Track National Championships were held in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the Seven-Eleven Velodrome. Track racing is something near and dear to me. However, my expectations for this year were a bit mixed considering I had focused so much of my training on performing on the road. In order to reacquaint myself with the nuances of racing on the velodrome, I traveled to Colorado Springs a few days early. The few extra days proved to be critical in preparing my body and mind for the different demands of track racing and the ultimate outcome of racing.
The first event to be contested was the 4-km Individual Pursuit. This event demands precise pacing and an ability to push through constantly intensifying pain that culminates in complete exhaustion in the approximately 5 short minutes the race lasts. I had the goal of completing the race in just under 5 minutes, but when I woke in the morning to 15 mph wind gusts, I knew that was very unlikely. I was pleasantly surprised then to stop the clock in 5:04 on race day, setting a personal best in extremely windy conditions. This was merely seconds off my goal of sub 5 minutes, thus netting the bronze podium spot. 
I contested two events the following and final day of Track Nationals, both of which are personal favorites. The Kilometer is said to be the most painful race on a bike. Lasting just over 1-minute, it is a 110% sprint from the word go and generally ends with the rider crossing the finish line incapable of applying force to the pedals let alone formulating a single thought. With heavy legs from racing the day before, I lit the afterburners and was quickly at record breaking speeds. Alas my tired legs could go only so hard for so long. As I limped my way around the track in the final 150-meters, I crossed the line a few tenths of second slower then the US record for my disability. Adding to my medal count for the year my time was good for the bronze medal.
My final 2010 National Championship race was the crowd favorite, the Team Sprint. The Team Sprint consists of three riders on a team racing together in order to complete 3 laps on the track as fast as they can. My team was most certainly the team to beat and we did not disappoint, logging the fastest time of the day by over 5 seconds. In fitting fashion I concluded my National Championship racing on the top podium step with two of my teammates, as we slid on the National Champion Jerseys signifying we were the best in the business.
In 2010, I have contested 6 different National Championship races, representing a cross-section of cycling disciplines, as wide as the Montana winter is long. In doing so I have had the honor to climb the podium steps all six times, 3 of those trips to be crowned a National Champion, without a doubt this is my best season to date.
Next stop on the calendar is the Para-cycling Road World Championship in Quebec, Canada.
