Rock Hill Omnium

This weekend was the Rock Hill Omnium in York and Rock Hill, SC. I went looking for results since I was going to race the Cat 4 Masters 35+ category. I did very well two years ago and was expecting results this time around.

Friday night White Rose Sprints 500 meters:
This event is unlike any standard Omnium event. An Omnium is usually a 3-day event that includes a Time Trial, Criterium and Road Race. At this race they had the sprints and not the TT. This is event was made for me. Each racer does a first heat and their result determines whether or not they move on. I had a great warm up as we were anticipating the rain. We got a few sprinkles around 5:45 PM, but it did not last. My first heat was at 6:10. We lined up in a standing start with holders holding us up as we clipped into our pedals. GO! My first heat was off and I made sure that I got 3rd wheel. About 200 meters I went around the 2nd guy and noticed that I was closing in on the number one guy. I got around them both and won the first heat. That result automatically put me in the final. The 2nd place guy made the final as well. The 3rd, 4th and 5th would get a second chance sprint to get into the final. In the heat that followed me, my teammate Alan also took first. We had a 3rd teammate win his 2nd chance heat, so that gave us 3 of 8 guys in the final heat. A sure win you would think.

We lined up at the final for the sprint competition. We didn't really have a plan, but I took off following my teammate Alan's wheel as Brett Busby shot off up the right hand side. I went around Alan and chased down the lead guy as best I could, but missed 2nd place by millimeters. The video was very hard to call, but they had to make a call and I was number 3. So, I got 3rd place and $30 for the event.

The rain came in pouring around 8:30. They even delayed part of the sprint as a storm cell with tornado's came through the area. The finished the event late with the pro men and women finals sprinting in the downpour. It was wild!

Saturday Rock Hill Criterium 15 laps:
The rains came in overnight which made for a slick criterium course. I felt good through the race but took it easy through the turns. There were a number of crashes in our race, one almost took me out, but I managed to hold on. On the final lap my teammate Alan gave me a great opportunity to move to the front, but coming into one of the turns I held off and road safely through. The final sprint got me around several riders and resulted in a 5th place finish and $20. With the previous night results I was 3rd overall for the weekend omnium.

Sunday Patriot's Trail Road Race 45 miles:
We were expecting clear skies with higher temps. But when we arrived at the race, it was wet and cold. I had plenty of time to warm up on the roads and reconnoiter the last mile of the race course so I knew what to expect during the finish.

The first 25 miles I sat on the back of the pack. I figured the Omnium leaders were up front. Around mile 25 I went to the front and showed myself as the two Omnium leaders had not seen me all day. I made it real easy for them to check off my bib number that was noted on taped pieces of paper on their stems. Just wanted to let them know I was around. Up front I felt great and rode side by side with the current 1st and 2nd place guys. With about 5 miles to go, a few attacks tried to go off the front. The 1 and 2 guys went and I followed their wheels on each attack. There were about 4 attacks and none of them got more than 100 meters off the front. So, I figured I would go sit back in the pack and not waste my energy chasing down breaks that were not going to stick. With 2 miles remaining I went to the front again to get a good position. I was set up nicely. Soon, I realized we were coming up on the Women's Pro 1 2 field who started about 15 minutes ahead of us. We were closing in on them fast! I didn't know how this was going to turn out. Would the official neutralize the women's field and let us pass or not? With just over a kilometer to go, we were riding on the back of the women's field. It was chaos! The official was seemingly indecisive about what to allow to do. He told us to "STOP!" and not go around. At 200 meters to go the motorcycle official turned both fields loose! It was more chaos than I cared to participate in. So, I rode in amongst the women and masters men in my field for a 12th place finish. I figured I lost my 3rd place omnium finish.

After the race I checked on the omnium results and we figured that I finished 4th in the omnium. There is still a payout for me to receive. The race organizers said they would male the payout money.

For the most part I was happy with my race weekend. I felt I rode strong and had the opportunity to feel what it was like to mark some other guys and chase down some short bursts off the front. That is something that I usually don't experience during single day events.