I'm signed up for Raritan for the 4/5 race. This will be my first race this year as I've been rehabbing some wonky, painful knees since late February. If the knees fair well in this race and aren't too hurty, I might do Boundbrook the next day.

I'll be looking for a ride or folks to share the cost of a zipcar. I have a saris bones rack that holds 3 bikes

Attention KCC racers planning on participating in one or more of the three criteriums in nearby New Jersey this weekend:

Would any of you be interested in having me on site, at the race sites before, during and after YOUR races for guidance, pre-race course breakdown, warm-ups, hot laps, strategy talk, etc?

Sincerely,
The crit guy mentor (gauging interest.)

Yes.

A couple of things for the coming Memorial Day holiday racing weekend:

1. Arrange your transportation NOW!!! Rental cars are expensive and frequently sell out this weekend. Same for Zip car. New Jersey rental rates are significantly cheaper (Fort Lee has several rental locations just over the GWB; and if you are closer to Jersey City, there's a Budget rent a car in the mall near the Path train exit), but even they are like $67/day for the small car. Manhattan rates? Fuhgettaboutit.
   
   
2. On-site coach/mentor. I'll plan on being there for all of your races. Things may change depending on my little guys napping situation, and this is an important racing weekend for me too, so I won't necessarily be able to watch all your racing laps, but I'll be at Rariton for sure in time to warm up with you guys, and probably Bound Brook. Somerville timing is a little more fussy for me, BUT, the Rariton crit is, as I recall quite close to the Somerville course, and we could head over for a few laps after my race if you want. And anyway, there's generally no time in between races for hot laps at Somerville.
   
   
3. Start at the Front! Rariton and especially Bound Brook are technical enough that you don't want make life too hard for yourself by starting at the back of a big pack. Rariton's roads and turn 1 is pretty wide, so if you aren't in the first couple of rows, it's not the end of the world. But Bound Brook is narrow and hits a TIGHT right-left chicane quickly. You'll want to get your brain in cx staging mode for this one.
   
   
4. Warm-up FOR REAL. Rariton and Somerville have pretty easy access to good roads for a real warm-up. I'm less sure about Bound Brook. But as with all crits, especially the more technical ones, warm-up is going to be key. At Somerville, it's funny to watch guys roll around in slow ovals up and down a closed off street. If they were smart, they already got in their real warm-up before and are just keeping the legs moving before the start. But I guarantee you some of those guys, that's their only warm-up.
   
   The following race report quote from earlier this year comes to mind:
   
   "It took me a few laps to get my racing legs under me, by then [he] was up the road."
   
   To some extent, no matter how good your warm-up, it may take you a few laps to fully get in the groove, but if you are literally still warming up the legs in the first 10 minutes of a race, then you risk either a) missing a good/winning move or b) if you are not strong enough, GETTING DROPPED.
   
   
5. Bring pit wheels. Last year, there was NO NEUTRAL WHEELS at Rariton and Bound Brook. Somerville has fully stocked Mavic and SRAM pits.
   

Im in for the 4/5 and 3/4 saturday and sunday.

Any help in the 4/5 races will be greatly appreciated. I will buy you food and beer.

I'm probably in for Raritan 3/4.

I'm in for 4/5 Saturday and 3/4 Sunday

I'm 35+'ing Sat and Sun. Cat 3'ing Monday.

Any and All racing 3 days in Somerville- I am booking lodging on Air BnB today and renting a car to carpool down. So far it is me, my girlfriend and Konrad. Extra people are welcome to come with us, stay overnight or split costs on any of the above. PM me to set something up. Costs look to be roughly $50-$70/ per head if you want to room with us. Rental cars/gas/food will be split accordingly. Looking to make this an awesome weekend for Kissena's in NJ!

35+'ing???  You are not 35+ Vlad, they don't let guys who are 35+ have tattoos of stags on their thighs.

Next year I am excited to be 40+'ing. Masters races are the shit man. 3/4 races, not so much... no offense.

Adam said:

What are all you 'old' guys running away from?

Heinous fucking crashes, like the one you rode by at Turkey Hill.

There's no guarantee, but "old" guys often seem less likely to take the same risks that cause the atrocity. Probably because they're "old".

Another thing, masters races are generally tougher, smoother, and more tactical than the others.

If there was a 2/3 option, I would do it. If there was a 3, then that would be a tougher call. If there's a 3/4, then I'm racing masters.

I'm in for the 4/5 at Rariton and the 3/4 at Bound Brook.

Adam said:

35+'ing???  You are not 35+ Vlad, they don't let guys who are 35+ have tattoos of stags on their thighs.

Talking about this "age grouper" tri bullshit that is now infecting road racing, I saw a race the other day that had a "masters" 4/5 field at 33 years of age.  You fucking kidding me? What are all you 'old' guys running away from?

Masters should be for the rider who has reached their half century only.  

Step back up to the microphone after a couple of kids, shag... we'll all crane our necks to hear your "insight" at that point in time.

I am going to do the 4/5 At Raritan. I have some room in my car for 2 other riders/bikes.

I'm in for the 4/5.  Dan, I'd like to take a spot in your car if one is still available.

You're in Bruce. Hit me up offline for logistics dhreiners@gmail.com

Unfortunately no memorial racing for me.

Da Silva for the Cat 3 win and primes (primes are worth as much as placing). We had a wicked leadout team last year — I remember Joe Mueller was absolutely legend, and we made over $150 + prizes taking 3 of the 4 primes.

CRUCIAL that you are hanging in the front twenty with three to go. Every year there is a mid pack crash as people over reach in corners to move up. I had my front wheel destroyed coming into bell lap.

