Aah! But here's the key.You can win when you're on top but you have to be close and get even in the turn so as you come out of the turn shoulder to shoulder and as the distance becomes equal to the finish line because you are traveling farther and staying equal therefore you must be going faster, then as you roll out keeping the same momentum and intensity you will roll by your opponent down the straight to the finish line, unless he has a kick left and fools you. But the only way you can do this is by ATTACKING the turn and sprinting FULL BORE INTO IT! You have to feel the pressure on your saddle and elbows and keep right on kicking as hard as you can, no mercy, no backing off! Most riders roll through the turn and don't accelerate. WRONG! Use it like you were playing crack the whip and let it sling you out! WHOOPEE! I guarantee the first time you do this on a steep track you're gonna think HOLY SHIT and want to back off! DON'T! Keep your head, balance, and cool. You will love it and the guys will wonder how the hell did he do that? You won't fall down unless you panic and then they'll think you're a spas. We don't have all the info on the bikes in England so let's see what the Brit Boys come up with. Devious, Homeric. Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates, CA
OUTFORTRACKRACING??!!
> Ted,
> So what is the story with the bikes in that photo? You're
> correct that those wheels are smaller than 26" and you're
> comments made me take a few more glances at the photo. I'm now
> pretty certain that, for reasons unknown, those are normal
> track frames with special forks to allow the use of small front
> wheels. I'm no expert on frame geometry but it might be that
> the smaller wheel affects the steering in such a manner that
> the "reversed" fork is necessary to restore athe handling.
> As for your advice about "going over the top" vs. going
> underneath (i.e. "Dumb! Go under and go like hell!") you might
> be amused by my recent exploits of the USCF District 20 Track
> Championships. By the way, there were lots of great classic
> and KOF bikes there, including list member Pete Czapiewski's
> old Cinelli (Virginia Silver Medal), my team mate James's old
> Masi and my own classic looking Waterford.
> Anyway, as I wrote to my team mates:
> "In the sprints, you have to believe that one
> way or another you can win or you might as well
> stay off the track. So I figured that if I kept
> Paul up near the rail, I would have a chance to
> take the race. Well, that's easier said than
> done and he dove underneath me, sprinted away
> and took the win.
>
> In the repechage/consolation round I really felt
> like I should win. Nevertheless, I once again
> figured to keep the other racers up on the rail
> since I thought that by then I had figured out
> the technique. Well, in the immortal words of
> Homer Simpson, "Doh". I screwed it up again.
> This time, though, my chasing wasn't for naught.
> After spinning like mad, I took the repechage by
> about 6 inches. Due to the small field, that
> earned me the Virginia Bronze Medal in 50+ Masters!"
> So you - and geometry - are so right about going over the top
> or passing on the outside. You can actually see that you're
> going faster but you gain ground just inches at a time. But
> everyone already knows that...
> Regards,
> Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia, USA