B
BrettS
Guest
Executive Summary:
My last race for a while because I'm moving to Bunbury so I was keen to
win. Points race so 4 sprints (1st=5pts, 2nd=3pts, 3rd=2pts, 4th=1pt)
Got second place in 1st and 2nd sprints, won the third one, and came 2nd
in the finish sprint. Guy who won 1st and 2nd sprint came 2nd in third
sprint, but his leadout man failed to do a good enough job at the end
and he didn't place. Therefore I won by one point! Yeeeehaaaaa
How it happened:
Saw Duncan before the start who said that he was going to try to keep
off the front today. Famous last words. He spent the first 2 laps
trying to get away from the front...
Next lap round we hear the whistle for the first sprint. I make my way
to the front and in my over-excitement end up in second wheel. Down the
back straight I hop on the wheel of some other bloke who came around in
a hurry, but he didn't last too long. About 3 riders went past before
the last corner. Into the straight and I get to the front, but I'm
still 100m from the line. I can her Mick coming up the left and he
musta been on the curb cause I was sure I had closed the door well
enough. Line judge thought I got the win but the camera told a
different story.
Straight after the sprint there's a 2 man breakaway, the same 2 guys
that went last week. They were away for a lap before I jumped off the
front to try and bridge it. A lap later and I'm on the back and we come
up on the D/E grade bunch. As we came up behind them some bloke on the
front finishes his turn and switches to the right hand side of the road.
Apparently shouting "B Grade, STAY LEFT" is confusing. By the time we
got through we had been caught. Sprint lap came around and this time I
was about 6h wheel at the last corner. I followed Mick and his lead-out
man but ended up caught on the left side of the road. It was only as
his leadout man gave him a final push from behind that a gap opened up,
but it was too late. 2nd by 1/2 a wheel.
Third sprint and I was a little smarter. I stayed about midfield down
the back straight and kept a bit more corner on speed around the outside
of the bunch. Everyone went left to stop others hiding in the pocket so
the right hand side opened up beautifully. I gave it everything I had
and got to the front with about 100m to go but this time there was
no-one sitting on. Yee-ha!
About this time I was feeling that I didn't have another sprint left in
me. I asked Duncan how he was feeling and he said he was alright but
the sprints were out of his league. (Don't worry mate by the end of the
season you'll be right up there.) Thankfully there were others who
chased down a last ditch breakaway and with 2 laps to go we were all
together. Down the back straight on the last lap and I'm thinking to
myself "You're too far back". Coming into the 2nd last corner I used my
Days of Thunder technique of staying high and going around them on the
outside of the corner which worked quite well. Into the straight for
the last time and almost everyone went left except for the guy who
stayed right and went early. I was too far back to cover the move and
had to settle for 2nd.
All in all a hard day's racing with a pleasing result. Given that I'm
nearly 36 maybe I should consider retirement...
--
Brett"On top of the world...or at least B grade"S
My last race for a while because I'm moving to Bunbury so I was keen to
win. Points race so 4 sprints (1st=5pts, 2nd=3pts, 3rd=2pts, 4th=1pt)
Got second place in 1st and 2nd sprints, won the third one, and came 2nd
in the finish sprint. Guy who won 1st and 2nd sprint came 2nd in third
sprint, but his leadout man failed to do a good enough job at the end
and he didn't place. Therefore I won by one point! Yeeeehaaaaa
How it happened:
Saw Duncan before the start who said that he was going to try to keep
off the front today. Famous last words. He spent the first 2 laps
trying to get away from the front...
Next lap round we hear the whistle for the first sprint. I make my way
to the front and in my over-excitement end up in second wheel. Down the
back straight I hop on the wheel of some other bloke who came around in
a hurry, but he didn't last too long. About 3 riders went past before
the last corner. Into the straight and I get to the front, but I'm
still 100m from the line. I can her Mick coming up the left and he
musta been on the curb cause I was sure I had closed the door well
enough. Line judge thought I got the win but the camera told a
different story.
Straight after the sprint there's a 2 man breakaway, the same 2 guys
that went last week. They were away for a lap before I jumped off the
front to try and bridge it. A lap later and I'm on the back and we come
up on the D/E grade bunch. As we came up behind them some bloke on the
front finishes his turn and switches to the right hand side of the road.
Apparently shouting "B Grade, STAY LEFT" is confusing. By the time we
got through we had been caught. Sprint lap came around and this time I
was about 6h wheel at the last corner. I followed Mick and his lead-out
man but ended up caught on the left side of the road. It was only as
his leadout man gave him a final push from behind that a gap opened up,
but it was too late. 2nd by 1/2 a wheel.
Third sprint and I was a little smarter. I stayed about midfield down
the back straight and kept a bit more corner on speed around the outside
of the bunch. Everyone went left to stop others hiding in the pocket so
the right hand side opened up beautifully. I gave it everything I had
and got to the front with about 100m to go but this time there was
no-one sitting on. Yee-ha!
About this time I was feeling that I didn't have another sprint left in
me. I asked Duncan how he was feeling and he said he was alright but
the sprints were out of his league. (Don't worry mate by the end of the
season you'll be right up there.) Thankfully there were others who
chased down a last ditch breakaway and with 2 laps to go we were all
together. Down the back straight on the last lap and I'm thinking to
myself "You're too far back". Coming into the 2nd last corner I used my
Days of Thunder technique of staying high and going around them on the
outside of the corner which worked quite well. Into the straight for
the last time and almost everyone went left except for the guy who
stayed right and went early. I was too far back to cover the move and
had to settle for 2nd.
All in all a hard day's racing with a pleasing result. Given that I'm
nearly 36 maybe I should consider retirement...
--
Brett"On top of the world...or at least B grade"S
