Jeffrey White said:

I also am going out to do Wilmington. Does anyone else want to share a ride?

Jeff, good luck tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it down there early enough to watch your race. You know what you are doing, but after your strong start, and things start to settle down a bit? Keep your wits about you. Focus and finish in the money! I know you can do it!

I finished somewhere around 20th. Hardest race in a long time. The Wilmington course is a true classic. It actually suits me quite well. But it took me too long to figure it out. Lots of turns in both directions, just enough elevation change to keep the pure trackies out of the running. I picked some bad wheels toward the end and ran out of leg speed to keep jumping around guys dropping wheels last lap. (As an aside, how does one drop a wheel last lap? You have one job. One job.)

Tracking well for Somerville weekend. 

Jeffrey White said:

I finished somewhere around 20th. Hardest race in a long time. The Wilmington course is a true classic. It actually suits me quite well. But it took me too long to figure it out. Lots of turns in both directions, just enough elevation change to keep the pure trackies out of the running. I picked some bad wheels toward the end and ran out of leg speed to keep jumping around guys dropping wheels last lap. (As an aside, how does one drop a wheel last lap? You have one job. One job.)

Tracking well for Somerville weekend. 

Jeff, stick around next time. You were either 12th (last money spot $1000/12 deep) or 13th...

Great job regardless on double legit, seriously hard course! This is what crit racing is all about.

http://kissenacycling.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1215/race-reports-the-threadless-file#latest

Over in the mentoring thread, I addressed this point:

"I picked some bad wheels toward the end and ran out of leg speed to keep jumping around guys dropping wheels last lap. (As an aside, how does one drop a wheel last lap? You have one job. One job.)"

http://kissenacycling.vanillaforums.com/discussion/741/mentoring#latest

Well now that summer is "officially" here, time to bust out the dress whites and think about what kind of racing you might be doing these next few months. Since most of the team's racers are already keyed into the local park racing scene, I'm going to focus this next list mostly on races that I think are worth the trip out of town. It's not definitive, it's just what's in my head currently. Feel free to pitch your own events. The point here is to make sure KCC isn't missing out on good road racing this summer!

• May 30. Watermelon. Nearby, good beginner crit. Small fields. Pavement is sufficiently crappy in parts to remind you of FBF.
• May 31. Dave Jordan Classic. I put this Central Park race in here because I know a fair amount of Brooklyn folks balk at racing in CP because of how early they have to get up. However, very few opportunities to race in CP this year. And despite it's 10k loop, it ends up racing "like a crit" being a thinking man's race with a heavy dose of positioning required to do well. Also, pavement doesn't suck here.
  
  
• June 6. CT State Champs. Walnut Hill Park course is fun. Swoops and swerves, makes you work, but not too hard, if you don't want to. Very pleasant place to hang out before/after race.
  
• June 7. Training day. Ride long. Tim says so.
  
  
• June 13. Ride long. Again. (Or R&A if you must.)
• June 14. White Plains Crit. A real crit, on an interesting course that is really close by. This is NOT TO BE MISSED. Seriously. Go to this race
• June 14. Riverton Crit. Why these two races have to conflict with each other year after year maddens me. But if you are already in Jersey, I am a big fan of the darling/historic neighborhoody feel of the Riverton course. Plus, it's a legit hard course.
  
  
• June 20-21. Giro del Cielo. Woa...they have a race for 1/2/3s this year. Nice. This has been popular with the clubs 3s/4s for a few years now. Search on the forum to read all about it.
• June 21. Harlem Crit. Fast, 4-corner crit in Harlem. Reasonable start times. Nice opportunity to race city streets in NYC. Very spectator friendly.
  
  
• June 27. Lou Maltese. Back in Central Park for more racing fun!
• June 28. Ride long.
  
  
• July 4/5. Crickets. Training weekend.
  
  
• July 11. Capital Region. Classic Upstate NY RR course. Very easy and quick to get to.
• July 12. Training day.
  
  
• July 18. Tour of the Hilltowns. I haven't done the new course, but it still promises to be a real climbers course. The old one literally had a 5 mile climb in it. Looks like the new one does too.
• July 19. Training day.
  
  
• July 25. Training day.
• July 26. Mengoni GP. Race in CP!
• July 26. Freedom Tour. Nice crit in Sterling, NJ. Shame it conflicts with Mengoni.
  
  
• July 31-Aug 2. Tour of Catskills. A lot of KCC climbers enjoy this race. Devils Kitchen climb is kind of insane.

So there you have it, June and July. Plan it out folks. July looks like a good month for training, [cue sad trombone, followed by lemonade out of lemons sound efx] and/or getting to Saturday "Master's and Rookies" track racing at T-town and/or trying some MTB racing on. August the road season picks up pace again, just in time to get those legs sharp for cross season!

Watermelon Crit is the only race where I've figuratively and actually tasted the sweet refreshing taste of a top 3 result.  For cat 4/5 racers, if Jeff White is (hopefully) racing it this year, try to get in a few preview laps with him.  He is a master of the course recon and I learned just enough to do well last year without being in great shape.  It also helps to have a lot of team mates to work with!

White Plains Crit is definitely a great race.  It hit the sweet spot for me between the mind-numbing pain of Harlem's flat 4 corners and Fort Lee's short course which also features a great uphill kicker.

Giro del Cielo was my first and only stage race and I had an absolute blast.  It is a very basic uphill TT, crit, and road circuit.  The trip is close enough from NYC, but you can also find a cheap Air BnB spot with friends/family and make a weekend out of it.

I'm going to add a few races to this list as well for anyone looking for more road racing and maybe some hills. Marc touched on a few of them, but I'm including them anyway, as this is also my likely schedule for the rest of the season.

