Keirin

Here is an interesting link for somebody's blog who saw a Keirin in Japan.

Helping Out

I decided to take a break from racing on Wednesday but I went to Marymoor to watch and I volunteered to do registration too. It was fun to help out and a good way to meet everyone who is racing. You also get the inside gossip.

Mark usually does registration but since I was doing it he was able to get in a better warm-up. He raced in the master's field.

The races are fun to watch but I don't like seeing the crashes. Unfortunately last night wasn't so good. The 4's field was split and both fields had crashes. After the second crash I heard the promoter yelling loudly at the guys to be more careful. He was really upset. Then the officials called the group that had just crashed into the infield and read them the riot act. I think it shook them up and when I saw them racing next they were in nice straight lines riding very smoothly. Hopefully it will be safer for everybody now. I think what really upset everybody is that one of the Juniors was taken down. The rider was fine but nobody wants to see one of the future stars get hurt.

FSA Grand Prix and State TTT

The FSA Grand Prix was my biggest track race ever with top riders from the US and Canada.

My highlight of the weekend was doing the first ever Women's Madison. Unfortunately my regular Madison partner hurt her shoulder over the weekend and was not able to do it with me so I paired up with Michelle from Wines and we both wore the Avanti colors.

I've been racing track for a little over a year now and it has been a series of events that have pushed the envelope of my comfort. At first it was small things like getting on and off of the track during warm up. Then I did the Monday night practice races and Thursday training for new women with Jen. Next I started racing on Wednesdays with the Women in a field ranging from 4-22 riders, doing races up to 16 laps. Then I did some of the Men's Cat 4 races on Wednesdays and Fridays with fields of about 30 people and races up to 25 laps. I got the upgrade and raced on Fridays in front of the big crowd with the Cat 1-3 Women. And this weekend I raced a 30 lap points race with 40 women, some of whom were National and International caliber. But to top everything off we did Marymoor's first ever Women's 48 lap Madison with 8 teams slinging each other in and out of the race at top speed without running into each other in front of a huge crowd - and I had a brand new partner that I hadn't worked with until Saturday. Whew!

I was humbled and awed by the speeds I saw out there. I also did the team sprint, the team pursuit (with my Wines friends), the keirin, a flying 200 meters, and a 500 meters. Nothing spectacular time wise but great experiences. I was surprised at the physical contact in the keirin. Racing is pretty tame at Marymoor so I was surprised to see riders pushing others on to the apron and head butting, which normally isn't tolerated at Marymoor - even in the Keirin.

They also had the kiddie kilo for all of the kids and a spectator event with fat tire bikes provided by the velodrome. They were fun to watch. Mark and I got to hand out free coupons to each kid for a Popsicle at the concession stand. The girls from the Livestrong team were also giving the kids yellow livestrong wrist bracelets.

The points race on Friday was pretty fun. I got intimidated at the start though with the big field. We were riding around slowly and I was getting nervous because it is always more dangerous when the group is bunched up. So I attacked! I know this wasn't very strategic since none of the racers were tired yet and it was an elite field but it sure was fun to take a flyer and have the announcer call out my name. One of the other racers bridged up and we worked together until I couldn't come around her. Then the field caught up and I got dropped but I stayed in the race and rejoined the field. I didn't quit and I got some practice riding with the big group. It was OK after all and I got my confindence up a bit.

I got to bed at 1am on Saturday and then got up at 5:45am Sunday to go out and corner marshal for the team time trial (TTT). Our corner was a bit hairy since it was an out and back course and we had teams passing through the corner in both directions. Of course Murphy's law - several teams had to hit the corner at the same time. At one point we had two teams from one direction (one just passed the other) and a Cat 1-2 coming in the other direction. I could hear the cat 1-2s saying "OK guys take the whole road". I ran up the road and started yelling "heads up oncoming teams in the corner" as loud as I could and we all held our breath. They came through the corner without any collisions and we breathed again. Other than that we had a few drivers who tried to get around us but we keep the riders safe. You don't really appreciate the job of a corner marshal until you are out there. We got a lot of thank yous from the racers.

Here are the cute calves off of the first turn on the TTT course.

Below are some random clips, mostly of me and Mark but some other racing too. At the end is some of the Madison showing me waiting on "relief" to be slung into the race. I like the trance music in the background!



It was tricky to find my partner during the Madison race. You have to figure out when she is coming and get up to speed to make the exchange. We had several botched exchanges. One time I tried to exchange with the pink and red "gentle lovers" team (that is really their team name). And then a few laps later I had to call off one of their riders who was zooming down the track at me. I yelled "not me! not me!"

