Last Attack Before The Wedding...

Last night at the track was our last racing for a few weeks. We're trying our best to honor a pact we made many months ago to take a break from racing for the month before the wedding. I say trying because nights like last night make it really tough.

It was the first Tuesday night points race of the season. For those of you who don't race the track, a 'points race' is a fixed distance race (30-60 laps) with intermediate sprints every 5 or 10 laps. Riders score points for crossing the line in the top 4 spots (5-3-2-1). The rider with the most points at the end of the race is the winner. Points races are fun, full of tactics and furious flurries of action. Did I mention we both had a great time last night.

There were about 50 racers at the track, a big turnout for a Tuesday night. There were enough women and juniors to warrant their own. This is great for the women but pushes the rest of us into the A or B race.

Ali, Beth, Sabine and Erica ripped it up in both the women's races. It was fun to watch all the strategy and gamesmanship going on.

I, on the other hand, chose to race with the A's...ouch!!! 'Why the A's?' you ask. Well, last week we had a similar turnout. I tried the first scratch race with the A's but pulled up just before the final sprint. I was in 5th or 6th down the last stretch but could tell I didn't have the surplus power to come around anyone so bailed out of the melee. It felt like it was getting late and we didn't want to stay to the end so I immediately jumped into the second B's race and ended up winning out of a 3 man break. So this week it seemed like I should race the A race and set a goal of staying in the race to the bitter end.

Race 1 - 40 laps (8 miles), sprints every 5, average speed was reported at 27 mph! (my top speed was just over 32) Late in the race I jumped for one of the sprints and gained 1 point. As I drifted to the back to recover I didn't pay enough attention to who was in front of me. A lap later the front of the pack hit the gas, a gap formed and I couldn't go around and close it...game over. I chased for a while but conceded the lap and jumped back in the next time the leaders came around.

Race 2 - 60 laps, sprints every 5, average speed 25.2 (again my max was abou 32). I didn't intend to ride all of the second race. I didn't expect to be able to hang the whole time and getting home a few minutes early was appealing. Before the second race Mark P pulled me aside and recommended I just focus on staying on the lead lap. 'Don't do any work, let the other motors do the chasing.' I took his advice and did my best to sit in and hang on. After the 3rd or 4th sprint 3 riders went 'up the road' leaving the rest of us to fight for the 4th place scraps. I managed to take a couple of the points near the end of the race and stayed with the main 'chase' pack to the end.

Good fun!!! We'll surely be back after the wedding.