|
NSC Velodrome
You're receiving this email because you've been a participant or have expressed interest in participating at the NSC Velodrome. We invite to see what else is happening at the National Sports Center. |
|
|
Thursday Night Lights Results
June 11, 2009
Four of our regular track riders are racing in the Nature Valley Grand Prix (NVGP) Road Race this week and twice as many of our regulars were volunteering to help put on the NVGP. Nonetheless, thirty four racers showed up tonight to race at the NSC Velodrome for a solid night of racing in front of 150 enthusiastic spectators.
The Cat 4/5 riders started the night with a 12-lap Snowball. In this race, the first rider across the line every other lap gets points equal to the lap number. Mike Hall (Behind Bars/LGR) went at the gun and stayed out to get the 2 points offered for the first sprint. As he swung up, Rich Bergstrom (Gopher Wheelmen) and Mario Hernandez (Speedfix) rode through. Hernandez took the second sprint by 20 meters over Bergstrom but was winded, allowing Mark Leppke (Behind Bars/LGR) and Matt Cimino (Bianchi/GP) to forge ahead. Leppke took the third sprint over Cimino by a nose, with Hernandez following closely. Hernandez swung uptrack after taking the fourth sprint ahead of Cimino and Leppke. As he looked back, he saw that the two were spent and couldn't catch up, so he motored on to win the fifth sprint by 70 meters and then the last sprint. The final tally was Hernandez by a big score over Leppke then Hall. In the miss and out the story was a little different. Hernandez got caught inside with no where to go and was eliminated early. In fact, nearly all of the riders eliminated were caught inside while the others swept over. At the end of the race, Leppke took 3rd when he was unable to keep up with Bergstrom and Hall. Bergstrom opened up a 10 meter gap to Hall and hung on to win the race. In their 40-lap points race (points every 10 laps) Dave Schueller (Grandstay) and Hernandez took off early and gained a 70 meter gap at the first sprint, won by Hernandez. Hernandez and Schueller lapped some riders off the back but, with 25 laps to go, Bergstrom brought the field up to the leaders. At the second bell, Hernandez attacked to take the second sprint over Leppke, Derek Virta (Gopher Wheelmen) and Cimino. The riders (including lapped riders) were bunched for the third sprint which was led out by Virta but taken by Leppke and Hernandez. The final sprint was taken by Schueller over Virta, Hall, and Hernandez. Hernandez won the race over Leppke, Schueller, then Virta. Category 3 Omnium Results
| Place |
Points |
Racer |
Club |
| 1 |
10 |
Mario Hernandez |
SpeedFix Racing |
| 2 |
8 |
Mark Leppke |
Behind Bars/LGR |
| 3 |
5 |
Rich Bergstrom |
Gopher Wheelmen |
| 4 |
5 |
Michael Hall |
Behind Bars/LGR |
| 5 |
2 |
David Schueller |
Grandstay |
Click here for the complete race report. Click here for race results. |
Sponsored Race Feature: Salsa King of the Sprints
The second Salsa King of the Sprint event for the year was a 3-lap sprint. Both preliminary heats went out fast. The final consisted of Chris Ferris, Peter Schweich, James Tainter, Tom Haggerty, Brian Crosby, and Ted Schmid (Speedfix). The group stayed bunched at the gun and moved at moderate pace high on the banking for the first lap and a half. At the bell Tainter led out followed closely by Crosby. Crosby came around Tainter in the last half lap for the win followed by Ferris and Schmid. Crosby and Tainter have been burning up the sprints this year making it difficult for Ferris, winner of the Salsa King of the Sprint over the past several years to repeat in 2009. |
Rider Profile: Nature Valley Grand Prix Riders
Four NSC Velodrome track racers competed in last week's Nature Valley Grand Prix, part of the Minnesota Bicycle Festival. All four successfully completed the 5-day, 6-stage race and posted strong results.
Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) lit up the night in the Downtown St Paul Critierium on Wednesday, working with 3 other racers in a breakaway that lasted until the finish. Unfortunately for Adam, his wheel hit a pothole and he crashed with 2 laps to go, losing his place in the break. His fireworks excited the hometown crowd, regardless. Adam placed 27th overall, just 2' 41" down from the yellow jersey. He also placed 6th in the Nature Valley Best Amateur competition. Adam's teammate, Pat Lemieux also finished high in the final Best Amateur competition, landing at #11 on that list.  On the women's side, Melissa Dahlmann and Linda Sone both did the red and white of Flanders/MBRC proud. In Cannon Falls (Stage 2), Melissa stayed with the front pack well into the finishing circuits, even moving up to the front with Kristin Armstrong in the final laps. She finished 58th overall and 5th on the Best Amateur list. Linda placed 79th overall and 12th in the Best Amateur competition. |
Track Racing 101: Madison
One of the most exciting races to watch on the track, the Madison (so named because it originated in Madison Square Garden) is a race consisting of two-rider teams. The riders are required to switch off during the race by means of an exchange. While one member of the team races his partner slowly circles the track above the blue relief line. When they meet, the racer passes his momentum to his partner via a push or "hand sling" before moving up to the relief line to recover for his next effort. Races may be run over a specified number of laps or over a period time. Often, sprints for points are offered as a means of enlivening the action.
What to watch for: At first this race can appear to be pure mayhem, but with a little attention and practice you will find it fun to follow. Start by following one team ( they will be wearing identical jerseys ). Keep an eye on the one in the race field and keep track of his partner riding slowly at the relief line. Note how and where the relief rider positions himself so as to receive the push or hand sling exchange. Many teams trying to make exchanges in a crowd can appear confusing but after awhile you will see a pattern of position that allows for the exchanges to occur.
Teams often try to gain a lap on the field thereby ensuring that they will complete the race with a lap advantage and be scored ahead of others regardless of their point total. With many teams "jamming" (trying to gain a lap) it is often hard to tell who is leading and who is following. Look for the chief official to occasionally point to the leader as he passes by the judges' stand to signal to the riders and score-keepers where the head of the race is. Once a rider or team has gained a lap on the field they will be scored ahead of the rest at the finish but the next team or rider pursuing the field will then be considered the "leader on the track". If more than one team finishes on the same lap then point totals or finish order is used to determine the winner.
| |
|
Upcoming Events Calendar
PENN Cycle Demo Night at Thursday Night Lights! - June 18
Join us for PENN Cycle Demo Night - try out the latest bikes from PENN Cycle and watch the Category 1/2 men race in another PENN Cycle Points Race.
|
|
TROY Standings Through Week 4
Men
Brian Crosby 62
James Tainter 42
Adam Bergman 29
Women
Heidi Dahlmann 26
Elena Dorr 23
Melissa Dahlmann 20
|
2009 Introductory Track Classes
Session Three: June 30, July 7, 14, 28
Session Four: August 4, 11, 18, 25
Classes start at 6:30 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.
| |
