Suffering across the finish line...

Last Friday week was my second visit out to RAW Track racing at Dunc Gray Velodrome in Bankstown. I opted to race Novice again as it had been a month since my first visit, so I figured I should refresh my learning of the ropes before stepping up to Div. 5.

There were 8 of us novices this time around, making for a different experience from the first time when it was just myself and Kylee. As before, the races were all handicapped to even out the differences in standards.

I had some good results, finishing 4th twice before winning the final race (see photo). I went off 4th rider with another 4 chasing behind me for an 8-lap race. I caught the guys in front of me after 4 laps, but the guys chasing me still had a bit of work to do. I knew that the guy immediately behind me was a similar standard to me, perhaps slightly faster, so, instead of going around the guys I’d caught I opted to sit-in, make the other guy work to catch us and then hope to out-sprint him at the finish.

As Hannibal says in the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together! The Sydney Uni rider caught us with about a lap and a half to go and chose to sit on for a bit. I bided my time, periodically checking over my shoulder, until, with half a lap to go I went for it, sprinting as hard as I could around Royds in front of me into the final bend and hoping it was enough to get the win. As it turned out, it was! The Sydney Uni guy congratulated me afterwards, confirming that he had been lining me up but that I had accelerated too quickly for him and he couldn’t close the gap. Always good to hear :)

This Friday sees me move up to Div. 5 sporting a new 14-tooth cog at the rear for a bit of extra top speed. Should be fun.