By Kassandra Kriarakis
The day started off early with everyone arriving at the Milton Velodrome around 8:30 to get signed in and ready for a long day of racing. I was racing in the Junior Women category with teammates Naomi and Ali. All the women were going to race together, which meant that we also had teammate Farleigh Creswicke. The first race of the day was the Points race. This was a tough race with several attacks and 4 sprints for points. Ali went off the front at the beginning of the race to gain 5 points before some other riders brought her back. Ali and Naomi sat first and second throughout the whole race with Naomi finishing on top. I finished 6th overall, 3rd in the junior category, getting us a full podium sweep. Great way to start the day! The next race was the Scratch race where Naomi and Ali once again went first and second respectively with me in 5th and Farleigh in 8th. In the Elimination race we tried controlling the race from the front and worked really great as a team. Farleigh finished in 8th, Naomi 5th, myself in 3rd, and Ali had a great sprint with Sarah Rasmussen, just missing the top spot. Next was the Keirin. To qualify to the final, we had to finish in the top 3 in our heat. Ali and Naomi were up in the first heat and finished 2nd and 3rd. Farleigh and I were in the next heat where we also finished 2nd and 3rd. It was a fast race, but we were happy to get 2 podium spots with Naomi in 2nd and Ali in 3rd. Great job to Vlada Dekina from Kurzawinkski for taking the win. After the long day, we were almost done with only one more race left, the Longest Lap. This race requires us to try and track stand until the gun blows and then it’s a one lap sprint. Unfortunately, Ali got out with putting a foot down and a second later I crossed the line too soon, leaving only Farleigh and Naomi left. They had a great sprint with Naomi in 1st and Farleigh in 2nd. Overall, the red team was very aggressive with many attacks and had a great day with the juniors sweeping the podium in every event and Farleigh one of the top elites. A very special thank you to all the sponsors, coaches, and parents as we really couldn’t have done this without all of you.
The day started off early with everyone arriving at the Milton Velodrome around 8:30 to get signed in and ready for a long day of racing. I was racing in the Junior Women category with teammates Naomi and Ali. All the women were going to race together, which meant that we also had teammate Farleigh Creswicke. The first race of the day was the Points race. This was a tough race with several attacks and 4 sprints for points. Ali went off the front at the beginning of the race to gain 5 points before some other riders brought her back. Ali and Naomi sat first and second throughout the whole race with Naomi finishing on top. I finished 6th overall, 3rd in the junior category, getting us a full podium sweep. Great way to start the day! The next race was the Scratch race where Naomi and Ali once again went first and second respectively with me in 5th and Farleigh in 8th. In the Elimination race we tried controlling the race from the front and worked really great as a team. Farleigh finished in 8th, Naomi 5th, myself in 3rd, and Ali had a great sprint with Sarah Rasmussen, just missing the top spot. Next was the Keirin. To qualify to the final, we had to finish in the top 3 in our heat. Ali and Naomi were up in the first heat and finished 2nd and 3rd. Farleigh and I were in the next heat where we also finished 2nd and 3rd. It was a fast race, but we were happy to get 2 podium spots with Naomi in 2nd and Ali in 3rd. Great job to Vlada Dekina from Kurzawinkski for taking the win. After the long day, we were almost done with only one more race left, the Longest Lap. This race requires us to try and track stand until the gun blows and then it’s a one lap sprint. Unfortunately, Ali got out with putting a foot down and a second later I crossed the line too soon, leaving only Farleigh and Naomi left. They had a great sprint with Naomi in 1st and Farleigh in 2nd. Overall, the red team was very aggressive with many attacks and had a great day with the juniors sweeping the podium in every event and Farleigh one of the top elites. A very special thank you to all the sponsors, coaches, and parents as we really couldn’t have done this without all of you.