Points Race Disappointments

The points races and the conclusion of the sprint tournaments were on the schedule today. Things didn't feel very good for me, right from the start. All through warm-ups, I felt just alright. Nothing more, not bad, but just alright. The biggest concern was that I couldn't get my heart rate up to anywhere near my LT. Efforts on the track, sprints on the rollers, I just couldn't get it within 10-15 beats per minute of where it should have been. Some serious rest in order when I get back to Minnesota.

My heat did not go well. It was a similar story to how I felt in the scratch race yesterday. My legs didn't hurt, they weren't loading up, and my lungs weren't burning. I just couldn't go fast. To sum it up quickly, I didn't qualify. The race was fast, but I should have been in it. I guess this is what happens when you try to train through Elite Nationals. You get taken to task for not being absolutely on top of your game.

DGC didn't have a particular lot of luck in his heat, either. At least his was a lot more like a points race, with lots of attacks and good sprints, the pace going up and down. Mine pretty much just stayed strung out, more like a scratch race. Not that exciting...

Probably the coolest thing to watch was the final of the men's sprint tournament. Michael Blatchford took the jersey this year, beating Ben Barczewski in two rides. Blatchford's speed is amazing, but the really stunning thing is how powerful his jump his. When the two jumped side by side, Blatchford just pulled away. All the more amazing, considering that Ben has no lack of jump himself.

Tomorrow we round out Nationals for this year. I'll have the madison with Steen Rose, Ferris and DGC will be racing the keirin, and Hanz, Franz, and the DGC will be chasing hardware in the team sprint. It looks like the last day of racing holds the best possibility for the Minnesota contingent this year. One last shot.