And just like that, my first under23 track championships were over. Not how I wanted them to go but after finding out I had caught covid and being rid of it just one week before races began, my expectations dropped. From hopes of possibly racing in the omnium and madison, I realised I was lucky enough to get the races I was given. IP, TP and scratch. This year the championships took place in Anadia, Portugal with temperatures reaching up to and over 40 degrees!- A little too hot!
First came the IP, and with a loss of fitness I wouldn’t be sure how I would do, but I ended up getting a small PB which was the best I could get. The story was similar for the team pursuit and with some top tier teams to compete against, more than anything we used the opportunity to attempt a national record. Our goal wasn’t achieved but we gave it a good go and got some quality practice in as a team.
Scratch being the simplest track race there is, you would think it would be the easiest to master but truth be told it has always been my worst race. I still have a lot of learning to do by watching the best and racing, trying out new tactics.
I came away with a 10th place, which isn’t much to talk about, especially when I think about the process of the race. When I look back I just feel regret and ashamed because I told myself that I would attempt an attack but I never did. I was waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment but in racing that never happens. It’s easy to watch a race or look back at one and say “attack now” because you are watching from a totally different perspective. When racing sometimes you just have to make moves without having doubts or overthinking, otherwise the moment will pass and it will be too late. I missed the winning move and in the end I didn’t have a good enough sprint. The link to watch my scratch is https://youtu.be/FWsZYxaSHaM and play from 3:17
On a side note, was great to see Oscar take the win in the U23 omnium! Can’t tell if you left it to the last sprint of the points race on purpose or not🤔😂
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