The Wolfpack Hustle Forsyth Cup, 21 July
The third nipple of the Encino Velodrome? That thing that is not exactly hidden, but neither is the knowledge of it widely disseminated. Know what it is? It is the type of information you would expect to see in the Fast Digs series, and will certainly be included in the book at some future (hopefully not too distant) point. If you didn't know previously, the Encino Velodrome is a 250 meter track, but its actual measurement comes out at 252 meters in length. Did you know that when the track was resurfaced some years ago a wood-surfaced track was going to be installed atop the concrete (which led to the distance discrepancy) until funding fell through. That's okay though, I actually like this venerable oval of concrete.
Anyway, that is some of the track trivia being shared at Saturday evening's Wolfpack Hustle Forsyth Cup races. If you happened to guess any of the questions correctly you could have won a free hot dog or burger; there is a joke in there - the winning a free hot dog - since the food fare was free to begin with. Know what else you could have won? Double your money in prizes! That is correct; when Thomas Forsyth arrived he immediately doubled the winnings for the evenings' top three racers, both men and women. Speaking of which, where were the women? The single showing had an easy go at the top prize, and not that she didn't compete against the men - during the miss and out she outlasted most. Still, there was no one to challenge for the money. The men's races were among the most highly contested I can recall seeing at the velodrome. Attacks, chases, and counter attacks were a recurring theme.
big fields started all the races...
though attrition eventually whittled them down
if the speed wasn't hot before, by this point it most certainly was
it may have been a little cooler, but those big building clouds
meant there was still plenty of heat and humidity
Encino 200's were taking place when I arrived, although there were only a few racers still to go by that point. In basic terms the Encino 200 is a 200 meter sprint, one rider at a time to see who records the fastest time. Those were followed by a Scratch Race, and while the board said fifteen laps, I could swear it was a thirty lap race, a Miss and Out race, and then a thirty lap Points Race. I would be hard-pressed to say one was more entertaining, or competitive than another. Riders were clearly all in, there to race, not just show.
we were wondering if it would all be glug'ed at one sitting - looks like Gus was checking on the same thing
rings
the miss and out (as it always does) came down to three...
then two...
but at only one could cross the line first
Henry lays down the law before the points race
Pedro on the attack, again; would that lead hold?
The answer to that last question is yes - not even a furious chase the last lap and a half could reel Pedro back in. Anyway, the next race in the Forsyth Cup series is scheduled for August 11, 4:00pm, and the final race on September 8. If what you are really looking for are more photos, you will find a selection of 121 in the album.
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