First race as a cat 3

Friday was my first race as a Cat 3.  I raced in the Cat 1-3 field before but did officially have my upgrade yet.  On Monday I got word that I wasn't going to be upgraded.  Then, on Tuesday the decision was reversed and I got the upgrade after all!  Hooray!  This means I get to race every Friday with the Women but if I want to race on Wednesday it has to be with one of the Men's fields. 

This is the view from the bridge as we drove out.

 

I was not recovered from Wednesday's sprints so last night I felt like I was slogging through the races.  They were still fun though.  On the first race, the Tempo race, I went to make a move early on and felt my leg start to cramp.  I had taken electrolytes and drank water but I think I was still dehydrated.  I took it easy for 5 laps or so and then took a sprint, edging out a tired Amara.  When I swung uptrack to get back in the field on the back side I saw I still had a gap.  I should have gone for at least another lap.  I got 5th in that race. 

Next was the miss and out.  I rode on the outside in the wind and that worked great at the beginning but as riders disappeared I should have started being more aggressive about moving up.  I "missed" with 6 riders left so I got 6th. 

The last race was the points race.  I was so tired.  I sat through the first sprint and then pulled Karen into position for the second which she won.  Then I attacked but it wasn't a very explosive attack.  I had several people tell me afterwards that I need to come down the banking and go right for the sprinter's lane.  I am paranoid about cutting people off so I've been being way too conservative with my line of attack.  I got caught by the group and my teammate, Karen went for the counter attack.  We were both pretty tired from Wednesday so the group was able to catch us but it was fun to be trying out team tactics.

After the race we reviewed everything with out teammate Annette who raced in the men's cat 3 race.  She gave us some good feedback and ideas to try for next time.

Here is a link to one of Amara's photos of the race.  I love seeing the grimaces of the riders behind me!

http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2008/pages/94AD9364mva6.htm

Marymoor Velodrome Sprint Mania!

Last night was Sprint Mania at the track. Three riders at a time, two lap races, all out fun. They seeded us from flying 200 times with men and women mixed together. My heat was all guys except for me. I was worried that I would not be able to match the guys' jump but it turned out that we were a pretty well matched heat.

The fun of Sprint Mania is not just sprinting yourself but also watching everybody else race and trying to learn from others. I found the best thing to do is to hang out near Bilko. He was a wealth of information and insight. We'd be watching a sprint heat and the riders would be riding slow along the rail and Bilko would start yelling at the top of his lungs "GO NOW! GO NOW! THE DOOR IS OPEN!" Bilko was in favor of going on the attack when you could get the jump on your competition. If you are a well matched heat and you get two bike lengths you have a good chance of holding it. However if someone gets the jump on you, you waste any advantage. Bilko said it was best to be up high on the track or down low but not in the middle. Of course I'm oversimplifying things a bit but I could really see the truth in what he was saying when I watched the heats.

Each group of four did four races but one person sat out each time so everybody got in three sprints. I really wanted to try a "fake" move. As we lined up to race one of the guys said "watch out for her, she's sneaky". We rolled around the first corner and I pretended to go for it but was careful not to get in the sprinter's lane. The guys took the bait and dove for the lane, going hard. I hopped on the wheel but didn't manage to come around before the line. On the final turn though one of the guys came out of his pedals, or that is what I thought happened when I saw him riding one-legged. But actually his whole pedal came off and was stuck to his shoe. I have never seen that happen before! Luckily he was able to control the bike to safety and I gave him lots of room. I decided after that sprint that I had not been totally committed to coming around so one of my goals was to really throw down the hammer from corner three to the finish.

On the second sprint I rode high on the rail. When I felt I had an advantage I went for it. 500 meters all out sprint for the line. I got a good gap but they caught me right before the line. The last time we rode around both of the guys were watching me. This was so backwards of what I expected. I thought they would be the aggressors! I kept them guessing until turn two on the last lap. I dove down and gunned it. It was a close finish and I got second. It was thrilling!

Disco Hubs - Ready to Roll

I decided to switch the wheels between my commuter fixie and my track bike. The fixie had some custom built wheels from Larry at Perfect Wheels and they ride really nice. My track wheels are the wheels that came with the bike.

My custom wheels have disco hubs which sparkle when light hits them but they were covered with a thick layer of gunk from commuting every day for two years without washing the bike. I went to take off the gear and it was totally stuck. I went over to Gregg's to have them remove it and they got it off with the help of the vice. The mechanic was handing me the wheel back and some of the dirt came off. "Wow, it sprarkles!" - it was like finding pirate treasure.

Marymoor Velodrome Friday Racing in the Sunshine

Last night my teammate Karen and I raced for the Women's 1,2,3 field. I'm still not a 3 but the officials are letting me race.

Karen did awesome and won about $60! Woohoo! There was a great crowd with people lined up all the way across the rail to watch. It was very cool. Watching track races is fun because you can see the entire race - not just a corner or a finish. So you get the whole development.

