June 16 - Keirin Championships and Madisons, Northbrook Velodrome
 

Links for the June 16th schedule:
Clickety Click!
Hope to see some of you there!

Chicago, KEIRIN, MADISON, You!...
 

What do these have in common? Well, I hope to see in a couple of hours...

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...33#post1267433
I'm using this (ss, fixed but non track) forum to yell out in a last ditch effort to all of the Chicago crowd...
Just because the racing at the track (in Northbrook) tonight is going to be SOOO awesome!

I've gotta run, but I'll be out there- hopefully making it to the Keirin Finals.
I hope to see lots of friends out there and wish I would have notified you all sooner.
Party!

xx
-Marcus
http://northbrookvelodrome.org/doc/E...le16.06.05.pdf

why can't I see the post link?

S/F<
CEYA!

Okay - I missed the Madisons...but the Keirin! Some relly great fields out there and finesse to boot! I was most impressed with the women's and juniors' fields. Great groups, awesome people. Fun times for sure. I hope MARCUS fills us in on the stats. I will try and get a few pics up!

I merged these threads Marcus (after I got home at 945pm)- Nice job on the mic! And I quote "Track racing is actually one of the safest forms of bicycle racing" - as the ambulance shows up for a rider that went down during the Cat 4 Miss and Out (I hope the xXx rider is okay Marcus)...or was it the 20 Lap points?

Count on the mods to screw with my post. :D
It was good to see you at the track J. I hope you got some good shots... And I hope we can see some on the web soon.
Lot's of fun in Northbrook last night... The Keirin was a tough one. Only the second Keirin for me. The Madison is always tough when you're in "my kind of shape"... But it's always an enjoyable game. I can't stop! We'll have another Madison next week, a Keirin the following week and a Madison clinic coming in about a month (Keirin clinic after that).

But back to the posts... I've been neglecting BikeForums.net lately (too much work?) and didn't make the big announcement when I realized that we had a Madison/Keirin double plate of excitement coming our way. I logged on right before heading to the track and noticed that [165] already mentioned the Keirin, but not the Madison in the thread title. I tried to start a new post with the same content but a different title (to attract the Madison lovers out there). Then I realized that practically no one reads the track threads (compared to the SS/Fixed threads), and decided to start a new post in the more common area. Title: Chicago, KEIRIN, MADISON, You *or something like that. I was hoping to attract some locals who might not have had anything better to do last night. Since the link I posted had been deleted,... well I guess that's the end of that story...

But anyway- Racing was good. Large fields- over 20 cat4s, 9 women, 8 or so juniors, over 80 racers total, I believe. Alan went down during the cat4 Miss & Out, hit his head and got skuffed a bit... Cat scan, "minor" concussion... But I just talked to him on the phone and he's doing fine. He has a headache now and he'll be stiff tomorrow, but he's hoping to race the Proctor Classic this weekend. He's a tough, young guy. It was great- when they were carrying him off on the stretcher, I was on the mic and "introduced" him to the crowd of spectators as he was carried past. The audience cheered for him and he waved back at everyone- kind of humorous looking since the rest of his body, legs, head, etc were strapped down to the stretcher, his arms flailing... Definately live and kicking.

Good times.

It's always fun to get out of towners in to race... Since this was a qualifier for Elite Nationals (for the Keirin), we attracted this hulk of a rider from Missouri. He was in town to race the Keirin and take one step toward Nationals. He meant business. As I worked the registration table- he stood in front of me, flexing his pectorals. I wasn't sure if he thought he was signing up for a wrestling match or what... But this type of power racing (Keirin, Match Sprint, Kilo) sometimes attracts athletes from other sports. I've seen quite a few people make the transition from wrestling, football, rugby and weight lifting to track cycling and many times they perform wonderfully. But anyway- big guy qualified for Elite Nationals. Look for him in LA later in the Summer.
Me? I didn't make it past the preliminary rounds. Look for me to still be in Northbrook. Well, there's another Keirin qualifier in Kenosha on the 25th. he he. Paul Swift will be trying to qualify at that time. It'll be a good show.

http://img184.echo.cx/img184/8241/blab7ja.jpg
Marcus - I assume you meant the racer who took the lead after the Derney dropped in your Keirin race and was swerving back and forth on the banks? That was crazy to watch (lead rider in white/black kit):
http://img184.echo.cx/img184/6884/swerve3mh.jpg
I am putting all the pics I took last night on a disc for you and will try and drop it by your office this Saturday. Cool?
FUN FUN FUN! xXx was out in numbers!

Thanks for posting the pics!

We had the first ever women's Keirin race at our track in Minnesota last night. Fun!!!

165 - more pics!

Marcus - I so wish I had a car. Then again, I couldn't make it out last night anyway. But I want to try for the next two weeks - I'm going to sucker someone into going! Now who has a car... (that lives in the city!)

Good to see some of the action.

From the women's miss and out:
http://img154.echo.cx/img154/6831/sprint4fe.jpg
This was the last lap - two xXx'ers vs. one young woman from Kenosha. The Kenosha racer pulled out hard around bank 3 and took the finish. This was one of my favorite races of the night! Yes, I wish the xXx ladies had taken it, but the sheer competition and professionalism seen throughout last night was impressive.

Warm-up:
Team MACK Madison practice:
http://img154.echo.cx/img154/3439/madison7sl.jpg

Is that Anita?

Nevermind, answered my own question from the XXX site.

