No rain during the race tonight at Floyd. Horace said that the race would go on unless it was pouring. He also said that depending on the turnout, the races would start a little later. The P123 race would go off at 11am, perhaps later. Same for lower categories.

I'm in if the weather isn't crazy...

Anyone have the scoop on Floyd yet?

Horace just said its on.

Yep here, not many people yet but it should be on

I'm out here, but not many other people are...

Looks like the route has changed, so I can't personally comment on whether this is a true "climbers" race or not...

http://www.nohobikeclub.org/nccwp/?events=ncc-tour-of-the-hilltowns

But it appears there is a 7 mile drag of a climb that ranges from 1% to 8% in gradient. In the past, this race has been tough not only for it's feature climb, but it wind-swept false flat/rolling drags out on the open highways of Western Mass. Also, the last time I did this race, Jeremy Powers lit shit up from the gun. It was annoying and painful.

Fields have been, in the past, mostly New Englandy, and somewhat smaller than expected. But it's a good race to consider if you are still trying to wash the taste of all like 5 of our local, actual crits out of your mouth. ;-)

Also, worth checking the specific forecast before you pack your race bag. One year, in August, I shit you not, it was in the 40s at race start. And me with only short sleeve kit...

This past weekend, while chatting with the fellas, it's clear that some of us, are starting to feel either a little burnt, or unsure of how to approach the 2nd half of the road season. If you need a mental re-charge, that makes a lot of sense. I've been watching/reading about many of you racing like gang-busters since March. And with many of the races that this club gets most excited about long gone, it's easy to forget that we've got some great road racing left this season (not to mention track, which can be a great mental/physical recharge). So, with that said, lets take a look at what's going on in the next few months. Races that are and/or might be on MY radar, so maybe worth taking a look at for you too. The big thing is we want your head to be in the game before you pin a number on. No sense in racing if you aren't ready mentally yet. But also, when you pencil in that race on your calendar, it can help you keep up the training. So let's take a look at July and August:

7/12: Capitol Region RR, Albany
7/12: R&A CR, Prospect Park
7/13: NJ Crit Champs (near Watermelon, I hear)
7/13: New Britain CT Crit (park course, flowy, fun, not too hard)

7/19: R&A, PP
7/20: Mengoni Grand Prix, CP

7/26: Tour of the Hilltowns, MA. RR
7/27: L&C Cup
7/27: Freedom Tour Crit, NJ
7/27: Lime Rock, RR (auto racing circuit. supposed to be gorgeous. not sure how the racing is)

8/2: L&C Cup
8/2: Tour of Catskills
8/2: Iron Hill Crit, PA

8/9: ...crickets...training day.
8/10: Tokeneke RR, CT
8/10: Mangoseed FBF

8/16:...crickets...training day.
8/17: Danbury Crit, CT (looks like a real crit course)

8/23-24: Chris Thater. NCC crit for pros on day 1. New/old course. Maybe JP has done it?
8/24: Mangoseed FBF

8/29-9/1: Green Mountain
8/31: Mangoseed FBF

9/7: Fort Lee Crit
9/7: Hunter Mountain

And of course, once we're into September, it's cross season for many of us.

@Jules, I'm with you...sort of. Nothing right now, other than Green Mountain, is getting me more excited than cross season. However, at this stage of my life I'm feeling pretty solid if I have two or three interesting races in a given month. The rest, I either skip, or think of them as an easy way to get in good training. So for me I look at the above and see...

7/12 Capitol Region. A rock solid, challenging race that's easy to get to and not too far. Multiple categories offer riders an opportunity to "compete" or "hang on," depending on their goals.

7/20 Mengoni GP. Maybe this year I'll beat "the next Nikki Terpstra?" With money 20 deep, longer racing in Central Park, usually a handful of Euros, or other Elite amateurs change the dynamic of the racing that sets it apart from a typical park race.

7/26 Hilltowns....not for me, not this year, maybe not ever again. But this is a worthy "travel to" race for the teams road racers. At least it was in the past. Can't vouch for the new course.

8/2 Catskills for the climbers, Iron Hill for me (chance to race 2x in one day, with the finale on a challenging downtown circuit)

8/9-10 So Patrick, Joshua and I will totally be getting all huggy with Adam Meyerson and Alec Donahue at the hopefully worth the expensive CX International cross camp. BUT, the team's road racers have enjoyed Tokeneke in the past.

The middle two weeks of August are admittedly boring snoring for most. I might be gone, back to Oak Park for more family moving duties, but if I can, the NCC Chris Thater weekend looks to be interesting. For the first time in a few years, I'll be able to race both days. But honestly, if you are looking towards Green Mountain, you could do worse than to skip a few weeks of racing (maybe get in one training crit or night at the track per week) and build a little "hungry" for the big Vermont weekend.

But also, and maybe Garrigan can weigh in here...but I think full-time crossers like to quiet down the racing in August, so the relatively thin schedule, might not be a bad thing after all?

Anyway, hopefully there are at least a few tasty morsels for everyone to snack on before the leaves start falling!

What!? There are so many great races left. The real question is do you want to race?

Kayt Mathers said:

@Marc, have you raced or have you heard good things about the Iron Hill Crit in West Chester, PA? My category has a short race (only 30 min), but I'm thinking about making a day out of it.

