Tuesday Night at the Oval (Nothing to See Here, Move Along)

Last night for points. This meant very little to me, since I wasn’t on the cusp on top ten overall (short of winning the race, but I am a realist). First place was already wrapped up. MAR was not, so I figured the race might be a bit on the fast side. Slightly larger group tonight, maybe 25-30 riders, with lots of new faces, mostly college kids. One was riding an old road bike with SunTour bar con shifters. I can appreciate that setup.

My start position was not at all good. After a few laps, I tried to move around, but it was windy and my legs were flat. Maybe I’m just not warmed up. Back into the pack. A few laps later, I tried again. Nope, no pop in the legs. A few laps later, I swung around on the point prime lap, then realized I wasn’t catching the guy who took a flyer, and sat up. I pulled briefly when the pack caught on, then slid back. Rinse, lather, repeat. My legs did not feel good at all when I was out in the wind. I was perfectly comfortable in the pack, but couldn’t move up unless on someone’s wheel. The pace ground to a crawl at a few points, but again, poor positioning and dead legs meant I just had to deal with it.

Four laps to go and starting thinking about the sprint. I worked enough to get a good position, not quite on the inside, maybe 12 wheels back. Bell lap, and the pace picks up. I slid around a bit and pick up a few more positions. Then. People. Sit. Up. No, really. Stopped pedaling. Humm. I gunned it out of the final corner, but my position at this point was too far inside, and I was stuck behind a few people. I sat down and cruised across the finish. I have no idea where I finished. Top twenty at least.

This was the first time (well, since June) that I really just haven’t the legs to work hard. There were lots of opportunities to take a flyer, but I just couldn’t maintain the effort. You’ll have that, though. Three top eight finishes (and at least two other top ten finishes) ain’t bad, considering how the season began.

Two more races at the Oval, plus the road race at Strongland, and the season is over. I’m already thinking about next season, and the Dirty Dozen.