Electric at the 2021 High Desert Nutrition Carnival

 If you were unaware, the bubble housing the Lexus Velodrome suffered a temporary deflation recently rendering that track unridable until (fingers crossed) January at the earliest. So when, during Saturday's High Desert Nutrition Carnival races at our own Velo Sports Center, the announcer welcomed a few racers from Detroit to the Los Angeles (Carson) bunch, it made sense why there were some faces I didn't recognize. That they traveled here added a little interstate flavor to an event that, otherwise, would have been a mostly "local" one. (Sure enough, as I look back through the photos, at least some of our Great Lakes brethren are clearly distinguished by their Lexus Velodrome kit). I hope our out-of-state guests found some success over the three days of the Carnival, if nothing else they sure seemed to be animating many of the races in which they were entered.

Anyway, Saturday's action (and I have no reason to not believe that the racing on Friday and Sunday was equally good) was electric. I can comfortably say that because I saw the sparks with my own eyes. You see, young Mr. Huntsman was casually spinning his legs on the rollers between races and noticed some strange popping sounds coming from his wheels. Some of the nearby young junior racers noticed the same and gathered around, as did a couple of the adults down in the riders' pit. Soon enough someone noticed the sparks and called out, "whoa, your wheels are sparking!" It has been a few years, many years actually (I hated the things), since I last spun on rollers, but I can't recall static electricity building up to the point where sparks were thrown out by my wheels. That is electric.

But not quite the electric I mean. No, I'm talking about the many attacks that took place throughout the afternoon and evening races, races that included Match Sprints, Points, Supersprints, Scratch, and Elimination races, as well as separate Madison races, one each for the Development riders and for the Elites. Something called a Chariot Race was also on the schedule, but did not take place (frowny face emoji, because I was really curious to see what it was). The only race that was disappointing was the Derny; disappointing because I was expecting to see riders paced by one of those loud, smelly machines. Alas it wasn't to be, and in the end each rider was simply paced by another rider. The action was still there, just bereft of any derny. 

Attacking and sprinting, those are always the name of the game on the track. As usual those long flyers bring people to the edge of their seats the longer they last. When they don't last and the riders' capture sets up a sprint, well that just shifts the excitement from one form of ending to another. And then there are the pure sprints, the go all out from the gun sprints, the leave nothing in the tank sprints. There was a racer from the American Sprint Cycling Program (Evan Boone, if I'm not mistaken) who, I believe it was in his semifinal Match Sprint race, unleashed a sprint so massive I was sure it must warp the boards in his wake; although the final was closer, he won it as well.

The High Desert Nutrition Carnival closes out the 2021 racing season at Velo Sports Center. That familiar rumbling sound, and the vibration that moves through the wood structure of the track will continue only as echoes in my mind, a faint feeling moving up through feet, bones and sinew waiting to emerge for a new year. 

On the way home from the races Saturday night, the mrs. asked why I never raced on the track during my racing years, or since then, seeing as how I like it so much. I gave her the usual response, the I could just never get used to the fixed gear, lack of brakes thing. I know it is an unsatisfactory excuse. I could pull the single speed down off the wall, ride it enough to get used to it, take a certification class just for the heck of it. Who knows, perhaps those echoes will start a reaction. A new year is coming so anything is possible.

"... And no one showed us to the land

And no one knows the where's or why's

But something stirs and something tries

And starts to climb toward the light..."

(Gilmour, Waters, Mason, Wright, ie. Pink Floyd)

Beside the few photos here, there is always more in the Google album, it is just waiting for you to click and look.

Evan Boone warping the boards

the reindeer want out, Christmas is being delivered by bike this year

and a round of applause to all the racers, volunteers and sponsors who enabled the High Desert Nutrition Carnival to take place.