After a rainy postponement from Saturday to Sunday some Steezy members headed down to Gravesend for some wild Fixed racing. Kitty, Taylor, Harriet and Alice were on the starting roster and ready to take on a full day of racing. So what was in store for us?
Kicking off the day was a warm up and course test. The hill that kicked into a hairpin (with a headwind!) was a nightmare for picking gearing. After some careful consideration we came to a consensus thanks to Kitty’s well stocked track gearing bag and gear length knowledge!
The Qualifying Races
Race one was a flat out time trial which was 1 speedy lap of the circuit (all the hairpins cyclopark has to offer). A lot of the first racers crashed so we stuck to a plan and took the lines cautiously. The lap was around 900m and had 6 corners, one of which was led into by a tail-wind and a hill!
From these TT results we were gridded and grouped for our qualifying races. The format was now an elimination race, safe to say we were all thinking about the best way to make it round and not be at the back.
Longest Lap
Race 3 saw a longest lap! A track stand start tested all our balancing skills, Kitty being a seasoned pro held strong till the start flag was waved. Kitty came close to a win but was pipped at the sprint finish by Abbie Dentus. Taylor, Alice and Harriet kept the Steeze train strong and crossed the final line in style.
The Finals
After a long day Steezers Kitty and Harriet qualified for the finals. With a final elimination format everything was to play for. Steezers Alice and Taylor went head-to-head in the semis.
Podiums!
Kitty represented the Steeze with a 3rd on the podium!
Kitty worked with her NLTC teammate, Jo, and controlled the race in the first two laps. Lap 2 ended with a sprint between Kitty and two seasoned sprinters which resulted in Kitty being knocked out for a 3rd place finish.
After a long day we helped pack up and enjoyed a quick ride back up to the station.
A big thank you to One Life Cycles and their sponsors for another cracking Off the Streets. We can’t wait for the next one, we’re looking for that number 1 spot!
The day was running slightly behind but the running order was pretty much as shown by the Off the Streets running order. A good mix of action throughout the day with plenty of coffee, energy drinks and great food.
