Is it May yet??

this race is sneaking up and i plan on riding. 

one of the highlights for me last season was the scouting ride for this race and trip to the brewery. anyone in for a repeat in the coming weeks?

Since I have no idea about the race I would love to do a scouting ride. But I'm going home next week and first weekend in May is Orchard Beach crit.
So I'm available only at last weekend in April...!?

UlrikeGlaser said:

Since I have no idea about the race I would love to do a scouting ride. But I'm going home next week and first weekend in May is Orchard Beach crit.
So I'm available only at last weekend in April...!?

Last year, there was a scouting ride the weekend before.  I didn't do it, but others can comment on it and whether or not there's an interest in doing it again.

The ride there is excellent.  The course even better.

Any drivers racing Cat 3 or 4 (wave 2, 10:00 a.m.) with whom I can catch a ride? 

^ Same

any other 5s doing Bear?

The weather forecast for Saturday does not look so good at the moment.

Thierry Bonnaire said:

The weather forecast for Saturday does not look so good at the moment.

Ugh. Cold(ish) and wet. Great.

I may be using the rain socks I bought for CX season. 

I've heard of a wind sock. What's a rain sock?

Sealskinz Waterproof socks

Slightly more comfortable than a bucket. They even come in Kissena colors

https://www.sealskinz.com/UK/socks/mtb-mid-with-hydrostop-black-blue-orange

I want to do this race, but my family needs the rental car and I need to follow them to Ellenville, NY after the race.

Anyone have suggestions on how to go from Harriman to Ellenville?  I've checked registrants thus far, looks like nobody is going home that way.  I could ride to Sloatsburg or across the Hudson to pick up a train or bus.  So far, the bus options are super-limited.

Looking for suggestions.

I think bus is the only option directly to Ellenville.  I've taken the Shortline bus from Port Authority and it makes a number of stops including Woodbury Common which is probably the closest to the race. But I think it's only a few runs per day and I have no idea about them taking a bike.

It's a nice ride (about 110 miles from my house in Brooklyn) and only about 45 miles from Harriman but probably not after racing 70 miles.

Now that I think about it, there is a park and ride in Wurtsboro just off Route 17. Could be that a local bus company stops there and makes runs to Woodbury or Monroe. 

Jim,
     Thanks. The bus goes from Sloatsburg to Wurtsboro, and the timing isn't terrible. Though I don't know what I'd do with my bike.  There's also a train to Otisville from Sloatsburg, but I think the schedule is a good bit worse.

So frustrating.  

I'm finally pleased with my form, I put in a few great openers with Sean Miles in Central Park (and we got tickets, but that's for another thread), the affair I was supposed to attend upstate is cancelled.  

And now my left knee is twingee.  In a 'It feels like a bruise, but I don't see bruises, and it's both below and above tendons,' so I'm hoping it's not tendinitis.

But I don't think racing in a 50-degree rain tomorrow would be the smart, best, wise, reasonably intelligent, grownup, future-minded thing to do.  

damn!

mugwump said:

So frustrating.  

I'm finally pleased with my form, I put in a few great openers with Sean Miles in Central Park (and we got tickets, but that's for another thread), the affair I was supposed to attend upstate is cancelled.  

And now my left knee is twingee.  In a 'It feels like a bruise, but I don't see bruises, and it's both below and above tendons,' so I'm hoping it's not tendinitis.

But I don't think racing in a 50-degree rain tomorrow would be the smart, best, wise, reasonably intelligent, grownup, future-minded thing to do.  

damn!

Discretin, valor, etc. It takes a wise man to step back when the form is coming around, Wump.

JP Jules told me Pruit said the Speedplays are not good for knees.  I spent about 20 years on the x series before switching 2 years ago to Time pedals.  My knees seem better...Perhaps a pedal switch could help?

twoyacks said:

JP Jules told me Pruit said the Speedplays are not good for knees.  I spent about 20 years on the x series before switching 2 years ago to Time pedals.  My knees seem better...Perhaps a pedal switch could help?

thanks for the tip. However, I believe Jules' problem was that he was on the X pedal rather than the Zero.  I'm on the Zero, and have curtailed most of my float.  while I'm taking the day off from riding, with lots of icing, and, unfortunately, a few miles of walking, I'm wondering if the issue had to do with a few other things I did recently in regards to tweaking, improving, further dialing in my position.  Also thinking about finding compressive knee sleeves for sitting/sleeping, as I seemed to have tossed my old ones.  I'm hoping taking the weekend off will be enough.

race report guys?

twoyacks said:

JP Jules told me Pruit said the Speedplays are not good for knees.  I spent about 20 years on the x series before switching 2 years ago to Time pedals.  My knees seem better...Perhaps a pedal switch could help?

Yes I'm on the Zero and I have dialed down to zero float. No problems. One thing Pruitt did mention was that as we age we often need more camber put into our shoe/cleat.

He was hot on the shoes he sponsors designs because they have the shims built in.

Specialized....there I said it...yack's got orthotics 

Bear Man was wet. It rained consistently for the whole 2+ hours of my Cat 4 40+ race. Thirty six of the 65+ who registered showed up. Jordan had a large contingent and they were working together to control the race. They ended up winning ht race. I was only Kissena and figured I would try to go with any Jordan attacks.

