BVC 2008-01-01 B Points

Very hard race!

Missed out on the first sprint, too far back when the front started to ramp up for the sprint.

Same for the second sprint. Finally managed to get well positioned for the third, managing to go high and over from four back to take the sprint with inches to spare.

Rested for the next sprint, but then it was make or break, so managed to come from a fair distance back, over the top, staying out of the sprinters lane to take the sprint. That left me winded but, at that point, in the lead on points (10 to 8 for the next rider.)

I knew I needed at least one more sprint, with two to go. And planned to wait for the last sprint. But with a lap and a half to go I was in a very good position at the rail, which would allow me to dive and get a good gap for the sprint. So I went and took that sprint.

But that effort really did kill me... but with three 1st sprints I was reasonably sure I would get 1st or 2nd as long as I didn't get lapped.

Alex Pope was helpful, by pulling out to the front to keep one of the other race leaders from taking the sprint. Louis Bernard also helped by giving me a wheel to follow and keep my speed up to keep from being lapped.

Final result was 1st, by 2 points.

Update: 2008-01-15, here's the video

BVC 2008-01-01 B Scratch

B Group Scratch

I think the elimination tired the group out. We had a fairly sedate start, 43kph average for the first two minutes.

Things got a bit more interesting after that, with various people going off the front and then getting caught etc.

The final ten laps was mostly just jockeying for position. I managed to get well setup behind Mike Sidic's wheel with about four laps to go. He then lead out and I was over him to get a nice gap for the last lap and sprint, to take 1st.


Update: 2008-01-015, here's the video.

BVC 2008-01-01 B Elimination

B-Group Elimination.

Rider eliminated every two laps, down to three riders, then three laps to finish sprint.

The average speed during the elimination portion of the race was 46.1 kph, with a sprint about every 34 seconds... lots of opportunities to burn matches.. (See the gray fast finds in the chart.)

By keeping at or near the front I was able to minimize to some extent the number of maximal efforts, and was able to stay in for the final finish sprint.

Initially I was well positioned behind two national women track champs... but they where much better at tactics than I was... With exactly two laps to go they pulled up to the blue, a move I didn't quite catch and was forced to go under and then pull up. Which left me blind.

With one lap to go they jumped under me getting a two bike length gap which I couldn't quite get back.

Don't mind loosing against smart riders like that.

Update: 2008-01-15, here's the video.

Matt Chater flying 500 - helment cam

Matt Chater does flying 500, Mike Skullman follows with helmet cam....



I'm working on a related project to install a Sony EVI-D30 PZT (Pan, Zoom, Tilt) camera, with some tracking software that will allow track races to be easily taped..

But the above shows the alternate, on the track, POV. I'm not sure, but I suspect that it was taken with one of these, Oregon Scientific ATC2K.

BVC Video

I managed to get my son Ryan out on Saturday night to shoot some video. Managed to get most of the B group 8x10 points race..