Finally rode the track!

I had the chance to ride on the track this afternoon. It was definitely something else!

I've had a couple guys bugging to get out there for the last few months, and finally I had the chance. I wanted to wait for the accelerated track class (for road racers) so I could get advice from guys that knew what they were doing. The Sunday afternoon class actually fits in with my schedule. I really don't think I could have swung the four Tuesday night classes.

We started out learning the lines and markings on the track. Then we were taught to ride fixed gears. Of course that's all I rode for 2 years, so I found it a bit funny watching some of the others try to figure it out.

Pretty soon after Skibby had us riding the cote d'azur. That's when the steepness of the track really set in. It's totally different than being a spectator. 43 degrees is a LOT steeper than you think.

Actually Richi and me were having this conversation the other day. One of our mutual friends was bragging about how he descending a "70 or 80 degree" incline on his MTB. Haha. Anything more than what, 10 or 15 degrees, would be borderline terrifying.

Anyhow, eventually we worked our way up to the measurment line, then the red line, then the blue line. We did a follow the leader drill where Kruse swung us up and down the track, giving us a feel for what the limits of the track and bikes were.

We finished it off with some pacelining. That was a lot of fun. Pulling off uptrack and dive-bombing back onto the back kept it interesting. Too bad pacelines on the road aren't that fun.

I am pooped from a solid weekend of riding. Friday evening I did a speed workout. Yesterday I went about 75 miles with a few Cat6 guys. Today I put in about 50 miles between running errands and riding to and from the track. Then another hour or so rolling around on the track. I managed to steer clear of the beer this weekend too, so I felt extra sprightly this morning.