Gear Talk: Track Bikes

If you have followed along with my race reports you will know that I am racing the same track bike I raced when I was a school boy back in England, and that it was purchased second hand from a friend (who I recently connected again with through this blog).

Over the years I have contemplated having it repainted but resisted the urge, it has the patina of time and use which money can't buy.  That is to say to some it looks like a crappy banged up bike. Whilst to others it is retro cool.  At a recent track day a rider outright said to me "I thought I was the only one with a crappy bike, but I've got a new one now" or something to that effect.  I can remember being a little taken aback.  Then moments later I was approached by another rider admiring my ride.

Comments aside, like all good gear heads I could not help but be curious if a new bike would not feel or ride better.  You know how it is, the thought wiggles in and before you know it your are researching your next ride.  I looked at the latest bikes from the likes of Cervelo and BMC and browsed the Internet, shocked at how little information is available.  I got really excited about the Cervelo T1 only to find out that they stopped production in 2012.  I then asked a friend who builds frames to give me a quote for a steel frame, which I reasoned would be a great way to go.  He produced some great drawings and I was almost at the point of pulling the trigger.

Then like all things, reality kicked in and I realized, I have gotten sucked into the new stuff zone without really knowing what I wanted. Sure I could tell you the use but not what I wanted and how it would improve my riding.  Then a conversation with my coach confirmed I needed to rethink my expenditure especially with the cyclocross season just around the corner.  After all if I did get a steel frame built would it really be much different. Well I guess I will find out some other day as for now my old boy is still awesome in my eyes.

Whilst inspecting the bike at the weekend I was horrified to discover that my bar tape had slipped.  I felt like writing to the manufacturer and letting them know that the tape had slipped after a mere 30 years, well I would if I had any idea of the company.  And so came an end to he era of zigzag blue bar tap.  As I stripped it off Sarah gave a horrified cry of "what you doing?" I had to reply it's time, it served me well.

Now one thing I did reason with was the benefit of new wheels, after all mine are 30 years old and going strong but 30 years old all the same.

A little research and there seems to be some benefit to deep dish wheels other than they look cool.  On the track fast wheels help you spin up quickly and once spinning, help you keep your speed.  Here we hit the next challenge, nice wheels come at a nice price and I have hit my gear budget pretty hard this year so I decided to see if I could pick up a second hand pair.  My patience paid off, ok I got lucky at the weekend, and today I picked up a set of Essor Areodash 88cm Carbon wheels from Craigslist at a fraction of the cost.  Yes original owner, with receipt and we meet in a public place.  No shady dealings here.   I am not familiar with Essor but they seem to get good reviews so I took a chance.  I will let you know my thoughts once they have been ridden in anger.

I guess I am just in a curious mood right now but after having ridden 19 and 23 tires I was wondering at the weekend what a set of 26 or 28 would feel like.  One good thing about an old frame is that I have loads of clearance to play with.  Well no decision yet but stay posted and I will let you know what I experiment with as the current tires need to be replaced and all I have are 26 or 28 so one set is going on the new wheels.

I would love to hear your thoughts on track bikes, wheels and equipment, just leave your thoughts in the comments.

Until next time keep it Rubberside down and MaxLifeOut

 

 

Wednesday Night Track Race Report #4 (Mixed Emotions)

It is with mixed feelings and emotions that I sit down to write this report.  I promised myself when I started to blog I would share the good and the bad and above be honest and objective so here goes.


If you have ever raced you will know what I am about to talk about, but if you haven't well I hope this helps with some perspective.  I love to ride and I love to race but it does not come without anxiety and nerves.  Am I good enough, will I be on form, can I stay upright and a myriad of other doubts and of course the dire need for many visits to the toilet.  Yup racing is the best laxative in the world, just saying.  So when you are stuck in a traffic jam with 30 minutes until the race start you can imagine the state of calm that existed within the confines of my car. 

