9:11 PM
Jeff Burmeister
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The event that I picked as my focus was the Minnesota State Track Omnium Championships. Long title, but it breaks down to this, a championship based on five different types of track racing disciplines. The fun bit about this race is that its broken into groups based on age and not experience like a regular season race. So I was going to race with the Category 1&2 Pro guys that are my in age group. Oh, did I forget to mention that last year’s U.S. National Omnium Champion happens to be in the same age group and me? Oh also that I was the only guy that wasn’t a 1/2 Pro in the group?
The five races that make up the Omnium Championships are; The Flying 200meter Time Trial, the 20 Lap Scratch Race, the 3000meter Individual Pursuit Time Trial, the 50 Lap Points Race, and the Kilometer Individual Time Trial. Points are giving based on how you finish in each race. 1st place gets 5 points, 2nd gets 3 points, 3rd gets 2 points, and 4th gets a single point. The person with the most points after all of the racing is done is the big weinner.
I tried to set some realistic goals for myself within this event. Nothing that was impossible to reach, but also nothing that would be easy. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to race at the level that I had hoping for. I had developed a stomach virus the week leading up to the race (editor – is this a pre-emptive performance excuse?) and I spent a good portion of the race wanting and nearly throwing up. Not something that helps bring out the best in you. But I set a goal and I was committed to following through, so I decided that I might as well race and just trying to enjoy it.
On the day of the race we had good weather but we also had an nasty evil northwesterly wind that was blowing 10 to 20mph, with some gusts going up to 25mph. This would make for some less then stellar times in the Time Trials events for all of us.
The Flying 200meter Time Trial is an exciting but brief race. You’re given 2 and a half laps to get your bike up to speed. Then when you hit the 200meter line they start the clock. Three quarters of a lap later, you’re done. My goal was a 12.9 but the heavy wind going down the straight slowed me and I came in with a 13.6sec an average pace of 33.4 mph. Needless to say I was way down the finishing order with that effort.
The scratch race is straight forward, 20 laps, first over the line wins race. At the start a guy went directly off the front of the group and I was in no physical shape to be the one that would chase him down, so I just let him go. Everyone around me watched as I let him go, and we all seemed to agree to let them go with the heavy winds. As we started to work together to monitor his advantage, he realized that his break was a silly move to do solo. So he came back to the group. Laps went by with only a little dicing back and forth in our group. Then with three laps to go things began to ramp and the sprint was on. I was left behind but fought through it and ended up in fourth. Scoring a single Omnium point and achieving my goal for this event.
The 3000meter Pursuit Time Trial starts with two people set up on opposite sides of the track. The race is against the clock, but you also get to try and catch the other guy on the opposite side of the track. I got an okay standing start, and got up to speed pretty quickly. I felt smooth and fast for the majority of the race, but in the final couple of laps I tailed off and my pedaling started to get choppy. I was able finish just in front of my opposite racing partner and got a 4:14.0 which is an average of 27mph from a dead start. This was good enough for another 4th and another point.
The next race was the Points Race. Points Races are usually very cool events and I enjoy them. They have sprints for points every ten laps and the points are given out in the same way as the overall Omnium points. The first 10 laps went by well for me. I was in there for the sprint and come over the top of another racer for 4th again. Then I had a bit of a moment where I turned towards the infield so that I could throw-up. After that I was in trouble. The sprint for Lap 20 split me off from the main field and I struggled my way back to the group. Lap 30 sprint split me off again, and this time it took me 5 laps of tempo riding to get back to the main group. By the Lap 40 Sprint I was cooked and I wasn’t going to catch up again after that. I struggled on and ended up a lap down from the main field.
The last event was the Kilo. Some simply call it “The Killer,” basically you throw everything you have into the start and then try to hold on for as long as you can. It’s only four laps long, but it really hurts when you get to lap 4. My kilo started okay, not the best start and I only got the bike up to 34 mph before I started to slow. I got down into the best aero position I could and I tried to hold on to my speed. On Lap 4, going into that nasty wind and my legs screaming from lactate acid, I just about killed myself, but I struggled through. I finished with a 1:20 that is 28.4 mph average pace. Again, I got a fourth place finish.
In the end, the points that I scored were enough to get me a fifth place overall for the event, which was my original event goal for the event. So I was very happy with that.
Afterwards, I felt like crap both physically and emotionally. But luckily my wife Sheila stopped by the track and took care of me during the second half of the race. So it was great to have her there to get me through the end and then to get us both Chipotle Burritos and chips!
My next goal? I’m not sure yet, but I’m thinking U.S. National Championships in 2014
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