Category: Sprint competition

What with travelling and being a bit ill the week before I went, I hadn't been doen to the track for the best part of the month. This was remedied this evening.

Tonight's racing was in a different format to usual - we all took part in a sprint competition. We were split into 4 groups based on flying 200 metre times - mine was 13.51 which should have been better, but I wasn't pedalling smoothly and managed to lift the rear wheel slightly as I went into the turn, causing me to lose my line quite badly. Anyway, I ended up in the 3rd group of 9, qualifying 3rd in this group based on time.

Before the sprints happened, we had an unknown distance whilst Art worked out the sprint heats. I placed something like 4th in this race, but am not certain.

I managed to win my heat, leading out no less, to get straight into the semi-final in my group, but then had to wait whilst the final semi-final place for each group was determined in the repechage. The 6 losers in each group had 2 heats and a final to determine the rider who would advance into the last semi-final spot. This took rather a long time.

As a diversion from the sprints after the repechage, we had a point a lap race, which I used to keep the legs turning for the semi-final which was coming up. Unfortunately I was up against John Hygeland (sp?) in the semi (what was he doing in our group??) and he beat me easily. On to the match for 3rd/4th, and I was up against a rider I had already beaten in the first heat, so I knew I should be able to do it again.

It was a good race - he drew the bottom station, so I was able to sit back and just follow the pace he set. He tried a couple of times to squeeze me a little bit on the rail, but didn't force the issue. Going into the final lap, he was drifting a little down the track anticipating me jumping, still keeping an eye on me over his shoulder. I was able to make him jump when I wanted to just by moving down the track a little way so I was no longer wher he could see me. He jumped and I followed, getting onto his wheel and then coming round him comfortably.

As I indicated, it was a long evening - I left the track at 10:30, getting towards an hour after our usual finishing time.

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