Tuesday Night at the Oval

Moderate crowd, 26 racers, and humid and slightly windy conditions. My goals for the evening were:

1) Be more active during the race
2) Take some points in the sprint

The pace was reasonable and, for the most part, relatively consistent. There were quite a few primes (10 in a row, I think), but only a few really drove the pace up. With a large number of CMU riders in the race (the only real team presence), there was a lot of activity at the front, but nothing stuck for more than a lap or two. I managed to win my first prime (thus fulfilling goal #1), too. I wasn’t necessarily looking for one, but I was fourth wheel heading into the final corner and figured I was well-placed and might as well go for it. A CMU rider nearly caught me at the line, but I managed to stay clear for a cool $5. We sat up briefly (no one else from the field contested the prime) but when two other CMU riders came through trying to get clear, we both latched on and stayed away for another lap or so (the effort was highly unorganized). My prime effort (and the flyer) took some zip from my legs, but once back in the group, I was able to recover within a lap or two.

As the finish approached, I started to think about placing myself for the final sprint. I moved outside a bit, knowing that I didn’t want to be stuck on the inside. Two riders jumped from mid-pack with half a lap to go, and I nearly went, but figured it was too early. But my jump was too late, and I couldn’t manage better than 12th, while the guys who jumped managed to crack the top 6. Dumb.