2005 Track Racing News

Riders in a Pace line at the Twilight Track Series, Londonderry Raceway

8/10/05 - New Hampshire Amateur State Games
It was a hot one, not only the weather, but on the track.  We had a great turn out of riders and spectators and there were medals to be won. The nights events consisted of Match Sprints, Individual Pursuits and Team Pursuits. Congratulations to all medalists and those participants that put forth tremendous efforts.  Thank you to all volunteers and spectators for your part in making these inaugural games a success.  Click here to see results from the games.

7/13/05 - Sprint Festival
A 10 lap Snowball race started the evening. 1 point is given to the winner of the first lap, 2 for second, 3 for third and so on till 10 points for last lap. The object is to save something till the end when the wins really count.  The A group was given points to the first two people over the line each lap. Steven G. stayed up front and took advantage of being able to warm up while gaining a few points. The pace really picked up around laps 5-6, but Steven G. accumulated the most points for the win.  Next Tony ran Sprint eliminations and each rider was paired against another rider in his group for a 3 lap sprint.

Olympic sprints followed, 3 riders starting from a stop are timed for three laps. The first rider pulls off after the first lap, second pulls off on the second and third rider stops the clock after his lap. Teams were selected at random and made for some fun racing. Riders worked together to try to beat the previous teams time. Tony lead out the A riders, Andrew was second (he was also in the previous A race which had the fastest time) and Steven G. being the last man. Tony gave a quick snap from the line and the rest is history. The team was able to beat the fastest time by 4 seconds!  Great fun was had by all.

To finish the evening, Tony combined the A and B's for a final Miss and Out race. About 15+ riders circled the track trying not to be the last one over the line for elimination. It was a test of nerves while riders were three wide most of the time, jockeying for position. Andrew pulled up front with 8 riders left at ~28mph, and only a pace line was run until the last 3 riders. Charlie rode to victory to close the evening.
 

6/08/05 - Opening Night

The sun was shining brightly and the heat was on as the Twilight Track Series Opening night got under way.  Several new riders and spectators came out along with all our dedicated regulars.  Thanks to everyone for your support.
The night had a full schedule and the first race was a 12 lap scratch race for the A group.  Charlie B took first place by a wheel on his new Lemond track bike, with Steven G. beside him on the outside. Jim P. finished 3rd. Top speed for this race was recorded at 33+ mph.

Next up, the B group ran a 10 lap scratch race.  11 riders made up the field as the excitement grew.  Garabed M. took first place, followed by David P. and young Joshua L. sweeping up the 3rd place finish.  Congratulations to Joshua for keeping pace with the elders of the tribe.

Alternating between the A and B groups Tony makes sure everyone gets plenty of racing in each night.  The second race for the A riders was a 15 lap Points race with points (3, 2, 1) every 5th lap.  By now the sky was threatening a down pour with very high winds, but the rain held off for yet another race.  David P took first, with Steven G. taking second place and Andrew S. holding the 3rd spot.  Top speed recorded for this race was an impressive 35 mph.  These guys are smokin'.  Great job all!

The second race for the B riders, a 9 lap Points race,  had just started when the skies opened up after 6 laps.  The night was cut short, but fun was had by all.  Miss and Out Madness is coming this Wednesday night, June 15th.  Be part of the excitement of this age old sport.

6/01/05 - Instructional night II

As always, we had another exciting Wednesday night at the Londonderry Raceway! Thank you to all our returning riders and welcome to the new riders joining our group.

Wednesday night was our second instructional night and there were introductions and buzz among the crowd. We encourage riders of all abilities to try it out and we have some seasoned Cat A and B riders to experience.  Beginners were instructed on track riding techniques, riding fixed gear bike without brakes, and doing pace line work. Returning riders were able to get some warm-up time in before Tony ran the first race of the night. There were several opportunities for all riders to try out their skills as we ran two 12 lap scratch races, a miss and out, and a few Olympic time trials. One of our adult riders Steven G. won all 3.  Since his first appearance on the scene, he has become a real speed demon on the track. Other winners included Ryan from Alternative Bike and a new young rider, Kevin L.

Our star 13 year old, Joshua wins the first B race against a variety of experienced riders where he took a 3 lap flyer, it was a real thrill. Joshua really loves racing, starring in road and track races, and his enthusiasm is very contagious. We all look forward to watching him and others develop as the season goes on and maybe some day watching one of our young riders in the Olympics.

We invite everyone that can ride a bike to try, but if you prefer, just come out and watch because it's a great way to spend a Wednesday night.

5/18/05 - Instructional night I

    With the threat of rain all around, the Wednesday night Twilight Track Series got off to a great start. Several riders from all around gathered at the Londonderry Raceway to try out the new velodrome style track racing venue in the Manchester area.  Partly cloudy skies and a few sprinkles graced the track, but didn't stop the excitement and enthusiasm of the participating riders.  Thank you to all our new and dedicated riders that braved the weather and made the first night a huge success.  Sincere appreciation goes to the Manchester Union Leader staff for coming out to get information for an upcoming article.  Be on the lookout for the write up.

4/28/05 -
Congratulations to Tony for becoming a USA Cycling Coach, check out this link for his information.

4/22/05 - 
    With the start of a new cycling season upon us, Lead Cycling Promotions is please to announce we have moved our track venue to the Londonderry Raceway near the Manchester Airport.  It is with great appreciation that we say goodbye to the Monadnock Speedway for helping us with our inaugural season in 2004 and we look optimistically to the future and our new relationship with Londonderry Raceway.  For some this move is further away and for others closer, but we believe it is beneficial in improving access to the sport as well as helping us create new and exciting programs for 2005 and beyond. 

    Our plan is to continue the Wednesday night Twilight Track Series and to incorporate a more organized racing schedule.  We will provide two nights of instructional training for riders of all abilities.  In an attempt to improve access to the sport of track racing we have developed an exciting new program for the summer of 2005.  

    Lead Cycling Promotions has teamed up with the Manchester Police Athletic League to run a youth development program on Wednesday afternoons prior to the adult program.  The program is open to interested children ages 9 - 17.  The program is broken into 2-- five week sessions, each capable of teaching 15 riders.  We have the capacity to teach 30 young individuals the basics of track racing.  The 1st session begins on Wednesday June 22nd and the second starts on Wednesday July 27th.  At the end of August these new racers will have a chance to show off their skills during the adult track series.  Pre-registration is required as availability is limited.  We are presently looking for contributions from local businesses and individuals to fund the program.  Tax-deductible donations are being accepted.  For more information please contact Tony Eberhardt at teberhardt@leadcycling.com or by phone at (603) 566-0230.

    Second, Lead Cycling Promotions is working with the NH Amateur State Games to include Track Cycling in the inaugural summer games this year.  We have scheduled 2 nights of competition this August, ( August 3rd and August 10th) when NH and VT residents can vie for bragging rights and medals in the 1st annual NH Amateur State Games.  The games are similar to the Bay State Games in Massachusetts and consist of many different sports.  We will be posting a list of cycling events for the games on our web site by the end of next month.  

    Finally, we are currently looking for volunteers to help with both the youth and adult programs.  If you or anyone you know are interested in helping out, please contact Tony Eberhardt at:  teberhardt@leadcycling.com or at (603) 566-0230.  Volunteers will make our programs more successful!  Please help today!  Visit our web site at www.leadcycling.com for the latest information on this exciting season of racing events, or call Tony at the number listed above.

    Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you on the track.

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