Thanks to Jeff Bakal for his stellar reporting and Gail Wozny for the photos!
The Western Canadian Track Cycling Championships were raced Feb. 16th - 18th at the Harry Jerome Velodrome in Burnaby BC.
Team Juve Track showed up with the full Formula 1 experience: Transit van full of gear, and kids rolling out of the Kia like a clown car.
Juventus brought a good sized crew, but it was also cool to see the thread of Juventus represented throughout the event. The Rubuliaks . . . (founding member Chris) with his kids . . . Chief Commissaire Mike Pinkoski (Juve soccer coach) . . . the vibe was friendly and fun right from the get go.
There is a non trivial amount of Juventusness in this picture!
Burnaby Velodrome humming . . .
Juventus began with a mini track camp, with firsts on the track, and firsts in aero bars; it was a good chance to test and tune . . .
Team Juventus getting familiar with the 200 m Harry Jerome Velodrome in Burnaby BC.
. . . and the Burnaby Velodrome has all manner of unique features!
Dave assists Ngaire with her aero-bars.
Jeff with registration complete, and Abbey with a bar exchange!
Mini camp dusted, and everyone ready to race!!
Day 1 racing included pursuits, the 500, and kilo . . . Jeff conned Gail into both - and himself into neither. Yet, Jeff could not resist the Chariot (win). . . or an Antiquoena (win) . . . or a Points Race (2nd)!
PBs were the standard of the day for just about everyone. And that included a variety of categories. We had Ngaire and Annie in U17, Mat and Chris, as well as Lukas in with the Juniors, Zac with Elite Men, Gail (3 km IP!!) and Abbey in Elite Women, and Jeff clobbering the Master Men.
A few tactics . . .
The Juventus pit was a busy place.
And then the bunch races began and really charged the atmosphere! Zac learned a few lessons, Annie ripped the wheel off her bike in a dramatic Chariot super final . . . and Abbey discovered her calling as an Antiquoena specialist.
Annie had a very strong Points Race.
Lukas not only got to mix it up with the taller boys in U19, but toughed it out through birthday eve.
Day 2 of racing brought on the sprint contest which began with a bunch of 200 m PBs. Additional lessons were learned, but Chris, Ngaire and Zac found themselves podium bound again . . . and there was more Juventus Family time.
Ngaire Barraclough, Noah Rubuliak and Megan Barnes.
Zac on the Elite Men's podium.
Day 2 also meant the Omnium - and where Abbey found out how fun it will be to head with the others to Junior Track Nationals in April. Gail was very pleased with her racing, taking 5th place in the Omnium. Chris and Mat both took some some big risks (apparently it's an Edmonton thing to do): they didn't land the way they wanted, but their gambles made for some great racing.
Although limited by their smaller gears and alloy rims, Lukas, along with Jacob Rubuliak [Red Devils (secret Juventus)] raced tough with the 'tall boys' . . . and Lukas celebrated his birthday track style.
Birthday boy Lukas racing up with the Juniors!
Gail and Abbey in action with the Elite Women.
Ngaire, Annie and Noah (Rubuliak), worked the mass start events super hard, with various goals moving through the packs, makings some attacks, and showing us all a few things about how to race.
The battles went long into the night, and included a visit from Alex Ongaro that revved up the team. Racing wrapped up shortly before midnight, only to start again the next day at pretty early o-clock . . .
A Juventus friend, (and Gail), ensured everyone could carry on into the night fortified by homemade chili, and strong coffee!
Day 3 brought on team events, testing the dynamics of sprints and pursuits. The kid and combo teams (including coaches, and sometimes Juve rider and always fast Ross Wilson), paced and executed . . . and yeah, did a bit more learning . . . Memorable was a super gutsy Madison starring Mat and Chris. We had riders that stayed through to the bitter end, highlighted by Annie mixing it up in the snowball.
Mat prepares for his next race.
All hands on deck.
Zac sizing up the group.
Zac with an attack!
The final race of the weekend turned into a battle between Dave travelling with the cargo, and an endless delay at the airport for the rest of the team . . .
Some great Keirin action was too fast to catch on film!
Juventus Track at the Western Champs - Burnaby 2018 - definitive, and impressive!! Congratulations to all!
A final note to the organizers, officials, and volunteers in Burnaby that made this weekend so wonderful: we sincerely thank you. You will have to come visit us this summer, so we can show you how we do on Argyll's 333!