Omnium Story

It wasn’t good when I received that early morning text. It was from my CR, Aaro. He informed me that it was raining in Columbia and asked if I was canceling the State Track Omnium. I said all is well, we will still be racing or at least try to.

Well it wasn’t good. In retrospect it was better that it did rain and we postponed the event. A few more were able to come out on Sunday rather than Saturday. I was hoping nobody was listening to the prayers for rain from Karl Becker and others having to work Sat. Turns out it was Devin Clark’s birthday on the 20^th and he got his wish.

The fields were still limited to two groups: Men’s open and Men’s 4/5’s. Tom Gutman and Ashley Rethemeyer both raced with the 4/5’s where Rob Oellermann, Rubin Aymerich and Luke Bligh stepped up to challenge Devin Clark, Edwardo Nieuwenhuyzen in the Men’s open. Tyler Bicknese and Soli Johannes arrived late but were still allowed to start the rest of the events by the respective fields they entered. Bill Howells had a family priority mid day and returned for some kilo practice. International scoring was used so these riders received the value of last place if they had raced with notation of “DNS” to distinguish a default scoring.

First up was the flying 200’s. What can be a little boring and at times tedious was not in the least. Edwardo went first and went through the 200 meters at 12.87 seconds, a good time on our track. The right line through the turn the middle of turns 3 and 4 can make all the difference. Edwardo’s good time was confirmed by what Devin Clark put down. His time, 12.87 seconds, a dead tie. The real surprise was what Luke did besting both with 12.84 seconds. Rubin and Rob were not much slower.

Men’s Open Flying 200

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Time	Round	Cumulative
42	Bligh	Luke	280844	12.84	1	1
7	Nieuwenhuyzen	Edwardo	232361	12.87	2	2
1	Clark	Devin	186283	12.87	2	2
211	Aymerich	Rubin	288942	13.34	4	4
165	Oellermann	Rob	95743	13.62	5	5
19	Bicknese	Tyler	282518	DNS	6	6

In the 4/5’s Dave Smith set the tone for the rest of his day. Sorry to spoil that but he rode consistently well all day but don’t fret there was much more to tell about the 4/5’s as well as the open. At times the racing in this class was more exciting. In this mixed field the separation between first and last in the flying 200 was a mere 1.8 seconds for the entire field of eight, Soli did a 200 but later in the day and it was not officially scored. I do not know her time to post it here.

Men’s 4/5’s Flying 200

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Time	Round	Cumulative
41	Smith	Dave	127932	13.79	1	1
201	Howells	Bill	167246	14.03	2	2
213	Lattarand	Chak	229106	14.34	3	3
43	Slavens	Zachary	367850	14.39	4	4
2	Smith	Jim	350458	14.89	5	5
223	Rethemeyer	Ashley	304266	15.02	6	6
12	Shelton	Kayce	321312	15.22	7	7
197	Gutman	Tom	243393	15.59	8	8
3	Johannes	Soli	298086	DNS	9	9

Next up were the points races. Because we were trying to get all of the events finished in one day these and the scratch races were shortened accordingly. The points races were still tough though. In the mens open Devin Clark was allowed to get away solo not once but twice. Not only did he get the ten points for each of the laps the group he left did not sit up for two of the sprints. That was an easy 30 points, thank you. The race for second was close between Edwardo and Luke. Luke was riding strong and bested Edwardo by three points but would he have the endurance to hold his placing through the day. We now have a tie at the top and a tie for fourth of the mens open omnium.

