Beijing Omnium:10th place overall and 1st in pursuit

Hi all, me again!!  I’m sitting in my room and I’m pretty sure I’m sick, my head feels like someone is squeezing it. I’m just run down I think.  I’m guessing that 7 different types of races in 2 days has that affect.

My Omnium concluded on a better note than yesterday. It all started exactly the same as yesterday;  similar breakfast, similar roller session and the same later start time.  The first event was the 4k pursuit and I've come to be reasonable good at it but, like everything else, if you are on a bad day it can go horribly wrong! Thankfully though it went well. I did a good warm up, a good psych up and the best execution I could.  I might had dropped off by at most eight tenths but I think you’ll agree it was a steady effort.  With all the small things done right it proved to be my best result; 1st place and my first win in an Omnium event.  I edged out the GB rider by only one tenth but a win’s a win!

With a bit of pressure off I could focus on just riding the Scratch race tactically better than my previous bunch races and I’m happy to say I achieved that. 15th place wasn’t a spectacular result but I used the track better, picked better wheels to be on and finished up in the sprint, it just happened that 7 or 8 guys got a lap on the bunch.  After the scratch race I was 11th overall and my goal of a top 10 was so close, it all came down to the kilo TT.

After a whole 40mins to recover from the Scratch race I was back on the rollers for a small warm up for the kilo.  This event I like but when things go wrong they go wrong!  Everything went to plan until I got in the start gate and being as ready as I ever was I was giving everything I had.  3,2,1 go and I pulled my foot out.  I’d done this before in competition but it just started the ball rolling on things going wrong.  They restarted me straight away which was new to me but I wasn’t panicking.  A minute later I was back in the gate and doing it all over again.   This time I went a fraction too early and lost some momentum, and then I eased power on the pedal to make sure my foot wouldn’t come out again but then I cut the corner. It was probably the worst start I’ve done.  The effort itself was ok but on the last lap I parked it, badly!  All said and done it wasn’t a total disaster, I finished 6th in the kilo which moved me into 10th place, target achieved!

The rest of the trip will involve cheering on Felix for his races and then the necessary evil of packing up all the bikes etc.  Roll on Monday, I can’t wait to get home and spend some time with my wife to be!   

Talk to ya’s next time,

M

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