Long day at the Indy Clycloplex.  Track opened at 8 with warm up time scheduled from 7 to 8. What that really means is 7ish to about 7:45. officials need time to clear the track and make final set up preparation. It’s a trend, most venues don’t want to start too early but early enough to get all the racing in. That means more volunteers to open up a track and nobody wants to get up early enough to allow really adequate warm up times. You just have to work around it and do what you can. It’s the same for everyone so we just have to make do.
Someone needs to start early and that would be my age group, fourth event of the morning. Flying 200’s  early with just barely enough warm up.  That meant for me racing started about 9:30.  Get up at 5:30, eat, pack, drive to the track, unpack, carry everything in and set up and then warm up. And then wait, with some roller work to keep ready.
The schedule is very fluid so staying aware of what’s happening is a challenge. USA Cycling allows the promoter to add web accessible info through the USA site so that is kind of helpful but because it takes a while to update, just listening carefully is the best.
My 200 was the first of our age group. Two laps because the track is a 333 meter long track. It felt like a good ride but I didn’t hear my time so hard to know. My top,speed was good so I was hopeful. Eventually times were posted, 13.376, almost exactly what I have done this year in Blaine. The track is slower here so I should be satisfied but I never want to say that’s fast enough. It got my 7th out of 10, getting me to the quarter finals.
More time to wait and ride rollers for the first round. I was matched with the second fastest, same guy as T Town in 2011. I drew position 1 for the first ride. A helper gave me a great push to get me ahead and I went up track to get all the elevation I could. My competitor went ahead of me for some reason and I was happy with that. Out of 2 on the bell lap he took off, I dropped in behind him and followed but could not come around, beaten by a half a wheel.
More rollers and waiting for round 2. Another competitor holding me in position 2 this time. Not much of a push but again I went up track to try and keep the advantage. Chip stayed below me doing a good job of keeping me in place on his hip until the middle of turn 1 and 2 when I dropped back just enough to squeeze by him and drop to the lane ahead. What I didn’t prepare for was him chopping into my front wheel. I backed off enough to save the crash but then lost the lane and trailed him all the rest of the way finishing about a wheel back. As we rolled around on the warm up track I told him he was lucky not to be relegated. His response was I wasn’t even close enough for that, may ass. I lodged a protest but no official really saw it and who ever did see some said there was no over lap. Well, of course not. I backed off to save a crash. That put me in the 5 to 8 rep round.
4 ups, worse than 3 ups. I didn’t have a holder this time and had to rely on a USA cycling guy who really didn’t want to hold me. Position 3 this time. Crappy hold, pedals wrong, crappy start and had to accelerate to catch the pack. I stayed high, the pace got faster in 3 as the bell rang. By turn 1 one guy was struggling, I dropped down to get on the 2 wheels ahead of me but really never connected. They rode off and finished together about 4-5 bike lengths ahead of me.
Done for the day about 3 in the afternoon. I at least got a total of 4 rides. I stayed with my first competitor compared to T Town when he dropped me easily.
Qualified 7th, finished 7th. medal sales yet. Tomorrow is a 2 K, very early, second group out.