Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Scotto
Track can be fast and exhilarating.
A famous Tarck, Parc De Princes was named after the Sprinters, the Princes of the Park (Track).
Winner of the Match Sprint, got the Princess. (and that's sexy)
Enjoy it mate.

Well we had the Qld Masters Track Championships last weekend, got through a large part of the event until rain ended saturday early before all the events had finished, and sunday was no better with the event being called off after a few pursuits had been run on a dry track.....until the rain came again!

i performed to my expectation - getting a shellacking although did move up in placing due to 2 blokes leaving early due to the rain and not presenting on sunday. I didn't do a PB in my qualifying, may have come pretty close in the sprints but yet to see any times. I figure if the bloke who won, John Eder, each sprint against me (easily i might add) did one in 13.7 another in 13.8 (i didn't push him too hard - he qualified in 11.8!!) so i might have come close.

I really enjoyed the event, good to talk to like minded people who were happy to share tips in how to improve. i'll be back for next years Masters

Cheers
Mick

sounds like you had fun Mike.
i'll be doing a PB on sunday in the NSW team sprint - mostly because it'll be a first time for me !
Now to overcome the anxiety of standing startout of the timing machine instead of being held....
My standing starts arent my forte - such that i am wondering if i can go lower than 88 gear inches and still manage a quick lap.
looking forward to the shellacking anyway. so much work and training for about 20 seconds of riding..

Its been a while since I have raced track but had another outing tonight nothing much to report after 120km this morning I didnt have much in the legs for the track. I was fine with everything but sprinting I just had nothing in a sprint. All pretty much mid pack finishes, but not too unhappy either as I was able to hold wheels without too much trouble.

First race night back after four months of lung problems, including pneumonia, and I was racing down in D grade. Tonight reinforced why I love the track. My mate Col got a win in the group handicap. He was working in tandem with another D grader swapping off half turns and quarter turns. I sat a bike length behind them for 90% of the race and couldn't close the gap - I was just far enough back to be in the wind and I had to work hard to keep that distance. On the final half lap some of the C graders caught up with me, but they couldn't touch Col who thoroughly deserved his win. It was a masterpiece of cooperation and a wonderful on track lesson for me.

This is a bloody glorious sport.

bigfriendlyvegan wrote: I sat a bike length behind them for 90% of the race and couldn't close the gap - I was just far enough back to be in the wind and I had to work hard to keep that distance.

This is a bloody glorious sport.

Defies logic, mate
If you could sit a bike length behind, next time, I might suggest you make that extra effort
early, to make that gap up (one bike length?). For the extra amount of energy lost, you could have
been sitting in, for the rest of the event. And if you have a sprint, could have probably taken them out.
Least, that's what I would have done.
Cheers.
Enjoy it.

I hear you Brentono, and I was trying to close that gap but really didn't have it in me. I need to harden up a bit and learn to push myself. I kept thinking I was going to catch them but never did. It's all experience, though. Thanks coach

For me, a race, be it Track (or Road) is an energy expenditure account.
Bit like a bank account, you might have spent some earlier, but you saved
more overall, which gave you that extra, to spend in the end, when it counts.
When your fitter, short bursts, to make up breaks, or close gaps, come easier.
When you become more experienced, with race "tactics"- it becomes second
nature, and your intuition visions the moves in a race, even preempts them.
The longer it takes you to make a decision, and act, the harder it gets.
I'm not a coach, and it's just my experiences.
A method that won me a lot of races, against more experienced, and better
classes of riders, as I came up through the ranks.
Save as much as you can, for the business end of any competition.
Hope it helps, and works for you.
Enjoy it.

I agree!

The fitter and more experienced you become, the more things fall into place and you don't need to think.......hmmmm will I or won't I chase, jump, block
and all the other things that you need too do. Why you ask, because it becomes second nature to you in the races.

