The MCA apologies for a note that was written last year and left on our BIKEREG.com registration page. The note was about cancelling the race because of FEMA.

The race for Sunday March 16, 2014 in Prospect Park will happen tomorrow.

This weeks same day registration will get a discount and only have to pay $40.00 (regularly $43.00).

Again we are sorry.

Thank you for racing with us.

Anthony Van Dunk

its time to "stump face"

Perlberg 6th out of killer P123 break!

Ross won the field sprint and Jeff A made the break in the 5's!

vlad said:

Perlberg 6th out of killer P123 break!

That is fantastic!

some one crashed in the first lap...by himself...in the front...like a boss

Congrats Perlberg... Ros, Jeff A  too — in the money you guys? 

you mean medals?

Cat 5 race was also sketchy from the get go. First lap in, someone solo crash's on the downhill, taking out on or two people. When i say solo crash, i mean literally, the guy was out front and just somehow went over the bars and hit the ground hard.

Definitely a hard day in the saddle for me. Made an early effort to bridge at the request of Captain Mike. A lap or two later I saw what was to be the winning break start to form at the top of the hill, I was a 100m away but couldn't get there (I wouldn't have held on anyhow). Missed the second break and was in the grupetto for the rest of the race. At one point Vlad almost made it to that second group with an impressive move.

mperlberg said:

I hate bike racing so much right now. Those were two brutal hours of my life that I never wish to relive. 

This, combined with "I'm in crazy good shape" from an earlier post is impressive

Fun day in the saddle today! It was the first race of this season for me. Happy to get it started on a positive note.

Sketchiness aside (per JeffA), it was interesting to see a break actually stay away in the 5's.

It was all fairly status quo until the break went with three to go. It at times seemed hard to figure out exactly who was up the road, with the cat4's in the mix right in front of us for a good stretch of time. When I realized that the break was serious and maybe had a chance to stick, they were already far ahead (still mixing with the 4's). A Dave Jordan rider & I shot out of the front to try to bridge, but he popped after two pulls. I felt strong and had pop in my legs, but didn't want to be stupid and knew I would not have the capacity to bridge all alone the entire way (seeing that I could now barely even see where the break was) I slowed so the field can catch up and then prepared to focus on getting good position at the front for the field sprint.

Graydon and I actual prepped a leadout plan on Saturday that sounded plausible, juuuust in case we got lucky. We agreed if we were both in the front of the pack by the end that we would try it.

I don't think either of us thought it would actually ever materialize, but somehow there we were, end of the race and shoulder-to-shoulder at the front. As we made the final turn for the East side of the park, Graydon barked at me to get on his wheel as we had planned, as he was third drafting behind two big dudes, I fought some guy off his wheel, and then it got fun! He split right between the two riders ahead of us and REALLY put the hammer down for me. Nobody was able to come around us. I followed behind through the gap and just rode him up until he was cooked. He dropped me off a little bit earlier than we planned, just before the Lincoln Rd. car exit/traffic light. I jumped the sprint with all I had left in the tank for what seemed like forever. A Dave Jordan rider behind me kept inching closer and closer right at the end, but I was able to hold him off to get field sprint. Good times!

Next time I think I'll pay a bit more respect to the breaks. Congrats to JeffA for working hard to make that break stick! Also, props to Wilson (also first road race), and Chi for fighting to stay at the front the entire time. Everyone rode really well.

Oh, and did I mention this was Graydon's first ever race! Crazy. Dude killed it!

Jules said:

mperlberg said:

I hate bike racing so much right now. Those were two brutal hours of my life that I never wish to relive. 

This, combined with "I'm in crazy good shape" from an earlier post is impressive

I am chomping at the bit to race, but I decided to take some of my own advice this morning and not pin on a number while seriously preoccupied with other stuff in my life.  Can't wait to join y'all.

Chapeaus to all the folks who showed up and killed it; a cold, windy day to race OR to cheer!

Quite jealous of Mike today.  It looked really hard.  When I started watching the race, I think it was three laps in, his group was fast, with Champ-Sys killing a second group and the field looking a tired third.  His group kept going and going.  By the end, three guys sprinted for hte win, fourth, fifth, sixth, all came across solo, with a sprint for the final few places.  And I think there were something like five or six groups on the road.  A rough day on a course that can seem so easy.

Thanks Erika!

Looking forward to racing in CP with JP and Vlad tomorrow. Smallish field so far, but come race morning I expect at least 50 or so, taking into account day-of.

(Any other Kissena's cat 2/3s want to race Central Park tomorrow? It's one of your last chances before Lou Maltese and Mengoni later in the summer. And I know you want to race those events. All the power in the world alone ain't gonna make it happen in CP. Says the Scandanavian euros-elites who spent the first half of the race trying to get away in exactly all the wrong places at Mengoni 2 years ago. You need some experience racing that course to place well.)

