I just got this email alert from NYC DOT for THIS weekend.  They must have a DeLorean.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/wkndtraf.shtml

The following streets in Manhattan will be closed on Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm for the Grants Tomb Criterium:
* Riverside Drive Loop around Grant’s Tomb
* Riverside Drive between 120th Street and 122nd Street
* Claremont Avenue between 120th Street and 122nd Street
* 120th Street between Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue
* 122nd Street between Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue

Bump! It's that time of year. Looking forward to one of the best races of the year on Saturday March 14th. Use this thread to start your scheming and planning. There are a lot of combined category racing options which makes coordination with your teammates more important.

For this demanding criterium, I generally don't recommend racing multiple categories in a single day, but if you are careful and go in with clear goals and objectives for both races, it can be done.

Again, let's start the chatter. Looks like this early season show-down is one week later this year, and while I'd actually love it if this race were in April, I'm still psyched to have an early season form-check/target to keep me motivated and training and away from the snack drawer. Hopefully it will have a similar effect for you too!

Grant's Tomb is a ton of fun, highly recommended.  I'm hoping they do the same course as last year instead of the shorter loop which they've used from time to time.  Anyone have any insight on that?

Last year's course was the traditional course (at least as far back as I can remember). 

Nice, last year was my first GT, but a bunch of Youtube vids I saw from prior years seemed to be on the short course. 

Nice, last year was my first GT, but a bunch of Youtube vids I saw from prior years seemed to be on the short course. 

Jim is 100% correct on this. Short course is the back-up. Important to note, the short course ends up being harder, The 180-ish at the top of the course ends up creating a HUGE interval for everyone but the very front of the pack. I hate the short course so, so very much. So painful.

But, if we end up getting shafted with that course, then you have ZERO margin of error on a quality warm-up and bum-rushing the startline old-skool CX style becomes the most important tactical moves you will make all day.

But, if we end up getting shafted with that course, then you have ZERO margin of error on a quality warm-up and bum-rushing the startline old-skool CX style becomes the most important tactical moves you will make all day.

This

First GT for myself. Thinking of doubling up in the 2/3 and 1/2/3, good idea...or great idea? 

I'll likely be doing what Jake's doing. Note to those new to this race, it's obnoxiously hard for a crit in March. The last time I raced it, it was a struggle to not get dropped. The time before that, I got dropped.

First GT for myself. Thinking of doubling up in the 2/3 and 1/2/3, good idea...or great idea? 

Aiming to be out on the group ride next weekend, assuming weather behaves. 

Jacob, the answer is as always, "it depends." If memory serves from some internet trolling when you first said hello, you've turned in some solid rides in bigger races. But here's the thing, if you expect to do well (or even finish) both races then I would be shocked if you could do both. If, on the other hand you just want to beat yourself to a bloody pulp, then by all means go ahead and sign up for both.

Last year, one of our strongest sprinter/crit riders doubled up with the master's then did the 1/2/3. He did very well in the masters, bridging up to the winning break and almost going to the line with them. In the Pro 1/2/3 race, he lasted, I think about 1/2 the race before getting dropped.

As a midwestern crit racer, I HATE racing real crits (which this is) with local cat 3s. Especially this time of year, potentially dicey course conditions, etc. They just don't have enough experience to make me not fear for my skinsuit when racing with them. And I'm not strong enough to "ride away" from them either. In the 1/2/3 race, much of it is single file and hot. There will be plenty of traveling Cat 1/2s in the race (many from the Foundation team, a few ex-pros who now call NYC home and sneaky dudes like myself trying to play the dark horse) who will be there to ensure that there won't be much, if any dawdling. Single and double file most of the race with brief bunching as you approach turn one. That's about it.

Wind comes strong and across the field on the rising homestretch and that usually means we're riding in the gutter on the left, or totally bunched for a second before someone attacks and puts us all back in the gutter.

Good times. Think about your goals for the day, how they relate to the rest of your season and choose wisely.

Registration opened Feb 1, and then closed.  Opens again 2/15.

https://www.bikereg.com/crca-grants-tomb-criterium-2015

Folks should pay attention to CRCA race registration dates. Almost none of their races will sell out, BUT, the do not do "day of" registration AND they also have a sliding scale whereby you pay more the later you register online. Usually in one or two bumps.

