Feb 27, 2014 at 07:17 PM
Begun, the Ladies Computrainer wars have...
Kissena Women's Team
Feb 28, 2014 at 10:47 PM
Please hop on over to the mentoring thread for an update/question about tomorrow's clinic in Central Park!
Mar 07, 2014 at 06:24 PM
good luck racing this weekend!!
Mar 09, 2014 at 01:59 PM
Hi folks - going out for some recovery laps in PP. Will be out around 10:30ish if anyone wants to meet at GAP for a spin.
Mar 09, 2014 at 02:13 PM
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Mar 09, 2014 at 06:42 PM
Thanks Gwynna, and totally agreed. It's impossible to learn how to race without racing, and you'll be surprised by how much more power you have when you're focusing on all the wheels around you (which seems like a very important consideration when you're first starting out). I felt like a horrible person leaving Erika to fend for herself out there in CP yesterday, but I'm confident that having more Kissena women in the field will make it a better experience for everyone in the race--what I've come to love about racing in women's fields is that everyone is so nice and welcoming: probably because we realize that without each other, there's no damn race!
Racing is absolutely thrilling and addictive, and I encourage anyone who has expressed an interest to give it a go. In the meantime, practice riding closely with people, riding on the white line in the park, riding with your hands off the handlebars, practice cornering at a low-traffic intersection (there's a great one by my house that definitely helped me in the Crit yesterday)... Get comfortable on the bike. There's no question there's some risk involved in racing, but the more flexible and balanced you are on a bike, the more comfortable you'll feel in a peleton.
Mar 09, 2014 at 08:36 PM
!!Kayt Mathers said:Racing is absolutely thrilling and addictive
Mar 10, 2014 at 05:21 PM
I put the races i signed up for on the googledoc. I'm traveling a bunch so tried to sign up for ones I knew I could make. I'm hoping to sign up for Prospect Park races on March 15th, and maybe some others. Excited!
Mar 10, 2014 at 05:52 PM
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Mar 10, 2014 at 10:31 PM
Everything it so exciting!
I had a blast racing this past weekend and watching my fellow Kissenas smash their respective fields. Obviously, starting the season off with 3 races on 2 hours of sleep wasn't a recipe for success. Combined with over 300mi of tempo during the past couple of weeks, I should have know that anything requiring acceleration and/or a decent sprint was a fool's endeavor. Nevertheless, I kept my goals modest and accomplished a fair number of them: getting rid of starting line jitters; waiting to see what the peloton does before chasing every single break; finally finishing a crit, even if I was off the back.
For ladies considering one of the upcoming Central Park races (3/22 and 3/28), I encourage you to register! This weekend's CP race came down to tactics, not fitness. I don't think anyone was dropped, and the field typically takes Harlem Hill easy since it's difficult to form a significant break on the west side rollers. (Once you're on the rollers, though, there are a few great places to make a break!) The hill is also a place, in my experience, where the women's field tends to get neutralized, so stop worrying to much about it @Gwynna! 
Gaining a significant amount of fitness between now and March 22nd isn't realistic, but racing smarter, not harder IS realistic. Come out to Marc's CP clinic this weekend where he'll be sharing his CP wisdom. And heed Kayt's advice:
Kayt Mathers said:In the meantime, practice riding closely with people, riding on the white line in the park, riding with your hands off the handlebars, practice cornering at a low-traffic intersection (there's a great one by my house that definitely helped me in the Crit yesterday)... Get comfortable on the bike. There's no question there's some risk involved in racing, but the more flexible and balanced you are on a bike, the more comfortable you'll feel in a peleton.
Mar 11, 2014 at 03:58 PM
Cross-posted from Deals & Steals:
Ladies looking for a new bike?
2007 Specialized Dolce Comp Road Bike (48cm)
Shimano 105 10-speed
A bit too small for me (and the domestic situation should I bring another bike into my apartment... no good) but thought I'd pass it along.
And I bet you could totally haggle this down below $800.
Mar 12, 2014 at 02:14 AM
Advice time! Race rookie here, recommendations for getting started? My plan tentatively was to wait for the CRCA women's racing clinic that I hear happens in April, and then start signing up for other races. Feels far away, but I want to be smart about getting started since I have no experience riding in a peloton. I think my biggest challenge will be controlling the nerves/fear.