Men’s Open Points Race 50 laps (lap up = 10 points, final sprint = double points)

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Points	Round	Cumulative
1	Clark	Devin	186283	53	1	3
42	Bligh	Luke	280844	37	2	3
7	Nieuwenhuyzen	Edwardo	232361	34	3	5
165	Oellermann	Rob	95743	11	4	9
211	Aymerich	Rubin	288942	6	5	9
19	Bicknese	Tyler	282518	DNS	6	12

The mens 4/5’s was a really good race. This group too let the omnium leader get a couple of laps on the field but they learned from the open to sit up when one is away and let him have his lap points. Dave did get one sprint uncontested but he had to work for the rest of his points. In one sprint Ashley had position with Bill trying to hold off Chak for second. Bill held him off but with tactics more than strength. When they were coming through the turn Chak was overtaking Bill so Bill rode him up the track a little. I’m told this typical move surprised Chak. Ashley ended up in second with less than half of Daves points and almost double the points of third. Tom and Bill had a tight race for third. The rest of the field didn’t just ride along, all were contesting one sprint or another. Well done ladies and gentlemen.

Men’s 4/5’s Points Race 30 laps (lap up = 10 points, final sprint = double points)

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Points	Round	Cumulative
41	Smith	Dave	127932	43	1	2
223	Rethemeyer	Ashley	304266	19	2	8
197	Gutman	Tom	243393	10	3	11
201	Howells	Bill	167246	8	4	6
12	Shelton	Kayce	321312	2	5	12
213	Lattarand	Chak	229106	1	6	9
43	Slavens	Zachary	367850	-6	7	11
2	Smith	Jim	350458	-20	8	13
3	Johannes	Soli	298086	DNS	9	18

For round three the elimination race was reinserted into the omnium. If there had been a womens and masters fields, this would have been omitted so we could finish the events in one day. Having only two fields and shortening some of the races allowed for this omnium to have all six rounds or events. The Miss-n-Out is one of the more tactical races, one mistake can make a big difference as Edwardo would find out. He was the first bib number called out.

Men’s Open Elimination

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Place	Round	Cumulative
1	Clark	Devin	186283	1	1	4
42	Bligh	Luke	280844	2	2	5
211	Aymerich	Rubin	288942	3	3	12
165	Oellermann	Rob	95743	4	4	13
7	Nieuwenhuyzen	Edwardo	232361	5	5	10
19	Bicknese	Tyler	282518	DNS	6	18

In the mens 4/5’s a little shake up was in store. Dave still did well but did not win this one. Chak who was snubbed with only one point in the points race was on a mission. Bill needed to leave for a while because of another priority but would be back at the end of the day. Besides Chak two others new to track raccing did well in this race. Ashley was nipped by Kayce who was in turn bested by a truly new rider Zach, and Zach was riding in what looked like Converse All Stars and toe clips.

Men’s 4/5’s Elimination

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Place	Round	Cumulative
213	Lattarand	Chak	229106	1	1	10
41	Smith	Dave	127932	2	2	4
43	Slavens	Zachary	367850	3	3	14
12	Shelton	Kayce	321312	4	4	16
223	Rethemeyer	Ashley	304266	5	5	13
2	Smith	Jim	350458	6	6	19
197	Gutman	Tom	243393	7	7	18
201	Howells	Bill	167246	DNS	8*	14 (15)
3	Johannes	Soli	298086	DNS	8	26

Round four and likely the toughest event of the day for most of the riders. Tyler and Soli has made it to the track but both have a huge hole of points to dig themselves out of. The scoring system used today is the international style. Instead of the 7, 5, 3, 2, and 1 system the winner gets one, second gets two, third gets three points and so on. It was proposed and agreed upon by the riders in each field that these two be allowed to ride and be given last place points in the rounds they did not enter. This is not in accordance with the way international omnium are run but it was up to the riders and there were no objections. That was nice that Soli, Tyler and later in the day Bill could continue to ride what they could.

The pursuit distance for both fields was 3k. It was shortened for the open riders again because of the long program on this day. This same distance was used instead of 2k for the men 4/5’s to keep things going efficiently in this round and allowing for the second field to easily compare their times with those from the men’ open.