Foo

Yeah, I've got to race more. This summer season I managed to race the first two nights, then got sick and now I'm back for the last two nights. I'll have to wait until the winter season at Dunc Gray before I can get more practice. I'll be racing as much road as I can, however.

It all counts to what Brenton and I are talking about BFV.

Foo

foo on patrol wrote:It all counts to what Brenton and I are talking about BFV.

Foo

Yeah, you two are the like the old guys that used to hang around at the boxing gym I used to train at. Battered and bruised and wanting to get out of the house, they spent most of their time hanging around giving advice to the young 'uns who came in. Learned a couple of really good combinations from them, though. The only thing I don't get is why they liked to hang around naked so much? Sure, there was a sauna there and they spent a lot of time in it, but did they really need to let it all hang out as much as they did? I've heard about gyms with lots of naked men in the lockers, but that sort of thing just didn't happen in suburban south west Sydney. Anyway, I digress. The point is, thank you both for your advice and thank the internet that I don't have to see you sitting there naked typing it

(I'm in a very silly mood tonight)

bigfriendlyvegan wrote:

foo on patrol wrote:It all counts to what Brenton and I are talking about BFV.

Foo

Yeah, you two are the like the old guys that used to hang around at the boxing gym I used to train at. Battered and bruised and wanting to get out of the house, they spent most of their time hanging around giving advice to the young 'uns who came in. Learned a couple of really good combinations from them, though. The only thing I don't get is why they liked to hang around naked so much? Sure, there was a sauna there and they spent a lot of time in it, but did they really need to let it all hang out as much as they did? I've heard about gyms with lots of naked men in the lockers, but that sort of thing just didn't happen in suburban south west Sydney. Anyway, I digress. The point is, thank you both for your advice and thank the internet that I don't have to see you sitting there naked typing it

(I'm in a very silly mood tonight)

You're a sick puppy with that description!!

You will find, that those of us that enjoyed the sport for what it is and not what we could get out of it, will always try and help out others wishing to
improve and are willing to listen to ideas that maybe out dated by todays thinking but in reality is the same horse, just a different jockey.

Foo

bigfriendlyvegan wrote:
(I'm in a very silly mood tonight)

Lay of the sauce.

To use a quote from Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe
... I'm here to help - if my help's not appreciated then lotsa luck, mate.

bigfriendlyvegan wrote:

foo on patrol wrote:It all counts to what Brenton and I are talking about BFV.

Foo

Yeah, you two are the like the old guys that used to hang around at the boxing gym I used to train at. Battered and bruised and wanting to get out of the house, they spent most of their time hanging around giving advice to the young 'uns who came in. Learned a couple of really good combinations from them, though. The only thing I don't get is why they liked to hang around naked so much? Sure, there was a sauna there and they spent a lot of time in it, but did they really need to let it all hang out as much as they did? I've heard about gyms with lots of naked men in the lockers, but that sort of thing just didn't happen in suburban south west Sydney. Anyway, I digress. The point is, thank you both for your advice and thank the internet that I don't have to see you sitting there naked typing it

(I'm in a very silly mood tonight)

i'm feeling naked now

ummm, if you don't mind I reckon I might divert the thread back to racing....

If the weather holds up I'm going to race at Leogatha tomorrow night. It's their last race night for the year, but i've only just found out about it. Haven't ridden there for nearly 20 years. They used to have massive carnivals years gone by, with the motor pace racing a highlight for me.

I hear the track surface isn't what it used to be, but racing is racing.

20 lap scratch for B/C combined, field of 24, last race of the season at DGV. I needed to be the points for overall contention. Vander offers to help by leading me out early. I didnt think he was serious when he said lap 1 though.

