I'll plan on bringing my computer...also some cash to chip in for a pizza order. Folks should bring some beverages of their choice to share.

pizza???.... since this is a PRO 123 meeting I'll be bringing seltzer water, laxatives and sleeping pills. DUH.

I have a feeling I'll be stuck at work late, but I'll certainly try my best to make it.

I think I caught something yesterday and am feeling like crap today. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to bail on the meeting tonight in exchange for going home and getting into bed. 

I am unable to make it tonight. I just need more sleep and can't be getting home late. Inlet stokes know what I'm planning.

Be there in 3!

Sorry duders; little man took precedence - but rest assured he can fart with the best of y'all...

Big, big thanks again for David and his wife offering up their apartment for tonight's Cat 1/2/3 meeting. In attendance were: Vlad Preoteasa, John Malcolmson, David Stokes, Joaquin Cdebaca, JP Partland, Andy Da Silva, Konrad Ratzmann and Marc Bertucco.

I may have missed some items, (I'm kind of sleepy right now) any attendees should feel free to add their own notes. The following are some take-away points and actionable items.

• As a group, everyone at the meeting is generally feeling good about their winter training and spring racing. Responses range from, "I'm training a few days a week and kicking ass" to "I've never trained harder and kicking ass."
  
• While the various local road racing series may certainly include many Kissena's on any given day, no one in attendance is specifically targeting these series for overall or intermediate sprinter/climbing jersey competitions. Although a number of riders have noted that they are limited to mostly local racing this year.
  
• New Jersey serving up a nice series of "Cat 3 only" racing. General agreement among all that for cat 3s, it's worth considering participating, whenever possible, in cat-3-only races. If this kind of race calendar interests you, touch base with Andy Da Silva.
• Malcolmson and Stokes interested in participating in more Master's category racing. Bertucco on board. Partland yes, if no conflicting elite race.
  
• As a group, KCC 1/2/3s has crazy sick horsepower, enough to make a real difference in local racing if we can better coordinate and communicate. The last few years have been good, but this year can be better.
  
• Whenever possible, all KCC racers present at race, at a minimum, should make an effort to seek each other out to communicate before the race starts. (Bertucco promises to hit the snooze button a few less times, so he's not pinning up his race number as Charlie's giving race instructions. You should too.)
  
• Whenever possible, KCC racers who expect the support of their teammates, should in return, expect to give a comparable level of support to those same teammates.
  
• If we're racing together, we should make an effort to sometimes train together.
  
• To that end, looking to organize a "fast group ride" to take place on weekends throughout the season.
• For A-priority races with stacked fields, like the KCC cat 3s at Battenkill, especially important to do some serious pre-race planning and communication.
• A number of studly Cat 3s looking to bookend their season with A-priority events Battenkill and Green Mountain Stage Race.
  
• More transparency, and more advance notice of team member selection for invitational events; namely Lou Maltese.
• While the focus of this meeting was road racing, several members are especially keen on ripping it up on the track, T-Town Tuesdays this summer, for example, and in cyclocross this coming fall.
  

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --</style>

Idea: In order to field the best team possible at the Lou Maltese Invitational, I propose that all racers interested in being considered for the team be REQUIRED to participate in at least one Central Park race AND another CP race or attend a CP racing clinic. CP is a tricky race to manage, hard to place. I think it's important to have some real world practice managing the tricky finishing bits at least. Its not enough to simply be a strong fit rider. And I think priority for team selection should go to those who demonstrate a willingness to put some time and effort into racing CP with their teammates before the higher profile Lou Maltese Invite in late June. But that's just an idea...I'm not the boss of anyone but me.

Hmm. I think those with sufficient experience in central park, in good fitness as evidenced by results, and wants to participate should all count more than racing there this year. But that's just my opinion and I don't run things.

;-)

Seriously, its a good idea combined with what I wrote.

I agree with Mike and was being less blunt. Frankly I probably don't care about the race but if going well will want to help someone going better.

As for using march and April to get fit by using races best suited to the rider makes sense. We're in a hobby.

To be fair, there are 2 more SS races in CP (4/6 and 4/12) as well as the Dave Jordan race on 6/7.

So far this year, JP and I have been the only Kissenas in the 123 races in CP.

So you and JP get to race...simple.

Cats.

Cats.

Yes! J/k bros. easy.

Just saying that there are more opportunities and that few have actually raced there this year.

mperlberg said:

Marc,

Proposing such a rule after much of the open racing has already passed at Central Park isn't helpful at best and is needlessly provocative and divisive at worst. 

 

Mike,

It was not my intent to propose a selection criteria that would exclude anyone from consideration for selection to the Lou Maltese Invite. To characterize my proposal as such, ignores the facts. The remaining CP races are open races. Now if anyone cannot make them because of a prior commitment, then that certainly calls into doubt the quality/validity of my proposal. And perhaps for that reason alone it is an idea that would not work this year. But to say Im intentionally trying to exclude anyone? That makes no sense. But this does not also mean that my proposal is without merit. My proposal was designed to address the difficulties of success on a challenging course. My proposal also has the benefit of providing ALL of our 1/2/3 riders the opportunity to put their hand up to say, I would like to be considered for the team that is selected for the invitational. The fact of the matter is that Lou Maltese offers a well prepared local team an opportunity for a slightly higher level of earned prestige than most park races. Does this mean that strong mo-fos like Ryan or Mike without the added benefit of having raced CP this year won't get in a break, and rip the shit out of shit and bring glory and honor to all that is great about Kissena? Of course not. Lining up with those guys and others on the team means we're a real threat in any local race. But sometimes the break doesn't stick, or we're not in it, and we have to figure out a way to be successful within the context of the race we are in versus the race we want. You may not agree with my ideas and that's fine. But to characterize what i wrote as provocative and devisive? I guess technically I was trying to "provoke" some further discussion on one of the points raised at the 1/2/3 team meeting. Did we want to target this race as a team objective...what will the selection process be for the squad? It seems like some on the squad arent too interested in the race, while others are. But being devisive? I was suggesting that we prepare for a big race by racing together at smaller races on the same course. Again, maybe mike has wedding stuff on all three remaining cp races. Then yeah, this proposal wouldnt work because it would unfairly exclude him and possibly others who have similar commitments. But i dont know when Mikes wedding is, etc. It was just a idea that makes sense to me from a sporting point of view. To further emphasize that my intentions were pure, It is perhaps worth noting at this point, that at the team meeting, I told the attendees that while I would like to do Maltese this year, I would be out of town that day and be unable to compete. This was never about giving me an edge in the selection process for the handful of times we in Manhattan don't have to set our alarms at 4am for a park race. This was about giving everyone a fair shot at what has been a hot ticket in years past. This was about getting interested parties to practice racing together on the course, because it will only help our chances of team success. In the end JP said it best. I should have just clicked "agree" on his post and left it at that.

Would anyone have a problem with the mentors picking the team based on what they think is the best combination? 

This Maltese discussion has been a real treat. To help facilitate more reading pleasure for myself (and doubtlessly others) I've created a new poll.