Now would also be a good time to re-up your USAC license!

Thanks for the info guys. I'm looking forward to kicking off the season. I'd always considered making the drive down to do GT in the past, but the form was never good enough to warrant the road trip. Hoping to be a bit more in shape by early March this year. The L&C training race should be a nice tune-up. I'll definitely do the 1/2/3, and depending on the leg "sensations" the week prior I'll determine if the double-dip is worth it.  

Jake 

PS - I'm hoping to join on the group ride this Saturday, but I'll post up in that section later. Got a few questions still ...

Looking forward to meeting you on the road before we line up to race together at GT!

Grant's Tomb is coming up on Saturday March 14! One of my favorite races of the year.

So far registration by KCC is light, but for those interested, I want to offer up the opportunity to get together on Saturday March 7 or Sunday March 8 to recon the course, review the racing lines on both the long and short courses, work on the finishing sprint, cornering (as traffic allows), and more.

This is a challenging race course, but with the right approach, the right preparation you can have a successful race. And even if you don't plan on racing, but want to review some crit racing skills (from fundamentals to advanced tactics and techniques), this event might be for you too.

So if you are interested in a Grant's Tomb Workshop, please post your preferred date below. (Regardless of day, we need to have this happen in the morning when traffic tends to be light.)

This is such a good course, seriously, not one to miss if you can help it.  And if you can get a preview in with Marc this weekend, DO IT.

I'm thinking hard about this. Was hoping to race this weekend to get a gauge of how I feel, but obviously that isn't happening. Leaning toward the 4/5 Cat 4 race if I do it as I'm looking for points this year. I haven't really done well in crits in the past, but between cross and my focus this offseason, it may no longer be a weakness.

Adam and all, I can help you race better at Grant's Tomb. Seriously.

This weekend, I'm available for course recons on Saturday and/or Sunday. At this point, I'd suggest Sunday, at the course, at 7:30 or 8am so that we can join up the Sunday group ride.

And/or if you have questions, ask them here and I will be happy to answer them here.

Let me know if anyone is interested in the on-course recon session.

Mark -- I might take you up on that Sunday morning. I'll let you know for sure tomorrow.

The big race is coming up. Not everyone (including myself) who plans to race is currently registered, but I want to encourage those who are planning on racing to start discussing. If you can get together for some early morning laps in PP this week, even better.

One of the fist things to sort out--for those riders who are registered for multiple races--is to figure out what their intentions are for which race and figure out how that works with team goals. While the race can be hard enough that it can end up being a defacto "every man for himself" type of race, I want to encourage each team to go in with a plan and some alternative plans. At the very least a rough outline. The best teams are good communicators. Lets be one of the best teams this year!

Pro 1/2/3*
JP Partland
Jake Jolly
Marc Bertucco

Cat 2/3

Vlad	Preoteasa
Brendan	Rigby
Jake	Jolly
Craig	London

Cat 3/4

patrick	rodriguez
Craig	London

Cat 4
Jeffrey White

Cat 4/5
Patrick Rodriguez


*Sorry Cat 2 guys about not talking more about this race today on the road. Except, honestly, for most of the day I was above "comfortable conversation" level.

my goal is to figure out where I'm at fitness wise while doing as well as I can in what I think will be a challenging field for me.  at this point, i really have no idea what's a realistic expectation/plan for this race.

jake, vlad, craig, what are your plans for the 2/3 field?

GT for me has always been an obnoxiously hard affair. My hopes are based on what my fitness will allow me to do. This could be anything from hanging on to trying to get in an early move. The likelihood of the former has been historically the case. Ideally, as a team I'd like us to get involved from the beginning, be in any promising moves, bring some back if we're not, and get Brendan a solid leadout going into the final sweeper if we're there at the end.

I'm optimistic, but I'm not holding my breath. We haven't raced together as a unit, our collective fitness is probably all over the place, and who knows what the other teams are bringing. I can promise that this won't be an easy race.

Also, I'm not racing if it's raining. I don't need to suffer through that this early into the season.

Damn, Jeff W. is the only cat4 racing?  I might register just to get another Kissena jersey in the field.  I am currently at a sorry state of fitness and can't imagine even finishing with the pack right now.  Any other able and willing 4s?

