Revolution Series 2016
The Revolution Series is a track competition that has two main parts: the UK championship and the Champions league. The first one takes place in Manchester and Glasgow and is a qualification for the second one. The Champions league will see races between track specialists (team PedalSure, Wiggins, JLT Condor and Maloja Pushbikers, winners of the championships) and World tour teams (Connondale, Giant, Trek or Sky, not track specialized but members of VELON), and also France Alé which should have been the showcase for the round in France, cancelled due to a lack of interest.
On November 22nd, while I am on twitter, I saw an ad from Cycling Weekly:
I would very much like to participate in the event. I hope they will not select the first two replies, as I am third. Not many people applied and I will a have a biggest probability to win. They posted again the same message a few days after and a third one. I replied to all of them, giving at each time a different reason.
And on Monday November 26th, at 13:48, I received a private message from Cycling Weekly informing me that I have been selected ! That's fantastic ! This price includes a track initiation, a team race, and the hospitality for the night event. A VIP entrance to the Revolution Series !
I immediately asked my manager to take one day off for this event. This is approved. Now I need to get prepared for the challenge lies ahead. I will ride for the first time competitively on a track, on a fixed bike. Some apprehension, but also excitement ! I also need to tell the French riders that I will be there during their races, to support and cheer them on.
Friday 2nd December. D-Day. I am really excited ! I can't wait for the event to start and cannot stay at home long, I want to be at the Vélodrome as early as possible to experience everything around the event. I arrived at the reception, where I was directed to go to the track centre. I am the first one, of course, early and I see the PowerBar stand and our place with the jerseys.
I have the time to see the track from close-up, see riders on it, imagine that I will do the same a few hours later. The most impressive and daunting part is the gradient in the turns, but less than when we see it from above, from the stands.
My teammates start to arrive. They are not new to cycling. One of them rode les 24h du Mans by bike. Another one is already accredited to track cycling. The last one did a few results at races when he was younger. I am for sure the youngest of the team and also the less experienced. We will also have one fan during our races, the wife of one of the riders. On our chairs, we can find our #TeamPowerBar jerseys and bib shorts, created especially for us and well sized. We are now ready to race !
We also discover our opponents. A big group from a company will form 4 teams, some of them are mixed (unlike us) and some riders will have to compete for two teams. The last team, who will be our main rivals is the Team Revolution all-stars, composed of experienced riders. For instruction and training we will always be with them on the track.
Before racing we have to get the equipment, clipless shoes, gloves and helmet for those who do not have them. That means only myself as my teammates have already their own. And most importantly our bike ! To have equality between the teams, we all have a Condor bike with the same gears. I choose the bike number 90, set the saddle position and keep it with me until the end.
While the first group of riders is on the track, we receive the last advice on how to ride a fixed bike, the rules in the velodrome and then we head towards the track. We first hang the guardrail, clip the pedals, and do a first lap, on the safety zone: flat. This first lap has the goal to make us feel the fixed gear and slow down to stop without any brakes. When I tried a fixed bike for the first time, I accelerated and lost the pedals arriving at the turn that arrived quickly. I do some rides from time to time on my bike, without any fright. This time on the track was good.
We continued the training by going faster and decelerating slowly, then moving to the track to ride with the gradient. The gradient is lateral here, not the same than on Mt Ventoux. We progressively went up and up on the track, over the blue line, over the red line, over the black line. The gradient is the same no matter the height on the track, the distance is just bigger when we are high on the track. The most impressive here is the gradient in the turn: 42° ! When we are on it, we just need to keep pedalling fast and not looking down.
It is now time for a rest and recovery and some competitors have power bars to replenish the energy used. We compare our experiences - my main problem is to keep the race line as I go up and down all the time and this does not help to keep a constant speed. We start to discuss the upcoming race and need to define the order for the Italian pursuit. Who will start, who will finish ? We decide to use the next training to do some tests and with the help of our trainer we will do one lap at max speed and compare our times.
So it's now time for the 'Qualifications'. First we ride as teams, one behind the other. The first one takes all the air. Behind, the other riders are covered and we do not need to produce as much effort. But to be covered, we need to suck his wheel. I am not used to that. We also need to be at the exact same speed as the rider in front of us and stay on the same line. When the first one has finished his relay, he goes up on the track and automatically goes to the back of the group. Then the other one takes his relay, goes up and back, and so on.
And finally it is my turn. I am second of the group and the rider in front of me finished his work, goes up, and it's my turn ! To avoid the effect of the wind, I need to produce a bigger effort. I don't know if the group speed changed but I gave my maximum for one lap. And then, after the turn, I need to go up. I do the next turn from above, seeing all the other riders under me. Yes, under, not next to me, we are really high in the turn. When I see the end of the group I need to go down to take the wheel. Going down gives me good speed to avoid producing an effort to follow. And we continue giving one relay each and changing at each lap.
It is now time for the qualifications. We watch the other teams before it is our turn. We start grouped, riding on the top of the track and on the final line, the first rider goes down, gives everything and is timed on one lap. I stayed 4th of the group so did my time trial last. When our coach was ready to time me, I went down on the track and did one lap as fast as I could, staying as low as I could on the track and stopping my effort at the end of the lap, going up on the track to lose speed but not stop pedalling.
