I'm planning on doing a couple laps of the Bear Mountain course tomorrow morning. Anyone else interested? @patrickg @aaronblum @vlad? Can take 1-2 others (or more if you can supply a larger trunk rack) and leave from downtown manhattan anytime between 8-10am.

Thanks for the offer but I'll be at Turkey Hill tomorrow.

I would also like to share that I have it on good authority the that CRCA will sweep the shit out of the 180 turn on race day. I was also reminded that the first time down is netral. Despite that, that turn is still bullshit IMO.

@Gwynna. If Lance Armstrong can get away with it, why not you?
@vlad. In my experience, the 'neutralisation' was a (bad) joke. You better be near the front and ready to rocket out of the turn cause nobody's gonna wait.

Gwynna Smith said:

What's the skinny on cutting the double yellow (and possibly over the grass - intentionally) on that turn?

Don't worry about "yellow line" rules on that turn. Be safe.

There is no yellow line rule at the 180 degree turn because the road is one way at that point of the race - same thing on the uphill that follows the turn

For those who haven't had a chance to ride the course, here's a pic of the turn.

^Ha, actually that's just a solid switchback. The turn at Bear is far worse than that. 

This is the actual U right?

yep

Trying to decide whether or not to do this one. I'd be doing the 3 instead of the P123. The 180 is the only thing that concerns me right now. Do you hit it once and that's it or do you have to hit it multiple times?

You do the 180 multiple times.  The first time is the worst, IMO, because everyone is still warming up (people have developed speed wobbles due to getting the shakes from being cold that first time down) and because everyone is spooked about position from the gun.

Ragot gave me a great piece of advice the first time I did this race: start gently braking right after you go over the little bridge near the bottom right when the road narrows.  You'll know it when you see it (look for the rails on the side).  It's not long before the 180.  This is earlier than many people start to brake, but allows you the proper length of road to have a nice controlled slow down.  Before that, you'll likely be doing 50+ mph.

Here's a hot tip. As Joaquin mentioned that first lap (at least) you are going to be chilly. And to go from chilly super-aero tuck to full-on-sprint to catch back to the front-ish of the peloton is MURDER on the legs. So consider keeping your legs moving/"pedaling" while descending.

@konrad. Don't worry about the turn. You'll be fine. I don't remember any crashes due to that turn. It is just the most consistently memorable part of the course. Everyone knows it is there and most people are unnecessarily terrified. You have an advantage if you know what you are doing. Otherwise, you'll be fine.

Drop it in the small ring before going into the turn.  

Wooooo, in for the 3s. I see Vlad is the only other Kissena reg'd. Why?!

Lets forget about the turn and talk about gears or something

One last comment about the turn, which I think is most useful and puts together two previous posts.

Fat guy climber perspective:
- start the climb 30 bike lengths from the front, that's 30 bike lengths of lost buffer every lap. Take the free energy where you can — start a climb at the front and fade back, start a climb at the back and get dropped or miss the winning break.
- further you go back in the group correlates with: more nervous, straight armed, brake grabbing, line switching, depth perception challenged, apex missing, NOT THERE TO WIN, inexperienced racers... i.e. enjoy being in a crash or held up by a crash.

JohnMalcolmson said: 

- further you go back in the group correlates with: more nervous, straight armed, brake grabbing, line switching, depth perception challenged, apex missing, NOT THERE TO WIN, inexperienced racers... i.e. enjoy being in a crash or held up by a crash.

THIS, "...NOT THERE TO WIN..."

I have two spots in a ZipCar if anyone still needs transport...

That was hard but also really fun. Vlad, Joe, and I lined up for the 3s. For most of the race I was trying to find my way to Joe, who kept great positioning. I would always get pushed toward the back on the big descent and make my way back to the front on the climbs. Didn't really matter, though, because. Some young gun on FGX won with a last lap solo move. Seriously impressive. I finished with the lead group, but since this was a downhill sprint again and I was in the middle of the pack as we crested the hill with 1k to go. Pack may not be the right word, as we were probably 25% of what we started with. I eased up and let them roll away. It ended up being a safe sprint, but I was a little spooked. (Okay, so maybe I'll be placed like 3 seconds after the group, but whatever.)

It was a beautiful day to get dropped. Made it most of the way up Tiorati the second time before my body revolted. Finished it out mostly solo. This is an excellent road race. I'll definitely be back when it's not cancelled.

Switched from the w3/4 to the w4 (earlier start, shorter course, Mother's Day, house hunting, obligations, etc.) which unfortunately meant less attrition. I hammered hard on the climbs hoping to cull the heard. Great opportunity for a break after the KOM on the second (aka last) lap. Not only was everyone huffing and puffing, but someone actually crashed at the crest. I attacked, but nothing doing. No one willing to try anything dramatic. In the end, I finished 10th in a very fast, sketchy field sprint where at least half the original field was still in play. Just happy to have "top 10ed" and that I kept the rubber side down. Bummed the race was so short, both tactically and financially speaking.

It's so awesome that you're laying down nice results so consistently. Yeah!!

Looks like Margarite won the big one.

vlad said:

Looks like Margarite won the big one.

That's a big, big win. It seems like he's really stepped up his game. I think I confuse Margarite, with the dude who used to be Pro with Saturn and rides without a helmet on training rides. JP, offer some perspective on Margarite?