ADT Track Championships Race Report

This past weekend trackies from all over California descended up on the ADT velodrome for the LAVRA Velodrome championships. The fields were as strong as they would ever be with everyone gearing up for nationals, and it was nice to see all the track faces again after racing so much road this season. On the Saturday I had the points race on my schedule which went very well and I ended up winning by one point after lapping the field solo. In a points race you get 20 points for lapping the field and I needed all those points! After the race it was time to hop on the rollers on my pursuit bike and watch fellow NOW rider Kit Karzen tearing up the men’s sprints. My individual pursuit didn’t go quite as well as the points race but I stayed on my lap schedule I just couldn’t up the tempo at the end but after a hard points race I wasn’t unhappy!

On Sunday I had a packed schedule with a Team Pursuit, Scratch Race, Kilometer TT, and Madison. The team pursuit was more for fun with just four of the group that I train with racing together and our time was good enough for second place. Next came a much more exciting race the Scratch which is the tracks equivalent of a crit. The pace was fast from the get go and it seemed like we were at the bell in no time. After a hectic sprint NOW MS rider Kit Karzen took the win and I was third. Considering the strength of the field this was a fantastic result. For those of you that have never done a Kilo TT I would say stay away from it. There is nothing more painful and slow feeling than the last lap of a kilo. It feels like your wheels are made of cement and your attached to a giant bungie cord which is pulling you back. They are fun to watch though as others go through an intense one minute and ten seconds of pain! The final race was the Madison which unfortunately ended early for a few teams including mine due to a crash. Overall it’s nice to finally to really be back on the track and gearing up for Elite Track Nationals!

Danny Heeley