Flying at the Velo Sports Center

 Flying. From the time humans could do it, comparisons to other human activities began, and that includes bicycling. Gliding down a mountainside with an inch or so of rubber providing the only anchor to the earth has, for more than one-hundred years been one of those as close as you can get moments. The concept is not hard to understand; starting from on high and gliding down a sinuous path, relying solely on gravity and an occasional boost of power from the legs, wind in face screaming past our ears, leaning into turns. Yeah, pretty much as close as someone can get.

But the track, you're thinking? You're not starting high and ending low, or at least not that high, or that low. But just look at the slope in those turns, that's something steep. Surely a person must be close to flying to keep from simply sliding down those things. Like a hawk soaring, riders on a track can make their exertions look effortless, passing thirty miles per hour with seeming ease - the relative quiet of a track bike (in comparison to geared bikes) only heightens that sense. The track rumbles as the riders pass, sending out vibrations though the wooden structure; surely it is not that different from the air shimmering and rippling in waves behind that same hawk as it dives toward some prey below. And is not that the same as the track rider who goes high on a turn and then dives in on the competition below?

Anyway... #69. Remember that number. I was down trackside, and riders were passing by, beginning to slow and move off the track as a short warm-up period came to an end. "Did you have to pay extra for that number," one rider asked another. I didn't get the joke, and I'm not sure the other rider did either, until "you know, sixty-nine." Oooohhhhhh, stop it, just stop, this is a family show here. I tell ya, as much as you've got to keep your eyes open, you've got to keep the ears open as well - there are a lot of one-line comedians out there.

The Velo Sports Center, the indoor velodrome in the city of Carson hosted a series of track races this weekend, an omnium composed of points, scratch, win-and-out and unknown distance events (as well as a Madison race that will be covered under separate post over the next day or two). For those who don't know what an omnium is, and may be more familiar with road racing, think of an omnium like the general classification of a multi-day tour, where each day is an individual race, from which time accrues for an overall leader / winner. In an omnium there are individual races (as noted above) in which riders accumulate points toward an overall omnium champion. Track omniums are fast-paced with little let-up in the speed or the action. It is a near perfect spectator sport... hmmmm, then why so few spectators? (Provide your reasons, observations, suggestions in the comments below).

Anyway... I arrived pretty early, though due to some traffic on the freeway, the junior races, which started the day's program of events, were already underway. There are some seriously good junior riders out there who are not afraid to test themselves in competition. The Connie Cycling Foundation has been instrumental in introducing and encouraging a new generation of track racers at the Velodrome. Equal to the task, though, were a group of riders who came all the way from San Jose to compete. The junior riders raced with speed and confidence; there was one race in particular (sorry now, I don't remember which it was) in which a rider took a flyer with a lap to go, and everyone watching was on the edge of their seats (if not already standing and cheering) to see if the rider would hold off the charging chasers.

After the juniors had their moment(s), came the SoCal Madison Cup (again, to be covered under separate post), and then category races for the LAVRA (Los Angeles Velodrome Racing Association) Omnium, and the SCNCA (Southern California/Nevada Cycling Association District Elite Championships. Needless to say there was no let-up in the action as these races progressed through the evening and into the night. 

talkin' about the Madison

one of those fantastic sprints, neck and neck all the way back around to the line

Beside the photographs here, there is a selection of 132 more in the google album, which can be accessed here. If you see yourself in a photo, or someone you know and think it's a fair photo, feel free to download it.

Earlier in the year (and after a year without any racing) I wondered to myself, as well as anyone who happened to read it here, what it would take to get me interested in covering racing again once things returned to normal. Between early 2020 and now, there has been one race covered by the blog - the Arizona State Championships at Encino Velodrome in August. If those races brought the interest back, these have delivered the hook. Want to see what I mean? You won't have long to wait; the next races at the Velo Sports Center take place Thanksgiving weekend, with the Agnew Brusavich Masters Omnium, Elite & Amateur Omnium, and the Foundation for American Track Cycling Juniors Rule! and SoCal Madison Cup taking place on Saturday the 27th, beginning at 1:00. You can get a morning ride in, and then book on over for the races. Bring your picnic lunch / dinner and stay a while. I hope to be there again and, for those of you interested in the early history of bicycle racing and racing venues of Los Angeles, I should have a couple copies of Fast Digs for purchase again. See you then, see you there.