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NSC Velodrome
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Thursday Night Lights Results
May 28, 2009
Another beautiful spring evening at the NCS Velodrome for week 2 of the 2009 Thursday Night Lights race series. Forty six racers spread evenly over all four categories vied for glory on the boards.
Category 1/2 Men Throw Down
A fifteen lap scratch race for the 15 Category 1/2 riders started the evening off. Mike Pederson (Hup United) took a flyer at the gun and was joined by five other riders for a few laps. Next to give it a go were Dan Schueller (Gopher Wheelmen), Brian Crosby (Speedfix) and James Tainter (Silver Cycling). Crosby and Tainter left Schueller behind and were joined by Ben Dubay (Speedfix) and Tyler Denniston (Cat 6). The group of four gained 60 meters on the rest. Denniston fell off the back with 5 laps to go. Several other riders tried to bridge up to the leading three but it was Crosby over Tainter at the end followed by Dubay and then Spencer Haugh (Behind Bars) by several meters over the pack.
 The evening also included the first Madison race of the 2009 season. (Madison: a points race contested by two-rider teams; one rider racing, the other recovering. Think tag-team bike racing.) For this race, Cat 3/4 riders who had taken Madison training were included. Eight randomly assigned teams (pairing cat 3/4 riders with Cat 1/2 riders) started the 60-lap race. Madison racing is fast and the name of the game for Madison races it to get sprint points, but, more importantly, to try to lap other teams. Laps are scored ahead of points. Points were awarded to teams for sprints every 20 laps. In the first 20 laps of the race, the field separated into five teams in front with three teams off the back. After the first sprint, the race came apart but three teams, Schueller/Gabe Marsiulis (Gopher Wheelmen), Crosby/Mark Stewart (unattached), and Dubay/Don Schmeichel (Loon State), stayed in front, lapping the other five teams at least once. Dubay/Schmeichel won the first and last sprints, and placed second in the middle sprint for the race win. Crosby/Stewart won the middle sprint and placed in the others for second in the race. Schueller/Marsuilis finished third and Tainter/Jason Goldberg (rc13) finished fourth, a lap back of the three but a lap ahead of the remaining four teams.
Click here for the complete race report. Click here for race results. |
Sponsored Race Feature: Salsa King of the Sprints - Keirin
 The first event in the season-long Salsa King of the Sprint competition was an 8-lap Keirin. Crosby and Tom Hagerty (Behind Bars), Chris Ferris (Sub11), Andy Kruse (Speedfix), Dubay, and Tainter moved up from the heats to a 6-up final. At the gun, Tainter accelerated from uptrack to take first spot behind the motor pacer in front of Crosby. Tom Hagerty did a strong lead out of the last lap and a half, but Crosby came through on the home stretch to win in a photo finish over Hagerty and Ferris followed by Dubay. The leading riders were three-wide through the last half lap, to great cheering from the crowd, and finished less than a bike length apart.
Click here to watch the Keirin final on YouTube. |
Rider Profile: Mike Hall - Up-and-Comer from Up Nort'
 Mike Hall has put food on the table with his track racing - literally. Last season, his first at the track, Mike won his first points race. Not only was it his first cycling victory ever, it was one of our Chipotle Wild Races. His wife bet on him and her name was drawn from the hat! Won't be long before Mike's cycling starts really paying the bills! A strong sprinter, Mike also won the Cat 4 State Championship in the Match Sprint. Not surprisingly, he counts the points race as his favorite race. Mike has continued his winning ways this year in Category 4/5 races. He has also been jumping in to the Madison, gaining experience with the 1's, 2s and 3s. No doubt the steel nerves he developed as a high school hockey goalie keep his hands steady in his exchanges! Mike hails from Duluth. After finishing college at Lake Superior College, Mike moved to Lino Lakes and now works for Mayer Electric as a low-voltage electrician. He rolls in the black of Behind Bars/Little Guy Racing. Watch for him on his flashy green Masi as he tears up the Category 4/5 field on his way to a Category 3 upgrade. |
Track racing 101 - Chariot
A two lap "drag race" to the finish line from a standing start. Riders qualify to race in a final by competing in preliminary heats of 6-8 riders. Chariot races are the fastest races in the velodrome. What to watch for: Some riders like to ride from the front, while others prefer to draft off the rider in front and then come around on the last lap. Here's a chariot race at the NSC Velodrome from 2007. | |
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| News Alert
The Blaine Spring Lake Park Life (ABC Newspapers) came out to the opening night on May 21 and posted this video. |
Upcoming Events Calendar
Thursday, June 4
Thursday Night Lights continues at 7 PM.
Get the full race schedule here. |
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TROY Standings Through Week 2
Men
Brian Crosby 31
James Tainter 19
Ben Dubay 16
Women
Heidi Dahlmann 16
Melissa Dahlmann 12
Elena Dorr 12 |
2009 Introductory Track Classes
Session Two: June 2, 9, 16, 23 Session Three: June 30, July 7, 14, 28 Session Four: August 4, 11, 18, 25
Licensed Rider Class: Sundays May 31, June 7* Women's Class: Wednesdays May 13, 20, 27, June 3 Classes start at 6:30 pm *Licensed Rider classes start at 12:00 pm |
Latest Track Updates
Call the track hotline at 763.785.5651 for the latest updates about the track, including any weather related delays or cancellations.
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