Kissena is my home track, but I wandered a bit and went to T-Town on July 12th. I had been feeling good - upgraded about a month prior to Cat 4, had been racing very consistently and placing well sometimes, riding a lot - generally feeling strong and fast. I didn't have any pretensions of kicking ass - I figured I'd be filler in the cat 4s at T-Town, but I'd still get out there and have a fun time.

I wound up doing better than I had expected - placing well in a points race with a big late sprint put me in 5th for the omnium, which qualified me for the B feature race. I broke away early - it was a snowball - and took 3rd. Hearing my name over the loudspeaker - "..And there's _________, of The Bronx, New York, out in front, collecting more points in this snowball" was a highlight of the season. I felt good. I felt strong. I was even surprising myself.

The low point of the season was late July. After having a great time racing a crit with Gui, I got very sick, recovered, entered a high-stress period that also coincided with the need to mourne a very dear family member, and racing suffered. It has been a difficult summer.

I've been thinking a lot about training for next season; I have a lot of thinking and planning and, most importantly, learning to do. Training is complicated - when do I do what? What do I need to build? I'd like to get stronger, faster, more endurance-y, and sprintier. Like everybody else.

So I'm leafing through a copy of the Cyclist's Training Bible. I don't plan to use too much data about VO2max or power - just a speedometer and some sensible plans - build endurance, work on intervals, do some at-home leg strength work, work on max speeds, and make sure to rest.

I came to the realization last week that my track season is pretty much over. I was in really good form in late July, but immediately thereafter, got Very Sick for a week and a half, was off the bike for a bit longer due to Other Things, followed that up with Too Much Work And Not Much Riding, a short vacation. The end result was that I spent three to four weeks being sick and riding very lightly.

I did, however, make a point of going to Kissena for the State Champs and Nat'l Qualifiers for one of the three days of racing - just to have a last couple of races for the season. We did Flying 200s, match sprints, a 4-mile scratch race, and a keirin.

Very soon it was clear to me that I lost a lot of my top-end, which could be strong but wasn't exactly a thing to brag about earlier in the season. I also realized that I lost that ability to surge and recover, surge and recover, though I wish there were more mass-start events on Sunday to see exactly where I was after a slow month.

My flying 200 was unimpressive - actually slower than right at the beginning of the season, which was a bit of a disappointment. I got seeded into a 3-up match sprint, holding the obligation to lead for the first 200 meters. I did so, brought the other two into turn 3, and went into a trackstand. An MIT rider took the lead and I fell behind the other rider into 3rd. We stayed high on the banking, no major moves, just a lot of watching. MIT ramped it up on the homestretch, but didn't jump. As we went into turn 1 I took the opportunity to go high on the banking; MIT was looking over his inside shoulder, and Kimani wasn't looking, so I came down and passed them both at a good clip. But I left the sprinter's lane open for MIT, who came inside me; Kimano went over the outside on turn 4, and as my Felt hopped around on the bumps of turn 4, I eased up - my race was over.

MIT later told me that had I came inside after passing him, I could have taken the sprinter's lane and boxed him, preventing him from really winding up for a few more seconds, which could have held him (and, just maybe, Kimani as well) off. It crossed my mind but I didn't want to completely come down hard in front of him. But it was a really good race and I raced it smart.

In another match sprint, Niki took off with 500m to go, surprising me and the other two riders (yeah, a 4-up match sprint. Hmm), and rode away with it. Nice one! But he no longer holds the track hour record. That belongs to Ken Harris, who broke it on Thursday morning with 110 laps - 44km, averaging 27.5 mph for an hour. Wow!

I raced pretty smart on the long scratch - not contesting a prime, keeping myself in good position. After the prime, the leaders recovered and stayed together, the ass fell off the back, and I and two others were trying to bridge back up. Alas, we couldn't do it - the other two fell off and I rode through in sixth place. Not a bad performance, but obviously nothing special from me.

After hours and hours of waiting around in the strong sun, I was pretty cooked and not really psyched for racing the Keirin - especially after I drew the first position and had the obligation to stay behind the pacer - thus, leading out the sprint.

But by that time, late in the afternoon, I was ragged, and had a hard enough time finding Campo's draft as he brought the fume-spewing moto up to 32mph. When Campo pulled off, I was pretty done, and the earnest sprint passed me with 300 to go.

Anyway.

Later today I'll look back on the highs and lows of the season, and think about next season.

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.

Opening Weekend at our home turf, the Kissena Velodrome, was this weekend. With the motto of Heidi's race series from last summer, GET FASTER, ringing in my ears, we headed out for the races. I was feeling pretty good - Thursday morning training rides up the west side of the Hudson River, working bike delivery and getting base miles and lots of short sprints in, and spending more go-fast time on the road bike, including last weekend's road race... well, they made my legs feel like they were in a good place. I wasn't out there to win, but I was out there to gain some more experience - data, if you will - and see where I was so I can think about getting stronger and faster for the upcoming Twilight Series.

Saturday's events - a 1,000 meter time trial, a team sprint, and a 9-lap points race. The time trial hurt. The team sprint was fun - the impromptu team I was on included my sweetheart and a stranger. We worked well enough together and came in a respectable 2nd place. But I much prefer mass-start events. I don't consider myself to be a particularly strong racer, so I'm relying on reading race dynamics to take advantage of situations. In the points race, someone broke away, but I was able to push the pace of some confused racers, and took 2nd place in two of the three sprints - not bad!

Sunday's races were exciting - once the track dried out. The 6 lap scratch was unimpressive. Everybody riding for five laps and then sprinting for 1 doesn't do much for me. I'm going to have a better strategy for that race - hurt the field a bit and try to take the sprinters out of contention a bit. Then there was a charriot race - one lap, standing start. Kind of a crappy race for the Cat 5s, and the women, while everyone else is doing Keirins. I took first in the qualifying sprint, and third or fourth in the final. More points toward the omnium. But it was the win-and-out that I was really excited for - though I prefer miss-and-outs. But I was excited; one sprinter took off very early and was barely contested for first place. Two guys shot off hard for the second place sprint, and one was totally toasted as I and another strong rider set the pace winding up for the third place sprint. Coming around turn 4, about to embark on the last lap, I was in 2nd position, with Joe in front of me and Andy, winded, behind me. Joe, following what had been our move of swapping pulls to set the pace, moved over for me, but I didn't take the lead. I called to Andy to take it, but he couldn't move forward. I, on the other hand, wouldn't be persuaded to take the lead going into the last lap. Our pace slowed down on the home stretch, but going into turn 1, we were high on the banking - a place I love. I moved, tearing down it with a big head of steam, and opened up enough space. They never caught my wheel and I took the sprint by at least a bike length. 3rd place! And in a win-and-out, you really have to earn it!

So I took 4th place in the Cat 5 omnium. A good start to the season - I'm very excited for the Twilight Series.