Sydney Sprint Series

Well, it’s 11am on Anzac Day and I’m onto coffee number three for the morning (I love my Espresso machine). I awoke at 6:30am to the soothing sounds of rain against glass, and the splashing of passing cars meant that it had probably been raining for some time. A cursory check of the HMBA forum from my iPhone (I wasn’t getting out of bed) confirmed that the day’s racing was off. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, with my legs needing a genuine reprieve, and a sleep in (until 7:30) and some scrambled eggs was the order of the day.

Why am I tired? It wasn’t a particularly busy week either work-wise or training wise. It did however, all come apart spectacularly following my first foray into CrossFit. In retrospect, any workout endorsed by the US Marines should have raised alarm in my brain. The fact that the gym looks like a cross between a Guantanamo Bay interrogation room and an S&M club should have made me think again. If that wasn’t enough, then surely a two-page waiver with a specific section on rhabdomyolysis should have forewarned me, but no! I tackled the program with gusto, and typically fell apart spectacularly in the days to come.

The workout itself was great – all new exercises, and at an intensity I’m not used to in a gym. Whether it was false bravado, or fear of failure, I used the same weights and did the same reps as the more seasoned CrossFitters, and managed to finish everything. A nice ride home and a protein shake and hot shower and I was sorted. However, over the next two days the damage became apparent. Upon waking it felt as though all muscles in my legs, core, and arms (ok so all of them) had been replaced by wet sandbags. Walking, and in particular ascending and descending stairs became comically slow. I limped around for two days feeling like a complete goose for jumping in the deep end.

I made it to Friday night’s track training (albeit 30 minutes late thanks to a particularly frustrating day at work), and was hoping to at least be able to pedal the bike. Interestingly, cycling was the least painful exercise that I undertook – I guess those muscles were the most conditioned and had recovered the best. It was encouraging then, and meant that I was probably going to make it to Sydney the following morning.

I awoke early and jumped in the car for the two-hour commute to the Dunc Gray Velodrome. Traffic was light, and trip down was made all the better with the company of another rider from Newcastle. We arrived and caught up with the rest of the Newcastle contingent, six of us in total. This was great news, as I was going to be able to learn from some seasoned riders. We set up together and checked and rechecked our bikes. We were then allowed to sign on and warm up on the boards. It was a very intimidating experience at first, having never ridden on wood, and not knowing what (if any grip) was available and how the bike would handle at speed (both fast and slow). After one lap on the bottom, I looked over my shoulder and rode up onto the bank. My first impressions were that it was smooth, very smooth, and fast. The consensus from the Newcastle riders was that you rode one gear taller here than back home. I thought about changing my setup, but remembered the hassle in getting the 49×14 to sit square in the frame, and not rub the stays. So, 48×14 it would be.

I was called onto the track for my flying 200. It’s a longer track (250m) which means that you accelerate later with respect to the banking and the turns, as the 200m timing starts just after turn one (as opposed to the start/stop line at Broadmeadow). So I carefully wound up on my out laps then hit the banking hard on the bell lap. That extra 50m makes a big difference, as I dropped down from the banking too early, and wound up too soon. I was out of gas by the time I hit the straight and recorded a time of 13.37. Considering that you ‘should’ be almost a second faster here that was a poor showing. Still, first time, sore legs, what could I expect? I was then ‘seeded’ in with riders who had done similar times and off we went for our one-on-one races. We were in groups of eight, which meant two races each, then a best of three final with another competitor from that category. Concern about gearing did get the better of me, and after 15 minutes of frigging around, I managed to get the wheel aligned with the 49×14.

My first race, and I was up against a junior girl from the ACT institute of sport. She was smaller, faster, and smarter than me. She lead out and went hard with 200 to go. Side by side on the front straight, but I couldn’t get past her. Convincingly schooled. But what fun I had. I was carrying on like I’d won. The smooth track gives you a real sensation of speed. The great commentary by Paul Craft makes for an exciting atmosphere. The Newcastle cheer squad was awesome.

Next up, I was against another girl. We were both losers from our respective first heats. Trick carbon wheels and a Pinarello carbon frame suggested that she’d done this before. Again, she was leading out and I was following. With two laps to go they inadvertently rang the bell – what the deuce? We looked at each other and I said ‘we might as well go’. So she did, I followed and again couldn’t get around the outside. Done and dusted, another loss. You’d think I’d be disappointed but I was just so stoked to be riding this track.

So, the final. Best of three, against the other person from the group. Another girl – are you kidding? She had also been beaten in her previous two races but didn’t share the same enthusiasm for the day as I did. Her $3000 power crank and crabon wheels suggested that she also meant business. Again, I was to follow her out but buggered if I was going to be lead out again. So with 300m to go I kicked over the top and held my speed to take a win – finally! I’d noticed that I had reasonable endurance, and also I had a much better jump than her. However, the ‘going early’ tactic was out of the bag, so I’d need something else for the next round. For this race it was my turn to lead from the front, which I find is a much more comfortable position to be in at this stage of my racing. I was able to dictate the terms, and left the sprint very late – 170m to go. The initial gap was never shut down and I was two-up. A good way to finish the day.

Overall it was a great day to get some experience on the super-smooth surface, learn some track craft, and also eyeball some serious bling. There were seriously some $20k bikes on show. Home to homemade pizza and a glass of wine, and an excellent day’s racing was over. I’m looking forward to getting back out there again.

Lessons learned

1. CrossFit is best approached small steps at a time. Not recommended immediately before a race.
2. I need to sort some spacers for the Felt frame to make changing wheels and gears less of a hassle.
3. My race wheels performed really well on the smooth surface.
4. I ate and hydrated well.
5. The Dunc kicks ass – I imagine it would be akin to driving Nurburgring if you’re a motorsports fan.
6. I have alot to learn about track racing.