We all had LOTS of fun at Jr Track Nationals

You can spend your time, waste your time, or invest your time. It's your choice.

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Thurs-Sun Aug 14-17 ~ This past weekend the USAC Junior Track National Championships were held in Carson, CA at the LA Velodrome. Hundreds of kids came from all over America to race and place. It was awesome seeing the talent and the love of track cycling that came with these kids. They have all trained hard and looked forward to the opportunity to come to Natz and compete with their peers. The week was sprinkled with tears of pain, tears of heartbreak and tears of joy as medals were gained and lost and regained. It became obvious almost immediately that the most important item a Junior should always pack in their Track Natz gear bag…..is a box of tissues!

Living on the track’s infield for a week is special at any track race but it becomes more special at a junior event like this. These kids are a ton of fun to be with. What I can’t figure out though is how kids of yesteryear survived events like this before emails, text messages, cell phones, cell phones with cameras and “Facebook”! Thanks to modern technology, these kids are all now permanently connected with multiple “NBF’s” in every state and at every track in the US!

Juniors began arriving in LA for Jr Track Nationals as early as the first of August. Many of the early arrivals competed in both the Jr Road Nationals and the Jr Track Nationals. Those athletes who race exclusively on the track came early in order to get in as much pre-race training time as possible on the only indoor wooden velodrome in this country. Riders who first learn how to ride the wood generally find the transition to concrete velodromes a non-issue. Those riders who first learn to ride on the concrete, generally find the transition to wood a bit more challenging. To that end, the race organizers made every attempt to give the kids plenty of opportunities to get confident on the wood long before racing began. With several training camps held throughout the summer and Certification Classes held daily, there was something for every athlete and coach to learn.

Throughout the pre-race training sessions the messages remained clear and consistent through repetition and experience.

The neutral lap of a mass start race does not mean “slow” it simply means no one has engaged the race. The minimum speed riders need to maintain in order to remain securely upright in all 3 training lanes is about 20mph. As the skill and speed of the rider decreases, the risk of sliding off the track increases. The most likely time for a mishap in a mass start race is in the neutral lap. Once the race has been engaged, generally the riders will maintain a race pace that is sufficient to prevent slippage. But, even on the final evening of Junior Nationals racing, neutral laps were not without incident.

The blue band can be used as a racing surface in Matched Sprints. If you are new to ADT, it is advisable to use the blue band in the first corner of the first lap of your Match Sprints. On flatter stickier tracks Sprint riders will often do a track stand high up in the middle of turn one without incident. However, racers who are new to the slick surface of ADT should not rule out dropping almost immediately down to the blue band from their starting position as they approach turn one and until they have sufficient speed to remain up on the track surface.

If your tire color matches either your skinsuit, your socks or your living room curtains, you should probably see a qualified track mechanic before attempting your first lap. We saw every color of the rainbow this past week and unfortunately those were the colors of the athletes’ tires. Flat abrasive concrete tracks can handle just about any color and compound of (road, bmx or mountain) bike tire that your local “Big 5” sells. But the slick wood surface at ADT is unforgiving and will force you to rethink your tire selections. Soft sticky (black) tires with little to no tread pattern and plenty of sidewall rolling along at 20’ish mph is the best way to ensure sufficient adhesion. And even really expensive brand new wood track approved tires must be prepped for the slick track surface….just ask Cory Williams.

The red line is the upper boundary for the Pole Lane and it really is the single most important line on the track. Many athletes come to ADT from velodromes with fairly “chewed up” pole lanes making it somewhere between difficult and impossible to consistently ride below the red line in the pole lane. That is not an issue at ADT where the pole lane is clear from the blue band to the red line and it is expected that all riders intending to be in the pole lane will be centered on the black line. Mass start event racers who move up track from the black line and cross the red line should always expect that the pole position they just vacated has already been filled. The red line should only be crossed (from either up or down track) with full intent and full knowledge of the ramifications your actions.

