Milton Velodrome
Rick flies the colours at the Track National Championships.
We are very please to have our Track Veteran, Rick Froner flying the colours for the Duke's Cycle Cannondale LapDogs at the recently held Track Nationals. Rick’s precedence at this event was highly notable as he participated in number of race disciplines and pulled in a great collection of results.
It was also great to see Rick’s son, Axel participating in his first National Level event.
Axel Froner
- U17 Team Pursuit – 6th
Rick Froner, Master C Men
- 500m TT = 2nd
- Scratch Race =13th
- Individual Pursuit = 5th
- Points Race = 4th
- Elite/Master Men Madison (Partnered with Dan Lefebvre) = 6th
To help give you a better sense of what the Nationals were all about, here is an overview of the races in Rick’s own words…
“It was a fun two days of racing at the National Track Championships. Friday started off with the U17 Team Pursuit for Axel, who, although now racing for the Kallisto Youth Team, still considers himself a Lapdog at heart. Axel was teamed up in a composite Ontario squad with fellow Kallisto rider Kobe Liberty, NCCH rider Spenser Straughan and Ottawa rider John Stuart. With little to no practice in an event that requires heaps of it, they finished 6th and posted a respectable time in the process. Just an FYI, Axel was granted a Cycling Canada upgrade for this event as he is a U15 racer.
The Master C category began with the 500m TT. This is basically just a full out sprint covering two laps of the track from a standing start. I was stoked to finish on the podium, but losing the gold and national title by 2 tenths still stings a bit. I guess there is consolation in knowing I nosed out The Legend for second. Next up the Scratch race which I fell asleep in and finished a disappointing 13th. That evening I competed in the Points Race and finished 4th. Although I was tied on point for third, the tie breaker is the final points sprint, which I finished well down in.
Saturday brought the 2K Individual Pursuit and the Madison. I had the honor of being paired with The Legend in the IP, so I was super motivated to set a good time and not get caught. I got a good start, and with Axel calling out my schedule I was able to set 5th fastest time and not get caught. The Legend won, which I attribute to him having a really good rabbit to chase (lol). Last race was the Madison, which I rode paired with my old partner Dan Lefebvre. 30 years previously we had won the Provincial Madison Championships together, but we harboured no lofty ideas of victory or high placings as this event combined Elites and Masters and we were going to be racing against the likes of Remi Pelletier Roy, Jacob Schwingboth and of course The Legend. It didn’t take long for the elites to light it up, so it was a game of survival for Dan and I.
If you have never seen a Madison, I suggest you look it up on Youtube. It is basically a points race, with point sprints every 20 laps, except that it is raced by teams of two riders who sling each other into the race via hang slings or sometimes hip slings. So as one rider on the team races the other rests by riding slowly at the top of the banking. With only 6 teams on the track at the Nationals it was easy to keep track of where my teammate was, and safe as well, with little traffic to contend with. The 80 laps flew by and it was so much fun to race this event again even though we finished last.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend of racing at a truly exceptional facility. I strongly recommend to all my clubmates/teammates to get out and ride the track. Come to the LapDogs training nights and enjoy the fast, fun times and the laughs. You won’t be disappointed.”
(Writers note. The Legend = Steve Bauer)
Rick Froner