Track gets even better
It's been a while...the lack of posting over the weekend is due to the fact that I was at home in the U.P. with a ton of family and many others. It was great to be home for a bit, catch up with people, and ride the mtb trails right out my back door!
Tonight, I went to the track again for the Thursday night races. How fun! There were 8 women there tonight, and 4 of them were Bellas. Wow. And we had some good teamwork going on at different points throughout the night. The first race was a 10-lap scratch race. We got some pre-race pointers from Pete, but we didn't quite manage to get organized until the end. Alan girl attacked pretty hard with 4 laps to go, and Gilby went with her. They got a little gap, but then Sarah started to chase them down. I got on her wheel, and as soon as we caught them, I attacked. It was all good for a bit, but I couldn't quite hold it till the end and got caught by a UofM Girl.
Then there was the miss-n-out. Steve tells me this is his favorite race on the track, and now I can see why. As we were lining up, I heard someone from the crowded stands (yes, we actually have fans) yell for me. I looked up, and this guy said, "that's right, my money's on you Karla." No idea who he was. But the pressure was on.
Rocker took the early lead on this race as the first couple of people got eliminated. After a couple of laps, I pulled into the front and pretty much stayed there the whole race. I didn't really have to worry about being eliminated, and I could hear who was getting eliminated each time. Until finally it came down to me and Gilby. I went up track to get her to pull through and then jumped back on her wheel. And it just didn't happen for me to come around her again for the final sprint. She rocked that race for sure. Nice job.
The last race of the night was a 30 lap points race. We started out at a nice leisurely pace, actually so slow that Megan started to worry we were going to fall off the track. But things heated up for the first sprint. A bunch of people went for it, and I may have pulled off a 4th. I'm not sure. But as people slowed down after the sprint, I decided to attack. From then on, it was a solo race for me, much like Stratton's race a couple weeks ago. Hats off to the teammates on this one!! I got a little gap off the front when I attacked, and after that, the Bellas kept the pace in check and pretty much made sure that no one could chase me down. Apparently there were a few times when the pace was so low that Sarah almost clipped her pedals. And I just kept hammering. With a couple laps to go, I caught onto the back of the field and that was it. I won! Fun stuff.
Oh, and, the Tour is happening. I think Landis is going to win. That's pretty much the extent of my tour commentary, so if you'd like to read about the tour, try somewhere else.
Tonight, I went to the track again for the Thursday night races. How fun! There were 8 women there tonight, and 4 of them were Bellas. Wow. And we had some good teamwork going on at different points throughout the night. The first race was a 10-lap scratch race. We got some pre-race pointers from Pete, but we didn't quite manage to get organized until the end. Alan girl attacked pretty hard with 4 laps to go, and Gilby went with her. They got a little gap, but then Sarah started to chase them down. I got on her wheel, and as soon as we caught them, I attacked. It was all good for a bit, but I couldn't quite hold it till the end and got caught by a UofM Girl.
Then there was the miss-n-out. Steve tells me this is his favorite race on the track, and now I can see why. As we were lining up, I heard someone from the crowded stands (yes, we actually have fans) yell for me. I looked up, and this guy said, "that's right, my money's on you Karla." No idea who he was. But the pressure was on.
Rocker took the early lead on this race as the first couple of people got eliminated. After a couple of laps, I pulled into the front and pretty much stayed there the whole race. I didn't really have to worry about being eliminated, and I could hear who was getting eliminated each time. Until finally it came down to me and Gilby. I went up track to get her to pull through and then jumped back on her wheel. And it just didn't happen for me to come around her again for the final sprint. She rocked that race for sure. Nice job.
The last race of the night was a 30 lap points race. We started out at a nice leisurely pace, actually so slow that Megan started to worry we were going to fall off the track. But things heated up for the first sprint. A bunch of people went for it, and I may have pulled off a 4th. I'm not sure. But as people slowed down after the sprint, I decided to attack. From then on, it was a solo race for me, much like Stratton's race a couple weeks ago. Hats off to the teammates on this one!! I got a little gap off the front when I attacked, and after that, the Bellas kept the pace in check and pretty much made sure that no one could chase me down. Apparently there were a few times when the pace was so low that Sarah almost clipped her pedals. And I just kept hammering. With a couple laps to go, I caught onto the back of the field and that was it. I won! Fun stuff.
Oh, and, the Tour is happening. I think Landis is going to win. That's pretty much the extent of my tour commentary, so if you'd like to read about the tour, try somewhere else.
posted by karla at 11:21 PM
5 Comments:
Hey, where in the UP were you??? I grew up in Michigan.
I grew up in Hancock, MI. It's in the keeweenaw peninsula -- the little thumb that sticks out into Lake Superior. It's up there.
I grew up in Grand Rapids. One thing I've always loved about Michigan, people ask you where in the State you're from, and you can hold out your hand and point, "here." Snort.
yooper. wow. :)
northern michigan university.
whoooo. hooooo.
i don't remember much of my time there except eating "Pasties" from the local bakery.
When I told my mom this she got really pissed at me and thought I was being a bad boy.
When I told her it was a meat-pie-esque pastry she still didn't get it....i guess that is the u.p. for you.
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