“Go fast, turn left”.
Sounds like NASCAR, but this simple tactic is also used in a different form of fast and furious racing, track cycling.
While ‘going fast and turning left’ on the boards of an indoor velodrome seems simple enough, Mackay’s most decorated track cycling veteran Hamish Wright explains there are multiple outcomes to races depending on the tactics used, that need to be made within a split second.
“Knowing when to jump in a sprint, timing when to break off the front in a points race to take a lap, making your opponent look right as you dive left to take the front, those are some of the intricacies that are a combination of instinct and experience,” Wright explained.
“They make the difference between winning and losing. It’s not always the fastest person who wins, tactics can out-ride speed on some occasions.”
Wright put these theories into practice last week at the Anna Meares Velodrome, competing in the Masters Track Cycling Australian Championships. Riding in his seventh nationals, last week’s event produced the best results for Wright. He had claimed Australian titles in the sprint and keirin in previous years, but never together at the same competition.
He breezed through the sprint, qualifying in first place and then finishing undefeated in all rounds, facing an opponent from Western Australia in the final.
“I was happy with how I rode, tactically and strength wise,” Wright said.
“In the final it’s the best of three, but I never take a ride lightly. Getting the first win is an advantage psychologically and then I made sure I was positioned well in the second.”
He then backed up the following day by emerging as a clear winner in the Keirin.
“I drew position 6 so I knew I had to make an early advancement as soon as the motorised derny came off the track,” Wright explained.
“Everyone swung up at that point so I took the sprinters lane and held it until I had the wheel I wanted. I was positioned well when the sprint started, it’s all about positioning, ensuring you don’t get boxed in and not being at the back when the heat comes from the front.”
Wright was part of a Queensland team that won silver in the team sprint and he also picked up a bronze in the individual time trial.
Wright will compete in the North Queensland Games next week in Townsville and is aiming at competing at the World Masters Track Cycling Championships in Los Angeles in September.
“I was happy with how I rode, tactically and strength wise,”
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