Mark also raced - Cat 3's on Friday and Master's on Saturday. Here he is getting set up to do the Keirin.

Friday Night Fun at Marymoor Velodrome

Lots of fun racing last night! I had fun racing and spectating.

There was a story about the velodrome on King5 sports and I think I am in the picture with the story. The picture is small so it's hard to see but it was exciting to see myself and to see local track racing get some press. As Mark and I were driving out to the track we were at a stoplight when a driver from the car next to us saw the bikes on top of the car and leaned out the window to ask us if we were "those velodrome racers who race with fixed gear bikes and no brakes!" Yup, that's us.

The first race of the night was the men's category 4. Mark's teammate John was racing with his son, Coner, who is a junior. Coner made an attack early in the race and John went with him. They held off the field for several laps while the crowd cheered wildly for the father/son duo. It was cool to watch. I had to frantically dig through my bag to get the camera out to capture the moment. Nice job guys!

My first race was a point-a-lap. The pace was high and I didn't manage to get any points. At one point I saw two riders from the Group Health team, Rachel and Jen A. moving up the side and I thought I'd jump on the wheel and come around, but as we moved off the front Jen A. gapped off of Rachel's wheel. I was fooled and Rachel held off the pack for the point. It was a good move on their part, I'm definitely going to watch for that one next time.

In between our races Mark's group did the Chariot race, a 1 lap all out effort. Mark got a great start and rode away from the field. It was incredible to see anybody get that big of a lead in a 1-lap race! I caught it on video too.

My next race was the win-and-out. I didn't go for the first sprint-win but I was trying to get in there for one of the next sprints. But the Group Health team did a nice job of boxing us in at a key moment. They had four riders and I got myself trapped on the inside. I finally got out and charged around to almost reach the leaders but I didn't get any of the win laps.

My last race was a points race. I was careful this time not to get in a box. I decided to stay near the front. On the first sprint lap the points only went one person deep and I was on the front. Every time I've been in this situation before the field sweeps around at full speed and I can't keep up. So this time I really tried to be ready for it . I rode out of the saddle and was ready to change speeds while watching to my right. I saw someone come up and I punched it. I got a gap and held it to the line to take the points! I was so excited to be able to sprint from the front of the group and hold it. I kept going and found myself up by 1/2 lap. But it was 4 more laps until the next points and I didn't think I could hold off the field that long. I rode strong but not all out. The group eventually caught me after a few more laps and I rested in the group but wasn't able to take anymore points. In retrospect I should have gone for broke while I was out there. It was really really fun though and the crowd was cheering hard for me. It was thrilling to hear people calling out my name. After the race I rode up high on the bank to wave at the crowd. They really make it fun for me.

Mark told me that when I went off the front he wasn't paying attention until he heard the announcer say "And Mark is on his feet screaming and cheering". I laughed so hard. The announcer knows who we both are and got Mark good.

The last race of the night was the 1/2 men's race and one of the racers was from Trinidad-Tobago. Our local guys are super fast so it was incredible to see this guy beat them in the sprint. I am pretty sure he is Olympics-bound. Next week is the big FSA Grand Prix with a prize list of $14,000 dollars. We will being seeing a lot of talent out there. I can't wait.

Yikes!

I had a close call at the races last night.  Unfortunately we had a crash in my first race and some of the guys went down.  I was able to ride high and avoid the wreckage but I think one of the guys may have broken some bones.  Hopefully everybody heals fast. 

The crash happened in our "unknown distance" race.  Which is the race where you don't know how many laps you are doing until they ring the bell - and then you have one lap left.  We did about 8 laps and then they rang the bell.  Right after they rang it, one of the guys pulled out of his cleat and rolled over the handlebars.  They suspended our race and ran the other two cat 4 men's races.  And then they re-ran our race.  I thought that since we only had one lap to go that the race would be really short.  But no, it was "unknown" again and we went at least 6 laps before they rang the bell.  I was getting tired!  Some of the guys also thought it would be short and gambled their strength by attacking early, which made the race extra fast.  I really didn't want to re-run that race but I was glad when we all finished safe the second time.  It was good maybe to calm everyone's nerves.  

I also had a close call at Tuesday's practice.  I was riding slow and one of the guys wasn't paying attention and hit my bike from behind.  I was able to keep my bike upright and he did too so neither of us went down.  My bike was fine but I saw him adjusting his handlebars later. 

