The 2018 Wolfpack Hustle: Forsyth Cup, August
It got a little dark for the penultimate event of this years' Forsyth Cup series at the Encino Velodrome, but it wasn't the darkness that sloooowed thiiiings dowwwwn. What did? Lest you think that sentence suggests it was a less than thrilling evening of racing, I assure you, you would be wrong. No, the slow-down occurred during the Points race; there was not much incentive to "race" except during those laps on which points could be taken - for the men, it was every tenth lap, and for the women, every fifth lap. For those of you unfamiliar with track racing strategy, the slow down is a fairly standard tactic; why race hard of nine laps only to have the points stolen on the tenth lap because you are too tired to sprint. See. Nor was there a protagonist, a "rabbit" to chase, as there sometimes is. Never-the-less, when those laps came up, the sprinting was top notch; for the men, each of the first three point laps was won by a different rider which set up a good drag race for the final points. As they came out of the darkness along the back-stretch and into the final turn, they were four across, from top to bottom of the track - about as good as it gets.
Five races were contested, beginning with a Flying 200, followed by a Scratch Race, Miss 'n Out, Points Race, and ending with a Match Sprint finale. By that point most of the photographers who were out earlier had closed up shop due to darkness, and I knew I wasn't getting a whole lot of worthwhile shots; it is one drawback of a later start to racing. Oh well. Those of us spectating got our money's worth, or would have if there had been money involved - you know, the free admission, the free hot dogs and hamburgers, the free entertainment. Word seemed to have spread and the grandstand crowd swelled with the arrival of a group of Serious Cyclists, who were then followed in by an equally large group of plain wrap riders. There is one final opportunity to either race, or watch, at this year's Forsyth Cup series, and that will be on the 8th of September.
Set the date aside, and lets get out there, show the Wolfpack, show Thomas Forsyth, show the Encino Velodrome that their efforts are appreciated. Incidentally, I think my interest has finally been piqued enough to push me over the edge, I mean track was always that one discipline that I never expected to participate in, but I now find myself giving serious thought to Encino's certification class. Who else wants to give it a try?
Five races were contested, beginning with a Flying 200, followed by a Scratch Race, Miss 'n Out, Points Race, and ending with a Match Sprint finale. By that point most of the photographers who were out earlier had closed up shop due to darkness, and I knew I wasn't getting a whole lot of worthwhile shots; it is one drawback of a later start to racing. Oh well. Those of us spectating got our money's worth, or would have if there had been money involved - you know, the free admission, the free hot dogs and hamburgers, the free entertainment. Word seemed to have spread and the grandstand crowd swelled with the arrival of a group of Serious Cyclists, who were then followed in by an equally large group of plain wrap riders. There is one final opportunity to either race, or watch, at this year's Forsyth Cup series, and that will be on the 8th of September.
Set the date aside, and lets get out there, show the Wolfpack, show Thomas Forsyth, show the Encino Velodrome that their efforts are appreciated. Incidentally, I think my interest has finally been piqued enough to push me over the edge, I mean track was always that one discipline that I never expected to participate in, but I now find myself giving serious thought to Encino's certification class. Who else wants to give it a try?
shadow chasing
Finally, the album is a little smaller this time, mostly due to darkness, but it contains a selection of eighty-nine photos.
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