Things to watch for at the race

For the spectator, there’s a lot going on at the track during the race ­— 33 teams operating on different race strategies with different goals in mind. Several veteran riders offered keys to doing well in the race for any team:

1. Make clean exchanges
“Exchanges slow you down, and you want to be able to catch the pack quickly without racing too much energy,” said Kappa Alpha Theta senior Kristen Metherd.

2. Put in good burnouts
“If you don’t give your teammate a good burnout, they have to do a lot of extra work and use a lot of extra energy trying to catch back up to the lead pack,” said Kappa Kappa Gamma junior Katie Sauter.

3. Watch the wheels
“Only ride the wheels of people you trust ­— don’t ride behind sketchy people, because you don’t want to be involved in a stupid crash,” said Delta Gamma senior Lauren Half.

4. Be prepared for own crash ...
“We were so lucky in the race last year that our crash was right in front of our pit and Mary Rush was already ready with a bike and jumped right back in the pack. You have to be ready to jump on a bike at any moment,” Sauter said.

5. ...or avoid crashes altogether
“Wrecks can easily take a team out of the race,” Metherd said.

6. Position yourself well ...
“Wrecks happen toward the back of the pack — you want to stay to the front to stay out of trouble,” Metherd said.

7. ...near the front, if possible
“I’d say riding in good position throughout the whole race — top four or so positions — because the race is always in front of you,” said Cutters junior Eric Young.

8. Communicate
“Good communication between riders and coach is key to having a successful race and setting up the end sprint,” Metherd said.

9. Support the team
“You can’t forget that you’re doing this for fun and working with three other people. Although it is stressful during the race, you have to remember it is just a race and just being in the race is a cool enough thing,” Sauter said.