It took me another 10 minutes to finally get to the car park where I needed to assemble my bike, get checked in, get dressed and warm up.  Sarah had ridden down to see me and was sporting a grazed knee, some friends had turned up to cheer me on and I was like a headless chicken rushing to get ready.  If you are wondering this is totally not the way to prep for a race.  In the end I managed a 10 minute warm up before the track was cleared

The plan for the night was the same as last week.  Ride both the Master B and Cat 4 events to maximize the racing and race intensity for training.  It is hard not to focus on my overall position especially since I was in second place for the Master B series going into the race, but the goal is the long game and so the stage was set.

Master B Point-a-Lap (3rd)

In a point-a-lap race you score 1 point for every lap you cross the line in first with the last lap having 3 - 2 -1 points for the first three riders across the line.  As the first race of the night I wanted to warm up so I stayed in the field and did not go out early to contend points.  As we neared the end of the race I saw the opportunity to grab a few points.  I was however a marked man.  The race leader saw me go and using my wheel managed to come around me in the final few meters, I had done enough however to secure 3rd place and open the account for the night.

Category 4 Point-a-Lap (3rd)

With one race in between I rolled around the warmup circuit and prepared mentally for my next race.  Where there were 8 riders in the Master B field there were 22 riders in Cat 4 and the dynamic of the race was very different.  Right out the gate the Cat 4 race leader went after points but I sat back with a longer game in mind.  Towards the end of the race I saw my opportunity and stole some points in the final sprint doing enough to earn a 3rd place finish.

Master B Miss-n-Out (4th)

A Miss-n-Out also known as Devil take the hindmost is a race of attrition with the last rider across the line being eliminated from the race until there are 3 riders left.  It is a tactical race and this time I got the tactics wrong.  One of the rules of track is once you are in the sprinters lane another rider cannot enter it and you cannot leave it.  The classic trap in a miss-n-out is to be caught in the sprinters lane and have all the riders come over the top of you.  I avoided that trap until 4 laps to go when I was the one trapped.

Category 4 Belgian Win-n-Out (1st)

In a Belgian Win-n-Out there are 4 bells in the race a set number of laps apart.  On the 1st bell the race is for 4th place, on the 2nd bell the race is for 3rd place, on the 3rd bell the race is for 2nd place and on the final bell the winner takes the race.  With 22 hungry riders I settled into the pack and kept a close eye on the race leader who was also hanging back.  He is strong and I calculated that he would probably go for the win, either way I had decided to see the race out to the final sprint and stay true to my goal for the night.  As we approached the 3rd bell he started to move up the field and then to my surprise attacked, I started to go with him then pulled up as he took off for 2nd place.  It was a tactical move but one that was not liked by the rider behind.  I slide back in the field as we jostled for position.  At the final bell I locked onto a wheel and he took off after the win but I was glued in place and as we came around the final bend I put the hammer down and was able to out sprint him to the line to take the race.

Master B Scratch Race (1st relegated to 7th)

The final Master B race for the evening.  A straight forward scratch race with one $10 preme.  We rolled out and from the start the race was one of tactics over speed with no one wanting to put too much work in.  At the bell for the preme I was in a good position and thought way not have a dig.  It worked out and I scored $10 after which I settled back into the pack.  As we approached the final laps the pack moved to the top of the track with everyone on the barrier, you could feel the tension and the energy around you as everyone was waiting for the bell.  At the bell a rider went long and I came in on his wheel, it was a horrible position to be in as I knew everyone was lining up behind me.  The attack came into the 3rd corner and I accelerated to stay with the field as we came out of the last corner I was laying down everything I had and the finish had shrunk to a single point that I intended to get to first.  I took the lead just as we hit the finishing line taking the win or so I thought.  As we rolled out I was first congratulated by the second place rider then three riders in turn rebuked me for not holding my line.  I will be honest I was confused as I had not thought I had deviated from my line but these are good riders and I will always take feedback and be the first to put my hand up and accept responsibility for my actions.  What I did not know was the level of complaint made which resulted in me being relegated for dangerous riding to the back of the field.

