with second place again.
Results:
http://kissenavelodrome.info/results/2013/NewYorkStateChampionships.pdf
A short time before states, I realized that the schedule Alan set up for me was a little wonky. The first event was the team sprint, which meant that people had to quickly come up with teams on the fly without having any metrics for other riders' abilities. This momentary chaos did give us a chance to let the officials figure out how to use the fancy score keeping spreadsheet that Alan usually uses. The next moment of chaos came when we realized the team sprints were being done in order of sign up instead of the category start order that was posted on the schedule. This meant that Karl had no clue that we were up, and had to get ready quickly. Josh and I lined up and waited for Karl. Dave the official said he didn't have time to wait, so one of us would have to do two laps or forfeit the ride. I said sure, why not, but somehow I lost my balance and fell over right before the start, which gave Karl enough time to get over and ready for the start. Funny how those things happen. Karl and I knew our big team to beat was Kieran's kissena team, which we overheard we were able to do. They had a bit of a split up at the start that they didn't recover from. Our team integrated nicely and felt fast the whole way around. I tried looking for our opposite team while riding, which was a composite team of Al, Lucas, and Dan Lim. Turns out they just edged us out for the win. I wish I had known because I'm sure I could have dug a little deeper. Our final time was 1:26.60
Next up was the kilo. I rode hard for a 1:14.65, which was the third fastest time behind Kieran and Karl. Those of you who know standard Kissena times probably have realized by now that this year was screaming fast. I don't know if it was the timers, the weather, or what, but I haven't seen that many sub 1:15 kilos and well below 1:30 team sprints ever before.
The third race was a 25 lap points race. I tried to attack from the gun to see if I could either get some solid early points or preferably connect with another strong rider or two and take a lap. It didn't happen and I fizzled out. After the second sprint, a group of four got off the front who did eventually lap the field. I didn't really end up doing anything noteworthy, which put me in last place. This basically put me out of contention for states, which was fine by me because this is when shit really hit the fan promoting-wise.
The kilos, 500s, and team sprints took up over half the day, which meant we were running well behind schedule. This meant we might have to cut an event. We decided right away that flying 200s would have to go, as that would take another hour alone. This angered the sprinters, who are an emotional bunch. Then right after my buddy Randy the EMT left, there was a touch of wheels and Mike P went down cracking his collarbone. This put us further behind schedule which meant we'd have to scrap all but the championship rounds of sprints. This really angered the sprinters, most of which weren't even NYS residents.
So then I had to do a scratch race. By this point I had thrown my helmet down in complete disgust with how my event was going, which naturally cracked it. I still rode with it anyhow. In fact, I'm still riding with that helmet. Since I was basically out of contention and partially out of my mind, I spent the race attacking and venting my anger and frustration. Somehow despite completely wasting myself, I still came in fifth.
The final race for the 1/2/3 combined field was the match sprints. We decided to run them based on top kilo times, but since this excluded last year's state champ Al, who was very close in points to both Karl and Kieran, I opted out as the third seed. Kieran unsurprisingly beat out both of them to win the overall, but Karl and Al gave him hell, with Karl only being one omnium point down.
I then spent another hour or more sorting through results, handing out medals, cleaning the track, packing away gear, and vowing to never promote a race again.
And that was state championships. At least I didn't get stuck with second place again.
Results:
http://kissenavelodrome.info/results/2013/NewYorkStateChampionships.pdf
24.11.13
2013.42: 9/9 - 9/15 - Race!
Sunday: State Championships. See the race report.
Saturday: Rode around to the local beaches. Gconnect seems to tell me I used it as some kind of openers for states tomorrow. I'll believe it.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/375762455
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Friday: nada.
Thursday: work.
Wednesday: Rode to work and back. I almost got pummeled by an SUV that was pulling into the king's park hess station.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/374348713
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Tuesday: Did some sprints down at long beach.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373853233
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Monday: Rest day. Rested.
Saturday: Rode around to the local beaches. Gconnect seems to tell me I used it as some kind of openers for states tomorrow. I'll believe it.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/375762455
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Friday: nada.
Thursday: work.
Wednesday: Rode to work and back. I almost got pummeled by an SUV that was pulling into the king's park hess station.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/374348713
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Tuesday: Did some sprints down at long beach.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373853233
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Monday: Rest day. Rested.
