100 laps of pain. 100 laps of suffering. 100 laps with no brakes, no coasting, no food, and no water.
Track cycling is a cruel sport – but it’s also one of my favorites.
Last night, I made the trip down to the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook, Illinois to race the famous Tomasz Pac Memorial 100-lap Points Race. With each lap being 382 meters, that equates to a 38.2 kilometer points race – I had to bring out the calculator for that one – a very long race by track cycling standards.
For more information, here is their website: https://www.northbrookcyclecommittee.org/
A Points Race is very confusing; it’s one of the most exciting track cycling events to watch, but often the racers themselves have no idea who is actually “leading” the race. For the Tomasz Pac Points Race, points were given out every 5 laps – a total of 20 sprints – to the top four riders across the line; 5, 3, 2, and 1 points, respectively. Double points are also on offer for the final sprint, on lap 100. But my main goal – as a roadie who can’t hit 1000 W – was to lap the field. It is also important to mention that in a Points Race, a rider who laps the field earns 20 points, the equivalent of winning five sprints – my calculator is almost out of battery.
I had a simple plan: attack, attack, attack, and try to lap the field. More specifically, follow the sprinters every five laps, and then counter them hard, right after they’ve made a big effort. It’s easier said than done, and when put into practice, I realized that when I followed the sprinters, I was tired too. What a surprise. But I willed myself to attack; nothing crazy, but enough to get some separation from the field, and form a breakaway if anyone wanted to tag-along and suffer with me.
Race Deets
I countered the first sprint and was immediately off the front, solo. When I came around Turn 4, I saw 94 laps to go. Oof.
But I was committed. I had a big gap on the field, and I couldn’t see anyone immediately behind me – at least, not yet. I stayed solo off the front for another 10-or-so laps, scooping up 5 points and winning the second sprint. But by then, a group of 4 had formed behind me, and they were coming up fast. I sat up and waited – we still had 85 laps to go.
I rode with this group for another few laps, trading pulls and keeping the pace high so that we would stay off the front of the field. We were going so fast, however, that by the next sprint, we were right on the tail end of the field. I jumped across and lapped, but my breakaway companions stayed behind. That’s weird, I thought. Why are they just sitting back there? Are they that tired, that they can’t make it across?
But then it dawned on me: they sat behind the field so that they could scoop up the next set of points from the sprint. Because once I lapped the field, I was now outside the top 5, and I couldn’t get any points besides lapping the field, again. Great.
So that’s exactly what I did. I made my way to the front of the field – passing 35 guys in 35 seconds (roughly) – and went off the front again. I was tired, but so was the field, and I hung out there for a few laps until a small group came up to me.
The middle part of the race is a blur. There was lots of attacking, counterattacking, sprints in which I didn’t get any points, and a descent amount of sitting up and trying to feel my legs again. Somewhere around 40 laps to go, I got in to a breakaway with the other Top 5 riders in the points. We had lapped the field once, so why not do it again? – Before I knew it, we had caught the back of the field and were seeing 20 laps to go.
I couldn’t feel my ‘undercarriage’ – I hadn’t stopped pedaling for 40 minutes – my hands hurt, my back hurt, and all I wanted to do was stop. But this was it, the pointy end of the race, where the Top 3 are racing for the win, and one mistake, one moment of hesitation, and it could all be over…
15 laps to go. I followed the sprint closely that lap, picking up 4th place and adding a single point to my total. But at that moment, I had one thing on my mind: this is it. This is when everyone is tired. One more attack will break them. If I go now, I might be able to hold them off.
I went all-in, attacking from high up on the track, swooping down in to the sprinters lane, and pushing as hard as I could on the pedals. I went deep – really deep – for over a lap, before looking back to see if anyone was on my wheel. Only Daniel Breuer was. He was leading the points, and he was the strongest rider in the race. I knew I couldn’t beat him – in the sprint, or in the final points tally – but we traded pulls and went as hard as we could, not only to stay off the front of the field, but also to try and lap the field for a third time. In the end, we didn’t quite make it, but we did stay off the front, and grabbed the 10 and 6 points in the final sprint. When all was said and done – and it was very close – I ended up in 2nd place!!
Race Stats:
Average HR: 172 bpm
Max HR: 180 bpm
Average Speed: 29.3 mph (47.2 kph)
Max Speed: 36.0 mph (57.9 kph)
Gearing: 48 x 13 (99.7 inches) – yes, I know. That’s a huge gear for track, but I love it.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1639335409/overview
I couldn’t have asked for a better night at the track. We had almost 40 racers for the main event – the Tomasz Pac Memorial Points Race – over a hundred spectators packed in the stands and cheering for everyone from the juniors to the pros, and the best competition in the Midwest. These guys are good. Thank you to everyone for coming out, and I hope to see you at the track again soon!
Next up: Mayor’s Cup – Washington Park Velodrome, Kenosha, WI