93 is right for me

gear inches, that is......

I went to last Sundays' sprint tournament at the track- I'm a complete newbie which is very fun, actually.
My legs were pretty sore after a long couple days in the saddle on Friday and Saturday, but I really want to get my five starts in this year and get my cat 4 upgrade, so I figured I would ride a easier gear and try to work on some leg speed.

I warmed up and noticed people were pedaling some monster gears, as well as sporting disk wheels and funny helmets.
Hmmm, I'm running a 48 x 15 on my goofy Langster with some Weinmann clinchers, but I really didn't realize what was going on until I had the format explained to me as the first guys did their flying 200's.
I got some great advice on lines and strategies, and even was offered to have a extra minute or so in order to change my gear, but it takes me 10 minutes to get it right anyway, and I didn't want to be some prima donna a-hole holding the deal up so I could get 12th v 13th anyway, so I went with 86- something gear inches- sprinted for the first turn and ran out of gear to stand on, had to flop my ass down and hamster pedal all the way around as well as taking a obscenely bad line and doing a extra 50 meters or something, arggh!

So 13 seconds or so was the result and I got placed into a bracket, this is a fun style of racing where you race against everybody of the same speed and get in lots of racing, so way cool.

I got lots and lots of help and feedback from guys, this match sprinting has lots of permutations with strategies and counters, all in two laps.

I kept my gear on for one match, tried to use it to my advantage with a holeshot and controlling the pace up high, but he came around me on the homestretch and I think he got me.

Soooo I went to the little 14 tooth, plunked it on and was able to "step into" the gear again, kind of giving me a extra bit of umph.

Not fair to be in that bracket anymore, though.

I hate sandbagging and will give no excuses for it, it wasn't my intention to manipulate the dealie and I don't have that fragile of a ego, I just wanted to try some different things.

I liked the " go from the ringing of the bell move out of turn 4", that was fun and it's so early some folks were caught sleepin'...:-)

Things I practiced-
keeping my peripheral vision going and looking under me at the opponent

using the banking and diving like a zero for a carrier

riding the top of the pole lane to hold someone but keeping smooth, not too good on this one and some of it is the bike, when I borrowed my buddies real track machine I definitely noticed a difference in the precision

tuning up the instinct and reflex of when to go.

being willing to play a bit and see.

Loving it and I'll be down next Wednesday for the racing, taking a vacation night or two.....