My teammate Adam hoists the big trophy atop the podiumAfter three consecutive weeks of rain delayed starts at the track, we had perfect weather for the Roger DeLanghe Trophy race last night. The DeLanghe is a 50 lap scratch race that also serves as the state championship and qualifier for Elite Track Nationals. Women are traditionally allowed to compete but this year (for various nefarious reasons) we were kept out which meant I just spectated and walked around snapping photos while Adam, Tim, Mike, Ted, and Dan represented for PACT/Dishnetwork.
Adam (134) and Ted (88) on the start lineIt was actually a very interesting race to watch - Mike and Adam were away in a break for a long time. They were caught and then Adam worked his way into what proved to be the winning break of 3 with Randy Warren and Brian Haas, both very worthy break companions. In the end Adam was able to cross the line first for a huge victory. Congratulations Adam!
The field of 40 P1/2 and a few Cat 3 riders waits for the startOn the women's side of things, I did the first two races then felt that I'd done quite enough for the evening. We started with a 10 lap tempo and then a 15 lap scratch. I won both, picking up some primes along the way. I spent a fair amount of time either sprinting or off the front and was completely cooked - on a day where I wasn't really feeling the track love, I was happy with how things went. A huge thanks goes to Val Brostrom for donating cash primes for the women's race - I fully support and respect your efforts to promote equality for women and women's racing at Northbrook Velodrome.
We had a great team night at the track - Dan and Tim went 1-2 in the Masters race, Tim won a 3s race and Mike and Ted worked their butts off covering moves and protecting their teammates in the DeLanghe and the Masters race - Mike even snagged a prime. Nice job, guys! I love to just sit and watch you all - a bunch of smart, strong racers whose efforts always impress.
Up this weekend - a 40K TT for sure on Sunday and maybe a criterium on Saturday. We'll see... right now I'm more interested in watching some HD golf as the rain falls outside.
We had a great team night at the track - Dan and Tim went 1-2 in the Masters race, Tim won a 3s race and Mike and Ted worked their butts off covering moves and protecting their teammates in the DeLanghe and the Masters race - Mike even snagged a prime. Nice job, guys! I love to just sit and watch you all - a bunch of smart, strong racers whose efforts always impress.
Up this weekend - a 40K TT for sure on Sunday and maybe a criterium on Saturday. We'll see... right now I'm more interested in watching some HD golf as the rain falls outside.
