We started out with an 18-lap tempo. Again, I just set my goal to stay with the leaders/pack as long as possible. I did for a few laps, but they eventually lapped me. I tried to grab on to the back as they came around, and succeeded for a few more laps, then lost them again. I beat both the Juinior girls (one of whom was also racing W4 - Brittany), and one Junior boy. And Mike said I looked pretty good, hanging on to the pack when I could. The sprint races always tear the field apart, and this was no exception.
The next race was a 10-lap scratch. The Juniors were totally goofing off - when the whistle blew, no one pushed the speed, and I was really getting nervous. Both Brittany and I were on edge, but everyone else seemed to be having a grand old time just tooling along at the top of the track. They finally started to pick up the pace, and I managed to hang on for quite a while. I caught a few different pacelines, and pulled for more than my share of time (my fault, something I'm still learning), and finally lost everyone I was pacing with and did what I could on my own. I think I beat the same crowd as in the tempo race. Nothing spectacular, but again, it felt good.
Finally we had a miss-and-out. I thought I had it figured out this time. I knew I needed to be at the top of the track, and I worked hard to get there and stay there. They rang the bell, so we knew the next time we came around they'd pull a rider. I was maintaining my position, but as we came around turn 4 into the homestraight, more and more people were coming down and around me! I kept counting riders ahead of me, and the number kept growing...and then I heard my race number called. First one pulled. Again. Oh well...still have a lot to learn. I talked to Leigh about that afterwards, and he gave me some advice on miss-and-out races, adding that they are difficult, and that I raced well tonight. Whether or not that was true, words of encouragement are always nice to hear.
I also talked to Mark (Doc) about riding with his team. I'll probably go out there next Sunday, since I've got company this weekend, and it's a 100-mile round-trip to Katy to ride with them. And now I've got his phone number, too. Plus, the totally DIESEL woman who's on that team gave me all sorts of help and advice last night. She helped me with my malfunctioning bike, and then mentioned that I should really keep certain measurements with me all the time (seat post height, etc.) and offered to let me borrow her tape measure any time. What a gal!
As I was rolling around the warmup circle for my last race, a guy from one of the other teams rolled up to me and said, "You should get a prime for bringing the biggest crowd every week!" I just kind of laughed, and he emphasized, "I think you're the only female racer who gets non-cyclist guys to come out here." I thought that was hilarious (and true). He wished me luck in my last race, and I rolled up to the rail. I was so tickled! I don't know why I get all these people to come out and watch the races, but I'm glad they do. Last night was a record-setting night, definitely - Felicity, Justin, Shalin, Will, and Mike. And Will even called Felicity earlier in the day to tell her to make some signs they could hold up as I went by. They kept it a complete secret until I started racing and saw them holding a sign that said, "CHRISTINE ROCKS!" with a little cyclist drawn on the side. It was the sweetest thing in the world! Later, all 5 of them wrote a message on it and signed their names, so they can prove they knew me "before I was famous." (: I showed it to Kathy and Leigh afterwards. I'll have to get a frame for it...
Definitely a 5-star night. Thanks go to everyone - Leigh and Kathy, DIESEL Cindy, Doc Bing, funny guy whose name I don't know, and all my friends. What a great way to finish the track half-season!
One more thing - it seems that everyone at the track (racers, coaches, staff, and Juniors' parents) knows my name now, because I'm pretty much out there on my own and unattached, but I REALLY don't know other people's names. That should be my goal next season: to learn who people ARE...
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