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Race Report Thread

Old 07-06-12, 07:21 AM
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Race Report Thread

We have one in the road racing forum, but not here. Figured I'd start one.

Last night was my third week of racing at Giordana. Flying lap first, which I'd never done. 19.0x. Slow, but not awful for a first time I guess. Next was elimination. They combined the D and women's fields. 7 of us total, three guys. I hide and stay up front third until there are three. I had to sprint once earlier but had it comfortably. Neutral lap we're all looking. I'm second wheel, first goes, I sit on, can't come around. Women's masters road champ comes flying around me and I get third.

Next was unknown distance. With three of us it was more like a match sprint. First attacks after a few laps, I let other guy tow me up. We watch and cruise some more. Bell rings, we're all up high. I fake an attack, they go and then sit up a bit. I attack for real in turn two, ride the sprinters line up high to force them around, win comfortably. First ever win, road, track or otherwise. Felt good.

Points next. 15 laps, points 5. Slow again, I find myself attacking by accident. Get half a lap, blow up, get caught just before the points. Stupidly sit up and roll off instead of chasing, since they'd probably sit up. Oh well. Disappointed in that one, but the rest was good. Looking forward to next week.
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Old 07-06-12, 08:49 AM
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raced in the heat and the humidity last night.
15-lap scratch race at our local outdoor wood 250. when some swirling happened at the front i eased uptrack and two teammates worked a decent gap open, but when a dude with WC stripes on his sleeve started to close it, that was that. i put in a reasonable move with 3 laps to go but it just wound out drawing out people who didn't want to pull through, so i eased and tried to catch back on to salvage something for the sprint a lap later - finished 6th, so, nothing much.

later in the evening there was a 70 lap points race. i stayed patient until the second half and then tried to put myself in anything and everything, but nothing that tried to go long really stuck. The pack got whittled down and there were people off the front all the time, but everybody was marking a handful of riders including the master's WC, a local pro, etc. But even when the right move seemed to be off the front, it wasn't going hard enough to get a lap, and those little situps of indecision just kill a move. i wound up getting a few points with 20 to go, reacted to the counter - it got reeled in, i bridged to the counter of THAT, it got reeled in, etc. i was in a move that got points with 10 to go, it got reeled in and in the subsequent indecision i attacked again, drew out a pursuiter, and we opened up a gap they couldn't close for the final 8 laps. with 1.5 to go i had to dance a bit to play around, open my sprint in my companion's shelter, and won the final sprint. it was good enough for third overall.
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Old 07-06-12, 09:49 AM
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Very nice. Third against those kind of names is solid.
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Old 07-09-12, 09:04 AM
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I haven't raced a lot this season so far. One Tuesday night there was a 5 lap scratch and sprints and I won those. Last weekend was Colorado Masters State. I was really disappointed with the turn out. I was only competing against 15 or 16 guys in my age group. I can't figure out why there are not more track racers.

Anyway I rode a disappointing 200 on a very fast track but I have been traveling the world, suffering jet lag and off a training schedule for like 3 weeks. My front wheels hub got loose and I couldnt stay in the sprinters lane. In fact I spent a lot of time way above the blue line. If felt like my front tire was flat, it was so squirrely. I won 3 out of 4 match sprints losing to a guy who has a good chance at winning at Nationals.

Won in team sprint with 1:08, which was pretty slow, I think. I know we all could have gone faster. Which is the good news going in to Nationals.

I'm trying to see if I can get it together by then. My traveling really hurt me and now it's about time to taper. Not ideal. We will see.

Last edited by mcafiero; 07-09-12 at 02:24 PM.
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Old 07-09-12, 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by mcafiero
I haven't raced a lot this season so far. One Tuesday night there was a 5 lap scratch and sprints and I won those. Last weekend was Colorado Masters State.

Boom!

Originally Posted by mcafiero
I was really disappointed with the turn out. I was only competing against 15 or 16 guys in my age group. I can't figure out why there are not more track racers.
Breaking out by 5 year age ranges, I counted 3 in mine for the TT stuff. It didn't go well for me (and even had a crash this weekend!), but I had a good time. (Edit: by good time I mean fun experience, not fast). Other than 2 races this summer, my whole season has been garbage and I've made some big mistakes, but it has been fun anyway.

At least for Colorado - I still put forth the "Proximity to Boulder" theorem. The further you get, the less participation in races there will be - at least in my experience for Cx and very limited observation for road.
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Old 07-09-12, 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by joshpants

Boom!



Breaking out by 5 year age ranges, I counted 3 in mine for the TT stuff. It didn't go well for me (and even had a crash this weekend!), but I had a good time. (Edit: by good time I mean fun experience, not fast). Other than 2 races this summer, my whole season has been garbage and I've made some big mistakes, but it has been fun anyway.

At least for Colorado - I still put forth the "Proximity to Boulder" theorem. The further you get, the less participation in races there will be - at least in my experience for Cx and very limited observation for road.
Ha, that's probably the only photo of me from the whole weekend. Thanks!

