| Intro Track Class
Session 1: May 3, 10, 17, 24
Session 2: June 7, 14, 21, 28
Session 3: July 5, 12, 26, Aug. 2
Session 4: Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27
Women's Class: May 11, 18, 25, June 1
Licensed Rider's Class (open only to riders with USAC racing license): May 15, 22
|
|
|
Race Report/News
Fixed Gear Classic brings new blood (and old friends) to Category 1/2 races
Tonight's cat 1/2 races included a svelte but speedy field with many racers resting up for the Fixed Gear Classic, a few visiting FGC participants joining local racers to add an extra day to the three-day series and 19-year-old Jordan Cullen making his cat-2 debut.
Nine competitors lined up at the rail for the Miss-and-Out. As the gun fired, Dan Casper (Grandstay) tore off to put space between him and the field led by Ryan Sabga (Black Dog Pro Cycling). Following the first bell, Cullen picked off Sabga at the line. With an ever-intensifying pace, the field whittled to Casper, Brian Crosby (Blackline Racing/IVB) and Cullen. After squeezing out Casper, Crosby pounced on Cullen at the backstretch and held his position for the win.
Crosby, Cullen and Casper continued battling it out in the 1/2 Point-a-Lap after Dan Currell (Bianchi/GP) picked up the first two points and Sabga took the third. Sabga interrupted the C-train, gaining 3rd in the race with Crosby and Casper notching the top two places
A combined cat 1/2/3 10-mile Scratch race (66 laps) saw the night's largest field with 17 racers. Early on Mike Hall (Behind Bars/LGR) set the tone for a crowd-pleasing competition filled with breakaways and chases by opening half a lap on the field before Crosby successfully campaigned an attack to pull him back. With 58 laps remaining, Casper gained a 1/3-lap lead on the field, which worked as a unit to try closing the gap until Charlie Anderson (Bianchi/GP) chased him down. Casper put 30 m between himself and Anderson and 50m on the field led by Cullen when Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara) waged her own attack followed by Rich Bergstrom (Speedfix Racing), Crosby, Sabga, Currell and Merrill Lutsky (MBRC/Flanders). Casper and the chase group continued a cat-and-mouse game until only he and Olds remained. The pair swiftly took half a lap on the chase group as many headed up track unable to maintain the pace. With 17 laps to go, Cullen captured the leaders before swinging over the top to take a 30m lead. Unstoppable in his solo effort, Cullen lapped the field with 8 remaining. Meanwhile, Olds, Bergstrom and Casper hunted down Sabga in second. Jumping at the bell, Crosby almost outsprinted Casper at the finish
Final Omnium Results
Cat 1/2 Omnium Final Standing
Place Points Racer Name Club
1. 10 pts, Brian Crosby, Blackline Racing/IVBP
2. 5 pts, Daniel Casper, Grandstay
3. 3 pts, Jordan Cullen, Flanders
4. 2 pts, Ryan Sabga, Black Dog Pro Cycling
5. 2 pts, Dan Currell, Bianchi/GP
6. 0 pts, Dan Schueller, Gopher Wheelmen |
|
What's Happening
Fixed Gear Classic Results
The MN Fixed Gear Classic brought a star-studded international field of track racrs to the NSC Velodrome June 10-12. See the race reports here:
June 11 race report
June 12 race report
|
|
Racing 101
Team Pursuit
The Team Pursuit is similar to the Individual Pursuit, except that each team consists of four riders. The racers ride single file, known as a "pace line", and take turns leading the team around the track. At each turn the lead rider moves up the embankment to slow down, allowing the other three riders to pass underneath, and then drops down the track to the back of the "pace line". The lead rider is responsible for setting the pace while the other cyclists work inside the draft to keep their speed while recovering. The winner is determined by the time recorded when the third member of the team crosses the finish line. A team is considered caught, when the third member of one team is passed by the third member of the opposing team.
What to watch for: See that the start is fast and efficient, allowing all riders to get into position behind the leader quickly without extra effort. A smooth steady pace is important as the following riders must ride close to the rider in front for maximum draft and recovery. Precision bike handling is critical when dropping back onto the pace line.
Watch Team Ouch compete in the 2010 US National Championships in the Team Pursuit.
 |
|
Rider to watch
Chirs Ferris
 | |
Chris Ferris (l) with four-time world champ Franco Marvulli |
Four-time Match Sprint State Champion Chris Ferris says he's been track racing forever. His love of speed and commitment to the sport have taken him around the globe and made him a fixture at the NSC Velodrome.
Blaine's Match Sprint master also holds multiple state titles in the Keirin, Kilometer, Scratch Race and Madison. He's a multi-time NSC Velodrome King of the Sprint, and his highest individual placing at Elite Nationals is 9th.
In 2011, he has his eye on the Flying 200m Time Trial, which is used to seed riders for a Match Sprint tournament. He aspires to complete a Flying 200 in less than 11 seconds, an average 41 mph for 200m, in time for the US Sprint Grand Prix in Colorado Springs in late August and Nationals in Los Angeles in late September.
Of all his race experiences, he says his favorite was facing Jean-Pierre van Zyle, a South African racer who took 2nd place in Worlds and 5th in the Olympics, one-on-one in a Match Sprint tournament and defeating him in a photo finish. |
|
About Us
Contact Bob Williams at 763.785.5614 for more information about cycling at the velodrome. | |