Wow, that looked like so much fun. Sadly my last trip to the track
ended with my car racking up what is now over ~6,000 dollars worth
of damages and no ride to the track. 2 weeks of going to the track
4 times a week has now gone down the tubes. I am sad.

jeff

Marcus - can you tell us the story on this one? PLEASE? If I remeber, this was a National Qualifier? Not sure, but it was a great finish!
http://img41.echo.cx/img41/9097/master25ue.jpg

so i realize that im a ultra noob but i thought that folks rode thier bikes to the track so i rode mine. had a really good time it was my first velo experence looks like alot of fun then at the end of the evening i asked around to see if anyone was riding with a group back to the city all i got was are you ******** while maybe i am green i didnt see this as stupid one guy even rolled his eyes as he called me ghetto! i would really like to go more often hopefully next time ill get more positive reactions from others and if any one does ride there and back will you let me know please

Ah- Good times!
I saw lots of forum members at the track... I don't think all the locals know each other yet. I don't know all of ya by sight either... But I hope you all had a good time.

For people looking to ride up to the velodrome with others... Many people do this every year. bodegabandit- I could have hooked you up with some good friends that could have shown you the good routes. Sounds like you talked to the wrong people after the races... PM me and I'll get you more info. Or- you can check this out:

from: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/w...lName=HomePage
A few of the racers ride up, but most of the commuters are spectators. Make sure to bring lights for the ride home.

[165]- thanks for posting some photos!
I was indeed talking about "squirrely" (guy in white top). That agressive, don't-even-try-to-pass-me-I'm-a-big-guy-and-will-knock-you-on-your-ass attitude is one that many Keirin riders strive for. And it usually serves it's purpose... As long as you're not taken to school by a 17 year old (Matt Fox- Chicagoland's next hot track talent)... But hey- they both qualified for Nats. In that last photo you posted- Matt is second in line behind Jay Keltner (former multi collegiate national champion, former Northbrook rider of the year, former IL Kilo champ...) with Jason Garner (former national champ, former national team member, former state champ in the Kilo, etc, etc) in third position, Matt's team mate- Len Cabaltera is next in the sprinters' lane with one of Jay's mates (can't remember who. Kevin Perez?- last season's Rider of the Year and former Kilo and Match Sprint champ?) next followed by Ryan Martens from Missouri. This photo was (correct me if I'm wrong Josh) taken in turn two with just under one or two laps to go (I'm guessing it was the final lap?). It was about 300 more meters to the line, Jay couldn't hold it out, Matt came over the top, everyone behind tried to follow but his acceleration was too much, Matt gapped the group and one from the group fell off of the back... Matt came across the line alone with the following four closing, but not reaching him.
Ah- fun fun times. Next Keirin in the area is at the Kenosha velodrome- Saturday 25 June in the early afternoon...

Jeff- sorry to hear about the damage... I heard all about it last Sunday. Does the Il Toll Authority have any sort of Liability for debris in the roadway? You've probably already checked into it... Sorry to hear about the mess. I hope to see you out there again soon!

Anyway- get ready for Monday's (20 June) Match Sprints! Competition starts at 7pm with flying 200 meter tts which will be the seed times for the top riders to make it into the sprint tournament. I'm not sure how many will qualify but the top two or four men (and probably top two women) will face the final rounds Thursday night (23 June).
Woot!

Marcus - The motorpace just dumped off and this was the first lap in. I forgot to tell you, but if you want to use the photos I gave you today, please do!

i dont know squat about track but i think it would be fun to ride up there and see what all the hooplah is about.

anyone else game? be prepared for my stupid questions tho

Hell yeah!
I mean- sorry, not me... But let me know if you have trouble finding ride partners- I know a lot of people who ride up and enjoy company... And answering "stupid" questions about track racing.
I'll be there!

This week- Match Sprint finals! Matt Fox (11.7 qualifying 200meter, only 17 years old) against Jay Keltner! Tamara Frederick (another junior) against Francine Haas! Points Races, Chariots, Danishes, Scratch Races and a Snowball... Good times! http://northbrookvelodrome.org/schedule.php

oh man now i am all excited
thanks!

so i went.

they go around in circles.

sometimes fast, sometimes not so fast. sometimes old, sometimes young.

the ride was nice cos i got to meet jose cuervo and his buddy and they waited for my slow ass everywhere. but boulevard bikes advertised 2 different times, and no-show for downtown. they are still nice people though.

overall, i think i would like to try it on a sunday morning. but not fast.

the big thing i noticed is that their bodies are so different. really. they are so skinny in the middle and ends, but HUGE in the quads and chest. very different from other sports that i am familiar with. like skinny monsters with muscles on wheels

and such nice bikes.

i wonder if someone could explain keirin racing to me...i understand that it is a japanese form of track racing, and since i know precious little about the euro-american-whathaveyou version, i can't really distinguish between that and keirin. i do know that the parts are totally sought after and pricey, and i'm pretty sure that NJS has something to do with japanese steel...?

Keirin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keirin

check out the links at the bottom too. The main difference - the US does not sanction gambling in conjunction with Keirins. Japan - it is pretty much the point.

that makes sense, and thanks for the links (don't you just love wikipedia?). i wonder how it is adapted for the u.s., though. do people just bet on the sly and hope they don't get caught? are they paced by a motorbike at the blaine velodrome? if not, i wonder what the difference is between a keirin race and a regular track race at a u.s. velodrome, where it seems the goal in either case is going to be to go as fast as you can around the track.