I was planning on doing FBF, but I do turn left better than I turn right. Eric, you driving in or riding?

I have mike and joe in my car

Mattie crushed the 4s in a sprint

I took 2nd in the Cat 3 race. It was relatively fast, especially for a 28 person field (threat of rain kept numbers down).
I was the only Kissena in the field. Mike and Joe didn't make it.
Things started off relatively fast and a Blue Ribbon guy soloed off and the pack seemed content to leave him there. So after a lap, I bridged to him. OW. A week off in the Carribbean makes your fresh, but ow ow ow... Not used to the effort. Get to him, we work well together for a few laps, then another guy bridged. He helped a bit. We got some more help and eventually got caught. But more got across to us and we worked OK together. Nothing to brag about. We spent half of the 50+min race off the front, but got reabsorbed. So, we get 6 laps to go and it doesn't look like anything is going to get away. I don't want to sprint.

So, on the bell lap, I attack at the hardest part of the course - up a small hill into the headwind. Let me restate that, from a km out on the hardest part of the course, I attack HARD and go go go... The strategy worked as nobody really wanted to chase that close to the finish. I knew I was going to make it and about 400m to go, I turned to see a guy in Orange about to catch me (he had been in my early break). He then blew right by me to win by a second or two. The pack failed to catch me and I came home second.

Upped my placing by two from last year.

I did the Masters race immediately after and raced HARD, but unsuccessfully. I'll rely on Bertucco to provide the report.

Interestingly, the Cat 3 race was actually faster and harder, but the Masters felt faster and harder.

Great race, come out next year.

While the Battenkillerz were enjoying well-deserved post race massages, feasts-o-plenty, and glorious congratulations, three others suited up for the Battle of Rahway today in nearby Rahway, New Jersey.

Dan Strika and Eric Ragot started their day racing the Cat 3-only field, followed immediately with the 35+ race, and I could be wrong on this, but maybe Dan did the treble and raced the 45+ too?

I'll let Eric tell how it all shook out in the 3s, but I can't resist telling you that, in the end, he launched a Malcolmson-like long sprint and held on for 2nd place.

The 35+ race started EXTREMELY fast. The biggest and fastest field of the day featured many of New Jersey's deadliest guns. With a pocket full of prize money, Ragot rode like he had nothing to lose. Aggressive from the gun. When a dangerous move of 6 slips away, he glides up to me easy-breezy and says, "get on my wheel."

"Shit, I'm not ready for this," I think. But I know it's the right move and I have to go now. The sinewy 1.1 mile loop is smooth like blacktop-butter, but a head/cross-wind for 3/4 of the course makes things tough. Ragot powers up full-speed ahead, I'm on his wheel, but barely. We get our gap. I pick up my tongue off of my power meter and see 400 watts. "Shit man, no wonder this hurts." I'm losing the wheel, Ragot slows, a third bridges up. "Ragot, keep going," I shout, thinking maybe those two have a shot at the bridge.

A lap or so later, Ragot and the other dude come back into the fold.

"I'm sorry Eric."
"For what?"
"I just don't have the legs, that's the winning break. They're gone for good now."

1/2 a lap later the move is now out of sight.

"Oh, yeah, that was the winning break..." acquiesces a visibly dejected Ragot.

Intent on pouring on more pain, Eric continues to stab off the front. Bridging to moves, pulling back splits. He gets another 1 lap gap of about 10 seconds and I slot into second wheel.

"Good, this guy is plump. Nice draft. Just hang here and maybe Ragot can motor away for a top 10."

Former "Navigator's Semi-Pro," and still undefeated bad-ass, Rafeal Urzidouwski is having none of it though and he launches a move that ends up stringing out the field for at least two of the most painful laps I've experienced all season. Ouch.

In the end, the main breakaway split and splintered, others got away and the top 12 guys came through in dribs and drabs, in groups of 3, with significant gaps between them. I rolled in with the 5th and largest group on the road, knowing that if I had me some Perlberg-legs, or WDC, or Malcolmson, or Partland, or anyone but my own legs, we could have had a guy in the winning break. Bummer.

Congrats guys!

Nice work you two

Gripping write-up, Marc. Maybe if you responded to my emails and came riding everyone in a while, I could give you some of my legs. They aren't that strog, but they're furrier than yours.

Briefly: smallish field, with 10 guys from one team (Liberty). Tried moving in a couple breaks, and countering, even with a couple Liberty guys in moves, nothing stuck though. Pace wasn't too bad, unless you got caught out in the wind. While preparing for the field sprint, I thought about where a solo move may actually stick. It seemed the last corner people were stacking up, and not pedaling though. I timed it, from apex to finish was about 40 seconds in the pack. Possible, maybe. Pace finally started heating up with 4 to go. Liberty starts to stack guys at the front, and I move up. As we're approaching the last corner, a junior ( I think yellow S-works terror from Branchbrook last week) jumps a bit before where I was going to. He timed it right as people were slowing up for the field sprint. I jump from 10 wheels or so back, take the last corner fast and clean, ride up to and through him, and hold it for the win. For that 45 second or so jump I held 720 watts.

Other numbers including a warm up and cool down lap:
20.4mi / 23.1 mph avg
NP: 290 watts
peak 1305w
1m 641w
5m 385w


ragot called me a sandbagger. felt good man haha.

Turned out my move was from .7mi, 489w avg, 1:31 in length.
my numbers were not spectacular at all. go hard, recover, go hard, recover.

nice to see Mattie win against a stacked field. He he...

Monster material!

Nice job!

Nice riding you guys! Sorry I missed it.

Nice Job Mattie! You make it sound as easy as making a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

(pictures?)

Damn, just saw all this now that the air is clearing from a crazy weekend. Way to go Eric and Mattie.

Not from the finish, a bit earlier when I just wanted to make people hurt and see if I could draw out a break.

Love the glasses Mattie!

Good job guys! And yeah, the gloves totally go with those glasses. You look "fly".

lol

i love that photo

you look extremely legit, mattie!

^ I'm the fat guy with the oddly disproportionate slender calves in 2nd position.

Posted By: WilliamDCI could give you some of my legs. They aren't that strog, but they're furrier than yours.

You wish. My body hair is so thick that colonies of little hobbits hide from the Nazgul.

Posted By: mattie davittOther numbers including a warm up and cool down lap:
20.4mi / 23.1 mph avg
NP: 290 watts
peak 1305w
1m 641w
5m 385w

Your average speed vs NP surprised me. Now my numbers don't include full warm up or cool-down laps, but...

24.48 mi / 26.05 mph avg
NP: 262
peak: weak
1m: you don't want to know
5m: I might have to join New York Cycle Club

Me not winning:
http://garabito.zenfolio.com/p116703152/h2b36a544#h33c1eadf

Posted By: eragotMe not winning:
http://garabito.zenfolio.com/p116703152/h2b36a544#h33c1eadf

You would have won if you were in the drops

Body hair
Colonies of Hobbits and
Nazgul

(This team makes me all teary eyed...)

@ Eric: that isn't Todd S out in front of you is it?

@ Jules - no Tim something or other... Who is Todd S?

Todd Stldolski, track guy who also races for Guardian.

http://www.usacycling.org/results/?compid=150400

Brooklyn Track guy; I swear you must know him. Also known as "Slow Todd" he's super nice guy who can sprint.

Tim Orr: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2012/04/15-Manny-Lopez-Memorial.asp

All those orange kits look the same to me :P

Big up's to the Mattster on his superb(e) performance.

eragot said:

Here we go again guys. Sunday April 14:

FTFY