The next race was the miss-and-out and I was eager to redeem myself after last week's first round miss.  Last week in the women's race I was out on the first lap because I got stuck on the inside.  So this time I made sure I was on the outside.  But the wave didn't come around like I thought it was going to and I was out again on the first lap!  So my revised strategy is to get in the front and go to the outside on the first lap.  Carrie rode at the front and was fine on the first lap but then didn't stay there and the same thing happened to her.  She went to the outside but because there were still so many riders the wave didn't move up and she was stuck - out on the second lap.

Here I am telling some kind of fish story to Carrie and Kelly.  Carrie also raced with the men.

The last race was a 4x4 points race.  The speed was fast but my legs felt good.  I thought of attacking but the guys were watching really close and I didn't think I could get away with it.  I'll have to try something next time.  I guess you never know for sure if you don't give it a shot.

This is what the track looks like after the sun goes down.  You can see the moon rising.  We stayed until everything was finished because we were carpooling with Brian and he has to shut off the lights.  It felt really quiet and erie when he finally flipped the switch and the lights went out and we left the deserted track.

Marymoor Friday Night Fast Racing!

Yesterday was FAST. Well there were times when it was slow but when it sped up we were at a faster level than my legs were used to. We had some racers I hadn't raced with before on the track - Kelly, Jen, Monique, to add to the already fast racing of the regulars, Amara, Tela, Christine and others. It was fun to have such a talented field to race with.

I had a smaller gear for this race which I'm not sure I liked. However it wasn't a good comparison since we also had a faster field. I just have to race more to figure everything out.

Our first race was a scratch and was fast because we had several primes to keep us from slowing down. I hung on but wasn't really contesting anything. I was on the front with two to go but couldn't match the jump when it came around me.

The next race, the miss-and-out I totally screwed up. I had this idea of starting at the front and then moving to the outside. But one of the really strong racers also was going for the front and pulled ahead of me. So then I was in a really bad position and tried to correct it but we still had the entire field in the race and they were in a single line on my outside - so I was trapped. Out on the first lap! I learned later that if you are trapped you need to slowdown as fast as is safe and get to an outlet. You can't try to do it on the last corner either. It's tough to gain experience this way but I'm hoping it will be a valuable lesson to keep me out of trouble in the future.

The last race was a 4x5 points race. I had fun going for an attack but I really didn't have the fire in my legs to contest sprints. Karen tried to give me a leadout for some points but I totally missed her signals and didn't get on her wheel. I will have to be more alert to communication that can benefit me! It is great to have someone who wants to do team stuff with me.

I am looking forward to more elite level racing!

The last race of the night was the men's cat 1-2 Madison. I watched closely to try and learn from the guys. Jen and Monique raced with them too. It is really hard to follow a Madison race and it is also hard to try and video them and watch. I took some video but then decided to just watch the rest without a camera. I highly recommend getting out to the track to watch the racing in person!

Wednesday Racing with Cat 4 Men

Last night I raced with the Cat 4 Men's field. Since I upgraded to Cat 3 I can't race with Cat 4 women but I can still race on Wednesdays if I go with the Men.

There were 45 men total (and me) so they split us into two groups. It was still probably the biggest group I've raced with. I'm hoping that riding with a big group will better prepare me for the upcoming FSA Grand Prix race at Marymoor.

We started out with an 8 lap scratch. The pace was slow for about three laps and then it really picked up. I didn't position myself well and got gapped off a couple of laps before the end, but I wasn't too far back. The next race was a point-a-lap and so the pace was much higher right away, which made me feel safer. I did a bit better but there were a lot of riders getting gapped near the end and I was one of them again. Right after I got gapped there was a crash on the inside.

On the last race - the 4x5, I resolved to try and get closer to the wheel in front of me and to try and ride with better position. I also remembered that when I raced with the men last time, I really pulled on my bars to get the acceleration for surges. One of the riders offered to pull me for a prime but I wasn't confident of my riding to follow him when he went on the inside. Especially after just seeing a rider crash on the inside. This time things went much better though. I was riding near the front of the group when my friend attacked. The field swarmed around me but I held on. The pace was fast and the field was really strung out but I was able to stick with it all the way to the finish.

Fast Track/More Madison

I went out with Karen for fast track training on Tuesday. It was pretty crazy with everybody working on different stuff. Warm up was pretty organized but then it broke into smaller groups. Karen and I rode with Annette who was late and missed the main group warm up. Annette was shocked at how bad I was at riding on the wheel and worked on getting me to do better. I haven't done much riding on the track other than racing so I haven't worked on skills and it is obvious when I try to ride in a paceline.

We did a few fast laps with Annette after warm up. I felt pretty terrified; weaving through all of the other riders at high speed! It was no problem at all for Annette though.

