A crazy night last night at the track. On the way out, I got right-hooked by a livery cab turning into a driveway. Nearly right-hooked, anyway. It took some skilled skid-turning to avoid it, but I'm more impressed at my ability to engage in a very hostile argument in Spanish with the driver, who claimed que no tiene la culpa. I assured him that he did, and that in future, que necesita buscar, necesita usar los ojos! Pinche punetero!

It got my heartrate up, but that's not the same as warming up - I only got in a paltry two laps before the races started, and when the 5s were called to the rail for a 9 lap points race, I was cold. Bad condition for busting my ass, which I did, placing in two sprints and winning a respectable 3rd. But when it was all said and done, I felt like I was going to puke.

I felt a little bit better during the scratch, and moved strongly with Dan Bones. It didn't stick, though, and we wound up spending too much time in front. When things heated up on the final lap, I blew up hard, sat up, and didn't place. I was hurting. I'm going to have to figure out how to get the strength that some other folks have, for counterattacking and spending a couple laps off the front.

The third race was a miss and out; with somebody from Brooklyn Velo Force setting the pace, we hustled around the track, sprinting through turn 4, trying to avoid getting pulled off for getting in last each time. I stayed in the back for most of the lap, hustling up on turn 3 and coming down the banking on 4. It worked out well - I stayed in. For several laps I was boxed in on the inside but made some room in the sprint. I had a few kicks in me and hung on until there were just 3 of us remaining. Thinking that the neutral lap was the last lap, Andy kicked hard as the BVF rider moved forward, and I thought I was done. The pace stayed high into the actual bell lap and I fell off Andy's wheel. Hurting, I almost sat up and settled for 3rd, but I remembered that Andy was hurting as much as I was. Tapping into reserves, I put on an extra burst of speed and pulled even with him in turn 3; in turn 4, he looked over his left shoulder, but I was coming down the banking on his right. We sprinted hard and I edged him for 2nd place.

Of course, that put me in the uncomfortable spot of getting invited to the B Feature, to race with the 4s in a 12 lap points race. Immediately, with no break, and coughing like an asthmatic. Fortunately the pace stayed sane, and when I caught my breath by sucking wheel on the end of the line, I felt good enough to move up and place 3rd in one of the middle sprints.

I got a word from another rider about a move I had made, and started to think maybe I wasn't as safe a rider as I thought I am - maybe my confidence isn't so deserved. But talking about it later, he clarified what he had told me - just that I had unintentionally blocked him. Not unsafe, just (perhaps) unwise; he went on to compliment some of my riding, which made me feel a whole lot better.

Can you tell I'm excited for these Wednesday night races? Some people are encouraging me to upgrade to the Cat 4, but I'd like to stay in the 5 field for a handful more races in order to gain confidence, continue getting in better shape, and wait till I get a bit faster. Maybe after a few weeks of the sprint/recovery training that I am planning.