I prepared harder for this race then any other. I visualized, I stretched, I biked, I ate healthy I even stopped partying… I did it all. Did it help? You betcha.
I have poster on my door that says, “If you DIE, you DIE at the FRONT” Basically it means if you are going to go down you should go down swinging. I knew the Points Race qualifier was going to be a tough one. So the plan was to take a chance. Risk it all….off the front.
The race started off very tranquil and my nerves as opposed to dissipating only swelled. I’m not one of those people who like to roll around for a while and then speed it up near the sprint. I’m more of an aggressive rider and the plan was to focus on good positioning in the first sprint and then look for an opportunity to GO! Immediately after the sprint a Lithuanian girl attacked. I saw my chance and went with her, swooping down the track with reckless inhibition I charged around the velodrome just about lapping the field. My plan was working... I thought. My new found ally and I came within half a lap of lapping the field before things started to unravel. One of the favorites of the race, Jamila Machacova of the Czech Republic (eventual winner of the points race final and newly crowned world cup leader) came flying over me and came within a corner of the back of the main field. The field then reacted, picked up the speed, and caught me just before the second sprint.
In the second sprint the pack went gang-busters and I found myself on the wrong end of the pain train. It wasn’t too much longer of oxygen deprived riding that the blue blazer wearing, "commissar" was asking me to vacate the track. My race was over.
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