Saturday was the Kissena Omnium, and I drove down to NY to try my hand at racing the "ghettodrome." It was as I had heard, long (400m), bumpy in the corners, with some bumps jarring enough to bounce you out of the sprinter's lane, particularly in turn 4. The women's cat 1/2/3 and cat 4 fields were combined, which meant several 4's racing with a couple of cat 3's and a cat 1 who hadn't trained in a few months. I raced 5 events. They were a 200m TT, a 400m TT, a 15-lap points race, an elimination race, and a 12-lap scratch race. I basically did a whole lot of finishing last, but I found small victories within the races, a good line, a bump of elbows that didn't throw my balance, catching back up to the field after being dropped. I was desperate not to be the first one eliminated in the elimination race, which thankfully I was able to pull off. The photo below is by Lee Azzarello, who spent the whole day at the track with me, made a run for snacks, gave me a few pointers and plenty of moral support.
not eliminated (this round)
a nice commuting pace