Happieness and Sadness

This week was a tough week. We got the news that my good friend Jen lost her husband in a tragic rock climbing accident. We raced on Wednesday but with heavy hearts. Yesterday Jen came out to the track to watch with her dog. We paid tribute to her husband, Ryan who had helped out at the velodrome and was a fan. On Sunday there will be a service to celebrate his life. Our prayers are with her and I hope that the spirit of the bike racing community will help her heal and make it through.

It was also a time to reflect on the past year and how great a season it was for bike racing. Mark and I had more fun this year than ever before. The racing was great and the camaraderie was even better. We are looking forward to more years of fun at the track.

Wednesday night I got to race my new bike with the guys. It worked great but it really responds fast and I have to get used to how it handles in a pack. I raced a little conservatively just to be safe. I came really close to getting the first sprint in the snowball race. The power of the bike allowed me to keep up a pace I couldn't have with the old bike. I got to watch the old bike race too though since I sold it to Mark's teammate and she raced it the same night. I was happy to see it get immediate use. I hope she gets as much fun out of it as I did.

I raced the new bike again on Friday. I was really tired from the emotional week. I also started French classes this week which were on Tuesday and Thursday. I had to do homework at lunch on Wednesday because I didn't have any other time.

The new bike is a great fit but it is very different from the old bike so it uses my muscles differently. So I would have great power for a short period of time. I will ride it a lot on the rollers in the winter to get conditioned for next year.

The first race of the night was a scratch race. I didn't do that great but it was fun to see my friend Jane win it. The next race was a miss-and-out. Annette raced it with me and rode strong on the inside. I stayed right next to her until one of the riders came around me. Then I had to back out quickly and come around on the outside before I got swamped. It worked for that lap but the next lap I was on the back and I let one of the riders get by me and I got boxed. Annette did great and won the race. She was able to give me some valuable insights after the race on how to hold your position.

The last race was a points race and I was able to take the first set of points but then I got really tired and wasn't able to get any of the other sprints. I think everybody raced well and it was a good night to end on. Afterwards they had a celebration and passed out prizes for the season. I think I was about in 6th place for the year - just out of the prizes which went 5 deep. Not bad but just wait...