This was my target, but I'm coming off a week long stomach illness that had me in the ER and cut around 8 pounds off of a me. Feeling good now. Maybe I'll be like lance and come back stronger...

Nope, don't do that. USADA was at the NJ Crit Champs.

@dan could I take the second spot if that's still available?

Lot of folk doing the 4/5... is that because 3/4 going to be ridiculously tough?

Anybody want to give a quick rundown of the courses? Trying to figure out what our best cards to play might be for each day.

There are YouTube videos for every race except raritan that I can find. Sprinter Della Casa has a great Somerville 2's video up.

Strategy is like orchard beach I think. Stay up front, keep your heads up and watch what's going on around you while avoiding crashes.

Bound Brook (dropped)
Somerville

RTFF for insight.

Edit

konrad said:

Anybody want to give a quick rundown of the courses? Trying to figure out what our best cards to play might be for each day.

I feel like a lot has been written on all of these races, but....generally speaking, if you are among the strongest in your fields at Rariton and Bound Brook, start up front with all your KCC friends and race the shit out of the corners. Make it relentless and the field will shred. The courses are technical enough to approach the race this way.

Somerville not so much. Wide, 4-corner-ish crit. Very tactical day. I'm not saying you can't win from a breakaway, but I would recommend you come to the race prepared to lead someone out for a bunch sprint on the last lap. The road is wide and fast and the leadout will be hard to control. Harder, in some ways than a PP leadout.

Masters 35+ Racing!
@Vlad and @Dan Strika, looking forward to racing with you on Saturday and/or Sunday! Right now, registration numbers are still light, but if past year's races are any indication, we should have a field at least large enough to feel like we're racing a legit event.

Saturday's looking like rain. And when there's rain in a crit, the smart money is on the early break. I experienced this more when I was still racing against pros, but when the rain came, they got to the front and raced those early laps with extra fervor, ensuring that the scare-dee-cats, dropped or crashed out post haste.

Sunday is Funday! Hopefully dry roads and we should be off to the races. Another technical course, means a nice opportunity to have success here as a team. With just 3 of us, we won't be able to approach it the way a squad of 8 of us could in a park race. Still, it won't be an easy race by any stretch. But we should all be somewhat competitive on this classic course. We'll have to see what the teams are doing and play off of their moves as I'm feeling solid about my fitness, but know that I still have a long way to go, and can't risk getting dropped.

@Konrad and the rest. I've only done the Rariton course once as such, I can't really provide a thorough detailed blow by blow. But as I've mentioned before, it has left and right turns, about 6 of them, pretty technical course, but generally good pavement, wide streets. And, as such, it feels somewhat more manageable than the Bound Brook course. I'm pretty sure Jeff White and a few other guys did pretty well here at this race last year, so maybe their memories are sharper than mine for this course.

Also, I am planning to be there early to ride the course with you before your races.

Bound Brook break down:

Start is on a narrowish street. Homes on the left, school on the right. Plenty of grass and trees. In just a few blinks of an eye, you will hit a fast right-left chicane. Guys in the front will fly through, the further back you get the more you are going to have to slow. Guys crash here plenty when they lose concentration.

Then there's another short-ish straight stretch. It's pretty wide here, as there's a parking cut-out section on the right. It's an okay place to gain some spaces with a HUGE warning. Right before the turn, the curb juts out abruptly. So, if you want to make your move here, you have to do it NOW and be quick about it. Partly because of the curb situation, this third turn causes a pretty dramatic slowdown by the pack. And so if you are struggling in the back, or even sitting comfortably in the middle, it's worth leaving some breathing room between you and the guys in front of you. Because you will get a few seconds of recovery, carry full speed through the turn (whereas guys not at the front, glued to the wheel in front of them will have to brake and accelerate) and be right where you need to be for the next two stretches which can be tough, depending on the mood of the field.

Left turn onto another residential street. Shortish stretch, but when the pressure is on, it can be single file here. IMPORTANT NOTE: When it is single file, NEVER EMPLOY THE TAIL-GUNNING TECHNIQUE. It simply won't work. Then we've got another left turn onto the widest, longest single stretch of the race.

This long straight is a love it or hate it stretch. Depending on the mood of the front of the field, you'll either be in your drops eating your knees, just trying to hang onto the wheel in front of you, or moving up with ease because the field wants a break. Early on in the race, count on single file fun. If it's slower than single file, then YOU MUST MOVE UP here. Because at the end of the stretch is a pretty quick series of left-left turns.

There's often a lot of crashing going on here in this left-left combo section. Consider the dynamics. The first left is preceded by a long WIDE straight-away. All those riders have to quickly funnel down onto a typical residential width side street. Then another quick left onto the home-stretch. You are going to have plenty of guys attempting to bomb the inside of these turns, but unable to control their bikes, they'll be forced outside (which is okay, if it's single file and you are at the front), but if you are trying to get through these turns three or four riders wide, someone is going to be forced to break on the normally fast outside-outside line here to avoid getting launched over some significant curbage. Also, I have memory of these turns not being particularly well swept.

TOP TIP: On these and other turns like 1 and 2 of Somerville, I like to NOT be on the outermost edge of the turn/pack, rather riding through the turns with one rider on my right. This way I get all the advantages of the fast line through the turn, while minimizing the risk of getting curbed.

Then, once you make it through these turns, you are on the homestretch, which because of the complicated entry of the double left combo section, tends to be strung out and hard. Some laps will be double/triple file, but those laps will not be easy either, because then you are in the wind trying to move up to get ready to do it all over again and again and again and again....

And finally, I'm going to say this again every time I post about these races because it's that important.

WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP WARM UP

Parking lot of choice for Monday's Tour of Somerville...