First track competition this weekend!

[tuco]

Townsville Cup tonight and Sunday.

It'll be my first attempt at a track competition. I have no idea what I'm in for other than chasing lots of other riders I've only been doing track for about 2 months.

I'll report back Monday with details and hopefully photos.

Should be interesting tonight. There'll be a few international professional riders out at the track tonight because of the Nick Gates Foundation race here tomorrow.

Should be a good night no matter how I go.

[zozza]

Good Luck tuco, looking forward to the report.

[tuco]

2 thirds of the way through the weekend.
Friday night track -
27 degrees
80% humidity
Don't know if it's normal practice but A,B and C grade were lumped together in the handicaps. I was C grade.
I made the final of a 2 lap sprint race I don't know the name of and I missed the final because I was helping my daughter in the race before the final and being new to track I wasn't 100% sure what was going on. I had a good chance too as I was the limit rider off 140m and there was a stuff up with a rider false starting which they didn't call and caused a slow start by most of the field.
The guy off 130m won but I have a feeling he shouldn't have been off 130m He was a much better rider than that as he proved later in the evening.

Didn't do any good in the 4 lap handicap. Needed 7th to proceed to the final but I wasn't last. Held them off for two laps though.

24 lap points score -
Got dropped after 2 laps and was two laps down with 7 or 8 to go so was asked to pull out. Back to the guy who was off 130m in the handicap, he came second in the points race.

I was C grade but really I should have been D grade but they didn't have a D grade. There were some local riders from our B grade classed as C grade. As I said to a fellow local C grader who was also struggling, "C grade my arse!"

Saturday - Nick Gates Foundation Classic. 45minute + 2 criterium.
Well I'm stuffed. Spent two hours putting barricades out then 3.5 hours marshalling. The local juniors got to ride around with the pros as they warmed up which was good as the foundation is for local junior riders. The race was cut back to 45 minutes due to the heat.
Didn't know many of the foreign riders by sight but Nick Gates and Robbie McEwen were easy to spot. I got some pictures which I'll post Monday.
Of course Nick won his own race. Being so close to the action as a marshal was interesting. The riders are continually talking tactics with each other. 1.25 laps out they told Nick to go (staged finish) and his long time team mate Robbie came in second.
Wouldn't believe it but Cadel didn't race and we were standing around post race and my wife said is that Cadel behind you? Sure enough it was, only a metre away. He was with his wife and they were being very friendly with each other so with that fact and taking WR's famous person thread into account I didn't bother them. Call me silly for not talking to him but I respect others privacy. We did get a photo of myself and my daughter with Cadel and his wife standing behind us.
My daughter got her jersey signed by Cadel later in a formal signing time and also Robbie McEwens signature.
Have to say, and this was a comment from most people, the size of these guys surprised me! Most of them are only little blokes. It's no wonder Phil Liggett can't see Robbie in a race, I had trouble from the track side!
It was a long hot humid day but a good day plus we didn't have to travel to Europe to see them!

Next Leg - Second half of the track meet Sunday evening.
Stayed tuned.

[zozza]

Good report tuco, you shoulda got some photos with the pros? You prob summed up a lot of races "C grade my ass"

[JV911]

how did you go last night Tucs?

[sandman]

Good report tuco, you shoulda got some photos with the pros? You prob summed up a lot of races "C grade my ass"

And that also goes for B grade

[tuco]

how did you go last night Tucs?

Didn't race - I hurt my ribs (old injury) helping put up steel barricades for the bike race Sat morning so thought it best to rest.

There's a full report with photos in the General Section.