Ready for summer?

I had been looking for ways to get out and give my legs and lungs some trial by fire as I start on the comeback trail. The month without really intense efforts has taken its toll and I do not want to embarrass myself too much when I line up for a race. And that will be soon: EBC crit is just 5 days away! Then Alicat mentioned she was racing on Sunday (yesterday) which led me to some head scratching since there was nothing on the NCNCA Road calendar for that date. Then it hit me: yesterday, May 4th, was the third in the ‘Get Ready for Summer’ fundraiser race series at Hellyer Velodrome. A few circles of the track at max heart rate should be a good test, right?

I refitted the Fuji track bike to my proportions (The Wife has been using it while I was laid up) and loaded it, the popup, an extra wheel, and far too many tools into the Toaster and drove south to the track. There was a good crowd, probably 45 or so racers, show up to race for glory or at least a few upgrade points. I threw down my $20 and signed up for the ‘C’ group; not an easy group by any stretch with Sabine, Soni, Beth, Hanan, Jennie, PenVelo Ray, Justin, Ileana, and a collection of the BEER team signed up in that field.

I left the gearing with what The Wife had been using (about 84″) since the winds were roaring at times and I did not want to get caught pushing a big gear into the wind. But I did opt to put the Nimble tri-spoke wheel on the front. Out onto the track for a warmup and a reminder that a wheel with a lot of surface area facing sideways can be a problem. The winds were shifting around, but for a while there was a good crosswind in turns 3 and 4 and that tri-spoke was catching it well. I almost reverted back to the standard 32-spoke low profile wheel but in the end the winds tamed a bit and I got used to handling it. It might not have made me any faster, but at least I looked a bit more impressive.

Keirin: I drew the third heat in the ‘C’ group, then drew 7th position, out of 7, at the line. That put me at the rail and I mused on what I had heard about strategies while trying to eavesdrop on what Mark A. was telling Jennie, who was lined up to my left. The group rode rather conservatively while on the motor; I got 4th wheel and no one tried to come past until just before Peter pulled off. From that point on it was a blur; all I can remember was that I, rather foolishly, allowed myself to get boxed in on the inside and still there were folks who kept coming down into me. I had fourth coming into the last 25m or so, then someone came down into me, again, and I backed off a bit as we came to the line. I need to work on getting better position, establishing it, then getting aggressive (but not too much) when folks try to take my space. Since I was not in the first 4 in the heat I had plenty of time to play holder during the remaining Keirin heats.

Scratch race: Or why I owe Sabine a big apology. Our group of 19 had a short race, just 5K, so I knew that the attacks would start early. The first attack started on the back stretch of the first lap, a bit too early in my opinion, so I took charge and pulled the pack up to the attackers. There were not any serious attempts for the next couple or three laps but then a small group got away. Not sure of everyone in the group but I knew that my former TUA (Team Unattached) mate Beth was included. A lot of chasing ensued but we were not really eating into their lead. Then another group got away, and again I was not sure all the riders in that break but could see that Soni was included;  and Soni has a small stuffed bunny peering out from under her saddle.  That stuffed bunny became my rabbit as I gave chase. I was so focused on the target, and the fact that I was closing in, that I failed to look back. Then I heard ‘pull up’, so I did, and Sabine and one other rider shot past; I had apparently been blocking their chase. Sorry. If I had known we could have joined forces. As it was I was a bit spent from the chase so I just soft-pedaled a bit behind the pair until the last 200m and then tried to sprint past them for the line. Too little, too late, and who cares since we were far enough back that the finish was just practice.

Miss-n-Out: We lined up with 20 riders and I wanted to try to be top 6, at least. I got 4th wheel from the whistle and no one was moving up as we approached the line on the first 3 laps and I got complacent. On about the 4th lap there was a mass movement forward as we approached the line and I realized I was boxed in with no place to go if I needed to in order to survive.  Fortunately there were still folks behind me and it was not my number that got called.   So I jumped, took the lead, and pushed the pace up a tad. And no one contested that decision for a few laps. But when they did it was a majority vote as all but one shot rider past me as we approached the line. I had pulled the train for a while, the survivors were voting me off the island, and I could not find the dang immunity idol (extra gas in the legs) to counter the vote. I believe I was 8th, not as good as I wanted, but I did give it the old college try.

Points Race: One last attempt to redeem myself. Another short race, just 5K with points every 5 laps. I made myself content with staying mid-pack through the first 3 laps of each 5 lap set, then would go over the top towards the front on the 4th lap and try to hang through the sprint lap. But my darn puny quads were no match for the more accomplished sprinters. I was about 6th or 7th on each sprint.

No results, but who cares. It was a lot of fun, and a good test of the body and mind in race situations. Funniest moment of the day was when Sabine was offering me as a sacrifice entrant into the ‘A’ group’s points race. Right! I could see the betting line: how many meters before I got lapped?