David Yang said:

Damn, Jeff W. is the only cat4 racing?  I might register just to get another Kissena jersey in the field.  I am currently at a sorry state of fitness and can't imagine even finishing with the pack right now.  Any other able and willing 4s?

I'm on the fence, but leaning toward no. Would have preferred to get at least one race in my legs, preferably one that's a little lower more chill. Might go for Branchbrook instead.

Adam, I hear you.  The cat 4 field is usually pretty sketchy to begin with, but coupled with being the 1st local race of the year and I don't want to even think of the stupid crap that will probably happen with a bunch of overeager beavers overlapping wheels.

With that said, Jeff deserves to have at least one teammate in the field.  My spirit is willing, but the body is soft and cake-filled.  It would be ideal to have someone more helpful than myself trying to give Jeff a hand.

My strategy is the same as last year:

1. Take the hole shot (and I mean this literally)
2. Stay at or near the front the entire fucking time
3. Watch for a move or surf the sprint

Teammates would be groovy.

"My 2 Cents: By Jack Handy"

Cat 2/3s
I've ridden recently (within the past two weeks) with everyone registered for that field except Vlad. And I've literally watched most of you, not only at other races, but also at this race in particular.

If I were the team DS, I would make Craig the team leader. Not only is he fit, he's motivated, been training specifically for this race (he posted something about 20-hour training weeks on the forum somewhere) and MOST importantly, he has the most crit racing experience of the group. Unless Craig turns down the leader role, he's your guy for road captain and probably the finish.

If Brendan is there at the end, then he should focus on nailing the leadout. The two of them went 5 and 6 last year at Bound Brook, another challenging crit, but I don't think Brendan has the same kind of fitness yet. From a team point of view, I'd rather see a 3rd place and 10th, than a 5th and 6th any day.

Everyone, you can't rely on fitness for this race. You have to be aggressive and active and in the front 1/3 of the field (at least) or else you WILL see exactly how fast you can empty the tank. A couple of years ago, Perlberg who has a bigger engine than most, got destroyed after just a few laps at GT.

Obviously, fitness has a lot to do with it, but the more important thing is going to be your positioning throughout this 5 "corner" crit. The closer you are to the front, the fewer intervals you will have to do.

Finally, if there are a few of you left at the end, find each other, coordinate, and help position and/or lead someone out. You will absolutely be a better racer for that effort than if you do your own thing.


Cat 4s
Jeff White is quite good on this course. It would be a good learning experience to race with him. Please consider it.

Pro 1/2/3
Based on history and some brief chatting yesterday I've got some ideas. Looking at the start list, there are plenty of big teams with legit horsepower coming to play. Foundation, Weather Channel, Greenline/ZipCar, etc. Which makes JP happy because there are plenty on Weather Channel who will want a breakaway, and JP loves a breakaway.

I'll be there to help block should he get away. Otherwise, I'm sitting in and waiting for the bunch sprint. And while I won't expect a leadout, if I'm swamped in the closing laps, I won't be shy about asking for help to move up into better position. I also won't turn down the opportunity to be in a move, but I do not have the motor, nor the training time of our semi-pro competition.

Jake, it would be good if you can help make sure JP doesn't miss out on a move with a dangerous Greenline dude. JP knows most everyone else in the field. But also, you've done some tough races, including a legit Boston crit where your teammates swept and you finished safely in the pack. Will be good to have another Cat 2 racing with us on Saturday.

Also, there's going to be a lot of tired guys from the 2/3 race clogging shit up and/or letting gaps open when it gets fierce. I should be good enough to race and finish with the bunch, but I don't know how many "oh, shit, why the hell did I ever think I could do two races" gaps I can close.


EVERYONE
Try and meet before your races to check on how you're all doing. A lot can happen between now and then. Especially those who are lining up for their second race of the day.

Jeff has a good plan. This is a race where it's worth investing the energy to maintain a top 15 position. You'll burn more matches if you are further back. This is not a solo friendly course either. 

Always worth your time to stalk your competition (and teammates) with Road Results Race Predictor... For example Cat 4 has CRCA Pactimo favored as a team. Their No.1 guy is a 270 pt crit monster, some serious sandbaggery. Safe bet you'd podium if you're on his wheel at the finish line: 
http://www.road-results.com/?n=racers&sn=pred 

@Marc If Jake has form, he would be the one to support in the 2-3's. He has a lot of crit racing experience.