Wicked Fun at the Track

I love chariot races. Way too much fun. A chariot race is a two lap race from a standing start. You drawn numbers to find your starting spot, the lower the number the closer to the center of the track. Sprint rule apply, so if you're in the sprinter's lane, anyone wanting to pass you has to come around the long way. I was probably riding a ridiculously large gear for this race(52x15, or about 93.5 gear inches), but being able to get that thing going from a standing start is one of my strong points.

I won the first heat and Andy Kruse won his heat. In the final, I drew 2 and Andy drew 4, so he was two up track from me. I figured I was going to just jump as hard as I could and hope he'd jump on. Sure enough, I was quickly a couple of bike lengths up on the person who drew 1 and I was in the lane. Halfway through turn one, I hear Andy yell "Wheel!" and I knew he was on. I just buried it from there. Worked like a charm. Coming into turn 3 on the second lap, out popped Andy and powered his way to the finish.

Now, up until this point, I had seriously considered making the 31st my last track day in 2006. I'm starting to get tired of being focused (on everything, food, schedule, recovery) and riding hard. I mean, I LOVE to ride fast, but at some point you start to get a little worn out. But now there's no way I'm going to stop with only 2 weeks of racing left. If I do, I'll regret it all winter. Especially after what happened next.

The last race of the night was a 50 lap scratch race. Some guys don't like scratch races, but I kind of enjoy them. It gives you a chance to try stuff and see what happens without throwing the whole race because you screw up every points sprint. I also like a scratch race because you can hammer down and TT and the field has less incentive to catch you until it's too late.

Andy and I talked before we started. He had won the first and second events of the evening (see above) and only need to keep Chris Smith from winning in order to win the omnium for the night. We figured I could take a flyer with someone and try to lap the field. About 10 laps in, I jumped on Mike Lyner's wheel, and all of a sudden, we were 50 meters out. Then we were 100. Before I knew it, we had half a lap. With some dogged blocking by Andy, we managed to pick up the lap by 27 to go. Now I just had to hang on! This was much easier said than done, as there were a couple of attacks, but I stuck to Chris like glue and held on. With a kilo to go, Skibby was setting the pace in the lane. For some reason I can't fathom, I thought he would pull up with 2 or less to go. Of course, this didn't happen. Mike Lyner is his team mate, and with about 2 to go, Mike came up along side me and I knew I was done. He had me trapped and no way I could get out and around him in time. Oh, well. 2nd place was totally awesome in my 3rd week as a Cat 3. Plus I got $30.00 out of the deal. That covers my last two weeks of racing. Now I have no excuses.

I will say I'm in no big hurry to move up to Cat 2 on the track. I know it's inevitable, as I will be training and riding to win next year, and with a full season of racing, even with 3rd or 4th place omnium finishes, I'll have the points to upgrade. Then I'll be pack fodder. Or I won't. There are so many different types of races that there will be events where I will do alright. Chariots, Handicaps, etc. play to my strong suit. Keirin should be interesting. And I'll have a ton more experience by then. Plus, to paraphrase another 35+ rider, I'll be on the podium if the right people show up.