Meanwhile, what kind of training should I be doing? Hoping there will be more non-race group ride opportunities to get me more practice riding alongside others. I can't ride this weekend, unfortunately (running the nyc half on Sunday), but after that I'm ready to put the pedal to the metal, so to speak.
Mar 12, 2014 at 03:07 AM
Great to hear you're eager to race, Emily! Group rides are great for getting comfortable riding closely with other people, as are the Prospect Morning training rides, which start back up in earnest when the weather improves. In the meantime, you can also do solo drills that help with balance (see above)--you can never do too many of them. Also, if you ever head to Prospect and might want company, it's not a bad idea to post when you're going (on the Prospect Park Weekday training thread).
When the weather improves, we will most likely resume the women's team rides we were doing through the fall. We can practice race techniques and other fun drills that the Women's Mentor, Dale Suttle, suggested. More on that soon.
Also, this forum is a seemingly bottomless well of information. If you haven't done so already, I would recommend spending a few hours poking around on the racing and training threads, since those will invariably answer any questions you might have (and then some).
Mar 12, 2014 at 01:21 PM
Cool, that all sounds good. And yes, I have definitely fallen down the well!
Mar 12, 2014 at 09:30 PM
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Mar 13, 2014 at 12:17 AM
This weekend's clinic with Marc sounds awesome but I can't make it this time. Arg! Will def keep my eye on the mentoring thread though.
And I'm excited to look the part eventually with a kit. Will have to spend some time figuring out what to order, but will follow up if I need to beg or borrow in the meantime. Thanks for the advice all!
Mar 13, 2014 at 03:43 AM
@Emily, we have a small amount women's kit in stock. PM me if you need something before the next order comes in (which will be April).
Mar 13, 2014 at 01:56 PM
Newer racers (or even experienced ones) remember that Mike Perlberg's Prospect Park clinic is this FRIDAY 3/14 at 5pm. If you can't make it right on time, wait at the loop and wait for Mike and other riders to roll by.
http://kissenacycling.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/58092/#Comment_58092
(GAP = Grand Army Plaza, but inside the park next to the loop, not in the plaza itself.)
http://kissenacycling.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/58092/#Comment_58092
(GAP = Grand Army Plaza, but inside the park next to the loop, not in the plaza itself.)
Mar 13, 2014 at 02:01 PM
^Mike's advice for Prospect races: "Pedal harder than everyone"
KIDDING!
Mar 13, 2014 at 03:12 PM
(but actually sort of not kidding)Jules said:^Mike's advice for Prospect races: "Pedal harder than everyone"KIDDING!
Mar 13, 2014 at 03:15 PM
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Mar 14, 2014 at 10:16 AM
Yup. That's pretty much all the advice you're going to get out of me tonight.David Yang said:(but actually sort of not kidding)Jules said:^Mike's advice for Prospect races: "Pedal harder than everyone"KIDDING!
Mar 17, 2014 at 11:26 PM
So sad to have missed both the PP and CAP clinics. I'm finally back in town and can't wait to shake off these winter cobwebs. I'll star the morning ride thread and hope that we have a regular women's training day as soon as the weather gets warmer!
Mar 18, 2014 at 02:17 PM
The weather IS warmer. It used to be in the teens and single digits!
Mar 19, 2014 at 03:24 PM
Mar 19, 2014 at 03:31 PM
Cool, I was thinking about going to this. Tentatively see you there!
Mar 19, 2014 at 03:32 PM
I was also thinking about going. Thanks for the reminder and see you there!
On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 11:31 AM, EmilyAtwater <
On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 11:31 AM, EmilyAtwater <
Mar 19, 2014 at 03:35 PM
rats! i will be at show tomorrow night....sounds fun though!
Mar 20, 2014 at 01:02 PM
Good luck Erika and Gwynna in Saturday morning's CRCA Women's Development Series race in Central Park!
https://www.bikereg.com/crca-womens-development-series
Looks like you have 21 women registered for this Cat 4 only race. Right now at two racers you are tied for the largest team. Hopefully you guys have a chance to chat a bit before the race. I'm going to suggest, since Erika has a few of these races under her belt, that she "road captain" this bad boy.
If anyone else is on the fence about racing, a 21-rider (not too small, not too big) cat 4 only field on a dry day in Central Park seems like a nice way to get your season started. If you have any concerns, I bet Erika has some good perspective to share.
Mar 20, 2014 at 03:08 PM
@Marc Bertucco is really on point; you'll be hard pressed to find a more civilized introduction to park racing than a 20-something field on a dry day.