Holy Smokes ~ If you weren’t at Elite Track Nationals at the LA Velodrome last night then you definitely missed something VERY special!!
Thursday October 4th ~ Many different men’s & women’s races were contested yesterday but, alas, I could not be there for all of them. For the time I was able to be there to both participate & view, the 2 that stood out head & shoulders above the others for me was the Women’s 3k Individual Pursuit Finals & the Women’s 15k Scratch race final. Many elite women were registered for these 2 events but I am inclined to closely follow my 3 SBW teammates and US National Teammembers Neva Day, Christen King & Becky Quinn.
Neva, Christen & Becky were amazing and beautiful and raced as tough as nails last night!! All 3 Ladies made it onto the podium at least once before the night was over!
Christen King rode the time trial of her life in the 3k Individual Pursuit Qualifying round and again later in the evening in the IP Finals finishing less than 1 sec behind Dotsie Bausch (Covalita/Sutterhomes) earning herself the Silver Medal. Neva Day also rode the race of her life in the 3k Individual Pursuit Finals finishing only the thickness of a tire behind the bronze medal winner earning herself 4th Place and a beautiful Medallion. The entire building was on their feet cheering for the Home Team!!
Then, less than 10 min after finishing their Pursuit Finals and collecting their awards, both Christen & Neva jumped right back on their bikes and together with (arguably the Best Scratch Race Specialist in US Bike racing history) Becky Quinn, they raced the 60 lap Women's Scratch race.
A Note ~ NONE of the other 18 women in the peleton qualified for and raced in the Individual Pursuit Final. All the other ladies in the Scratch race had fresh legs and were ready to rock & roll.
And what a Race it was!! The pace was hot from the start with attack after attack. Becky chased down every single attack bringing the offender back into the fold each time while Neva provided invaluable blocking & bridging strength for her two teammates. The only attacker Becky & Neva allowed to permanently escape was their teammate, Christen King!! With 5 laps to go, Christen SHOT OUT OF THE PACK and was G-O-N-E! Becky & Neva blocked as long as they possibly could and with 2 laps to go Becky strung the field out single file and "Let Her Rip" as she hauled arse from 3/4 of a lap gap behind Christen. In 2 laps Becky had closed the gap on Christen to 1/2 a lap. An elated Christen crossed the finish line winning 1st Place and the title of National Champion with a beautiful SOLO victory! As she raised her hands and smiled at the crowd, the place went absolutely NUTS!!! Hot on her heels with the peleton in tow, Becky Quinn led out the field winning the homestretch dash to the finish claiming a well deserved 2nd place Silver Medal in a beautiful Quinn style Scratch Race finish Sprint!!
What a beutiful example of Sportsmanship and teamwork!!
Click here for a short slide show.
Cheers!
Julia
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