R13.35: Fuji Super Tuesdays 9/3 - Stagiares & Women
This was the final Super Tuesday of the season at t-town. Karl came out with me, which was fun. Andy and Kieran also came, possibly with JP and others? I don't remember. What I do remember, though, was how eerily similar this night felt to the last tuesday of last season. The sunset had that late-season light, a warm-gold look. The weather had a cool, crisp feel. It felt like fall was right around the corner. I reflected with Andy about how similar and yet how very different the two nights were. It was a great way to reflect over the past season, the ups and downs and events that happened.
Alright, let's not get too misty-eyed here. Here's some warm-up data:
The first race was a 12 lap Tempo points race. I don't see the results for this posted, but from what I remember, I attacked early, picked up a bunch of points, and then sat in, came around the field and won more points. I think this gave me the win overall. I could just be full of myself, though.
Next up came a 25 lap points race, which the results call a 20 lap points. I'm starting to question the integrity of these results here. Oh well. I seem to remember winning this one, too, so I'll go with it. I don't really remember how I won, but who needs the details?
Finally for the combined stagiare/women field was another super sprint elimination. I remember this one well, as I made it past the elimation, then Pat Gellineau did an early solo attack as I hear is his signature style. The crowd was cheering for him the whole way. I attacked from the group and caught and passed him in the last half lap, if memory serves me correctly. Andy said he was pretty sure the crowd hated me for doing that. I have no respect, I guess.
Three wins in a row means I won the omnium. Back on top, baby! Yeah, whatever. The feature was a 30 lap scratch race. It would appear that I didn't survive all 30 laps. I think I stayed at the rear and kept getting gapped off. Who knows.
And with that, tuesdays ended.
Interesting tidbit, though. This was also a PA BAR event. Prior to this race, the standings winner was Will Pestcoe, who since the last BAR race started racing in the pro/am field. He realized I could win enough points to take the lead from him, so he tried his best to sell me on racing pros with him so he could keep his BAR win. I, being a jerk, did not. And I waited until after the racing to let him know that it didn't matter anyhow, since I'm not a PA resident. How did I become such a jerk?
EDIT: another interesting tid-bit. This is the night when Karl became worried about Kieran winning states. Something about placing well in the pro/am field in long endurance type races.
EDIT: another interesting tid-bit. This is the night when Karl became worried about Kieran winning states. Something about placing well in the pro/am field in long endurance type races.
Results here:
R13.34: 49th Annual Labor Day Track Meet 9/2 - Cat 1/2/3
This one will be quick.
It rained on and off.
The cat 1/2/3 field got in a three lap scratch.
I tried gearing really heavy since I had a feeling it would be the only race of the day.
Lucas and Karl beat me to the line.
It rained more. Racing was cancelled.
Karl and I got BBQ with Dan and Ronnie.
It was beautiful out afterward, so I went back to the track to do some laps.
...almost reads like poetry.
It rained on and off.
The cat 1/2/3 field got in a three lap scratch.
I tried gearing really heavy since I had a feeling it would be the only race of the day.
Lucas and Karl beat me to the line.
It rained more. Racing was cancelled.
Karl and I got BBQ with Dan and Ronnie.
It was beautiful out afterward, so I went back to the track to do some laps.
...almost reads like poetry.
2013.41: 9/2 - 9/8
Sunday: Karl, Josh, and I got together to do some team sprint training. I think I was the weakest link today. I don't know if my gear was too big or what, but I was usually the one creating a gap. Also, it's hard to do team sprints from a rolling start.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373436282
Saturday: Went to the track to do some flying 400s and flying 800s. The usual tracky bullshit.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373436303
Friday: I rode to work and back again. You can definitely tell the days are getting shorter. I don't like it one bit.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/371614669
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Thursday: Worky-work
Wednesday: Nada.
Tuesday: T-town. See race report.
Monday: Labor Day track meet. See race report.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373436282
Saturday: Went to the track to do some flying 400s and flying 800s. The usual tracky bullshit.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/373436303
Friday: I rode to work and back again. You can definitely tell the days are getting shorter. I don't like it one bit.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/371614669
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Thursday: Worky-work
Wednesday: Nada.
Tuesday: T-town. See race report.
Monday: Labor Day track meet. See race report.