Off he goes with my wheel a good 10cm behind his for about 6 laps. He'd split the field big-time. By lap 7 or 8 we became o group of 4 who worked well together ( 2B's, 2C riders, with the B's managing full laps and us c graders half lap turns). At somewhere near lap 14 we started to overtake people, and by the last think i think there were only about 8 riders on the same lap.
Rolled over for fourth place in what was probably the fastest and most important race of the season for me as far as points go. It put me into equal 2nd and on countback overall second for the summer series. Or outright second if they didnt share the points between B and C grades !!Thanks Dan for leadout !

scotto wrote:20 lap scratch for B/C combined, field of 24, last race of the season at DGV. I needed to be the points for overall contention. Vander offers to help by leading me out early. I didnt think he was serious when he said lap 1 though.

Off he goes with my wheel a good 10cm behind his for about 6 laps. He'd split the field big-time. By lap 7 or 8 we became o group of 4 who worked well together ( 2B's, 2C riders, with the B's managing full laps and us c graders half lap turns). At somewhere near lap 14 we started to overtake people, and by the last think i think there were only about 8 riders on the same lap.
Rolled over for fourth place in what was probably the fastest and most important race of the season for me as far as points go. It put me into equal 2nd and on countback overall second for the summer series. Or outright second if they didnt share the points between B and C grades !!Thanks Dan for leadout !

No worries was a very fun night I actually think I got more enjoyment out of achieving something for someone else then for myself. Well done on coming 2nd overall! BTW I figured out why I am spinning so much I thought I was on 48-14 but instead of having a 14 and a 15 on the back I have 2 15s so im on 48-15! So the last race A + B points race they average about 48 (someone told me) which means my average cadence for the bit I was in would of been about 116 no wonder why I was struggling and felt like I couldnt lift it for the sprints. Definitely going to try and get myself a 14 before my next track race.

scotto wrote:20 lap scratch for B/C combined, field of 24, last race of the season at DGV. I needed to be the points for overall contention. Vander offers to help by leading me out early. I didnt think he was serious when he said lap 1 though.

Off he goes with my wheel a good 10cm behind his for about 6 laps. He'd split the field big-time. By lap 7 or 8 we became o group of 4 who worked well together ( 2B's, 2C riders, with the B's managing full laps and us c graders half lap turns). At somewhere near lap 14 we started to overtake people, and by the last think i think there were only about 8 riders on the same lap.
Rolled over for fourth place in what was probably the fastest and most important race of the season for me as far as points go. It put me into equal 2nd and on countback overall second for the summer series. Or outright second if they didnt share the points between B and C grades !!Thanks Dan for leadout !

Well done, Scotto! Next stop for you is the State Masters next year. Get a coach and go for the gold.
David

Well done Van. I like your style. I am trying to work on selfless strategies with my group at the moment, where we sacrifice a rider or two to get others over the line. It's a game of chess to me.

UCI Track Racing Rule 3.2.002
Riders shall refrain from any collusion, manoeuvre or movement likely to hinder the conduct
or distort the result of the race.

Which means- Riders shall sportingly defend their own chances.
Any collusion or behaviour likely to falsify or go against the interests
of the competition shall be forbidden.

Cheats will get caught.

Umm when I was racing with the Ipswich club, we were real, no very good at getting the nominated rider up for a win/place but in saying that, if he
wasn't going to cut the mustard, then plan B would be put into place!

You didn't here that from me!

Foo

Umm when I was racing with the Ipswich club, we were real, no very good at getting the nominated rider up for a win/place but in saying that, if he wasn't going to cut the mustard, then plan B would be put into place!

You didn't hear that from me!

Foo

brentono wrote:UCI Track Racing Rule 3.2.002
Riders shall refrain from any collusion, manoeuvre or movement likely to hinder the conduct
or distort the result of the race.

Which means- Riders shall sportingly defend their own chances.
Any collusion or behaviour likely to falsify or go against the interests
of the competition shall be forbidden.

Cheats will get caught.

Ha, I wonder what the limits on that rule are?

"collusion" It was a "given" in big handicaps, and the officials turn a blind eye.
But in scratch races, it's not really acceptable. (except National Championships)
Would depend on the Referee, the importance of the event (or how much your paying the ref. )
FYI. Rules are rules, and people like rules.