Yeah, the proximity theorem is probably a huge factor. I am excited for that 250m track to go up in Erie!!!
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Old 07-09-12, 08:31 PM
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I actually have two more.



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Old 07-09-12, 08:34 PM
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But yeah, very excited for Erie to open. The pictures look great - it is really coming along.
I'm just afraid it'll cannabalize CSVA more so. I do like it down there as well.
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Old 07-09-12, 11:05 PM
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Originally Posted by joshpants
I actually have two more.



Ha - yeah I am always getting made fun of for the size of my rear. "It makes for a good banner", etc. There it is.
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Old 07-13-12, 08:34 AM
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Another race night last night. Flying 250 was faster, but slow. By the time I actually get to the start line I'm exhausted from riding around at the rail.

Miss and out I kept getting blocked and couldn't get around. Mid pack finish.

Scratch race got blown apart. While chasing, the guy in front of me (just two of us) cramped, almost stopped, and I was forced to pass him on the blue band. I got relegated for that. Seemed unfair, but whatever. Finished towards back.

Points race got blown apart, I didn't do great.

Not a great night, but fun.
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Old 07-13-12, 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
Another race night last night. Flying 250 was faster, but slow. By the time I actually get to the start line I'm exhausted from riding around at the rail.

Miss and out I kept getting blocked and couldn't get around. Mid pack finish.

Scratch race got blown apart. While chasing, the guy in front of me (just two of us) cramped, almost stopped, and I was forced to pass him on the blue band. I got relegated for that. Seemed unfair, but whatever. Finished towards back.

Points race got blown apart, I didn't do great.

Not a great night, but fun.
It gets better. You'll see.


Tell me how your track does the Flying lap. How many laps do you wind-up?
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Old 07-13-12, 12:43 PM
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3 laps total. It's basically exactly the same as a flying 200, they just have the timing loop in a different place.

What should I have done when the guy cramped in front of me? I felt I didn't have much choice in the matter and the relegation was silly.
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Old 07-13-12, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
3 laps total. It's basically exactly the same as a flying 200, they just have the timing loop in a different place.

What should I have done when the guy cramped in front of me? I felt I didn't have much choice in the matter and the relegation was silly.
Was there room for you to pass on the right? If so, that would have been the way to go.

Did the rider who cramped retire immediately? If so, then you have a case that, even though you passed him on the apron, it didn't improve your place in the race. If that's so, then you should have got a warning.

Basically, there are several forms of penalties, some of which are:
- Warning
-- Let's say you are in a sprint and you leave the sprinter's lane and obstruct the rider coming around you and he still passes you for the win. You'll get a warning.
-- Pulling off a paceline without looking. You aren't required to look, but good practice for local racing.

- Forfeit placing in a sprint (Relegation)
-- Like in a points race, if you went under someone to place in an intermediary sprint, you'd lose the points gained for that sprint only but stay in the race.

- Forfeit a final placement (Relegation)
-- Let's say it's a long scratch race and you are in the lead pack of 5 and you go under someone for the win. You could get relegated from 1st to 5th...but not to dead last.
-- BUT if it's a pack full of riders in a bunch sprint and you do something wrong, you may well be relegated to dead last. This happened to Sarah Hammer in the World Championship Omnium in 2011, if I remember correctly. She left the sprinter's lane coming out of turn 3 in the final sprint of the Scratch race (fuzzy memory, hahaa)


It really boils down to: If you bent the rules to get ahead, you forfeit whatever you gained in doing so.

Then, of course, there are more severe penalties for unintentional dangerous riding and intentional dangerous riding.
- Unintentional dangerous riding in a pack will get you relegated to last or even pulled from the race if the director feels that you are a threat going forward. This is why people are pulled for riding too slow. They are just adding to congestion and are not contenders in the race. Yes, they may have a personal goal of finishing, but they are simply in the way.

- Intentional dangerous riding (hooks, bumping, chopping) will get you disqualified from the race and maybe the entire event. There could even be monetary penalties, suspension of license, or revocation of license.
- If you take your hands off your bars to assault another rider, there will likely be hell to pay.

Last edited by carleton; 07-13-12 at 01:04 PM.
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Old 07-13-12, 01:11 PM
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No room to go up. We were at the bottom, he seized and moved up a few inches, to go up I'd hit him, down was the only option. He retired immediately I believe. His slowing was so sudden and violent and I was so close (few inches), I didn't have much choice.
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Old 07-13-12, 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
No room to go up. We were at the bottom, he seized and moved up a few inches, to go up I'd hit him, down was the only option. He retired immediately I believe. His slowing was so sudden and violent and I was so close (few inches), I didn't have much choice.
Did you get pulled from the race immediately or did you learn of your relegation after the race was over?

1) If the official saw what happened, then you probably should have not been relegated. You were put in an unsafe situation and you made a good decision.