Karen got a prime in the first race (10 lap scratch) for $10. I came up behind her and helped block in another rider who was coming up from behind.

Then we had a two lap sprint which Karen dominated. It was amazing to watch. I was going to attack early in my race but one of the other riders saw me and moved up track to stop me. I was going to go on the next banking but Mary got the jump from below when the riders were watching me - then I couldn't catch her wheel. The sprint tactics are tricky.

In the final race, the 4x5 points (4 sprints every five laps 4 places deep) we decided that I would go on the attack to make the other riders work. I was supposed to wait until the end of the race but I was too excited and couldn't pass up a good opportunity. I used my "casual" attack where you ramp it up while looking relaxed and then when it's too late for others to respond you punch it. I went on lap 3 thinking the sprint was on the 4th lap. But it was on the 5th lap so I did a couple of laps off the front but held on to take the points for the lap. The next sprint I rested but on sprint #3 I went on the attack again. I gaped the field and made them chase again but got swallowed up before the sprint. For the last sprint I went to the front, ahead of Karen, and pulled as hard as I could. Karen came around and wanted to lead me out for the finish but my legs were dead. Overall I think Karen got 3rd in the omnium and I think I got 7th. I can't wait to go out again.

Next Wednesday is Sprint Mania which starts at 7:30. The races are only two laps long so there will be lots of action.

Marymoor Velodrome - More Cat 4

I thought I was going to be upgraded to cat 3 but I still haven't gotten official approval or denial. So I'm in category limbo. Last night I raced with the cat 4 women again in case they hold me to the 20 pts requirement. I emailed out a plea to get more women to race and it seemed to help (either that or the nicer weather); we had nine women show up for the cat 4's.

The first race was an unknown distance. I was watching Kari and saw her make a move and we were briefly off the front together. It was enough to string out the field. A little later I went on an exploratory attack. I went at about 75% effort to see if anyone would bridge up and share the load. No one did at first and I was off the front for about 3 laps. Then Laura of Wines came by and I couldn't catch her wheel. I should have taken more looks over my shoulder to see that coming. Then they rang the bell for the last lap and I had to really work to hold off the pack. As I came up the final stretch I heard "dig dig!" So I knew someone was right there. I put my head down and hammered for the line and just held off Kari for 2nd.

The next race I decided to mark Laura since she had more points than me. I waited until she had just pulled for three laps and then I went on the attack. She was able to join me and we traded pulls. I knew this would help wear her down so it was good. Becky bridged up to us and on the final lap I found myself in front. I went at about 80% and watched the shadows of the riders behind as we went around corner two. I saw Laura open the sprint and I went. I grabbed her wheel and came around but got beat by Cammie coming around me at the line.

The next race Cammie offered to help me out since she was going to be gone for most of the summer. That was very cool! She put me right into position for the sprints on the 4x4 points race. I won 3 out of 4 sprints which was good enough to win the Omnium for the night and give me 5 more upgrade points!

Sprinting

Mark and I rode over to Golden Gardens for sprint practice but it was too hectic to sprint on the road. We stopped to watch the sail boats for a bit though. Then we came back home and discovered an awesome sprinting road a block from our house. New pavement, very few cars, no kids & dogs. It was a good quality session.

Graduation - Marymoor Velodrome Friday 13th

It was graduation night for some of the high school racers at the track including Grant, Ian, and Ryan so Grant's mom brought Pizzas to the track to celebrate. Hmmm Ted looks like he could eat a whole pizza!
It was graduation from the 4's to the 3's for me! This is to be confirmed by an official upgrade but when I showed up to race with the men as a cat 4 it turned out that there were not enough cat 1,2,3 women. So the officials told me to race with the women! Hooray!

My first race was a point-a-lap. I did my usual strategy of going for the second lap and got way off the front. I was so excited I forgot to move down into the sprinters lane until halfway through the next lap. I took two laps but may have gone for three if I had been smarter. I was so excited to be off the front in my first race. The next race was the miss-in-out which I'd never done before. I was worried about that one. Since I thought I was going to be in the Men's race I had been chatting with Amara about strategy for the miss-in-out. Amara told me what her strategy was and that helped me out. I ended up 4th. It was a fun race and the relaxed pace with a last minute sprint seemed to suit my style of racing. The last race was a 20 lap scratch with primes. I thought there would be one prime at the middle so I was saving up. But they called it at lap 8 - and then at 9 - and then at 10. That got things moving. I went for the second prime ($10) but was edged out by the Canadian, Rachel. Maybe it will help pay for gas. I think I ended up 4th in that race too. I was pleased overall.

Mark did a chariot race again but this time no super push at the start (see Wednesday's post). He won his preliminary heat and got second overall in the final heat. Nice. (sorry about the bad camera handling at the beginning of the video)



After the race I asked Phil about upgrading and he said it was fine but I needed to remember to ride below the blue line when attacking. Ooops, rookie rider blunder.

