by Lyne Lamoureux

The second day of the third round of the 2007-08 UCI Track World Cup Classics in Los Angeles started early at noon with the fourth Session including the qualifying rounds for Men’s Team Pursuit, Men’s Scratch and Women’s Points Race. As a newcomer to the sport of track racing, I find it difficult to follow and understand certain events, so to help me out I asked a cyclist to explain certain events. The first thing to remember is that track events are divided into two disciplines, sprint disciplines and endurance disciplines.

Proman-Paradigm’s Shelley Olds was relaxing watching the races and took the time to explain the differences between the Points race and the Scratch, with both considered as endurance disciplines. Olds recently achieved 2 podium spots at U.S Track Nationals including bronze in the team pursuit and fifth place in the points race. She finished thirteenth in the Women’s Scratch held on Friday, January 18, 2008.

Lyne Lamoureux: What are you trying to accomplish today?

Shelley Olds: First off, I’m trying to make it to the finals, that’s the number one goal, nothing else matters until the final is made. And then, what I am trying to accomplish is…race my heart out trying to make it an aggressive race if I could, it is to my advantage to do that. I can’t hold back out here.

Shelley Olds animating the Women’s Points Race - c. Lyne Lamoureux

Lyne: You race both Scratch and Points race – what is the difference?

Shelley: Scratch is the winner at the end, the first rider across the line wins. In the points race, you accumulate points every 10 laps. Every ten laps there is a sprint and first, second, third and fourth score points, the first scores five points, then 3, 2, 1. And if you lap the field you get 20 points, so it’s cumulative. Whoever has the most points at the end wins.

Lyne: Do the riders race as a team in these events?

Shelley: All track racing is individual as far as mass start events go. There’s actually a rule that says you can’t work together as a team. The Chinese were relegated in the Beijing final for working together, (it was) just two girls. One girl led her teammate to the front and that’s called collusion, and that’s not allowed.

Lyne: Which one do you prefer, scratch or points race?

Shelley: I don’t know right now, I used to think the points race as more suited for me because it’s longer but scratch race is fun too, it’s shorter. But both races are really, really fun, incredible. I love them.

Roman Kononenko winner of the Men’s Scratch Qualifying Heat #2
Photo c. Lyne Lamoureux

Lyne: What’s the strategy in a Points race? How do you keep track of points?

Shelley: You’re supposed to keep track, the idea is to race at the front of the race as much as you can so you are aware of who is scoring points. It’s a very mathematical race, you should be keeping track of who has points and how many points you have…and laps, how many laps too.

Lyne: Can your coach help?

Shelley: Every team can have a coach up here yelling at you. The men’s race can be really difficult to watch and understand because riders can lap or go down a lap and you don’t know who can contest the sprint. Because if you’re being lapped you cannot context the sprint. It’s (can be) tough to watch but fun.

Women’s Points Race, Qualifying Heat - Photo c. Lyne Lamoureux

Shelley Olds finished eighth in the Women’s Points Race, third Qualifying Heat with five points, and made it to the finals, still to be disputed later tonight.

update: Shelley Olds was victim of a crash after a couple of sprint laps in the Women’s Points Race final which started on a fast pace. Shelley was down for a while but managed to get up and walk away and was taken to the hospital where she received x-rays, morphine and a CT scan. According to Nicola Cranmer, Proman’s owner and directeur, Shelley is very banged up but the results of the tests were good, with no breaks, and her spleen is okay.