Rode my 2nd track race of the year, the NC/SC Regional Championships. It was an omnium for me, not a format that I really like, but it allowed me some track time before nationals. They did a really good job of promoting the finals -- they had spectators, a beer tent, food truck -- I really recommend it and it was promoted by Michael Barman who helps run the Dicklane races. Good cash primes for all categories! If it hadn't clashed with Atlanta's Velodrome Cup (a really great event) it could have been even better. There was even a good sized women's field for Rock Hill (5 or 6), juniors, and a good showing of masters and 3/4 racers -- with riders traveling from at least Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The racing, itself, was pretty challenging for me. Having gone down twice in the past month (resulting road rash, a minor separated shoulder, and soft tissue damage to the hand and wrist), riding the track bike was really no fun. My current position is extremely nose heavy and requires a lot of upper body strength -- consequently it hurt to even warm up so I spent most of the time sitting if I wasn't racing.
Scratch: (52x16) The racing at Rock Hill has gotten faster this year, thank primarily to a critical mass of "fast" riders who have started to come out and with an injection of some good collegiate riders. In the Scratch, Clayton Travis, who rides for VT and Kreitler, kept the pace high by taking some enormous yanks at the front. When the speed dropped below 48, a collegiate rider from Lees McRae spun off the front in an 88 gear -- serious leg speed! 4 to go, 2 riders rocket off the front. 2 to go everything is fracturing. I surge up to them with 1.5 to go. But when I try to launch, my hand wasn't having it and I hop the front wheel. So I rode it in behind a wall of riders for a disappointing 4th.
Elimination: (50x16) This event is challenging for me even on the best of days and my preferred tactic is riding point or 2nd wheel. Today they actually started us on the whistle from the fence and I had to play the devil -- which is a bad play for me. Made no tactical mistakes, but just got tired from the repeated sprints and ended up 4th.
Points Race: (51x16) Clayton Travis put on a show and rolled away from us near the end. He doesn't have the huge top end, but really good pursuit style speed and a huge engine. We were single file going 48-49, and he pretty much lapped us. I was pretty much on the limit right away -- all the racing in a funky upright position had cracked me -- and I could tell going for any points would pretty much be the end of my race. So I saved it for double points final, and slogged a really slow sit down sprint which I somehow held off. Ending up another 4th.
So ultimately, ended up scraping together a 3rd in the state championships after removing the real winner, Clayton Travis, who was out of state. So I give this restaurant 2 out of 5 stars!
Other notes: the life span of a rear Vittoria Pista Speed for me is apparently 2 races at ADT, 3 races at T-Town, and 3 race days at Rock Hill. At my weight (56) and being nose heavy I thought it would last a little longer, but now I'm guessing that I'm probably minutely spinning / sliding the rear a little more than most riders.
Last edited by tobukog; 08-11-19 at 02:14 PM.