Recent Results Roundup

Cat 5s got a couple of races on Thursday night at Northbrook a couple weeks back. I was two days off my hat trick at Kenosha and was hoping to keep the streak alive. I cleaned up the 6 lap Tempo, getting top points three times and maybe a second place to seal the deal.

I wasn't crazy about my chances in the scratch, but I was in a great spot with three to go so I told Brian 'youngblood' Ellison to grab my wheel and just laid it down. Turns out he got squeezed out by the big man, mister David Jones, and with his teammates soft pedaling we had the gap. I gotta get better at watching what's behind me, as I just dragged him around for an easy win. Still, I won the 'omnium' and he's a good guy and sometimes you like to see a good guy get a win.

A week off then back to K-town for my debut as a 4. It wasn't *too* much different, but the events weren't my style. I played the Danish by ear and got third, which is exactly the best I could've hoped for, given the competition. I was feeling sluggish in the Masters' 4/5 miss n' out and it showed. I was the victim of a rotten call and got pulled early, but mostly it made me realize that I need to stop being lazy and swap cogs for that event.

I jumped into the 30+ unknown and rode at 101% MHR for half the race. Holy shit. Kinda covered about 65% of the dangerous moves, and was close to staying out with a guy at one point, but died on the vine, and naturally, there went the bell. I hung on for 6th. Turns out it's only for 3s or better. I suspected that but wanted to try it out nonetheless, and they didn't stop me.

The 4s miss n' out was two heats later and I was forgettable, pretty much telegraphing my doom a few laps in.

I had been looking forward to the mini-main, a 25 lap points race, and was feeling a little bummed to have burned so many matches already. Spencer, a Baraboo shark who schooled most of us at the Iowa state champs, was there. He pretty much rode away and only two of us could really put in a chase. I wasn't feeling great but it turned out everyone else was feeling worse by the third sprint. I somewhat-inadvertently pulled Nico into some points while I was trying to chase the leader and when he faded I jumped and rode solo into a couple sets of second place points, and finally caught Spencer. He hawked me for the prime and the final points, but that wasn't too surprising, and I was happy to come home with second. Well, sorta happy. Not to play the sandbagger card, but if you can ride solo off the front for 80% of a 4/5 race, I think you might be ready for the 3s. Not that I mind though, I think it's good to have it a little tougher for everyone.

A decent night all around. Jeff went up a lap (again!) in a hundred lap points race, Nordyke was looking healthy and strong, finishing 10th, and all the 4/5s that rode the Cuttin Cruiser hit the podium. (It should be said that my Masters race and the main event were likely a bit easier on account of some big guns being out for Superweek.)

Tonight: Soldier Field crit on Bastille Day! With five teammates! This should be interesting the day after five track events, as in HR = max, watts = lame.