• 6/13 - Greene Mountain -- I don't know much about it, other than it's basically just one of the Catskills stages. I'm probably going to try and go kill this one.
• 6/14-15 - Cielo -- I'm probably sitting this one out, but it really is a great race. Given that I've been skipping out on a lot of family obligations to race, I'm probably going to do Father's Day stuff instead.
• 7/11 - Capital Region --  Definitely planning to hit this one.
• 7/18 - L&C? -- Ugh, this week and the one following aren't too exciting. The PP race looks like the only option on the calendar.
• 7/31 - 8/1 -- Catskills! I'm really thinking about going, but there's also another stage race in Stage College, PA (aka Penn State) that weekend:
• 8/1/-8/2 - Nittany Stage Race -- This is that other race. This one will be much, much smaller, but it might be an excellent opportunity for me to snag some upgrade points without fighting against those New England guys. It's also where I went to college, so might be a fun weekend outside of racing as well. Really on the fence with this one. Nittany is a 4/5 field, though, and that might be enough to push me to Catskills.
• 8/9 - Tokeneke RR -- Don't know much about this one outside of past race reports, but this could very well be my last race of the season.

After this, aside from Green Mountain, I think that's the season. If other cat 4s have interest in any of these, let me know. I'd love to have teammates in some of these races. 

I think, for Cat 4s who have been practicing their team racing skills in Prospect Park, rallying around Adam, or another strong rider at Tokeneke would be a lot of fun. The race is pretty close, the climbing is NOT ridiculous and teamwork could make a difference. It's in August, you've got time, but think about it!

I'll be up for Capital Region if you can offer a ride.

Go Fabian! Nice job.

Thinking about doing Tour of Millersburg.  Anyone have interest?  

https://www.bikereg.com/9th-annual-tour-de-millersburg-stage-race

I think I'm car-less that weekend but would be into sharing expenses with folks. 

Considering this. Nittany Stage Race:

https://www.bikereg.com/26328/The-Nittany-Stage-Race

https://www.bikereg.com/inc/content/images/files/6546/The Nittany Stage Race Flyer 2.16.2015.pdf

eloy said:

Considering this. Nittany Stage Race:

https://www.bikereg.com/26328/The-Nittany-Stage-Race

https://www.bikereg.com/inc/content/images/files/6546/The Nittany Stage Race Flyer 2.16.2015.pdf

This is on my radar. Has a few pros for me personally, but despite the cheap entry hotels are more $$. Also, extremely small fields so far. 

it coincides with Catskills I think. I rather sleep there, but it is close enough and saturday happens early, that you could maybe sleep back in Brooklyn, and head out early on Sunday.

I just posted a bunch of threads for some races happening in July/August that bring a nice end to the Tri-state road season. Anyone that has transpo hit me up!

I've posted a bunch of stuff here about this race day before but, you know so you don't have to search and scroll, I'll do it again for 2015 for one of the best crit racing days of the year. Not only do you get great racing opportunities, but the night-time pro crit is SERIOUS money, NCC and attracts the best crit racers in the country.

https://www.bikereg.com/iron-hill-twilight-criterium

In nearby West Chester, PA, this classic day of racing is a "must-go" for crit racers. And it is a full day of racing, offering you the chance to race twice, on two drastically different courses for a single entry fee.

Here's how it works.

Race day morning, you line up in your respective categories on a circuit-like "crit course" that loops a local school. There's a little elevation change, a tricky chicane, but for anyone who's ever done a New Jersey "circuit-crit" that gently loops through a park, you will be very comfortable on this course.

Now top finishers (it varies for every category), will "qualify" for a combined category race in the early evening on a challenging 4-corner downtown crit course. I put qualify in quotes because based on past years low registration numbers, basically everyone qualifies. If memory serves I finished like 2nd to last place in the 1/2 and or Master's qualifier and I still qualified for the night-time race.

The downtown course is deceptively difficult 4-corner, all left turns course. Turn 3 is fast and tight leads to an out of the saddle short climb to a false flat homestretch that is always single file past pubs and restaurants overflowing with spectators. The attrition rate is usually moderate to high on this course.

Make no mistake about it, this is a great race day, that starts sort of sleepy like, then finishes with a spectacular display of beautiful crit racing. Don't miss it!

Also, kids races, live music, sidewalk chalk art, tasty fro-yo, restaurants galore. I'll be traveling with my family for Saturday, then showing up on Sunday to race Tokeneke. Nice to have a great crit/rr combo weekend scheduled. Been a while since I've done that routine.

(It's a combo especially worth considering also for anyone who is racing GMSR)

I am seriously considering this.

Anyone have an opinion of the Mangoseed Restaurant crits on Sundays' at FBF?

It's close, it's a real city-streets crit. Crazy big prize money. I haven't done this one, but it's feeling like a "can't miss" race fer sher.

https://www.bikereg.com/wheelpassion-race-for-scholars-criterium

Come watch me take Adam Myerson to school in the Pro 1/2 event. Harhar.

So I'm looking to knock out as many Cat 5 opportunities as I can, and am thinking of going to FBF on Sunday morning to do the Mangoseed, but I notice that only 3 folks have registered.  Thoughts on this race?

https://www.bikereg.com/mangoseed-restaurant-ws-uniteds-graveyard-series--floyd-bennett-field

Scott - it typically attracts a small number of people and fields get combined. However, i was told the first race had a larger than usual group of people, and it has a series competition this year. In any case, most people register day off so I wouldn't go by what's on bikereg.

But as a cat 5, so just do as many  of them as you can, ignore the number of people registered. You're going for experience at this point.