Men’ open pursuit 3 kilometers

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Min Sec	Tenths	Round	Cumulative
1	Clark	Devin	186283	04:06	0.87	1	5
7	Nieuwenhuyzen	Edwardo	232361	04:14	0.57	2	12
19	Bicknese	Tyler	282518	04:24	0.16	3	21
165	Oellermann	Rob	95743	04:29	0.26	4	17
42	Bligh	Luke	280844	04:30	0.02	5	10
211	Aymerich	Rubin	288942	04:39	0.37	6	18

Men’s 4/5’s pursuit 3 kilometers

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Min Sec	Tenths	Round	Cumulative
41	Smith	Dave	127932	04:33	0.34	1	5
223	Rethemeyer	Ashley	304266	04:50	0.70	2	15
197	Gutman	Tom	243393	04:57	0.03	3	21
213	Lattarand	Chak	229106	04:57	0.32	4	14
12	Shelton	Kayce	321312	04:59	0.69	5	21
3	Johannes	Soli	298086	05:01	0.47	6	32
2	Smith	Jim	350458	05:14	0.20	7	26
43	Slavens	Zachary	367850	05:15	0.52	8	22
201	Howells	Bill	167246	DNS	DNS	9	23 (24)

After a little lunch for the officials the scratch races were next, short and sweet to counter-balance the longer tougher rounds. With Tyler and Soli now in the fields things would get mixed up a bit. Tyler having a second in the pursuit and in this scratch race moved him up a place in the standings. Soli had just two many points because of more riders in her field. Where Tyler was stacking up 6 points per round missed, Soli was gathering 9’s and an 8.

In the men’s open Edwardo needed a win which he got and with Devin’s third this moved him to within five points of first place but only one round left. Edwardo did swap places with Luke and it was turning out to be a good contest for second in this group.

Men’s Scratch Race 8 laps

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Place	Round	Cumulative
7	Nieuwenhuyzen	Edwardo	232361	1	1	13
19	Bicknese	Tyler	282518	2	2	23
1	Clark	Devin	186283	3	3	8
165	Oellermann	Rob	95743	4	4	21
42	Bligh	Luke	280844	5	5	15
211	Aymerich	Rubin	288942	6	6	24

In the men’s 4/5 the standings were thickening. Chak and Ashley sprinted it out for second and going into the final round were tied for second overall in this field. Tom who was tied on points with Kayce in the last round was now tied with Zach for fifth with only one round left. Kayce rode a smart scratch race and finished four places ahead of Tom moving Kayce into a solid fourth place but well off of the podium.

Men’s 4/5’s Scratch Race 5 laps

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Place	Round	Cumulative
41	Smith	Dave	127932	1	1	6
223	Rethemeyer	Ashley	304266	2	2	17
213	Lattarand	Chak	229106	3	3	17
12	Shelton	Kayce	321312	4	4	25
3	Johannes	Soli	298086	5	5	37
2	Smith	Jim	350458	6	6	32
43	Slavens	Zachary	367850	7	7	29
197	Gutman	Tom	243393	8	8	29
201	Howells	Bill	167246	DNS	9	32 (33)

The final round was pure personal effort, the kilometer. Those that have not practiced this distance showed this in their ride. Zach faded hardest in his third lap but there were others that did too. Everyone put almost everything they had out on the track. There were a few who tried to stand and sprint to the line but only for a few pedal strokes.

In the open Edwardo blazed the distance in just under 1 minute 18 seconds, with Devin finishing a mere .21 seconds back. Less than 8 seconds separated first and last in this exclusive field. Luke’s endurance was failing finishing in fifth for the round but he held onto that final spot on the podium for the day.