After 8pm Karen and I started working on our Madison exchanges. We got Jen to help us out. It was good to have some practice doing the exchanges with another person.

There was a photographer there with a huge lens. I hope I can find the pictures somewhere. It's a bit funny to have someone taking pictures of your workout. I think the Madison is probably a fun subject for a photographer though.

Kirkland loop

I did a recovery ride today with some climbing. It was humid with a little rain but really warm. I didn't plan the ride early enough to have any training partners so I used the opportunity of being by myself to check out a new route. It was really fun but I should have taken Old Redmond Road instead of Redmond Way - Redmond Road was a bit busier than I like. Otherwise a great route if you don't mind the steep part up from the trail.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Kirkland-loop

Kirkland loop

http://www.bikely.com/

Sprinting for the cookies

Last night was July 4th at the track but that didn't keep the racers away! We had 12 women out racing including one racer from Minnesota.

Before the racing started I found 4 4-leaf clovers in the grass! I picked one and gave it to Annette because she has had more of her share of crashes this year. I picked another and put in my pocket. I left the other two in the grass. Maybe someone else wants a good luck charm?

Our first race was a win-in-out which I knew would be a fast one. I was trying to go for the second sprint but it didn't work out. I knew there would be good competition for the first sprint but there was a gap in the field and I chose the wrong wheel to be on. So I had a long way to make up and wasn't in position for the next sprints. I ended up 6th.

The next race was the Keirin, which I'd seen many times but never done before. I knew from watching videos that you didn't want to sit at the back and wait. I was last in line behind the motorcycle but I came up to the front as he was pulling off and then poured on the gas. I had just watched Annette win the heat before from the front so I figured it was a good strategy. However I didn't time my effort and died on the back stretch and all of the riders came around before the finish. Kenny told me afterwards that it was a good plan but "plan it so you die at the line and not before". The next time out was the consolation heat, my second Keirin ever! I went for the same strategy but I didn't go to the front. I wasted too much energy before the finish didn't have it for the sprint.

The last race was a 20-lap scratch. I didn't have any teammates in the race so I needed to save energy for the finish. However when they called the first "cash & cookies" prime I went for it. I took second - for the cookies. Then I tried to ride on good wheels. There were several splits in the field but I didn't panic and each time it came back together. With two to go we were all together again. I moved up onto a good wheel and suddenly I felt like I was doing my 3rd Keirin. This time I timed it right and got 3rd in the final sprint! That put me in 4th overall for the night.

They brought by my cookies prime after the race. I thought it might be 1 or 2 cookies but it was 16! I took them around and shared. They will make good snacks on tomorrow's ride.

Annette had a great final race - she got in a breakaway with Ron (a teammate) and Nick. They held off the field and Annette won the final sprint to the joy of a roaring crowd.

We enjoyed watching the fireworks on the drive home - especially going across the bridge.

Madison Practice at Marymoor Velodrome!

Yesterday was our Madison practice! Or "racing on fast forward" as Adrian called it.

I was nervous about doing the slings but the class guided us through the technique very methodically. First we practiced on the grass with our partners. We used the "double-hook-sling" hand hold method instead of a tight grip. Each partner hooked their hands and connected at the glove. This was less intimidating since you knew you could get out of it if needed. Mark described it like "a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier, grabbing the arrestor wire with the tailhook".

We then rode around the apron practicing the hand hold with little surges. Then we progressed to the track, first at moderate speed and then faster. At the end they pulled out the moto and did a paceline. I still have to master all of the traffic so I wasn't ready to jump on the moto yet. I think with a few more practices I will be ready to race.

There are lots of weird considerations in the Madison, and it turns upside down your concept of racing. The faster the race is, the slower you go on relief. But you are never really on relief because you have to set up for the next exchange. Also, gearing is ridiculously low. Like, the professional 6-dayers might use an 89" gear, averaging 60kpm, and sprinting at 70kph. Scoring is done old-style: first by laps, then sprint points. Each track has its own rules including Marymoor. There are lots of tricks that will give you better wheel position, and they are non-intuitive. The Madison is essentially a continuous relay and the sling is just a part of it.

The long term goal is to make Madison racing a regular feature at MV. It is very big in Europe, and fast gaining popularity in the states. The first step is to increase the number of people that are proficient in this event. So, this is a chance to get in on The Beginning.

Here is a video compilation of some of the practice slings:

Des Moines Crit

I ended up 7th at the Des Moines but it was a bit disappointing. I got pulled after about 20 minutes.

Although later when I looked at the names in the results I realized that I was the only one racing on Sunday who also raced on the track on Friday - not to mention Wednesday! So I have track legs that don't especially like inclines!