Thursday morning

Yesterday was an off day with no visits to the track at all. We slept in awhile and then went to the hotels free breakfast buffet for a casual meal before making the final plans to head south 25 k to a town called Coimbra. The guide books call it a small Lisbon, because it has all the amenities of the bigger city but a little more like a country University town. It also has an old town that was what we really wanted to see. Streets not much wider than a small car and a half wide going up very steep twisty roads up the hills from the river to the top of the town and the local university. There are great shops, bars and bakeries along the way to stop and relax with an pastry and a coffee. The high lights were an 18th century library and a museum that was built on the foundation of original Roman ruins, tunnels and passage ways that were built in the 11th and 12th centuries and not found again until the beginning of the 1900's. It wasn't very big compared to the rest of the city but probably covered a full city block and was 60 to 70 feet under ground. Quite amazing to be standing and walking around inside that structure, some of which was 4 feet high and some 30 feet high. I took lots of pictures so hopefully I can get them up soon.
We got back about 4 and I unpacked the rollers for a casual ride on the hotel terrace in the fresh air to loosen up for today. Shower and off to dinner at the local restaurant, bar, coffee shop and then back to the room to prepare the bike and get to bed.
6 A.M. Came around but I felt refreshed and ready for some morning activation at the track. The hotel is finally figuring out they need to have breakfast ready in time for the early track opening time so at 7 I got some breakfast and then drove to the track which was open earlier than before but not ready to ride. By 8:10 I was on the track with 2 others when a local track official yelled us off some some reason. There isn't any times posted so it is hard to know what's the schedule. Back on the rollers for 15 minutes and finally at 8:30 the same guy whistled us back on again, still no one at the entrance gates but somebody important must have shown up and approved riders to be on. Amazingly enough I got my 1 hour activation rides in and had time to ride the rollers and cool of before they called the track closed. The first race starting at 10 instead of 9 today. Fewer scratch race heats then they planned I guess. As I am sitting in the stands 2 scratch race heats were completed so now there is just open track time until....?
I am about ready to call it a morning, go back to the hotel and relax for the day, tomorrow my races start in earnest, Qualifying 200's and then matched sprints. Saturday is the finals for the matched sprints and then my season ends on Sunday with a 40 lap points race. My warm up speeds to day in my Flying 100's are encouraging so I feel good about making the top 12 for the sprint rounds in my age group.