Just got bumped

[Yakaru]

So I'm at the track again and I uh... just got bumped group... multiple levels. From 100 (slow/relaxed) to 300 (fast/advanced)... More to come later but that was unexpected.

[csmith12]

Nice, gratz... but don't let them make you rider faster than you want to ride "this/that day."

Again gratz, and now I feel I can tell you this in confidence.... "go fast, take chances."

[CC Cowboy]

Kool

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Nice, gratz... but don't let them make you rider faster than you want to ride "this/that day."

Again gratz, and now I feel I can tell you this in confidence.... "go fast, take chances."

Yeah, apparently they had some people in 300 who weren't cutting it and needed to be bumped down, and some people in 200 the same... but all 3 levels are sold out and the staff/coaches consulted each other and then asked if I'd be willing to run 300 since I was (possibly the only?) person in 100/200 that could move up to 300.

Now I have to really fix some skills... I have a coach for today and we were able to run out with the 300 group (so I got an extra session out of it too!) a bit and he said now that I was running closer to my pace that I need to seriously up my accuracy (that is, I need my apex to be more specific and I need to absolutely hit it). This is a thing I learned w/ @Misti @ CSS in July but it's a skill that I think will be a 'recurring' one for me -- I'll have to get better and better at it as my speed comes up.

[csmith12]

It's ok to be pushed a lil bit every once in awhile.

GIT YA SOME! :P

[Yakaru]

Oh no, I like my coach pushing me -- he's also apparently ex-CSS (over a decade ago) so we have some common vocab. What's actually interesting is the CSS vocab he /doesn't/ know :P Interesting to see how the school has changed that way.

[Yakaru]

Dunno if he overlapped with you any @Misti -- http://www.tracktime.bike/andrew-cox2.html is my coach today. So far his advice sounds a lot like yours so I'm happy with him

[CaliGrrl]

What a nice recognition of your riding ability!

[Yakaru]

Finished the day! I'm back again tomorrow too!

So I did set a new personal best ( 1:56:98 ) but that lap had a lot of yuckiness to clean up -- it was my first full session after being bumped and I was trying to figure out how fast I needed to go to not be in the way... So I backed things down and did a lot of work on improving my apex accuracy. Secondary topics were getting my eyes farther ahead for the high speed turns (really fast turns I find intimidate me -- it just feels weird to take a turn, even an 'easy' one, when my speed is that high, so I tend to over brake).

My coach said that I was much better by the end of the day, an assessment I agree with. Getting those apexes down, improving my RPs, and just getting everything to flow is my goal for tomorrow. As an aside, I only hired a coach for today so tomorrow is all on me! I'm also being bumped back to 'relaxed' (tomorrow is sold out, just like today, and I signed up 'relaxed' both days), but the consensus from staff is that I'm perfectly capable of running in advanced.

Apparently some people signed up for advanced running lap times of 2:30+; so the expectation seems to be I'll be 'traded up' again tomorrow with one of them. (For reference, 2:30 is a fast 100 rider or slow 200 and the bump to 300 is around 2:00).

By the end of the day, without focusing on speed, I was turning in lap times of 2:04 very consistently (basically every lap for last session was right at 2:04).

I still haven't dragged knee but I feel like it's got to be close -- my tire is /out/ of tread so it may just be that I need to figure out how to get my knee down better. My coach and I did a bit of work on that in the morning before I got bumped, but determined accuracy was more important once I was able to stop getting into the conga line. I'm thinking I might manage it tomorrow, but if I don't no biggie.

[Yakaru]

Back again! So I started the morning with a "relaxed" ticket... then a rider came in from intermediate who needed to be bumped down, so they had him trade his slot with mine... then we had an advanced rider want to move to intermediate. And 2 other relaxed riders wanting to move to intermediate. So I was asked if I could do advanced again since intermediate was the 'popular' group... So I'm back in advanced.

First session of the day was a bit odd -- I always try to warm up slowly to pace, but I wasn't sure how much the group would put up with that so I tried to get there a bit quicker. Caused some sloppiness and I nearly biffed turn 4 (just a really ****** line, not at risk of crashing) so I said 'screw it, they can pass me' and backed down. My pace for the session was averaging about 2:12, so about 8 seconds slower than my sustained average yesterday. I'm thinking/hoping I'll be back up to that by session 3.

[jrshooter]

love to read your post, keep em coming. I went thru a very similar experience.
I was moved to advanced much the same way you were, the emotions you feel I went thru also, picking up the pace because I dont want to be in the way. but actually I found that all the bikes, parking in the corners, in B group.it is not the case in A group, and the track and corners opened up for me. I think its safer, I dont dive bomb the corners near as much, enjoy A group.

[Yakaru]

Session 4 just finished. Had one of the course marshals pull up to talk to me -- said I was absolutely going fast but to watch it since I'm basically out of tire. He's advising I put more focus on my upper body position, bringing my body down more into the turn so the bike doesn't need to be on the edge. I think that lines up with @Misti's comment about Lyle and I's shoulders ("scrunched up on the bike"), so I'll work on that after lunch.

Session 3 laptimes:
- 2:13.05
- 2:10.82
- 2:10.57
- 2:09.18
- 2:06.80
- 2:06.56
- 2:06.60

Session 4 laptimes:
- 2:05.22
- 2:03.36
- 2:04.95
- 2:08.81 (I think this is where I got held up in some traffic)
- 2:00.50
- 2:01.40
- 2:09.83 (traffic again)

[Yakaru]

Still combing through my own notes and video to make a report but a friend just sent me this video, where the rider 'trails' me for a while. I feel kinda bad, I think I'm holding him up, but it is probably an excellent bit of video to analyze my riding I think!
https://youtu.be/y89-iksyaWk?t=335

[Misti]

Got this marked to watch the vid, just can't do it right now as I'm at an appointment waiting for my kid. Lol. I can type but not watch videos in the waiting room me thinks

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by Misti

Got this marked to watch the vid, just can't do it right now as I'm at an appointment waiting for my kid. Lol. I can type but not watch videos in the waiting room me thinks

No worries Misti! I always appreciate you taking the time to help me ride better, but I know life can get busy. The big things I noticed:

1. Cox had me trying a line for 15 (right where the video starts) where I go a bit wider coming down, then pause my throttle, tip in a hair more, and really straighten out my 15-16 so I can drive into the front straight harder. I think I was overdoing it, losing more speed than I needed and using more lean too. I think I'll try 'backing down' on this idea and going closer to my line/TC from CSS this year and see if there's a place that will make me happier and smoother.

2. I can still see myself burning a bit more speed than I need into 1. I know what's going on -- my RPs get kind of blurred, for example my 'exit point' for 1 is still behind the corner station when I start trying to locate it. My turn point for 1 is also a bit off in that, as I head down the straight, my first instinct on where it is always pegs it as closer (my RP for it is firm, but I tend to mis-identify it from a distance for judging speed/line/etc.) so I either need a better lead in, a different RP, or something of that nature. I'm definitely carrying a lot more than I was at the start of this season though!

3. My line from 3-4 isn't the greatest and they sort of flow into a less accurate (and slower) 5; I need to focus on precision here.


Also found out the person recording is a course marshall, so they were intentionally tailing me a bit and that makes me feel less bad about holding them up.