Cat 4 Scratch Race (result pending)

I had no time to dwell on the previous race as I rolled up for the last race of the night.  I was tired but fully intended to dig in and have a go as it was my last race of the night.  As we dropped in it was clear that this would be a very different race than the Master B.  I sat back in the field and watched the action not taking part in the premes and not chasing down a lone break.  As we hit the bell I was not in an ideal position sitting around 10th and was forced to accelerate to catch the leaders, I closed the gap on the back straight and went wide in an attempt to come around them.  I ran out of track and finished in the top group.  It was great to find out that a friend had won.  My result is pending.

Coming off the track I was greeted by a very confused and angry Sarah.  She did not understand why I had been relegated and she encouraged me to find out more.   I approached the judges to ask for feedback and was greeted by my second surprise of the evening, I was told curtly that I had been relegated for dangerous riding out of line.  What I wanted was to understand was exactly what had been seen but the attitude I was greeted with left no room for questions.  I really appreciate judges and their efforts to keep everyone safe, what I really dislike is when it is delivered in an officious and disrespectful way, it simply creates the wrong energy.  That by the way goes for riders too.  I totally get that they have to deal with riders with attitude but it is not like we were racing for big money or the world championship.   Whilst it was disappointing to lose the points, it was not the end of the world and I personally had gotten what I needed out of the effort.

I accept the feedback of my fellow riders and will take it to heart so as not put others at risk as I would not want to be put at risk.  The sad thing is that the whole incident left a bad feeling in the air and Sarah and I left on a downer which is not how I want to feel about a sport I love and I certainly don't want to have bad feelings with those that I choose to spend my time with. 

I shared the events with my coach and now with you.  What is past is past and I will look forward to my next evening of racing with renewed energy, lessons learnt, oh and front and back cameras so I can review my racing lines in the future.

Until next time keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut

Wednesday Night Track Race Report #3

One of the most important things I appreciate about having a coach is the help with clarifying goals and helping me take on bigger challenges.  Turns out that racing Master B on the track will not get me any upgrade points and I need to race Cat 4 to earn them.  With that in mind and the objective of getting as much racing in as possible this weeks goal was to race both the Master B and Cat 4, effectively doubling the amount of racing for the night.

Special mention has to be made for Sarah, who without her help I would not have time between work and heading out to be ready to go. 

When I signed in for the night it turned out that I was the current Master B series leader and entitled to wear the leaders jersey, now that was cool, however I could not wear it as I signed up for both races series and therefore had to forgo the pleasure of having a bulls eye on my back.

The other little nuance is that for Master B races there is no gear restriction but for Cat 4 gearing is restricted to 48 - 15.  That presented me with the dilemma of either changing gearing between races or spinning out in the Master B's.  Oh and the Cat 4 field was a complete unknown to me which is always interesting.

The first race of the evening was a Master B 10 lap snowball.  for each lap the first person across the line gets points equal to the lap count.  ie, lap 1= 1point all the way up to lap 10= 10 points.  I had intended to sit in and try to grab some points but the race split apart and I was forced to go hunt points if I wanted them.  I used a slowing of the field to launch an attack after the lone breakaway mid way through the race.  I have to be honest, once committed my inner voice started screaming at me "what the hell are you doing? it is only the first race of the night Matthew, idiot".  I ignored the stupid voice and managed to do enough to finish second overall.

With one race before my first Cat 4 race I rolled around the warm up circle, I breathed a sigh of relief when my gearing successfully rolled out and I lined up for an 8 lap snowball.  The race did not start well with the official accusing me of racing in the wrong category prior (Master B) telling me I would be fined if it happened again.  I was shocked and confused and it really did not help my focus.  I put the incident to the back of my mind and rolled up. 

Having burnt a bunch of matches in the first race I was looking to sit in and spin keeping in the main pack, but circumstances did not allow for that. The riders wheel I was on launched into the first point and I simply followed his wheel.  It was like following a motor bike and I was very impressed with the speed.  I honestly thought we had opened a sizable gap when he pulled up but I did not account for fresh legs.  The group had reacted and what little flame I had from the final matches quickly went out.  I slide back and came in 9th.

