Think Racing, Inc.

After spending March and April on the road, it was nice to switch up and do a few different events in late April/ May.

Opening Weekend @ Kissena Velodrome
I won the omnium (overall) at Opening Weekend track meet at Kissena Velodrome. Not having raced on a velodrome in 5 years, there were a few things I needed to get used to such as the bumps created from the swamp land settling underneath the velodrome, having to pedal a fixed gear bike, and just some basic track tactics. Timed events are o.k. but I like the mass start stuff the best where tactics come into play and there is a cushy field to sit in behind. I was upset with myself for not starting my sprint soon enough in the scratch race, trying a breakaway in the points race too early, and not boxing in a stronger rider in the miss and out. Despite the screw ups, I was able to rack up enough points for the ominum victory.

Spring Couples Relay
The other fun event was the New York Triathlon Club’s Spring Couples Relay in Central Park. Since I am so bad at running, the only way I am going to be competitive in a triathlon is if someone else does the running. Fortunately, my girlfriend Janet is a good runner. Janet would run 2 miles on an out and back course, I would bike 12 miles, and then we would row 3/4 miles around the pond in the center of Central Park. The fun part was this would be my first semi-serious time trial longer than the 1 kilometer event I specialize in on the track. The dangerous part is that the event starts at 8 am so by the time I am flying around on a time trial bike, the park is just getting crowded. A 7 am or earlier start time would make it much safer. The participants are primarily runners and triathletes. If I felt any guilt about using a time trial helmet, long sleeve skinsuit, and Javelin Arcole time trial bike, I didn’t feel any regrets when I saw a lot of expensive time trial bikes including a few Cervelos, Orbeas, and the Trek Postal TT bike.

Janet got us a great start and once she got back, I took off mindful not to start too fast. I started catching and passing the cyclists that started ahead of me. After the first of two laps around Central Park, I had caught 20+ riders and we were in 3rd place. By the end of the bike leg, I had caught all but one rider. We were in 2nd place but we lost one spot in the transition and I couldn’t row straight. We were lucky we only lost one spot on the rowing leg to end up 4th overall and 1st in our age group. The event was a nice change of pace, well run, and most of all, a good way to do a triathlon. Many thanks for Janet’s friend Sherri who acted as team photographer, my teammate George, team coach Craig Upton, and my parents for coming out to cheer us on.