R13.33: Kissena Twilight Series 8/28 - Cat 3/4
Well with this report comes the last twilight race of the season. I don't really remember what happened, as usual, but the results seem to say I did pretty well.
The first race was a miss and out. I don't remember this at all, but apparently I won it. I feel like I should have remembered something like that. Shrug.
Next was a points race. I feel like it was 20 laps, in preparation for States. The results say I won again. That can't be right.
Finally, it seems that we had a scratch race of such-and-such number of laps. I came in fifth on this one, which sounds much more believable.
I came in first in the omnium. Way to finish the season strong!
EDIT: this night is coming back to me slowly. Karl was there to race, but he wasn't really feeling it for some reason. I think the main reason why he came was to get some time in on his pursuit setup.
Results:
http://kissenavelodrome.info/results/2013/Kissena13TwilightSeriesWeek18.pdf
The first race was a miss and out. I don't remember this at all, but apparently I won it. I feel like I should have remembered something like that. Shrug.
Next was a points race. I feel like it was 20 laps, in preparation for States. The results say I won again. That can't be right.
Finally, it seems that we had a scratch race of such-and-such number of laps. I came in fifth on this one, which sounds much more believable.
I came in first in the omnium. Way to finish the season strong!
EDIT: this night is coming back to me slowly. Karl was there to race, but he wasn't really feeling it for some reason. I think the main reason why he came was to get some time in on his pursuit setup.
Results:
http://kissenavelodrome.info/results/2013/Kissena13TwilightSeriesWeek18.pdf
R13.32: Fuji Super Tuesdays 8/27 - Stagiares
Once again bikes were raced at T-town. Once again the first race was a 20 lap points race. Which means once again, I don't remember a single detail about it. The results sheet seems to say I did well, though, with a second place finish. Good job, me.
Here's the warm-up
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064812
And here's the 20 lap points
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064736
The second race was a super sprint elimination. If memory serves me well, it went down to five riders, then a five lap scratch. I made the selection and another rider and myself set a painfully slow pace on the front until someone attacked, which I think was Pat Gellineau. The results tell me I came in second.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064721
The final Stagiare race was a miss and out. That's right, I remember this week. The week of many elimination style races. That's as much as I remember about it. The results tell me I missed and I got out.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064702
I wonder if this was the week that Marty told me I didn't look so good out there. I just don't remember anymore. I'm starting to think it was. I also think Rose came with me this week.
EDIT: In fact both of these were true statements! Hooray!
Regardless, I came in third overall. I didn't race the feature, which was a madison.
Results:
http://www.thevelodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fuji-8.27.13.pdf
Here's the warm-up
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064812
And here's the 20 lap points
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064736
The second race was a super sprint elimination. If memory serves me well, it went down to five riders, then a five lap scratch. I made the selection and another rider and myself set a painfully slow pace on the front until someone attacked, which I think was Pat Gellineau. The results tell me I came in second.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064721
The final Stagiare race was a miss and out. That's right, I remember this week. The week of many elimination style races. That's as much as I remember about it. The results tell me I missed and I got out.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064702
I wonder if this was the week that Marty told me I didn't look so good out there. I just don't remember anymore. I'm starting to think it was. I also think Rose came with me this week.
EDIT: In fact both of these were true statements! Hooray!
Regardless, I came in third overall. I didn't race the feature, which was a madison.
Results:
http://www.thevelodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fuji-8.27.13.pdf
2013.40: 8/26 - 9/1
Sunday: did a beach run with dan and lisa. we also looked for a shed that used to exist. it sure doesn't exist anymore.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064690
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Saturday: still nada.
Friday: nada.
Thursday: work.
Wednesday: K-town. See race report.
Tuesday: T-town. See race report.
Monday: nada.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369064690
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Saturday: still nada.
Friday: nada.
Thursday: work.
Wednesday: K-town. See race report.
Tuesday: T-town. See race report.
Monday: nada.
R13.31: GSVA Keirin Cup 8/21 - Cat 1/2/3
A decent-sized group of NY racers descended upon the garden state velodrome to bring havoc and destruction upon the unfortunate citizens of Wall, NJ. I headed down by myself with my swan in tow, meeting up with team kissena, which was comprised of Kieran, Andy and Josh, and JoshS. The format was a three-round keirin omnium.
