Here's the Bikereg link for the 2013 edition  https://www.bikereg.com/Net/21547

I'm in, if I can find kid-coverage.

In.

40+ Cat 4

I'm planning to go, not sure what category.

reg-ed in the 4s

Cat 4 race, hopefully my tire won't roll off

harry, in masters50+, 9:20start. rides? zip?
-h;-)

dstokes said:

I'm planning to go, not sure what category.

Me too...I'm fussing around with my options. It's not a points tango thing for me (I've sort of given up on that ghost), rather trying to determine which option and/or options will be best for my season goals. I'll either go 40+ Open (get my ass-kicked division) or 40+ Cat 4 (race with pressure to repeat?) and/or Regular Cat 4 (race the ghost of Joe Mueller. Speaking of...PAGING JOE MUELLER! I know all the race promoters have appreciated your race entry fees, but we'd all love to see you out there with a number on!).

FWIW, if we had all our 40+ racers in the 40+ open category, Grehan, Stokes, Partland, Ragot, Bertucco, David, etc., it sure would make Hotlist easier to rank! Haha.

@JP with back to back races, I don't think there's anyway you could possibly RACE both. And frankly if you tried to treat the 40+ as a warm-up for the 1/2/3 race, your legs will be at least moderately toasty. Possibly more. Better nice ride with me and the gang on Saturday early, then be ready to SHRED the 40+.

@Hotlist aren't you obliged to try and repeat?

Family obligations for later in the day prevent me from doing anything other than the earliest race. 40+ cat 4 for me.

Registered for 40+ Bubblecross.  Looking for a ride out.  I have a dream about riding back.  

Reg'd.  I might suck, but I'm not missing a chance to line up with ten teammates.

I'd like a ride with anyone doing the 4 race who is driving. I'll pay for gas and chips, and sing songs of your choosing.

I'm driving out for the early race and have room for 1 more. Staying till noonish so can't offer for later races unless you want to grab a different ride back. Leaving from Brooklyn about 5:45 and picking up Stokes along Canal Street at about 6:00.

@Ryan we'll have room, and plenty of songs.

Very early report...Hotlist had to make a quick exit, due to extremely sick (flu) wife, so not sure how Harry in the 50+, Todd and Perlberg in the 3s and JP and Ragot in the 40+ Open did. And in less than 30 minutes, we'll have the Cat 4 regular guy edition start with a slew of Kissenas.

But in the Cat 4/5 40+, we all held our own pretty well. A rolled tubular in the final corner of the final lap prevented Grehan from taking 3rd. Bertucco behind in 4th on the last lap, was forced to come around Grehan who ran the last 30 meters to the finish line, lest 5th, at the time, a non-Kissena, capture the final step of the podium. Grehan ended up holding on to 4th and will no doubt take revenge on the field (and Bertucco) at Northampton where the best of the region's cat 4s will be toeing the start line.

David S. and Philip M. and James F. also raced strongly to finish in the field. Embarrassingly, I cannot remember their exact positions at the moment.

I heard Ryan was there...

I had a hard time clipping in to start so I didn't get the hole shot. I got 4th in the hole. Then uphill and I hang in there and pass some guys and we're on the flat sandy gravel road. I hang the left turn over soft sand a bir sketchy. Grr. I pit in a dig and get to the front. Finally.

Nice air in the jump and I led into the sand. I decided to conserve it there and slipped back to third on the climb out of the sand. I was riding OK but having a hard time with all the climbing. I fell back to 7th at one point but started riding a bigger gear through the sand, figured out the fast way through that sandy left hander and basically started riding the way I should. I clawed back up to 4th. But Carl Reglar, a really strong master, made his way up to me and on the 2nd to last time up the grassy climb, he just passed me. I was going hard, he just went faster. I put my hands up. I chased, but it was not to be and on the bell lap, I put it into conservative bring it hole safely mode for 5th.

The best part was listening to Phil, nelson and harry as I went over the barriers.

Thanks for the enormous encouragement from all the kissenas out there.

Background: 1) I have an uncomfortable relationship with sand. 2) Bubble 'cross has a 'major' and a 'minor' beach (actually same beach but encountered on different parts of the course). 3) Last year I broke my shifter after losing control of my in the sand. 4) Bubble 'cross is a bit hilly . . . I don't usually lose position on the hills. 5) I practiced sand pits yesterday.

First warm-up lap: OMG, this is technical
Second warm-up lap: a little better and I made it through the sand and the ensuing steep ride up.
Third warm-up lap: I'm getting the hang of this, maybe I'll be ok.
Fourth warm-up lap: Eric says he'll give me some tips on the technical bits (mostly just gapped me and had to stop to wait until I caught up).

50+ line up is chaotic. Just call names and expect us to shove our way into a limited amount of space in front of the women, who don't move back to make room. Harry is 2nd row. I'm 3rd row. 30 starters (which seems like a lot for a local race).

I can't really get a good start. There are too many people in front of me, but some space opens up and I am able to pass a few people before we grind up the bumpy grass field. I'm mid-field and things stretche out. I settle in and wait for the sand.

The sand was interesting. Sometimes it went well. Other times you lost momentum and had to get off and run . . . UP the hill. Ugh! Bomb the downhill, grind up another uphill . . . keep your momentum on the drop-off to take you into another grassy field with high-speed barriers. Survive the off-camber and final, bumpy drop-off into a 270deg turn before the finishing stretch. Repeat 4x.

I passed a few guys. Caught and passed 7th place in a bold move back towards the pavilion with about 1.5 laps to go. It didn't last long. He came by me and the effort took me too far into the red and I got sloppy. Screwed up the 'major' sand and had to run up the hill (Ugh). Crashed in the 'minor' sand pit and had to spit sand out of my mouth (Ugh). Had Britlee breathing down my back for the last 1/4 lap, but managed to hold her off at the finish for 8th place.

The sand seemed upredictable for just about everyone, most of whom had troubles at some point during the race. If you took the right line, you flew through the sand. Wrong line and you lost all your momentum, or worse. All the climbing just compounded the effort. In general, the course was way more technical (and generally more fun) than whirlybird and nittany.

I'm back! Well, at least I finished.

Ribs felt decent all week though still sort of painful at night. But no issues during the race except for dead legs which I think I can recover at least somewhat before the season ends. Northampton will be BRUTAL.

Some nice rides by Kissenas out there today, especially Eric who held off and then stuck to a charging Carl Reglar in fine fashion and Todd who was solid in the top 10 in the B's until he pulled a Halloween and started bleeding everywhere and turning his jersey and bar tape into a mini haunted house.

Love to hear a report from the 4's......

My first race: Did pretty well for about 8-9 minutes, not too far off the front. Crash kinda hard on a downhill 180 in the grass. Tear bibs open so wide I had to maneuver to keep my junk in. Chase back. Pass a couple guys. Realize I have no anaerobic fitness, nor the fire in the belly needed to suffer enough to catch up. Drop out. On the way home, I had a "fall harvest" doughnut from Dunkin'. Will race again soon!

Fall doughnut. Ha ha....

Who has two thumbs and kinda sucked today?  This guy.

Totally agree with @Stokes above; easily the most technical course I've done.  Felt like a Mtn bike race at times.

@stokes - sorry for going to fast as I tried to show you lines. 

I'm not likely to forgive you.

It reminded me of the old Mountain bike racing days....I loved it. Except for the sand

Hey Ryan - Harvest donuts always make the trip worthwhile. Welcome! The vibe is second to none.