Outclassed and not fast.

Sunday was the monthly Blackburn Sprint Series  at Blackburn Velo.  This is the same event I won D grade in last month with the infamous Team Splat!   Did not go so good yesterday.

Only I and Jenny were racing.  Sally has been very sick and incommunicado for the last fortnight.  I cannot speak for  anyone else but she has had me worried.  I have been mildly crook for the last week myself, although I seemed to be riding rather well.    Anyway Kathy kindly decided to come along and lend support.    

Had been troubled by a few mysterious flats on the track bike in the last few weeks..   and in fact fixed one on the friday in order to ensure a trouble free start to the racing.   One flat the Sunday prior resulted in a fall at DISC and I am still replacing skin from that one

   I find being in the right headspace and being confident in the bike is seriously important to my results.   Threw a couple of spare tubes in just in case and we set off .. in plenty of time to Blackburn.   To find some people warming up on the track.      Sigh.   Not so early.  Went to pull the bike out of the car and it had a flat tire.  Damn.   Change it..   go to get stuff out of the car.  And Jenny tells me that my bikes back tire just went 'bang'.   This is not funny.  Is doing my headspace in.   I change it again.. can get no consistent reading off the pump.   Try another pump.. same.  What is going on?

At this point someone rings about Kathy's old BMW we are selling, this is doing my head in.   Change it again.. tube has a hole.   Give the tube to Kathy to patch.   Looking at wheel for some explanation, tire is perfect.. not even nicked..    Thinking 'rim tape'   the rim tape is newish and undamaged  but is clearly being pushed into the spokeholes by tube pressure and it does seem like the tubes have spoke hole marks.    Maybe the tapes not thick enough.   At this point.. Kathy.. asks me to show her how to fix a flat.    Wha.....?     I really really really don't need this.    Start times for qualifying  are now up.. looking rather bad.   I show Kathy how to patch a tube.    Express opinion as to how much help she is being.  She hits me.

Great.        I take roll of insulation tape out..     run it around the rim tape 3 times.  Put a patched tube in.    Pump it up.   Kathy goes off to get some new tubes.   Tire stays up.    For a couple of minutes.  I put shoes and helmet on..   and check.. tire is still up.. maybe a bit softer  but.. its qualifying time.. and I go out and discover I am 2nd off.     Wow.   great preparation.. headspace and warmup.

So I go out and find myself unable to hold the bike down in the corners, waiting for the flat.  End up with 16.6 or something.    A bit slower than last time.  Meh.     didnt crash.   When I get back in the tire is noticeably softer...maybe second was not so bad.   I pull the tube .. and Kathy turns up with new tubes.    Win.

I put it in..  goes in perfectly. Pumps up normally.  I do the same with the front tire.. just in case.  With qualifying over I am able to go out and do a warm up.  Starting to feel happier.   And  Carl calls me over.    Its been decided that I did 2 seconds better than I did in my flying 200.   Which does mean I have finally cracked 16 secs.   And that I am racing in C grade.  Doh.

First race.   David Thomas vs Emily Apilito.  Em is 15.    She is the current 2nd fastest 500 metre racer in her age group in the country.. We are racing over about 580 metres.    She can accelerate like a cannon shell.   I am even slightly awestruck.    I lead,  try pretty hard.. aggressively pushing her up and  down the track..   My plan such as it is is to try and get in her face,  have the sprint start late,  grab a tow when she starts,  and try and come around the top when she spins out because of being on restricted gearing cos a junior.    It all works except for the grabbing the wheel bit.   Jeez she can accelerate.    I pull back a bit on the run to the line and I dont think it was all because she sat up and went to sleep.. but Em wins by 10 metres.  Watch my defeat here

Next round I was up against Justin Perrin,  an up and coming kid.   Good rider who definitely had the edge and the race unfolded much the same way.   I was just outclassed.. more work to do.   I looked up just before that race to see Sally watching.. very uplifting.


 In the last race I thought I had a chance.. I led out.. the other rider tried to jump me earlier and I decided to turn it into a drag race and held on for the win.   Not a bad finish to the day.


Jenny made it into the finals and very convincingly beat PennyR to take 3rd in D grade and uphold the honor of Team Splat!.