I did some not-too-motivated warming up, which isn't a good idea at GSVA, because the track rides a lot differently at speed than any other track i've been on. One day I'll do a full scientific inquiry into the matter with an engineering survey and everything, but until that time I'll just accept the fact that it's hard to stay low on the track at speed. Or maybe I should do more crit racing to get used to actually having to apply steering input into turns.
This phenomenon came back to me rather abruptly in the first race when I tried to attack and instead just started moving uptrack instead, much to the anger of the riders behind me. I seem to remember this being the round where Andy pipped me at the line for 5th place. That's what I get for sitting up and not looking around.
The next round consisted of me not winning things either. What did happen, though, was this hot shit local yokel started yelling at Andy for 'chopping his wheel'. What really happened, though, is andy came around him. He started yelling at Andy, though, who seemed more confused than anything, but it pissed me off, so I dug right into him. This guy spent every moment off the bike talking as loud as possible about how fast he was, how tough t-town keirins are, the impressive size and girth of his dick and how he controls the weather with his mind. Well, that's my guess as to what he was talking about, because I tried to zone him out as best I could. It's kind of like trying to ignore the car alarm that's been going off outside for the past hour. Long story short, he yelled at Andy, i yelled at him, he threatened to beat me up, i got off my bike ready for blows and he scurried away. I told Sam that this nutjob seemed to be interested in trying to fight anybody from NY for some reason, he said some words to him and the guy packed up his shit and left. And there was peace and quiet for the rest of the night.
The final round involved some bikes and stuff. I tried for a long attack, but it would seem keirins aren't my specialty.
In the end I came in third place somehow, behind Kieran the keirin killer, and JoshS the hard-to-come-up-with-a-nickname-on-the-spot guy. Yeah, you can tell this race report is being written on four hours of sleep. Deal with it.
Afterward, I put my nice ratcheting 15mm wrench on the roof of my car, drove off, and gorged myself on food with the other guys at the diner. Oh, hey, that reminds me, Geoff of teamtomez instagram fame was there, too.
18.11.13
R13.30: Fuji Super Tuesdays 8/20 - Stagiares
As can be expected writing this so late, I don't really remember much of what happened, but let's see what we can glean from the results sheet. It looks like this is the week that Brean showed up.
Well, to start I warmed up. Here's my warm up:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472957
The first race was a 20 lap points race. Brean won this guy pretty handily. He would go for an early attack and hold it across the line. I took the second place points.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472942
Next was a miss and out. I was able to stay in until the 5th place elimination.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472929
Finally for the Stagiares was a 10 lap snowball. I managed 33 points, which I think was by going off the front near the middle of the race and holding it until near the end. Something along those lines. It was enough for the win.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472905
The Feature race this week was a 10km final. I played the roll of pack fodder, possibly dropping out. One of these races I got gapped too many times.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472888
I ended up in first for the Stagiares omnium. Brean was in 5th. Good job, everybody!
EDIT: I also realize this is the week that Marty came over and invited me to race Friday night. Naturally, I felt gleeful like a little school girl, and then told him I'd have to check with work. I wasn't able to get off from work. Boo.
Results:
http://www.thevelodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fuji-8.20.13.pdf
Well, to start I warmed up. Here's my warm up:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472957
The first race was a 20 lap points race. Brean won this guy pretty handily. He would go for an early attack and hold it across the line. I took the second place points.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472942
Next was a miss and out. I was able to stay in until the 5th place elimination.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472929
Finally for the Stagiares was a 10 lap snowball. I managed 33 points, which I think was by going off the front near the middle of the race and holding it until near the end. Something along those lines. It was enough for the win.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472905
The Feature race this week was a 10km final. I played the roll of pack fodder, possibly dropping out. One of these races I got gapped too many times.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472888
I ended up in first for the Stagiares omnium. Brean was in 5th. Good job, everybody!
EDIT: I also realize this is the week that Marty came over and invited me to race Friday night. Naturally, I felt gleeful like a little school girl, and then told him I'd have to check with work. I wasn't able to get off from work. Boo.
