Gordy748

This past year was my first formal race season on the track, which was disrupted by me tearing my calf muscle doing running sprints one morning (it was a good idea at the time). This has been a big issue as I haven't been able to do any real work, nor any real miles. It's only been the past few weeks I've been able to get some racing in against cat 4s (I'm 43 so not a young gun).

So far, it's been so good. I came 8th from 26 riders in the Wed night omnium last week, and have at least been able to stay with the front runners in points races, so I'm encouraged for next year. But in the scratch race I ended up being burned by a guy who was simply quicker. He attacked off the front with 1 1/2 laps to go and I got into his slipstream... and off he went. I averaged around 36 mph for a lap trying to stay with him using an 86 inch gear and 170 mm cranks, but in the last 1/2 lap reality caught up and I faded from 2nd to 10th.

So the question is, how should I get faster? I know I need to train properly and make sure I don't get injured. I'll also get a decent wheelset which is a little more slippery than 32 spoke box rim clinchers. But as an acolyte, I was wondering if I should focus on:

1) keep lighter gears (i.e. under 90) and work on spinning
2) get 165mm cranks and work on spinning
3) shift to bigger gears and work on power

The obvious answer is a mix of all 3 to improve my power spinning, but wondered if there is a logical path between cadence and power I should follow.