July 17, 2014, Cat 3
Blaine MN Track Omnium
Report from Lionel Space, Phoenix AZ
Many thanks to Gail Lossing for the photography.
(Images can be clicked on for a larger version)
A quick flight out to MN and a jump into the Omnium at the wonderful track in Blaine.
The track has a few more loose boards in it than I remember from two years ago, but it's still fun and the people (riders and officials) are still the most wonderful you can find.
I ride the Cat 3 races so that I can be somewhat competitive.
They always seem to have some new riders in their 20s that show immense potential and they make winning a challenge.
We also had some of the top women racers in our races and they've developed well over the least several years, with the women's events also being well populated.
The first race for me was an unknown distance.
These seem to have a bit too much luck in them for my liking.
With 20 riders at the rail, it was tricky to always be in a good position for an attack or final sprint (you only get a bell with one to go at an unknown point in the race).
I was positioned pretty well for the first 14 laps, but then I fell into the duty of taking a pull at the front.
When I pulled up, I went back just a little bit, but the pack surrounded me and squished me much farther back, keeping me boxed in.
I knew I was not in a good poistion, but could not easily find a way out and then they rang the bell.
There was no way I could place in the top 5 from about 15 back, so I just sat up and took last, not having put in any effort.
My next race was a Miss and Out, my favorite.
Every other lap the last rider across the line is pulled from the race until you have a winner.
With 19 at the rail, I put myself into about 4th spot right away.
As we picked off riders behind me, I kept track of how many had been eliminated.
When we got back to 12, I drifted back a bit, but still didn't need to play the back as I could still pick off pack riders riding at the line.
After a couple of those riders were pulled, I went to the back, but one other rider wanted the very back.
Fine, I just rode the next to last, making sure the back rider didn't come around and purposely box me in.
I finally got them all picked off until we were down to the final three and one of the riders made an attack.
After about a lap I realized that my companion was losing ground on the lone attacker, so I jumped on the back stretch to chase Grant Flick, Number 26 down, easily shedding the third rider for the next elimination in the process.
So with two to go, we were down to two and he slowed on the back stretch to play a bit of Match Spint style.
I stayed behind, watched his head movements, and hoping he was a bit tired from his attack, jumped from a low position entering turn 4 to dive underneath him.
I got a good gap, but the 20 year old had the speed to just nip me at the line for the win.
Start of the M&O,
Black, Blue helmet.
Mid race,
staying near the front.
4 riders to go,
last women eliminated.
Passed just before the line.
Our last race was a 50 lap scratch (1st across the line at the end of 50 laps wins).
The pace was pretty steady down to the end.
Most of us took turns at the front, but I was sure to try to get behind Grant Flick when I came back to the back of the pack.
I had considered attacking with 3 to go when my turn came up, but pulled off instead.
The pace then immediately picked up and I quickly got on Grants's wheel.
We passed a bunch of people with 1.5 laps to go, he gave a good effort on the back stretch with half a lap to go and although I passed one more rider in the home stretch,
I could not come around Grant and garnered a third.
A fun night of racing.
Many said that the Miss and Out was one of the most exciting races they'd seen all season, so that felt good.
My Dad, Mom, and sister Gail came to watch, which was real nice.
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