Gen and Josh's Big Adventure

(Note this is not Bloomer Park but an image from velocitybicycles.com)

So it begins. We're actually taking a road trip up to Michigan to race a 3-Day International Madison event on one of those steep 200m wooden tracks, one of those steep tracks that you can stand on the infield and touch the track. With help from the CTCA and some start money from the organizers I don't want to make a bad showing, but I have to admit I've been having some "bad racing dreams", kind of like when I was a Cat 4 back in the late 80's. You know those dreams where you can't find your cycling shoes or you're trying to find the start line as you hear your race going off. Mind you the last time I did a real serious Madison was with Bob Muzzy and my memories are of me coming in way too slow. After the race he seemed pretty non-plussed but he must have been thinking, "you idiot...."

Now my apprehension isn't helped by looking at the list of competitors: local hot shots from various tracks around the country, names I actually recognize. At the top of the list (since I know them), is Ben Barsi-Rhyne and Daniel Holloway. My memory of Holloway is as a young kid screaming into the gravelly infield at Hellyer at full tilt, everyone jumping out of the way, his rear wheel fish tailing in a full lock skid until he came to a stop inches from us, all the while with a big grin on his face. We also rode a team pursuit together with Dave McCook. We dropped our first rider, who was on drop bars, in the first kilo. Otherwise all I can remember is hanging on for dear life and taking only half lap pulls in the last half while someone on the infield kept on shouting 22-9, 23, etc... In my memory, we finished with a 4:47 but Farid corrected me as it being a 4:41. Wow, was that really me? Anyways, it was nice because we beat the always good "Larry Nolan super team" that he cobbles together every year using local TT-all stars. Holloway has gone on to become elite Crit Champion, numerous wins on the road (just won a stage in the Tour of Pennsylvania), and took a silver in the Pan Am points race.

So now I'm sipping my coffee and am about to go pick up Josh. Keep you updated!