Nice report from Drastic
http://www.bikesmoveus.com.au/showthread.php?t=4624&page=26Last Friday I thought it was time to move up so I signed on for Div 3. It's both faster and slowly than Div 4. In Div 4 the pace is fairly consistent which is perfect for a novice, in Div 3 they hit it full gas, then back off then hit it again.
For the warm-up scratch I sat near the back and watched. I finished comfortably in the top half of the field without really challenging but happy to see I could survive at this level. In the 9-up sprint I was nowhere. My top speed of 55 km/h is 3 or 4 km/h too slow. I either need a bigger gear or learn to spin faster, probably the later.
Next up was the "poker" race. The rules are more than a little strange. It's like a point a lap race but instead of a point you win a card drawn from a deck. The rider with the highest card at the end wins, then next card for second, etc. We had 15 laps of which 4 were neutral then it was full on for the 11 cards on offer. I started in the middle of the bunch but gaps kept opening and I had to jump past a couple of times. Then a biggish gap opened and a guy from Penrith made a big effort to close it as I sat on his wheel. It took him 2 laps with me constantly wondering whether the poor bloke was going to crack and I'd have to jump across on my own. We reached the lead bunch of 8 or so with 8 laps left and watched as riders went for sprints then peeled off either exhausted or just happy with the card they'd drawn. I got to second wheel after the 4 to go sprint and came around to take the next card - a 6, not good enough.
I kept going and was just rolled on the line for the next card by the Penrith guy - a Jack f**k, that put him in second place but he deserved it for his efforts to get me back on. One lap to go so I gave it all I had to take the final card - a 2, double f**k. So I won 2 cards but didn't score high enough for a place but at least I know I can hold my own with these boys.
Final race was the combine and as a Div 3 rider I went with the second, faster group. I held on comfortably but hit the front with 5 to go and a guy off the front. I buried myself and took a sizable chunk out of his lead then rolled to at least 10 wheels back and out of contention.
Another great learning experience, the Div 3 riders are much more knowledgeable and don't just let you back into the line like the Div 4 guys. I'll win something in this Division before the season's out :-)