2) If you were pulled immediately, there's nothing you can do but give the official a polite, well-deserved earful. They are human and make mistakes...and deserve to hear about them. (I'm an official, too)

3) If you raced to the end then got notified after the race, you have 15 minutes to state your case and hopefully get the relegation overturned.
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Old 07-13-12, 01:39 PM
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It was after the race, I was still jacked up and didn't really remember the incident until later. Just training, not like my place matters, just curious.
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Old 07-13-12, 01:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
It was after the race, I was still jacked up and didn't really remember the incident until later. Just training, not like my place matters, just curious.
Yes, you are right in that these are just training races.

Order a rulebook from USA Cycling (it may be free) and leave it in the bathroom. Read a few pages at a time

The chapter on track is a quick read.
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Old 07-13-12, 02:39 PM
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I've read it a few times, online though.
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Old 07-15-12, 08:55 PM
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State Scratch Championships. Fast riders, couple pros. My teammate was OTF for most of the race.
I attacked with 10 laps to go. Went it alone. Opened up 2/3 of a lap, couldn't complete it, tried to just hold on. With 1.5 to go I was caught by four riders, but I managed to hold on and get 4th.

Really wish I won that ****er, though.
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Old 07-26-12, 07:44 PM
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Nat's sprints. Disappointed in my 200 I don't know why I can't stay in the sprinters lane for that. Extremely annoying. Got matched with the returning champ and gave him a fight but lost. Then was in a 3-up with Carleton and another guy. Lost that too but it was the most fun I had all day. Carleton is a machine. I can hear the rumble of his bike right begind me and when things got fast I was amazed at how quick he actually is. Great meeting you Carleton. For my first year doing this, I was just happy to be able to participate.
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Old 07-26-12, 08:29 PM
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Not a great night. About ten of us. Last in the flying lap, 250 was 18.9 or something. I just don't have any legs tonight. I'm in a big hole at the moment. Last in miss and out. 5th or something in Scratch, 4th in Points. Legs got better as the night went on (or everyone else got slower), but I just didn't have much to begin with. Definitely need some time off to recover out of this hole.
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Old 07-26-12, 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
I just don't have any legs tonight. I'm in a big hole at the moment. Last in miss and out.
Midsummer legs. I have 'em too, and half of my team.

I answered by gearing down to a 90" gear for the endurance races tonight. Picked off people until I got myself down to 3rd in the Miss and Out, and then assembled the team to talk strategy for the points race. Let the pro and the rider of the year chase us as much as we could. I wound up sneaking enough points here and there to put myself in third place, as I was in a move with 6 riders that lapped the field and then rolled right through it. I watched a teammate go up the track to steal points on one sprint, and then went away with one other rider in a long move to get lead points on another. When we were caught I was pleased to see one of my rivals not in the move anymore - isolating him and attacking him and forcing him to work had worked. My teammate gave me a leadout from 1.5 to go for the final points, but was so damn fast we gapped everybody, I couldn't come around him, and one of the local pros bridged the gap and went flying by me. Third in that one was enough to tie for second, and with a rival not placing in the sprint, I won the tiebreaker. Legs felt bad, but it felt good to suffer, jump on a smaller gear, and scratch out a good result against stronger riders.
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Old 07-26-12, 11:32 PM
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^
nice racing!
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Old 07-27-12, 12:24 AM
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Originally Posted by mcafiero
Nat's sprints. Disappointed in my 200 I don't know why I can't stay in the sprinters lane for that. Extremely annoying. Got matched with the returning champ and gave him a fight but lost. Then was in a 3-up with Carleton and another guy. Lost that too but it was the most fun I had all day. Carleton is a machine. I can hear the rumble of his bike right begind me and when things got fast I was amazed at how quick he actually is. Great meeting you Carleton. For my first year doing this, I was just happy to be able to participate.
It was cool meeting you, too. Thanks for the compliment. Don't forget to mention how you beat me in the 2-up sprint in the repechage.

On a related note. I really think the sprints are run TOO DAMN FAST. We really don't have enough time to recover. I had this problem last year and this year.

In one match up, right after 2 guys finished, the anouncer said, "We'll give them 10 minutes and have them up here again for the second round." I wasn't sure if he was just using the phrase as in "about 10 minutes" or being serious because they wanted to finish the session quickly. I know that 10 minutes after each of my races I was still laid out on the tarmac trying to catch my breath and wishing that my legs would just fall off already.


Originally Posted by Flatballer
Not a great night. About ten of us. Last in the flying lap, 250 was 18.9 or something. I just don't have any legs tonight. I'm in a big hole at the moment. Last in miss and out. 5th or something in Scratch, 4th in Points. Legs got better as the night went on (or everyone else got slower), but I just didn't have much to begin with. Definitely need some time off to recover out of this hole.
Sounds like you know what to do.
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Old 07-27-12, 12:29 AM
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Oh, and at Masters Track Nationals in Sprints I qualified 10th with 11.5". I was matched first round with the guy who qualified 2nd with a 10.8". When he attacked, I did the right counter-attack and actually came up on him faster than I expected on the back straight. I hesitated and backed off and sat in behind him as opposed to drag racing him to the finish. I came around him to pass but he edged me out by 1/2 a bike. I feel that I could have won that had I just stayed on the gas. Oh well. Next year.
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