Night Two of the Apeldoorn Six Day has ended, and all the riders are pretty tired. The three man Madison format has made for an adjustment in racing, and added concentration is needed to keep the exchanges of equal distance apart on the Madisons. But it's getting smoother all the time.
The night started and Daniele Defranceschi and Jackie were in the Points race for us. Both riders worked hard to score points in the race, and we took two 4th places and a 3rd, in three sprints, but ultimately finished out of the top 6 and thus off the score board. Barlevav is struggling with a bronchial infection, and was designated to do the flying lap tonight. He started the night badly, but by the end of the 4th hour, was going pretty well.
The first Madison of the night was tough. The guys only lost one lap, as opposed to last night's two, but Barlevav missed an exchange, and Jackie was forced to ride a double. Tough thing to do at 35 miles an hour! Daniele was finding his legs as the night went on, and all three rode pretty well in the Miss and Out. Some confusion happened mid race as both Jackie and BBQ were near the back. The announcers called "USA - out", and both riders dropped without knowing who it was. Down the back straight, the pace increased before the next sprint, and it was too late for Jackie to get back in, and the race was done.
The Team Sprint was much better, and they finished 8th tonight compared to 13th last night. Good improvement, and given another night, might finish in the top 6. That would put some points on the board.
The final Madison was flying. The first crash of the Six happened about 40 laps into the 120 lap chase, and one of the young Dutch riders went down on the back straight. He got straight back into the event though, but their team was affected, and rode the remainder of the race on the tail. The CycleLoft/Parlee team stayed on lap, and all three riders did a good job of staying on the wheel in the heat of the exchange. It's very quick, and the leg speed is enormous. 120 plus RPM when you are in the race, and the relief is only about 40 seconds.
So, we are still pointless going into the third day, but we only lost two laps today instead of four yesterday. Small improvements.
The bikes are going well, and the jerseys look great. Our cabin on the in-field, is close to the edge where the public is, and an American dropped by to say hi. He came in from Amsterdam to watch the race. We're making small connections slowly, slowly, but it's like the Russians coming to play in the NHL. No one welcomes them with open arms, and you have to keep fighting to get noticed and to keep your place in the peleton. Otherwise you just get squeezed and pushed back. Tomorrow,....we go again.
Chop