Vlad, let's try to make sure JP doesn't have to work too hard, so he can scoop up some more spring series points and buy us things with winnings. #prettygoodplan

Anyone else riding up from Park Slope tomorrow morning?

I did everything wrong yesterday. 

Could feel my breakfast as I rolled ot the start, so I skipped any sort of warmup.  After the first few moves were brought back quickly, I figured the moves would start to happen after two laps. 

Then, it started to break apart after west 85^th street (D'Oh #1).  On the downhill,  I was out of position, so I had to attack the field to get up to the front.  Vlad helped, and I got across by the south end of the park.  Then, I rode past Stefan Hoffman, briefly thought 'I should sit up and hide on his wheel,' but I ignored that thought as I rode to the front of the race.  30s later, I'm at the front and he attacks.  I just miss getting on.  (D'Oh #2)

Stefan (Lupus), Neil Bezdek (Foundation), Tony Hall (Mengoni), Stephen Dioslaki (Metra), and Franklin Burgos (Jordan) are the move.  Maybe one or two others.

I'm kind of gassed, but it looks like the field will catch the break as we go up Cat's Paw.  Then they shut down.  Four laps to go.  Of the guys in the break, Foundation, Lupus and Jordan have a team presence.  Burgos gets spit out, but even then, Jordan won't help.  Probably don't have the legs.

By the time we reach the south end of the next lap, we're passed by the IV's.  Ignominy.

Three to go.

Guys are attacking solo and blowing up.

On the west side, five guys get away at w100^th street. (D'Oh #3)

I start a counter at w96^th.  I have three guys with me, one is Foundation, one is Jordan, and another guy.  They're not working really hard, and I'm trying to convince Foundation and Jordan that the break is away for good.   Maybe they can't work hard.

We're just about brought back at E70^th street, but I keep on the pressure.  Jermaine Burrowes (United) and Scott Savory (Lupus) catch up.  I seem to be the strongest, but they're working, and we're gaining on that group in front of us.

Two to go.

Both guys are pulling shorter as we're getting closer.  We go down the hill at the north end and we're really closing.

Jermaine swings off, I lead onto 110berg. 

As we hit the bend, Jermaine accelerates past me.  I have ot get up to hold his wheel.  It's a struggle, but I seem to be there.  Then he picks it up a little more. I lose his wheel.  Savory gets by, too.  At the top, they join on.  I don't.  (D'Oh #4).

I ride solo and am only caught by the field at the south end. 

Bell lap. Savory is standing by the side of the road (after all I did for him!).  Three guys attack after 110berg.  I counter up to them and ride through.

They get on my wheel but have trouble pulling through.

It's sloppy, but we've still got a gap. 

At the south end, I see Euri Madera (Foundation) closing.  He gets in the mix.  I figure I can probably take him in the sprint, so long as I don't lead him out.

Then, at East 72^nd, Chris Loehner rolls by—where did he come from? (D'Oh #5)  And attacks at the boathouse.  No one goes after him, so I go, figuring he'll blow up.  I catch him, but can't get by.  And then Euri just gets by both of us on the right (D'Oh #6)

 suckitude.  nothing.

I love that JP knows everyone he rolls with in a break and in the race as a whole (#pro). You'd never hear a cat 4 getting into as much detail as names of people etc. in his/her race reports.

Everything seemed to be going well yesterday, until the end.

A week ago at Branchbrook, I ended up badly positioned in the field and never quite found a way to move up through or around the field. (I did at least stay out of the crashes)

Yesterday was my first CP race. I rode with the front of the field the whole way, and I did a better job of making sure I didn't get boxed in and pushed back. Unfortunately, I wasn't ready for the strong field surge coming up the SE corner before we got to the sprint and didn't respond strongly enough. Probably should have hidden from the wind a little more. A bunch of people went down in front of me in the field sprint. I had enough time to slow way down and avoid it, but placement was nothing to write home about.

At least you avoided kissing the pavement @Tim. That's something to write home about..

Is anyone in Cat 5, racing this coming Sunday in PP? 

Anyone joining me in Prospect this Sunday in the 1/2/3?  Promises to be brutally fast and exciting.  And it is the legendary Prospect Park.

Joel, give yourself a solid 45 minutes before start time to be in the park, so that you can register, pick up your number, pin it on, find your teammates/bathroom whatever.

mugwump said:

Anyone joining me in Prospect this Sunday in the 1/2/3?  Promises to be brutally fast and exciting.  And it is the legendary Prospect Park.

I'm out of town this weekend.

Perfect. Thank you, Marc.