Complete race results of all the National Championship Track events can be found on Cycling News.Com and at USAC.

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Thank you volunteers!! None of these racing events can happen without plenty of hardworking volunteers! And remember ~ ADT event volunteers enjoy reduced track fees!

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Thank you Howard Marans & Momentum Cycling! Without you making this event happen in LA, we’d all be sunburned by now!

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2008 Qualification Rules for Elite Track Nationals ~ From the officials at USAC:

Men: The top 5 riders in Individual events and the top 3 in the team events qualify.
Women: The top 3 riders in individual events and the 1st team in team events qualify.
New for 2008: If a previously qualified rider finishes in the top 5, results will not be adjusted to move lower finishing riders into qualifying positions. (In other words…no one rolls up.)

Please Note: An individual event is any event that does not require a team such as points and scratch races, Match Sprints, individual time trials and individual pursuits. A team event is any event that requires a team of 2 or more athletes such as Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Olympic Sprint and the Madison.

Also: If you qualify in one Endurance event you may compete in any/all Endurance events at Elite Natz. The same is also true for Sprint events.

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Sat-Sun Aug 23-24th ~ The LA Velodrome will be hosting its annual Velodrome Championship Event & Elite Qualifier. If you still haven’t qualified for an event at Elite Natz, then ADT’s qualifier will be your final opportunity in So Cal to make your dreams come true.

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Sun Aug 24th ~ The final Ontario Race of this year’s race series will be happening this coming Sunday. If you have not yet hung up your race wheels for the season, then come on over and join in the fun!

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Have you seen USA Cycling's Web article featuring the LOTS program? If you, your employer or anyone you know, is interested in sponsoring the LOTS program, please contact me. The LOTS program is dedicated to introducing women to the exciting sport of track cycling and we intend to grow this program as far into the future as we can see!

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2008 Championship Track Events ~ The following list is rapidly getting shorter...

1) June 21 ~ SCNCA Jr Track States at ADT (done)
2) July 26-27 ~ Masters Track States SD. (done)
3) Aug 1-2 ~ Elite Qualifier SD. (done)
4) Aug 14-17 Jr Track Nationals at ADT (done)
5) Aug 16-17 Elite Qualifier Encino. (done)
6) Aug 23-24 ~ Elite Qualifier ADT
7) Sept 2-7 ~ Masters Track Natz San Jose
8) Sept 11-13 ~ Collegiate Track Nationals Co Springs
9) Sept 13-14 ~ Elite Track States Encino.
10) Oct 1-5 ~ Elite Track Nationals at ADT

Women’s Bikes for Sale ~ From the USWCDP & Michael Engleman ~ Giant is letting us sell a few bikes to fund the USWCDP so we currently have a few listed on The Pro's Closet (below) and we will sell a few of the Giant TCR CW/DuraAce support bikes after Nationals. These bikes are similar Small listed with Pro's Closet except higher end wheels and the bars/stem/ cages are all Aerus carbon. All of these bikes are new or only have a few miles on them. Right now I have every size.

All proceeds go to scholarship riders for travel and equipment
Bike #1; Bike #2 ; Wheels

Michael Engleman
US Women's Cycling Development Program, Inc.
PO Box 992
101 Central Ave.
Dolores, CO 81323
970.769.4292
m.engleman@uswcdp.org
www.uswcdp.org

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The 2008 USAC Athlete Waiver is available on-line.

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The 2008 SCNCA Racing Calendar is available on line.

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The 2008 USAC Rule book is available on-line.

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One of our Cycling Moms, Donna Stern, is a licensed CPA. She will be conducting several classes on Bookkeeping throughout the Summer. These classes are geared toward High School Students, New business owners and especially Women who may be returning to the work force or running a family or home based business. Donna’s classes are located in The OC near John Wayne Airport. Please email me for additional information.

Have a super week Ladies!!

Julia Cross