Next up was a Master B keirin which would be conducted over 2 heats and a final.  The first 4 of each heat would go into the final.  The Master A's were up first and I felt rushed to change my chain ring in time, a 48/15 with this group would not work.  It turned out that I had 3 heats to change it in but got my timing all screwed up.  At the drawing of straws I pulled No 1.  which meant if no one took the motor bike I was obliged to do so.  In the event I did not get a chance and I found myself around 6th or 7th wheel.   As the pace increased the rider in front lost his wheel and the leaders were pulling away forcing me to bridge the gap.  As I bridged, the rider behind me came up along side and both crowded and blocked me in, with a rub of shoulders.  I was forced to move inside the rider in front to avoid a touch of wheels. 

As we came into the final sprint the same guy was still blocking me in and as we approached the line the rider in front let up the pace knowing he was through, again with nowhere to go other than into a rider in front or to the side I was forced down the inside.   I was not happy and had words with the rider, who espoused his experience and the fact he was holding his line.  He had the cheek to say I looked nervous and I informed him, he made me nervous through his actions. 

The result of my evasive riding caused me to be disqualified which whilst frustrating was a much better result than crashing. 

The disqualification meant I had just enough time to change my gearing back for the Cat 4, 8 lap scratch race.   I sat back in the field and was content to cross the line in 6th.  I watched the Kirien final and then got ready for the Cat 4, 16 lap 4x4 points race.  As we rolled out I was not getting a read on the riders and positioned myself on the wheel of the guy leading the series.  I figured if he wanted to keep his leaders jersey he would have to perform.  I contended the first two points coming in the top 4.  Around lap 10 a rider was away and true to form the leaders jersey went after him to close the gap and I was right there with him.  As he bridged, the rider behind and the one from the first race with a wicked turn of speed attacked.  I was convinced my guy would go after him but to my surprise he didn't.  We only had 4 laps to go and the attack was a great move.  I went after him and was shocked to look back and see the gap we had opened.  The next 3 laps were a pursuit as I slowly realed him in.  It hurt and I had to chant in my head "Winners don't give up", the effort paid off as I hit the bell and was almost on him.  I could see he had committed everything he had and I was closing.  I caught him on the back straight and made my move for the line through turns 3 and 4 taking the race and gaining enough points to win the race overall.  Ok I had a few more matches left.

The last race of the night was a Master B 16 lap 4x4 points race.  After my effort in the previous race I was curious to see how I would perform.  As the last race of the night I could afford to light any matches left so I rolled the dice and mixed it up with each points lap.  I did enough to take 7th place overall and could not spin my legs fast enough in the last sprint lol. 

All up I took 5th place for the Master B Omnium and 3rd place for the Cat 4 Omnium and whilst I was tired I was not recked which in my books was a win.

As always Sarah was there with water, food, warm clothing, encouragement and support.  One rider in the warmup circle said 'wow you have water bottle suport", I could not help but smile and feel pride and a great deal of gratitude for my wonderful wife who gets more nervous than me before every race but is always there no matter what.

Cat 4 points race, making the catch, out of the last corner after a 3 lap pursuit.

Ride hard and fast, keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut.

 

 

Wednesday Night Track Racing (Master B)

Don't you just hate it when you think you are all organized and then circumstances transpire to reset your sense of tranquility.  Well this week I keep getting reset and it started with my cross bike which I am using to ride a gran fondo on Sunday but more about that in my next post.  Work was crazy busy and my amazing wife had my kit ready to go for the nights racing.  All I had to do was tension my chain and put the bike on the car.  Well that's what I thought I had to do until a quick check of my tires revealed a cut.  With an hour to get to the track and warm up I seriously considered ignoring it, then common sense kicked in and I had the wheels off rushing a last minute tire replacement.  Even the sky looked threatening and both Sarah and I thought the nights racing might end up being cancelled due to rain.



Well that was the start of the night and you might be forgiven for thinking the next sentence would be "and it went down hill from there".  Well I am very pleased to report that was not the case.  In fact the drive went smoothly, the sun came out and I got in a 15 minute warm up before race proceedings started.  Since I have still not sorted out my gearing to be able to ride the restricted cat 4 races I was down for the Master B races.