My opportunity presented itself when a few K before Lake Welsch on the end of first lap two guys attacked and a Jordan chased. I bridged up and we quickly got a good gap. Suddenly it was just two of us leading up to the the first sprint. My break companion had forced me to the front and just as I slowed Nathaniel Bauer flew by us at breakneck speed. He had attacked the pack and caught us quickly. I regrouped with Nate on the descent but the pack had caught us by the hairpin.

This is where my race fell apart. I had been feeling pretty good but about 2/3rds of the way up Tiorati on second lap I started falling off the pace. The effort a few miles earlier probably didn't help. The pack was visible a couple of hundred meters all the way from Tiorati circle to Lake Welsch. I tried to chase - sometimes alone and sometimes with a partner. No dice. Strong enough to keep pace with field but not to bridge this gap. How frustrating. Motored for the final lap with some occasional help. I think I finished around 25th.

I was soaked. After I got dressed I saw Jill White who finished 2nd in her field. Her happiness was little muted given she realized she had forgotten to bring a change of clothes.

A few notes about dressing for 49 degree rain.As I mentioned in another thread, the neoprene gloves were awesome but the waterproof shoe covers were only 90% effective. Wearing a Gabba jersey under my kit was a godsend but wearing my CS bib knickers was like wearing a sponge on my legs. 

Patrick...now that you are done with the minor races...perhaps you will start contesting the Merrick Crit?
If you remember riding the go-carts at the batting cage...then you know what this course feels like...cept the guy next to you is trying to hit you with a hammer for an hour

Belated race report: I blew it. A stupid mistake wasted good legs.

We staged with only four minutes until the start, instead of fifteen, to stay dry for as long as possible. At some point in those four minutes I realized I'd left my sunglasses in the car, but decided not to retrieve them. In retrospect, I have no idea why I thought I could race in the rain without eyewear. Perhaps I told myself that my cycling cap was enough to keep my contact lenses safe from the elements. I raced one lap blinking so much I felt like my eyes were closed for half of it. When I was following a wheel, it felt a little dangerous. I spent unnecessary time in the wind just to get a break from the spray. I could hardly think about anything else. The first full descent felt especially sketchy, and I faded from the front of the group all the way to the back. I pulled the plug. 

DNF'ing really hurt, for a few reasons. First and foremost because I was feeling great. I climbed Tiorati between second and sixth wheel, setting a PR without even going into my VO2 heart-rate zone (Strava link). On Seven Lakes Road, I tried to bridge to a lone rider dangling off the front, and Simon Velez (who would finish fourth) followed me. It was a strong move, and the group chased us down--but we had put some real pressure on the race early. I would have liked to see how I fared in the full race.

This also stings because I have high expectations for myself when it comes to making smart decisions before the whistle blows. On a day like Saturday, that begins with just showing up. I'd managed to borrow a car. I slept well. I had good food for before, during and after the race. I packed my kit to give myself options (different kinds of warmers, hats, and gloves; extra bib shorts; rain gear). I brought my trainer for a warm-up, and found some tent space where I could stay dry doing it.  I would like to be more carefree--just race your fucking bike!--but there's a lot about this sport that encourages meticulousness, which is already my disposition. Well, at least I won't make the same mistake again. 

Last reason this hurt has to do with goals. I didn't realize how much this race meant to me until I bungled it so badly. Even as I went to great lengths to prepare for it, I hadn't let myself feel its importance. I was insulating myself against disappointment should things not go my way. Maybe that's prudent--we're just amateurs--but in this case it left me unprepared for the letdown. In February I resisted saying "These are A races for me and these are B and C races," but nevertheless scheduled a block of springtime racing that included the Joe Martin Stage Race back on April 1. Bear was supposed to be the other bookend. This race suits me, and I know I can do really well here. What I've learned is to be more honest with myself about my ambition.

sorry to hear that Max, that sucks. 

interestingly i had the opposite problem last year. i started with my clear-lens glasses on but took them off halfway through the first lap because the rain drops and muck completed coated them and i couldn't see. for whatever reason i was fine with them off despite the wetness. maybe it was wetter this year? or the contacts?

@Will Kalbacker probably the contacts, though for what it's worth it also felt wetter (and colder) than last year. Do you wear them? Have you ever had problems racing in rain or dust because of them? They're remarkable little things but have a way of turning bad situations much worse if you're not careful. 

I'm fortunate enough not to need them...yet  

@MaxThorn that's a shame for sure. Sometimes it's the lesson where the tuition is the steepest that yields the most lasting wisdom.

The will to succeed is the will to prepare.

It takes a LOT of races to get your pre-race "system" dialed in. I was watching the TOC Baldy finish last night reminiscing about how many times I'd heard the advice to pre-ride the finish of every race - and how many fewer times I'd actually done it - and how many wins or podiums I'd missed as a result.

Bike prep, sleep, clothing, recon, training, savvy racing and luck. Winning bike races is insanely hard. 

By all means feel the pain, but move on. It's a LONG season and it's still only May.

Time to kick start this one again.  Who's in?  I'm back in NYC for this one and ready to get popped off the first climb, but focused on dropping a couple of more pounds (ie, no BBQ or street tacos for the next week) so I can stay in it!  @niallsmart we talked about this one!

The last 2 years contained epic weather, hopefully this one cooperates.