I have done Iron Hill...for the past 3 or so years. I have lots to say about it. But I'm in the middle of cleaning the apartment for weekend guests, hoping to have time to actually ride my bike today before I have to pick up Peter from daycare.

So what am I doing on the 'puter and forum? Cuz, I'm a distractable gent.

I'll try to write more later.

Thanks @Marc, and no rush! Good luck with chores and laps!

I'm looking at this race. There's a whole weekend of racing down there in Amish country. Theres a crit Sat and the RR sunday or vice versa. I'm considering driving down in a Zipcar with my gf. If there is interest and someone has a bike rack then that opens things up and turns into potential road trip territory. Any takers let me know. Possibly room for 1-2 more folks! Also willing to split costs on a hotel down there. 

Okay sandwich/computer break:

https://www.bikereg.com/bob-rodale-fitness-park

https://www.bikereg.com/iron-hill-twilight-race-series

I've written a lot about this race in year's past, a search should pull up some stuff. But in the meantime...

What I like about this race, for many categories, it offers the opportunity to race twice in one day. First in the qualifier on a circuit like course that swoops on the parking lot roads that surround a high school on the outskirts of town. Then if you place in the top [varies with category], you get to race the amateur combined category race on the big-boy course later in the evening, before the pro men and women race.

The evening course, for a 4-corner crit, is actually quite hard. And for the amateurs, it can be frustrating as there is a WIDE range of abilities lined up with us on a narrow start with a tight turn one and two. Most years it's kind of a crash fest until the less experienced riders get pulled or crashed out. Last year was frustrating to me because after getting stuck behind a split, and despite being in a good group that was at least holding our gap to the front of the field, the refs pulled us anyway. Way way too soon.

This year, I'm in better shape, and know exactly what I have to do to avoid that fate again. The combined field thing is weird. I don't mind racing with various categories, men and women alike, but when you have 60+ or so of mixed category racing, it becomes kind of a mess. Part of me wants to sign up for the Pro 1/2 race, but it's a $13,000 National Crit Calendar race and you can bet all kinds of REAL pros and traveling elites will be there to make life miserable for guys like me. I'm better this year, but not THAT much better.

Okay, so to answer your original question Kayt...to be honest, unless you want to make a day of it with some sight-seeing down there and watching pro men and women race in the evening, I would personally find it hard to justify the expense of going down there to race a sort of sleepy (no real fans or hoopla at the qualifiers...feels like a training race vibe) circuity/crit only.

That said, if you take on the other circuit race that weekend as Craig suggested...maybe it's a good weekend after all? I've never done the Bob Rodale Fitness Park CR/crit. But strictly from a racers point of view, for Cat 4 women, with no opportunity to race again at night...seems like a hard sell to me.

Bump. Lots of good racing available this weekend; even if L&C is cancelled.

Real crit...Freedom Tour, in nearby NJ
https://www.bikereg.com/freedom-tour-2014

Real road race...Tour of the Hilltowns
https://www.bikereg.com/ncc-tour-of-the-hilltowns

My buddy Rob and I have room for 1+bike to both of these races this weekend

https://www.bikereg.com/iron-hill-twilight-race-series
https://www.bikereg.com/bob-rodale-fitness-park

Looking to split gas and tolls. Round trip from BK each day.

Get some!

for those looking for short circuits, the Danbury Crit is back after a long hiatus.

I was totally going to go to Danbury...but gotta go back to Oak Park for family stuff. Sigh. Going to miss Chris Thater too.

John Malcolmson, get thee out-of-town and crush at one or both of these events. That will make feel better. And it's all about me.

EVERYONE. There's good racing out there for EVERYONE. Don't miss it. Crits, road races, stage races, time trials!

Gwynna Smith said:

Marc Bertucco said:

EVERYONE. There's good racing out there for EVERYONE. Don't miss it. Crits, road races, stage races, time trials!

(and mountain biking!)

Yes, in fact this weekend's(?) Taconic 909 is a MTB course/race even I would do again. It was my first in a long time last year, and led to be believe the MTB racing was fun. (LOL, JK...sort of.)

9/27 Town Hall. PA-My favorite  course of the 6 I raced on last year(raced Kings Park twice). Set in a small grassy, suburban park with steepish climb right from the start with  salmon run switchbacks up to near the top and then a steeper run up/ride up to the crest followed by fast sweeping turns to get you back down the hill. It has a nice blend of everything…climbing, turns, power sections, gravel   etc

2013 Providence Podium...family man style.

2013 Marty Cross...Waffle hand-ups...family man style.

2013 Warwick...cool down with the kid...family man style.

I'm hoping to do Warwick/NBX. I can't do Providence because of work. I lived in Providence for 8-9 years prior to moving here. I still have a few friends(indie rocker, DIY musician types…a couple of Wahwick natives) there who are probably good for a Narragansett beer hand up and early morning heckle. I think I'd try to get off of work Monday so that I can go out and pahdee haad w my local friends on Sunday night. I really hope i can pull it all off. Rhode Island rules!

Town Hall is HORRIBLE. Slop slop slop slop, climb climb climb climb, rip-roaring-rapid descent, teeth-chattering gravel, handler's slalom, some power-slop, repeat. Probably the climbiest CX race on the calendar, and probably by a lot. You'll notice a lot of our stick-like teammates singing Town Hall's praises. I hate it, hate, hate, hate. As a racer. It is a panacea for the heckler, however. And it's Rich Henning's hometown race. As such, I will be there.