Scratch

The scratch heats were, of course, difficult.  It's Nationals.  The second heat--my heat--was particularly fast, everyone seemed to agree.  And I didn't have the legs, which is disappointing, but not that surprising.  Sometimes you feel great, and most of the time you feel less than great.  I still feel so comfortable on the track, and I basically feel good, but the pace was just too hot about 20 laps in, and I got popped off the back.  That was it.

As a frame of reference, racing speeds are typically in the 30-33mph range, with a final acceleration up to 37 or 38.  Today, when attacks started going in my scratch heat, I clocked us at a consistent pace above 37--that wasn't at the finish, that was just when the attacks were going in the middle of the 40-lap race.  The field blew apart in my heat, and a lot of guys didn't finish.  I'm sorry to say I was among them.

60 lap points race tomorrow, then team sprint and Keirin on Saturday.  More crashes in the womens Keirin today, but everyone was OK by all accounts.  Saturday may really end with a bang . . .