First race of the night was a 10 lap scratch, we had a small 8 man field as we rolled out for our neutral lap.  With 3 to go one rider made a bold move and attacked off the front and the pack was unwilling to chase.  He quickly established a gap before the pack decided to make a move.  As I watched him ride away I had the choice of sprint to get away and risk being caught in no mans land wasting energy, chase hard and pull everyone with me or sit in and fight it out for second.  With two more races to go I aired on the side of energy conservation.  In the last lap I maneuvered myself into the perfect position and was able to take the sprint for 2nd place.

The second race was a win-n-out on laps 3, 6, 9 & 12.  The first rider across the line when the bell rings takes first and exits the race and so on.  The race started fast with an immediate attack that was quickly marked.  I did not get into the best position for the first sprint and whilst I was able to fight around the rider in front I was only able to cross the line in 2nd.  With the wind at my back in the back straight I decided to stay on the pedals and see what happened, the gamble paid off, the pack let me go and I was able to stay away for the next 3 laps to take 2nd.

The last race of the night was a 16 lap 4x4 points race.  It was going to be a closely fought battle and I needed to pay attention to my position.  In the first sprint I fought to get on a wheel and was able to take 3rd.  I was better positioned in the second sprint but was unable to come around the rider in front taking 2nd which was the same for the 3rd sprint.  As we wound up for the 4th sprint a rider took off for a flying lap, knowing that the wind would hit him as he turned into the home straight I held position and remained patient.  The patience paid off as one of the strongest riders in the group launched an attack and I was on his wheel immediately.  I almost lost him as we turned into corner 3 but dug deep.  The rider ahead was fading fast in the wind and we passed him in the home straight.  It was all I could do to hold the wheel of the rider in front.  My 2nd place finish gave me the tie breaker and I won the race and as a result took the omnium for the night.

It was a great night at the track, the weather brightened up, there was a strong field to compete with and great conversation had with both old and new friends.

 

Hitting the gas hard, not to shabby after hugging a tree in the Ballard Crit at the weekend

(short video)

Keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut

 

 

 

Wednesday Night Track Racing #1

It just seems to be a week of unplanned firsts, well that is not entirely true, riding on the track yesterday was planned.  What was not planned was racing tonight.  It just so happened that tonight was the first official Wednesday night race of the season and I just so happened to be at the track yesterday to learn of said event.  That would have been the end of it had I not then texted my coach only to receive a reply this morning of "let's race tonight". 

Yes if you have to ask my first response was butterflies in the tummy, quickly followed by the thought maybe I should not have gone so hard yesterday, finishing with resignation and excitement at the thought of actually racing for the first time this year.

Checking out the schedule I was licensed to race both the Master B and Cat 4 Men.  Combining the two would give me six races, three in each group.  As the intention was training, we rocked up to the track with that in mind.

Oh, I have to sidebar for a second.  Last night I messaged the Friends of Herne Hill with yesterdays blog and was shocked to find that they posted it on their facebook page.  The upshot was reconnecting with a friend I have not had contact with for probably 25-30 years.  He was the one that sold me my track bike, yup the very same one I am racing on now.  How cool is that?

Back to the racing.  It was a balmy temperature with the threat of rain and a few laps around the track confirmed that the wind had switch 180 degrees from yesterday hitting us as we turned into the home straight.  At the end of the 45 minute warmup one of the riders rolled up and I am ashamed to say I did not recognize him and therefore very grateful that he said hi.  We had raced together during the cross season and had a mutual friend in common.  It was his first official track race which was awesome.

The first race of the evening was a Master B, 10 lap scratch race.  My plan was to use it as a race warmup with the knowledge that I had a Cat, 8 lap scratch to follow.  I hung with the pack and sat up in the home straight not wanting to blow all my energy in the first race, on hindsight that was a mistake but then that is the wonderful thing about hindsight.

