MORE BRITISH DOMINATION
It's clear that Great Britain got where it needed to be to dominate this year's Olympics because no other team is even close to the Brits. They set a world record in the Men's Team Pursuit, added the Women's Individual Pursuit medals and advanced three people to the final eight in the Women's and Men's Sprint semi-finals. The final day of cycling track is today, August 19, and it could wrap up the most dominated cycling track year ever at any Olympic Games. What's scary is who can imagine what the Brits will do at home in London in 2012?
NO BRAKES?! THAT'S RIGHT, NO BRAKES
If you haven't heard or noticed, the bikes in cycling track don't have brakes. The result is less weight on the bike for a quicker ride and more danger. That's why when you see one rider go down, usually the whole pack goes with him. Sure, there is little time to react but they don't have the option of stopping. To slow down riders move up the track and to stop they use railings and coaches.
CRAZY CRASH
The Women's Points Race opened up Monday (Beijing time) with some intriguing storylines: Would Great Britain medal with Rebecca Romero? Would American Sarah Hammer battle for a medal after disappointing in the pursuit? Could the roadie Vos get the Netherlands a gold?
Well, within the first five minutes of the race Hammer got cleared out in a brutal crash. The points race has about 30 riders on the track and it gets a little crowded around the turns. One of the riders moved up the track into another rider and down they went. The two of them skidded down the track and enveloped Hammer, among others. Hammer did a flip off her bike and immediately grabbed her shoulder and started sobbing. Japan and Germany also lost a riders from the crash.
FINAL DAY OF CYCLING TRACK
Today (Tuesday Beijing time) marks the final day of Cycling Track. (I have two days of BMX and Mountain Bike after this.) The final day is going to be far from boring. Chris Hoy (GBR) is in line for his third Gold medal in the Individual Sprint and I get my first live look at the Madison. The Madison is an event where riders "fling" themselves to gain momentum during the race. The odds of a crash are immense, so the video I am posting of it should be fun.
FIRST TASTE OF BMX
I went in early Monday (Beijing time) because training for Cycling BMX has started. The competition begins Wednesday (Beijing time) morning. Wow, what a different world BMX is. The atmosphere is completely different from the Cycling Track. For instance, there are people walking around with mohawks, tattoos and piercing instead of bikes that cost close to US$100,000. I am sure the BMX bikes aren't cheap but life is a lot more easy-going. I am excited to experience my first BMX competition and I will have plenty of photos and video for you to enjoy.
1 comment:
How is BMX scored? Is it simply a race against time around the hilly dirt track or are the various jumps a rider might perform judged?
Is the BMX track near the velodrome, or do you get to see a different part of Beijing?
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