AE bike party / Fun at the Track

I went to the Architects/Engineers bike to work lunch at SVR. It was fun. There were bike commuters from several firms from around town. The room they had for the lunch was packed. I guess there was a challenge last year between some of the firms and they thought they'd do it again this year. They decided to do a press release in case anybody else wanted to participate and they got 22 responses! They had awards for the most over all miles, highest participations, and some kind of weighted category that was weighted so that SVR happened to win. :)
One of the commuters who commuted almost 1000 miles by himself during May told us a story of an encounter with a bear on the trail!

I looked around a saw a few people I knew and one of them was Phil, the bike ref from the track. He works at SvR and he showed me some photos of his racing days at his desk. In one of the photos his is giving this other guy a lead-out. This picture is signed "Phil, thanks for the lead out! Greg Lemond" I was amazed. I figured he had a racing history but I wouldn't have guessed. As a transportation engineer Phil does planing for development of bike ways - very cool!

I rode out to the track after work and did the cat 4 women's race. I had Mark's wheels last week and I think they made a difference because I felt sluggish in comparison this week. I was happy to get second but it was a lot of work. Beth from Byrnes came out to race and won pretty easily. I tried to chase her down but couldn't match the speed. On the point-a-lap she broke away and took all of the points and I used up my legs trying to chase and then had a hard time on the final sprint. The win and out was tough too - I think I got third. On the final 4x4 I managed to take second on most of the points so I got second for the night. Two more upgrade points. It helped me that there were a few more riders because last week I didn't get any upgrade points even though I won. I think I am half way to a cat 3 if you count participation points. I got to try out my sneaker move. You go down to the sprinters lane and try to look causal while you roll of the front. And then ramp up the speed while trying to look like you are not working. It wasn't successful but I think I did catch the field off guard. Ha ha.

Mark raced with the masters but got relegated on the chariot race for getting a push. We didn't realize that pushes weren't allowed so his teammate gave him a monster push. He looked good though. He said that the Masters was actually harder than the cat 3's races he had done.

A short ride at Ballard Crit

Since Ballard is close by we decided to ride over. Mark wanted to warm up on rollers so he tied the rollers to his Chrome bag.

My race was short - I got a good position at the line but didn't push my wheel out first and ended up in last for the first turn. That is really hard to overcome at that race. In the women's field the riders in the back brake way too hard into the corners so after a couple of corners I was gapped already. I was still hoping to get on a group and I came around corner 3 and my teammate and one other rider were sprawled out in the road. My teammate was on her side and not moving. There was no way I could just ride by them. I stopped and made sure both riders got up. My teammate Liz got up slowly under her own power but it looked like she hit her head or neck. She is OK but will probably be really sore for a while. The other rider dug a pedal in on the corner and Liz t-boned her and I think she went over the handle bars. The bikes didn't look too good either.

After that I could have jumped back in but I wouldn't be eligible for a free lap so I decided to watch from the sidelines. The race was totally broken up and it was hard to tell who was in the front. There were 4 or 5 smaller groups. I also watched the 3's and the first few laps of the cat 1,2 men. Videos below.

Wednesday Night at Marymoor Velodrome

We just barely got to race again. It was raining on my ride out to the velodrome from Seattle and I thought there's no way there will be racing tonight. But then about 6 miles from the track it stopped raining and the road dried up. I guess it had been raining at the track too but it dried up just in time for racing. Unfortunately the rain scared away some of the racers and the women's field was down to four. We had a fun race though with some competitive sprinting. I think we raced pretty aggressively for such a small field.

I had a much bigger gear on my bike this time. I geared up for last Friday with the guys and decided to leave on the bigger gear since we were doing flying 200's. I think it was a 92 inch. Probably on the big side for racing but I might have been able to push a bigger gear on the 200. I'll have to experiment. I've ordered another chain ring so I can try some gears in between.

We had a tempo race, the 200, and a points race. The sprinting was fun and felt good in my big gear. Jen A. did the men's race this time so I didn't get to try my gear against her sprint. I did a 14.63 on the flying 200. I don't remember what I did last year. I wasn't blogging yet! Overall I got first in the omnium which helped me get an invite for Friday. It looks like rain for sure though on Friday. But Ballard is the next day so either way I'll get in some fast riding.

Enumclaw Omnium Corner 2

My team put on the bike race this weekend, the Enumclaw omnium. The race is the closest stage race to Seattle city limits and it's known for being a very challenging course. The team donates half of the profits to the Special Olympics so it's a win for everybody.

My job today was to corner marshal for the road race all day. I put my chair down at my station and of course right there was a four-leaf clover!

I was stationed on corner two - right next to the Scottish Highland Cattle. I was a little worried since I was waving my red stop sign around right next to bulls with horns. The owner came out though and told me a little about the bulls. For one thing they are color blind and can't see red. So they attack based on motion, not color. Two of the bulls next to me were actually grand champions that he had showed. The one with the nose ring was the male. The ring is for control. I was protected by the electric fence so I wasn't in too much danger.

Congratulations to everyone who did the race. I can tell you that from my perspective there was an awful lot of suffering going on out there!