Results:
http://www.thevelodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fuji-8.20.13.pdf
2013.39: 8/19 - 8/25
Sunday: Dan and I did a nice long road ride. We stopped in riverhead for some bbq and then a few miles up the road we stopped to drink some bears in the river. now that's a ride.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/365275460
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Saturday: Dan and I cracked out the mountain bikes today. we cut the loop a little short from a lack of light.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472807
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Friday: another attempt at sprints. i saw lisa riding the opposite direction today. and i saw some deer.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472866
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Thursday: worky work.
Wednesday: I don't see my name on the results for k-town this week, so I either didn't race or (equally likely) i really sucked.
Tuesday: T-town. see race report.
Monday: nada.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/365275460
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Saturday: Dan and I cracked out the mountain bikes today. we cut the loop a little short from a lack of light.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472807
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Friday: another attempt at sprints. i saw lisa riding the opposite direction today. and i saw some deer.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/364472866
NP/IF/TSS: N/A
Thursday: worky work.
Wednesday: I don't see my name on the results for k-town this week, so I either didn't race or (equally likely) i really sucked.
Tuesday: T-town. see race report.
Monday: nada.
R13.29: Kissena Omnium 8/17
This was the Kissena Omnium, aka Kissena International Omnium. Formerly an event put on by Joe B, this year it was run by Alan. I won't lie, I was feeling pretty confident in winning this. Fortunately, kieran was kind enough to kick my ass.
I rode the swan, which was as supple as ever, but without being flexy. you know, if i remember correctly, Dan came out to race with me.
The first event was a flying 200. I think I went with a 14t in the rear. I probably just put my disc wheel on. I had the second fastest time with a 12.42. I made sure to gloat over Josh for beating him by 1/100.
Next was a 20 lap points race. It looks like I came in third, third, fourth and third. This put me in third place. I remember thinking that kieran would drop back at some point since he's a big sprinter type. Yeah, not so much. He beat me in almost all the sprints. my spirits were crushed.
Then we had an elimination. This is where I really screwed up. I think I got boxed in by either kieran or dan lim. maybe both. very possibly neither. Regardless, I was the third one out, which was a 7th place.
After this was a scratch race. How long? who knows. I wanna say maybe 15 laps? I seem to have come in second. How on earth could I have done that well? The answer is lost to time.
The final event was an 800m TT. I think I used the black track bike for this one. The reason was I was going to use my dual discs, but Karl the Official told me that was probably a dumb idea, so I switched back. My guess is I did this with a 48x14. I had the fastest time with 1:00.05. Good job me.
The points were tallied and the omnium results were as such: Kieran won, I came in second, Josh in third. This is when I started to worry about Kieran beating me at states. (ooo foreshadowing!)
Dan came in 6th overall, with a very respectable flying 200 time. We'll have to work on the endurance events.
Anything else noteworthy? Shrug.
Results:
http://kissenavelodrome.info/results/2013/KissenaOmnium13.pdf
I rode the swan, which was as supple as ever, but without being flexy. you know, if i remember correctly, Dan came out to race with me.
The first event was a flying 200. I think I went with a 14t in the rear. I probably just put my disc wheel on. I had the second fastest time with a 12.42. I made sure to gloat over Josh for beating him by 1/100.
Next was a 20 lap points race. It looks like I came in third, third, fourth and third. This put me in third place. I remember thinking that kieran would drop back at some point since he's a big sprinter type. Yeah, not so much. He beat me in almost all the sprints. my spirits were crushed.
Then we had an elimination. This is where I really screwed up. I think I got boxed in by either kieran or dan lim. maybe both. very possibly neither. Regardless, I was the third one out, which was a 7th place.
After this was a scratch race. How long? who knows. I wanna say maybe 15 laps? I seem to have come in second. How on earth could I have done that well? The answer is lost to time.
The final event was an 800m TT. I think I used the black track bike for this one. The reason was I was going to use my dual discs, but Karl the Official told me that was probably a dumb idea, so I switched back. My guess is I did this with a 48x14. I had the fastest time with 1:00.05. Good job me.
The points were tallied and the omnium results were as such: Kieran won, I came in second, Josh in third. This is when I started to worry about Kieran beating me at states. (ooo foreshadowing!)
Dan came in 6th overall, with a very respectable flying 200 time. We'll have to work on the endurance events.
Anything else noteworthy? Shrug.
Results:
http://kissenavelodrome.info/results/2013/KissenaOmnium13.pdf
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