Men’s Kilo

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Min Sec	Tenths	Round	Cumulative
7	Nieuwenhuyzen	Edwardo	186283	01:17	0.86	1	14
1	Clark	Devin	232361	01:18	0.07	2	10
19	Bicknese	Tyler	282518	01:19	0.52	3	26
165	Oellermann	Rob	95743	01:21	0.66	4	25
42	Bligh	Luke	280844	01:23	0.22	5	20
211	Aymerich	Rubin	288942	01:25	0.18	6	30

In the men’s 4/5’s we were not finished with the ties. Chak and Dave both turned in the fastest time of the group at 1 minute, 26.64 seconds. Ashley was only 0.6 seconds behinds the two leaders and Bill returned to lay down a time less than 0.8 seconds slower than Ashley. The spread between first and last with all nine riding this round was less than 6 seconds. There were more riders and less separation and after an entire day of racing.

Men’s 4/5’s Kilo

Bib #	Last	First	Licence #	Min Sec	Tenths	Round	Cumulative
41	Smith	Dave	127932	01:26	0.64	1	7
213	Lattarand	Chak	229106	01:26	0.64	1	18
223	Rethemeyer	Ashley	304266	01:27	0.24	3	20
201	Howells	Bill	167246	01:27	0.42	4	36 (37)
197	Gutman	Tom	243393	01:29	0.72	5	34
12	Shelton	Kayce	321312	01:31	0.05	6	31
3	Johannes	Soli	298086	01:32	0.62	7	44
2	Smith	Jim	350458	01:32	0.83	8	40
43	Slavens	Zachary	367850	01:33	0.52	9	38

Here is the tally of the omnium points event-by-event on the day.

Men’s open standings through the day

Round One	O Points	Round Two	O Points	Round Three	O Points	Round Four	O Points	Round Five	O Points	Final	Total Points
Luke	1	Luke	3	Devin	4	Devin	5	Devin	8	Devin	10
Edwardo	2	Devin	3	Luke	5	Luke	10	Edwardo	13	Edwardo	14
Devin	3	Edwardo	5	Edwardo	10	Edwardo	12	Luke	15	Luke	20
Rubin	4	Rubin	9	Rubin	12	Rob	17	Rob	21	Rob	25
Rob	5	Rob	9	Rob	13	Rubin	18	Tyler	23	Tyler	26
Tyler	6*	Tyler	12*	Tyler	18*	Tyler	21	Rubin	24	Rubin	30

*DNS

Men’s 4/5’s standings through the day

Round One	O Points	Round Two	O Points	Round Three	O Points	Round Four	O Points	Round Five	O Points	Final	Total Points
Dave	1	Dave	2	Dave	4	Dave	5	Dave	6	Dave	7
Bill	2	Bill	6	Chak	10	Chak	14	Chak	17	Chak	18
Chak	3	Ashley	8	Ashley	13	Ashley	15	Ashley	17	Ashley	20
Zach	4	Chak	9	Zach	14	Tom	21	Kayce	25	Kayce	31
Jim	5	Zach	11	Bill	14 (15)*~	Kayce	21	Tom	29	Tom	34
Ashley	6	Tom	11	Kayce	16	Zach	22	Zach	29	Bill	36 (37)~
Kayce	7	Kayce	12	Tom	18	Bill	23 (24)*~	Jim	32	Zach	38
Tom	8	Jim	13	Jim	19	Jim	26	Bill	32 (33)*~	Jim	40
Soli	9*	Soli	18*	Soli	26*	Soli	32	Soli	37	Soli	44

* = DNS

~ = Correction of points for Bill when both he and Soli were both absent from starting. Bill was scored with 9 when both should tie for the last spot of eight in round three. This correction has no affect on the final standings for the day.

Overall this was an exciting event. Those in the open field raced hard and well. There were moments in both fields and in many of the events. The officials ran things better than I could hope for. Although we started a little late because I was delaying a little for any possible additional riders we still finished sometime after four pm. Congratulations to all of the riders who attended and especially to our State Champions Devin Clark and Dave Smith, both riding the The Hub. Thanks to everyone who has helped out and showed interest during the season, you all have made this challenge worth while. I can not express my appreciation enough to those who know who you are. Only one more track event left on the calendar for the year, See you next weekend up at Mr. Bumpy.

swikles