Bicycle Racing with Strength, Power, Speed and Style

Today’s Hammer podium!
Gwen Afton – Bronze Medal in the Womens 500m TT.

If you’re not interested in anymore than that.   
Stop now.

Otherwise — The saga continues.

When you live at the Velodrome in Carson….in LA County..right next to Compton..for a few days, sometimes life becomes a little surreal.

You’re in the presence of truely serious purist bike racers.
World Elite Masters Athletes.  Many have been and are world champions.
Some were Olympic athletes. (Even on your own team)  Many were professional bicycle racers. Bicycle racers from all over this earth.   Some came from other sports and fell love, or into the trap, or the obsession of the nuances of what this sport offers up.  And then there are those that just eventually try this thing and have a passion and run with it.

Cleaning your tires with rubbing alcohol.  Cleaning your chain in an ultrasonic bath.  … lubricating each roller with a drop…then being careful to not wipe away too much.  Checking the chain slack after changing gears…. fitting the bike into the UCI jig just before your race.  Being on the rollers and doing a blowout…smelling the burning of a cheap rayon towel as the watts are being increased.  Then the Majorcans in the neighboring pen are asking you what is burning???? (that was a request in Spanish and French and English)
….ohhh…whoaaaaa…hope you are all ok….  

When you race this thing, you do your best, you talk with those people that you’ve followed their careers..and realize that either they are as goofy as you are, or as serious as you’ve never been.  It’s just that time and space and you’ve met.

  No matter.   Everyone eventually smiles and understands the love that all within the entire building has for this sport.  And the discussions that follow about what line was best.  That dumb start gate.  Didn’t sleep well.  Should not have eaten that Guacamole Burger from Carls Jr.

OK — Hammer Race Report.

Medal(s) for the day.
Gwen Afton – Bronze – 500m Individual Time Trial.

The rest is a story of Rainbows to rrrrrrWarnings.
Possible Medals….but no….it was strife!

The other race today was the the mens 65+  Individual Pursuit

A race of 2K in length.  8 laps.  (I think it’s 8 laps…I’m a sprinter so counting past 3 laps is a real issue) ((What’s a 4?))

Truely a race of not lighting every match in the matchbook from that last higher pitched tone from the start gate….a racer needs to keep a match or two in reserve!!

Here we watched 2 of Hammer Racing Team … Teammates in the same heat.  
“Heat Number 4”  that need to have the specific numbers, and may have had a aspirated psychromiter in thier pocket.. Please Report.  It may have influence.

Hammer Racing Team …. Team Mates!

Shannon Fox

and 

David Beitel

End the story now. —

If you’ve ever been to Peyton Place…continue.

Both placed well.  Really.  If you were there and seen the top 3.  Yes your mouth would’ve dropped.  Masters racers never slow down.

Hammer Placements within a group.

Shannon at 6th

David at 10th

But that’s not the end of the story.
Shannon actually did catch David.

David blocked well and Shannon had to go around.
Shannon finished his run…then didn’t get out of David’s way so he could finish his.
The infield was agast at what they had just witnessed.  And so were the officials.

Hammer Racing Team experienced thier first warning from the officials.

See this!!!   Improper exiting of the track!!!

The resolution of this will be resolved at “Hop St. Brewing”  Torrance, California…
The evening of Wednesday 28 September 2022.  Hammer Racing Team will decide if disceplanary actions need to be enforced….or that Shannon just needs to buy the next round of “Bring the Noise” IPA’s.    If you are in the area…Stop by and we will discuss.

Respectfully and Gleefully submitted report by —
-Robby-

(sorry that I don’t have a weather report from Marty Coniglio…but he’s not here…and we’re racing indoors…so it doesn’t matter…except for the humidity … ahhh ok and the air density)