Yeah, it looked like you were having a blast Phil - your face looked like mix of part terror and sheer excitement.
I'm eager to get on the boards myself once I get much more confidence and more laps under the belt. I felt that nervous excitement yesterday - it's just the best feeling. Just that little taster of this whole thing leaves me wanting more.
dalai47 wrote:g-boaf wrote:Trying desperately not to dig too much into the hard earned savings.
I was pleasantly surprised at the prices of track bikes. Much more to my liking.
Don't have to spend big $$$ on a track bike to be competitive either.
Yeah, found that out quickly on a standing start.
Needs exactly the thing I don't have that much of - sheer brute strength. Those of you who've seen me or ridden with me will certainly agree that I'm tiny.
A road bike is so easy to get going fast, you just spin spin spin up through the gears and way you go. Not so in track. It took every bit of strength I had to wind it up and get it going fairly quickly and then keep that going.
I turned up early, got fitted on the bike and watched the kids going around just to see if I could learn anything from them. Humbling indeed trying to learn something from I guess 8 year olds wizzing around like it's nothing. But that's good - it focuses your attention and cuts you down to size.
In the end, you can only take in so much before it's just time to get out there and do it and have fun. I started to feel my way into it and work out how to stop the bike in approximately my intended place without overshooting the mark and actually I started to get okay at slowing it down fairly quickly by my newbie standards.
There is no way to learn that other than doing it, carefully. I'd liken it to something like Roland Beamont taking off in the TSR.2 for the very first time, wondering if it was all going to end in tears and then gradually getting more confidence and starting to enjoy the feeling that comes with familiarity.
When you start to get to grips with it, then you get that silly, stupid grin from ear to ear.
Now I just want to get out more and get more laps in, consistent ones at some decent speed.
I couldn't believe how quick those bikes can go as well. You don't need some exotic aero machine worth thousands - it's all about the rider, and it's pretty certain that this unworthy rider wasn't doing much justice to that bike which has undoubtedly served many people far more capable than myself. I'm certainly glad that I did so much riding over the holiday period, it was very worthwhile.
Phil will certainly confirm that I was nervous as heck, but also having a blast and the grin on my face was getting bigger and bigger the more I rode that bike.
You just don't get that on a road bike in the same way.
So this is not a race report as such - but the humble first timer account that I suppose you'll all be reading and sitting back nodding with a smile and thinking, yes, I remember that too. Well, I hope it comes across like that.
Cossie Phil wrote:Might do the RAW series this year, I cant wait to race on there!!
Hmm, tell me more.
bigfriendlyvegan wrote:Got my fix of motivation over the past 5 days racing the fat old blokes in D grade and watching the Malaysian national track team racing against the state's best while preparing for the world cup. There were current world champs, Aussie champs, NZ champs, and a whole bunch of former ones as well. I also got a lesson on standing starts from one of the best sprinters in the country. I even managed to win a wheel race in epic fashion!
I'm all ears at the moment for any lessons and tips. I'm listening to and reading everything I can find. I'm almost cross with myself for not trying this much earlier! It's like when you get a new computer game and you can't stop playing it until you've won.
