Category: A/B
Result: Back of pack

My first race back after my injury was tonight. Yes, I went down to the track this evening for the training race session to test out several things, my nerve, my competitive spirit and my legs, probably in that order.

This evening was ideal for track racing. Not too hot, and it stayed warm the whole evening. Turn-out wasn't too great so there were only 2 groups. This threatened to have the racing finish early, but a crash later in the proceedings delayed things and we finished behind schedule in the end.

First up for the A/B group (I put myself down as an A - start as you mean to go on...) was a 10 lap scratch race. I spend most of the time near the back trying and generally failing to follow wheels. Hmmm, the nerve wasn't quite back yet.

Second race was a chariot race heat. I haven't done a hard standing start since the crash and wasn't about to give it everything without getting in some practise. Needless to say, I lost ground in the start and never got it back.

Third up was a miss and out. I tried to do my usual in this race, but was frustrated by the fast start by Gary Yakota and others. I managed to hang on and then played the devil a few times before running out of steam and being eliminated to finish mid-pack. I was encouraged by the efforts I was able to put in in this race.

The crash was in the chariot race final. On the back straight the 4th and 5th riders got things pear-shaped and it wasn't pretty. The rider who got up slowly only had road rash and was ok. The rider who jumped to his feet immediately ended up very dizzy and an ambulance was called.

After the delay there was a 50 lap points race to finish the evening. At the whistle, I wound the pace up to discover that no one had followed me. Cool - I rode hard enough to make sure I got the first sprint and then joined the group as they caught me shortly afterwards. I was then able to sit in ok and contest further sprints, building up a total of 10 points.

This is when a 3 man break, Dave Nelson (Lombardi), Ben Dodge (LGBRC & Brian Becker (X-men), went clear. I made a conscious decision not to attempt to bridge up to them when I had the chance. This, in retrospect, was a mistake. I am not sure if I had the legs to get to them, but my inaction contributed to them getting a lap (and the 20 points that go with it). Belatedly, I did try to chase, but only succeeded in tiring myself out so that when there was a surge as the field was lapped, I found myself out the back with 17 laps to go.

Still, if I can stay on the same lap, my 10 points still mean something. So the effort required was clear. I rode a steady, hard tempo for over 3 miles keeping a steady eye on the bunch. They were gaining slowly, but it was still possible for me to avoid being lapped. The bell was not rung on the final lap for the bunch, but I don't know if my sprint would have made any difference. I was lapped on the last lap and I went from +10 to -10 points.

Still, I was very encouraged with my ride. I worked hard and feel all the better for it.

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