i got hooked
on the track.
i mean, i'm hooked ... this shit is amazing.
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It was a very cool group of yayhoos that showed up to bust open Hellyer's pre-season.
Jeffe and I drug Sputnik over the hills and arrived a bit after 9am. We pulled out our regular amount of roadie-scum gear ... you know - tent for shade, bike rack, trainers, chairs, cooler, etc ... and ended looking like a couple of frickin' equip-0-nerds. As soon as we could, we jumped into the training shenanigans and did our best not to embarass ourselves. We didn't crash anybody and ended up feeling decent enough about the world of fixies and chamois creme.
At noon we started the racing and it was pure shits n' giggles. Jeff was pretty kickass ... he pedaled the B's and won a couple of the first events. Then he jumped in with the A's and did the 60-lap points race. I was in the A's for my races and made a couple of total boneheads moves, but didn't kill anybody. Still, i hate making mistakes and definitely have some things to learn on the track.
BJM took the snowball with some authority. DHolla schooled the group in the Miss-n-Out, and i got the lucky stick in the Scratch race when everyone looked at BJM and i flew the coop for the win.
The final Points race was all BJM. He won all the sprints, lapped the field, and showed that he can spin that muthaF'in 92" gear like nobody's bidness. I was in a gear a bit under 88" and it was just hell trying to keep his wheel when he ramped it up.
yeah ... i pretty much hate that boy now.
- - -
Overall ~ i'm hooked on the track. It's excellent training, a fun group of folks to yak with, and another great bit of cerebral of anaerobia.
lovely.
and check the fashions, baby!
my kinda town.
12 comments:
you make me want to go try the carson velodrome....i was out with an injury last fall when they had the 'ladies days' at the velodrome...and this year I just haven't gotten down there to try it out...seems like another beast altogether!
It was great to meet you today at the track. Great job in the scratch race! I hope you manage to make it out to one of the Tues Night Crits sometime...
i was getting dizzy watching...
you guys looked great out there!
I definitely love the fashion in track...head to toe.
I could never get into the whole track thing because of all the sit-around-and-wait in between races. And then, after thinking you did hardly any riding at all, you pack up the car, drive home, and get to the house, try and stand up out of the car only to have your pathetic quads seize up in an aching burn. Not fair.
I am so jealous! I gotta try me some trackie stuff this year.....
The first bike riding I did after (a decade ago) being run over by a tractor-trailer was at the Encino Velodrome -- figured there wouldn't be any trucks to worry about there. Hobbled to the bike, handed my cane off, won my first scratch race! Track racing rocks and I still miss the 40-something-degree banking there.
Totally jealous of the fun you had, Mr. Mike, glad you have come to see the amazing level of fun that can be had, now worried that you master studs will be out there once I get back at it.
Just wish the commute weren't so heinous, or we gimpies would come and spectate (it'll be a while before I can pull on the bars).
ddt
I can't wait for the beginner sessions to start again....
Big fun, plus new bike lust, mmmmmmm.
t.marie - there really was barely enough time to catch your breath between races on saturday which was great. we need more women out there, its amazing training all round, great for bike handling, teaches you that you don't have to break in turns!!. if you think about a couple of the best sprinter chicks in our district, they train on the track! Its a great environment for beginners too, loads of willing mentors, super friendly, casual scene and a bloody good workout. Awesome to see the bag boys out there. Massive pain and fun.
yeah, I admit I like riding around in circles. I aim to get out to Hellyer and die in a couple of weeks. But after I go to the Womens' day at the Home Depot ADT velodrome next Saturday!
It was a fun day at the track and it was great to meet some people for the first time and hook up with some old friends. Nice to meet you Jeff in person and I hope to see you back out there again!
Track racing is very cool. I always like the fact that if you screw up your race, you only have to wait 15-20 minutes to get another shot at it!
White skinsuit fellow is Mario Sandoval, 145 pounds soaking wet and his specialty is the match sprint, beating guys with 50-100 pounds on him.
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