We finally raced our first Madison Nationals. For many years, it’s been a tradition to watch the Mad Track Cycling YouTube livestream, and each time, we were bitter for not being there. Two weeks ago, we came to Detroit to get familiar with the track and to enjoy the awesome racing scene – you can read all about it in our Detroit Track Race blog post. We had such an awesome time, so we knew we were in for a treat to come back.
Day 1: Warm-up Races
But this time, we had multiple days of racing. On the first day, we had three races: a scratch, an elimination, and an unknown distance race. These races were non-championship, so we only participated in them to have a good time and make the trip even more worthwhile. I managed to finish first in all three races, which gave me plenty of confidence leading into the following day. Plus, it was super awesome to spectate the co-ed national championship race later that evening. Our older UCI Star Track teammates Coach Kimberly Zubris (who taught us the Madison), Otis Engel, and Stephanie Lawrence were competing in that one, and we cheered them on hard!
Unfortunately, I started feeling sick with subtle breathing difficulties after each race. I made sure to properly rest to avoid it from escalating.
Day 2: Madison Nationals
The second day held the Madison Nationals for my age group and others. I raced with my teammate Viv, and Max raced with Hudson, who is local to Detroit. Additionally, there was a non-championship U15 race before and after. I finished in second place in the first non-championship (a scratch race) behind Viv.
However, my sickness from yesterday continued to intensify. It became obvious that it was hindering my performance – I felt my legs start to burn and my lungs start to gasp for air a lot earlier than usual. Despite this, our hopes were still high.
When the ultimate race came, we were pumped. Regardless of the outcome, we were ready to enjoy racing the Madison on one of the most invigorating tracks out there. Viv and my plan was to continue sprinting after the first points lap in order to catch the field off-guard and hopefully finish solo. We successfully executed our plan and managed to add another national title to our collection. Max and Hudson fought hard for 3rd place!
Granted, this wasn’t the hardest national championship we’ve won. We only raced against three teams. One of the three teams was female and scored separately. Among the two remaining men’s teams, the second-place team consisted of two twelve-year-olds who were super strong but disadvantaged because of age. Max is also twelve, and his teammate Hudson is even younger (nine years old, I believe), and they placed 3rd.
Too Sick to Race More
Following the Madison National Championship was an elimination race. I felt severely nauseous after the Madison, so I decided not to race it, even though it was tempting. Max, however, came in third after racing really smart. As it turned out a few days later, I came down with COVID. I contacted everyone I was close to during the event, and fortunately I didn’t get anyone sick. Luckily, I got over it pretty quickly, staying a few days off the bike and then taking it easy for a few days afterward.
We’ll Be Back Next Year
This is definitely a trip I will remember. Not just because of the national championship win but also the awesome experience of racing in Detroit and the hospitality we received. Everyone was super welcoming – one person even offered to host us when we come next!
For sure, we’ll be back next year!