With the times recorded and sharing our experiences we decided the order for the pursuit: I will be the first rider. The team and coach have seen that I am the less confident riding behind someone and not the fastest of the group because I don't keep the perfect line when I ride (or maybe it is because I am the only one not having the legs shaved !) We will have one ride to test this order, and ride with our pro: Zico WAEYTENS from team Giant Alpecin. As first rider, I need to hang the barrier and use it to take my speed when I start, then drop down, go fast for one lap and leave the relay to the next rider.
After this final training we had time to discuss with our Pro and receive his advice on our cycling. We also received the results of this training that were excellent as we beat our main opponent by 2s, quite promising before the real race. We were invited to cheer on the other riders during their runs. In the first heat, one team nearly caught their opponents ! We will be the last heat, directly facing the Team Revolution All Star.
It's time to go on the track... GO ! It's my turn to give everything, no thinking just push the pedals and then give the relay. But when I go up, I see a problem of alignment in my team. Aie aie aie, this will probably make us lose. I encouraged my team and we all gave our best but unfortunately the opponents were better. We still have a chance to win in the Flying lap but only one of us will have the chance to race, unfortunately not me.
After the runs from the Pro, won by Zico, our teammate, it's time for the amateur riders. While they each ride alone on the track all the others can watch and encourage them. The riders are ordered according to the Pursuit classification and our rider will be fifth on the track. The first rider does his lap, over 40 km/h ! But he is soon beaten by the second one, who is also beaten. When our rider starts, the best time is already under 18s for the 250m. It's time to cheer on him ! Allez allez allez ! And he did it ! New best time for #TeamPowerBar ! But he was quickly beaten, by the team Revolution all-stars again.
We finish these races second out of 6 teams- not bad for the first time on a track, and without the co-ordination of a team. The races are over and we have time to take a shower before being back for the main events and the podium ceremony but only for the winners – what a pity, maybe next time.
Riders start to arrive on the central zone, including the French teams. Of course I will see them to discuss and say that I count on them for the victory. 5 riders will be part of the event, 3 sprinters and one team, composed of Romain and Joseph, with whom I started to speak. When I ask how to differentiate them on the track, they remembered the same question on twitter, on which Romain wanted to answer something stupid. They told me to concentrate on their shoes.
But the #TeamPowerBar remains, we have the opportunity to live the event in the hospitality zone, near the riders, but also with a meal served at tables. We take our place on number 20, just next to the women #TeamGB stand, with a certain Laura Kenny who seems very popular here. While we are waiting and debriefing at the table, the first races start. It's time for me to take my French flag and shout on the #France Alé team ! As usual, everyone looks at me the first time...
To see better the races, I decide to move and go near in the middle, near the track and the riders. I am there for the 3 French sprinters before, during and after their qualification runs. Allez Melvin ! Allez Thomas ! Bravo Charlie ! (Delta Echo...). Then it is time for the women race, without any French, that's not funny... So I decide to go to the French stand with the 3 sprinters. "How was I during your races ?" "Perfect ! We could hear you." So I will continue. I speak with them about their training, but I also discuss about the track cycling status in France with their trainer. Not as easy as in UK, French riders have less money from the federation and it is often difficult for them to live for their passion. He also mentions the low interest for young people to go for a career in cycling, using the example of Mathilde GROS, who was taken from Basketball when they saw her potential.
I need to go, they serve dinner ! I take a plate, and go to the buffet where they serve us. I take everything that I can, except salad as I need to recover from my races... The meal is very good, the quantity a bit less. I take a new full plate and they take my used one, but with the fork, it will be more difficult to eat the next one. I find one and can enjoy my extra meal. While we eat and discuss together, the races don't stop and we cannot fully enjoy the women omnium with he local superstar Laura Kenny.
After the cheese and the desert (note for later: English people don't know how to prepare a "Creme Anglaise"), it is time to come back to the races. I first go in the middle of the track, but quickly go back to the French stand to talk with the team. They agree with me that we cannot see anything from the middle, it is much better with the other fans. Thanks to my accreditation, I am able to go there to better view the action, but also be seen better from the middle as this picture from my former teammates proves.
I shout every time a French is on the track. As usual people around look at me with a strange face and return every time I shout. But the French can hear me and I know how to differentiate them: Romain has gold shoes while Joseph has blue ones. I don't miss the #AllezRomain #AllezJoseph. I am also here for the sprints of our 3 champions: #AllezCharlie #AllezMelvin #AllezThomas.
It's now time for the final race. Charlie is part of it, but he doesn't seem well. I give all I can for him. That's not enough for the victory, but too much for my voice. I finally go back to the centre to congratulate all the French riders starting with Joseph and Romain, as they are next to the entrance. We discuss about their performance of the day and what they expect for the other days. While they are tidying up their clothes, they propose me to try to come back the day after, using my accreditation. Good idea but that will not work.
I see all the riders leaving the track, the last remaining are the French ! When they have to take their shuttle, I go to see the sprinters who are still there. Charlie was really bad after his race and left on a stretcher. I speak with his teammates, he has a fainting fit after his race and will spend the night at the hospital but he is fine. I leave the Velodrome with him and the other French sprinters. I say "Courage Champion" to Charlie and a possible "A demain" to the others and come back home on my bike.
What a fantastic day I go to bed early and wait until the day after to fully recover (also because my legs need to recover) and to enjoy the great fortune I had. Thanks to Twitter again, it was another great experience ! I ride on a track, like a pro, with the pros, have a VIP access to a track event, see the riders, cheer them on and discuss race riding with them. I couldn't imagine this would happen and hope to do that again in the future...
