Track Racing: Outdoor Edition

Hey There. The entries are definitely getting more and more spaced out as the season winds down...that's been a common theme here, hasn't it? "THE END OF THE SEASON". With the bike racing game, there isn't really a finite "end". It's up to the rider to decide when to stop racing, and look to the offseason and beyond. Me? I'm pretty sure the body was ready to take a break after superweek, but hey. This is socal. There are too many races to do. Too many fast group rides to mess around in, and so on.

So this weekend had scores of options. Ontario 120 degree crit today (which I'm not doing...and no one else is), The San Ardo Road Race (wayyy up north), and the cheapest and most local option: track racing at Encino Velodrome. Times are a bit tough in the checking account, and I think i've maxxxed out the race reimbursements for the year 10-fold, so the $15 track race would be it.

Warm Up

Track racing. It's great. Each time I'm out there, I shoot the schise with a bunch of 'core track dudes. Today was no different: "Aram, you gotta do this, then this, and jump there, and you can win the [insert event name here]." I'm a roadie, and as long as I can go uphill at a reasonable clip or put in a nice sprint after a 4 hour RR, that's where my heart will be. So all these track strategies people talk about...ALL of them would be trumped so nicely if one guy has good legs and a bit of a killer instinct. You can attack the field, do a 2 minute TT, and it's game over. 'Core trackies don't play that game, they got *strategy*, and that's their main competitive advantage against the road guys out on the oval. Unfortunately for me, the days of "good legs and killer instincts" [one is dependent on the other] are way behind me. I still tried, though.

Start of the Scratch Race. Nice T-Shirt to my right patronizing good ol' GW

Encino Velodrome (250m)

#1: 10 lap scratch race
It's a ten lap race. 3 minutes! There really can't be much to report on. Oh, we had a really really small field. Top 5's all the way! Oh, and I upgraded finally, so got to race with the 1/2/3. So in this race: with 7 laps to go, I attacked. Got a gap, held it. With 2 to go, a guy bridged up. I was pretty cooked, but still led out the sprint from the bell to the line. Lost, got second.

#2: Win And Out
First time doing this even. It goes like this: 8 laps. The winner after 8 is out of the race, he wins. But everyone still left has to do one more lap for 2nd, then one more for 3, and so on and so forth. After the first race, I identified myself as the "foolish road guy", so I was marked more closely. This race hurt. Again, I attacked with 3 to go. Got a nice gap, but on guy timed it right and pipped me for the win. It was really close, total bummer. I was exhausted, but had to keep riding! Nope, didn't get second either. Finished 3rd.

#3: Miss and Out
I wanted to win this one. Didn't happen. Got 2nd again. One of the riders was clearly stronger than everyone else. It came down to me and him, and he beat me easily.

#4: Derby
I picked a number out of a hat. 6 laps, I drew position 2. It's basically a scratch race but without a neutral lap. I finished 4th. 6 laps! It was over before I even started breathing. Toooo short.

#5: 30 lap points
I felt really poorly in this one. Gah. I skipped a sprint, in order to attack, maybe lap the field, but gahh, the legs just reallly weren't there. I rolled around like a dead man, and finished 3rd or 4th.

I think that's all the races. I ended up 3rd in the omnium somehow, and got TWO boxes of lara bars. Tasty, for sure.

And let me give this a shot: