Handslinging

 There was a bit of a break before the Madison race would start so we were in the lobby, getting a drink from the vending machine, talking to the people at the front desk, hinting that someone should buy me one of those Velo Sports Center tee shirts. At some point though I said I was going to head back down trackside, listen in on the pre-race talk, and generally get ready to take some photographs. I remember saying, the Madison is next, you're going to want to watch it. Busy with the talking and the buying, she missed it entirely but, before that, came the typical question, "what's the Madison?"

Now, I don't know if I'm alone in this, or if there are others in the same boat but, while I know what the Madison is and can pick it out of the crowd every time, I think my description left much to be desired: "Well, riders race in teams, pairs, one going faster and one slower waiting for the fast one to catch then, when the fast one catches the slower one they grasp hands and he flings the slow rider, who was recovering, forward and he takes off fast, while the other guy takes a turn recovering and they keep trading off like that until the race is won." I could tell the explanation didn't do any good, got hung up on the flings forward part, and said, "just watch."

What do you do when your explanation falls short? Look to some experts; so, Rob Staley at USA Cycling says (in short): "Two participants... ride in relay with each other, exchanging between being the racing and the resting rider with the iconic 'handsling.'" Points can be accrued during designated sprint laps, and gained or lost, by lapping or being lapped by other pairs throughout the race.

Similarly, the VeloNews says: "The Madison is a relay race of two riders in which only one rider is 'in the race' at any time... The defining image of the Madison is the handoff, where the actively racing teammate links hands with the resting teammate and then slingshots the rider from behind back into the race..."

Meanwhile, the UCI says much the same: "Teams of two riders take part in this relay race contested by means of intermediate sprints... While one team member races, the other slows down to take a rest before being thrown back into the action with a hand sling from his/her team mate..."

Maybe you saw the Madison National Championships held at the Lexus Velodrome in Detroit in mid-November. If not, search for the videos, the action was very good. Of course you can also look closer to home, over the next three weeks -  27 November, 4 December and 11 December - for the Foundation for American Track Cycling SoCal Madison Cup, taking place on the velodrome at the Velo Sports Center. The first race in the series took place on 20 November with fast-paced competition between development teams as well as more experienced elite pairs.

As noted in an earlier post, photos of the Madison (and other races on the 20th) are in this Google album.