For Cat 4 races gearing is restricted so at the start of the first race there was a roll out to check gearing.  I confidently joined the line only to find that I was long, my gearing was too big.  No idea what happened, ok I do I had the wrong gear setup - DOH!!  My new friend offered me a wheel but I decided to pass on the race.  The offer was very much appreciated but would have been a pain for both of us since it was the wheel on his bike not a spare.  Reluctantly I resigned myself to just the Master B series.  To be honest it was probably a good thing as the races came round unusually quickly.

Next up was an Unkown Tempo, not a race I was familiar with.  It is a points race with 2 points and 1 point given to the 1st and 2nd riders across the line each lap.  I chatted with my new friend in the warmup/cool down circle.  I suggested if we got the chance to work together we might get away.  We had an agreement and rolled up to the rail.  The race started hard with two fast laps, I was 5th or 6th wheel when my friend took off like his ass was on fire.  I had to make a snap decision and got out the saddle to chase him down, it took me almost half a lap to catch him and when I did he pulled up.  We were committed and we had a great gap on the field.  I put my head down and took my turn like a man, yes it hurt.  We then worked together sharing the points until the bell rang.  We were still clear of the field but he was fading in the back straight, not wanting to lose the ground we had made I accelerated past him in the back straight to take the win.  He followed me in to take 2nd.  It was a texted book 1/2 escape and he did awesome.  Next time they might not let us go but it is sometimes worth the gamble.

The last race of the evening was supposed to be a 4x5 20 lap points race but each race our numbers had dwindled so a snap decision was made by the officials to reduce it to a 4x4 16 lap points race.  We rolled out and got started straight away but no one was really willing to work.  At the first sprint I was in the top 5 and with the lead out 4 of us had a small gap for a bit but then one of the riders pulled up unwilling to work which shut it down.  That was frustrating as it was effectively a waste of energy.  The second sprint was launched and again I mixed it up in the top 5 only this time I did not waste any energy trying to create a break but sat back in to watch the riders around me.  For the 3rd sprint I was ideally placed and took 1st leaving us with 4 laps to go.  It was cat and mouse with one rider high on the banking,  I watched him literally roll away, I was sure they would not let him go but sure enough with 2 laps to go he had a good lead on us and he did exactly what he should he used it to launch and attack.  At the bell he had almost a free half lap and went on to win the race.  Me on the other hand thought what the hell it is the last race of the evening and went for a flying lap.  It very nearly worked but they caught me just before the line although I did salvage 5th.

Ok I am going to admit I was a little frustrated with myself in the home straight as I gave up and did not embrace the pain cave, it might not have made any difference but still there it is I admitted it.

All told I finished out the evening 3rd overall which for my first race night of the season was not too shabby even if I do say so myself. 

Hope you are getting out there and ripping it up. 

 

 

 

 Remember to keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut.

 

 

1st Track Training Day of 2016

With the Tour of California behind me it was time to get back to the track and turn some of the endurance I have been working on into speed.  Today was an open track training day with no particular training schedule.  A good friend suggested I join them for there training session but unfortunately I missed there warm up.  I did get to jump in on a short pace line effort.  With no structured training and with no plans of my own I decided to turn the evening into an interval session and boy did my legs complain about that.  It was good to open the lungs and discover that I need to do a little brushing up after so many hours working on distance riding and climbing.

I had my support team (Sarah) there to make sure I drank and took on food.  Oh and I got to wear my Friends of Herne Hill jersey to represent the track I cut my teeth on as a school boy and junior back in England.

My next decision is whether or not to race the Ballard Crit on Saturday.  A lot will hinge on my ability to upgrade from a Cat 5 to a Cat 4.  I know those of you that know me will be saying Cat 5, but remember I did not have a UCI ranking until last year and the only UCI road race I participated in was the Redmond Derby Day.  If I can get the upgrade then there are two races I can ride but if not it hardly seems worth the effort for a 30 minute race.  I will get the category hurdle out of the way before deciding on racing or not.



Remember to keep it RubberSideDown and MaxLifeOut.