This past Saturday was the Virginia and Mid-Atlantic (MABRA) track championships. All the way up in Trexlertown, PA on their 333 meter velodrome. After a season of racing down here in Richmond on our own little track it was time to head up and test ourselves against guys from up north on a real track. Mickey Turner, Gary Hoffman, Oliver Dujua, Kevin Legaspi, and I made the 5 hour drive up Friday night.
Saturday morning we got up early and started preparation.
At any kind of track meet there is typically a good amount of down time so you have to be prepared for sitting on your butt as well as in the saddle. We staked out a spot in the infield and set up our tent. Numbers were pinned, bikes were checked, and several nervous trips to the bathroom were made.
The cold morning air felt good as we settled in and began to warm up. Track events like this are a series of several small events. First off was the “flying 200″. This is a short timed event where each rider is given 1 lap to get up to full speed before being timed for the final 200 meters of their second lap.
While the guy ahead of me was on the track I sat and received instructions. Events like these require many officials and lots of coordination. I have to hand it to the guys at Prince William Elite Racing and Saroff Racing for putting on a really well organized event.
After being given the go ahead I made my way onto the track to start building speed. You only get one shot at this short event and the times between first and last are often within a second or two. 
Mickey posted a fast time as expected and got off to a great start. Despite having less than one day of experience on the steep banking of the velodrome Mickey was mixing it up with seasoned vets and winning! Kevin Legaspi also posted a solid time and showed that his first season of racing is starting to net some serious improvement. Next year he’ll be even stronger so watch out!
The 2nd and 3rd events of the day are also time trials. The first is short. 1000 or 500 meters depending on age. For this event aerobars are often used to gain as much advantage as possible. I set up my bike with a borrowed Hed tri-spoke and the shop’s disc wheel. The 1000 meter (or Kilo) was one of the events I really wanted to test myself at. While I was a little disappointed with my time it gave me a base line and some serious motivation for next year.
The second time trial is the “long” one. Depending on age you race 2000, 3000, or 4000 meters. Gary competed in the 2000 meter. While a few thousand meters does not sound much compared to a longer road time trial it can still hurt just as much. The 4 kilometers I raced hurt every bit as much as the 10 mile time trial I did earlier this year at the Franklin Omnium, maybe more.
For an hour some rain came through and we quickly piled all the bikes and gear under the tent. That’s an expensive bike pile right there! Down time is just part of the game so we patiently waited out the rain then helped squeegee off the track to speed up the drying process.
After things dried out we resumed racing. Mickey competed in the 3000 meter time trial and smoked it! He posted the fastest time of any category in that event and beat some seriously strong riders! We are all proud of his performance.
Not one to rest on his laurels Mickey took to the men’s age 35-44 points race with his eyes on the prize. 20 laps later he came back with another win! Rubbing shoulders with some serious talent did not intimidate him one bit and he rode a hard and aggressive race to take the win.
Oliver also held his own managing 4th place while mixing it up with Mickey and rest. Well done! I’m looking forward to more racing with Oliver next year!
The points race was the final event of the day for me. A points race is an event where all the riders start at the same time and every few laps a bell is rung signaling a sprint. The top 4 riders each sprint earn points and at the end of the race the person with the most points wins.
I had my trusty CSK set up to go but was a little nervous. As if the prospect of racing against Mickey was not intimidating enough my race included a total of FIVE national champions in various cycling events. When the race started I did what I could and rode all out. In the end I manged 7th. A result I am happy with.
All in all it was a great time. I only wish that more people from Richmond had been able to make the trip up to race. If you have never raced on a velodrome you are missing out! Nothing else compares. I’m already excited for next year!
