Max,
Fields will race one after another. Juniors probably race for 25 minutes so the next race will probably be at 2:00 and so on. Only one field on course at a time.

James, you can have the other spot in the car.

Registered for the 4/5 field, and will be in great racing company with Jeff and James. I'm taking the PATH + NJ Transit trains and I'll be in Bound Brook by 12:45 p.m. 

I was super nervous going into this race, it was a 4/5 field, crazy hot and my first crit. On the drive over Jeff set me an assignment – get to the first corner first wheel and stay in the top ten, because of course that means you’ll get a top ten finish…

I managed to get on the front row and I ended up getting to the first corner 4th wheel having failed to clip in as quickly as I’d have liked. This was great advice from Jeff because it kind of eased me into the race. No pressure on the corners and no chasing or moving up required. Probably stayed there for the first few laps then moved back a bit then forward a bit, probably always in the top 15-20. It was cool riding with Jeff to start (he punctured early) and super fun riding with Bruce who would give me wise words every so often. We always had someone fairly high up.

With about 5 to go there was a guy out front by maybe 50m, I wouldn’t say he was overly strong and on the finishing straight I decided to test my legs and ride up to him. This happened and I went past him but I was pretty tired after the effort. I didn’t mean for it to ever stick I guess I just wanted to go fast. On sitting up I sat behind Bruce and recovered pretty well which made me feel good.

With 2.5 to go, on the back straight some guy two ahead of me crashed, don’t know how but there was little to no chance of me escaping. I went down hitting my elbow and hip on the ground. The impact made my handlebars and shifter unrideable. I later realised that my front wheel refused to go round too - taco time. Race well and truly over. Super annoyed because I felt so good and think I could have finished top 20. Unfortunately Max punctured early so it was only Bruce that finished the 4/5 race.

On the way home Jeff and I got Dunkin and had an expensive trip to redbeard. Jeff was in a crash in race two which broke his rear mech a little bit and I have a very un-round wheel.

The course and atmosphere were awesome and once again racing bikes for Kissena was quite charming. FBF Tuesday anyone? 

Nice job out there James, and bad luck about the crash, but I'm glad you're ok.  You looked strong every lap, and after the race a guy asked me if you were ok and said he'd been on your wheel during the race and that it was a fast, solid place to be.  
Take care of your elbow and hip.  These things can get super stiff the next day so may want to take it easy. 
I had thought it was a sweaty, hot, fast race, and after James talked about how incredible crits are, even with blood dripping down his arm, I got a bit infected by his enthusiasm and realized it was also a hell of a lot of fun.  Thanks for helping put that into perspective for me.  Heal up.

Staying that far up front in your first crit is no joke - nice work! Great advice from Mr. White, too.

Bummer to hear about the crashy mcCrashface-iness though. Good to hear the damage doesn't seem to be too bad.

I figured this year's tour of Somerville would be easier.  They made it a 2/3 race and lengthened it to 26 miles.  I think they also opened up registration to be pretty huge.  I think I saw 166 starters listed, but I can't find that now.  

I was expecting more packfill, so that might help me launch a breakaway.

I was wrong on all counts.   Sitting in and moving around was pretty easy, though a bit sketchier than previous years.  The problem was attacking.  I'd position well and fly through turn three to get a gap, but I'd be closed down 200m after turn four.  Same thing happened at turn two.  Tried attacking halfway down the home straight.  Closed down fast as well.  

I don't think a move made it farther than 100 feet off the front the entire race.

On my last attack, the field was on the right side of the home straight.  I started an attack by shooting over to the left hand side of the road.  700w, then settle down to 400w.  Then holding between 375 and 400.  I was still caught in a minute.  

I backed off on the last lap.  Local rider Euri Madera won.  He's not an incredible sprinter in the parks and last time I raced with him, he wasn't tearing up the roads.  Chris Chong-Tenn, who has to be around 60 got 8th.  I don't want to mess with the argy-bargy for 30th place, but looking at how they did, I wonder if I should try to stay at the front on the last lap.  Finished in the mid 70's

Even with my finishing spot, my average speed was 28.4mph average speed for 26 miles.  No wonder attacking was so hard.

That speed puts the race as one of my fastest Somerville's since they separated the II's from the pro am.

Last year, I did the cat II and masters races, they were 27.3mph and 26.4mph.
In 2014, they were 27.4 and 26.3.
In 2013, 27.9 and 27.2.

BTW, Bound Brook was a loss.  My left cleat came loose in the first 20 minutes.  

Anybody want to do the Tour of somerville next weekend?

GregStreiff said:

Anybody want to do the Tour of somerville next weekend?

You have to be at least a CAT 3 to race the Tour of Somerville. Raritan or Bound Brook are the only options for lower categories.

The TOS added some other category races this year.
They're offering a 3 day pass for 4/5 men and women

https://www.bikereg.com/tour-of-somerville
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3TjCqJ4ju71SjY0RUFNbC1VRmM/view

Bruce van-Schalkwyk said:

The TOS added some other category races this year.
They're offering a 3 day pass for 4/5 men and women

https://www.bikereg.com/tour-of-somerville
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3TjCqJ4ju71SjY0RUFNbC1VRmM/view

Bruce van-Schalkwyk said:

The TOS added some other category races this year.
They're offering a 3 day pass for 4/5 men and women

https://www.bikereg.com/tour-of-somerville
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3TjCqJ4ju71SjY0RUFNbC1VRmM/view

I should have known that, sorry about my prior post.

To be fair Thierry the Monday race has traditionally been for the upper categories only. The 4/5 category is a new thing. Even the Masters is only 1-3 (where its 1-4 on Saturday and Sunday).

I'm tempted even though I'm not a fan of 4/5 crits. I wish they would have done only Cat 4. TOS seems like a tough call for someone with less than 10 races under their belt......

I might do the 4/5 TOS on Monday. I am seeing Future Islands in Philly that night so maybe I'll hit up a race on my way down. But taking advantage of the day off with a long endurance ride vs a 30 min crit might be the more appealing option. 

Those races look awesome, wish I could join in on the fun. Soon...........

https://www.bikereg.com/2017-rko6-memorial-day-classic

maybe a little too late to plan this for 2017...or is it?

But I would definitely be game for this

SeanMiles said:

https://www.bikereg.com/2017-rko6-memorial-day-classic

maybe a little too late to plan this for 2017...or is it?

But I would definitely be game for this

I would do the 3/4 race sat and sun, and the 4/5 race Monday. there is no 3/4 option on Monday.
could we drive back and forth each day or would we need to stay closer to the race? 

There's a CAT 4 only race every stage. Drive from where? It's in California.

SeanMiles said:

There's a CAT 4 only race every stage. Drive from where? It's in California.

lol I thought we were still talking about TOS

I'm in for TOS weekend was just throwing that stage race out there, i would probably want to race both 4/5 and 3/4 sat and sunday, then im probably going to go upstate to my parents for sunday night/ monday, so out for that day. its drivable to the races from the city, both raritan and bound brook are less than an hour drive

I definitely want to race at least one day (saturday or sunday).
@GregStreiff are you still in for the 3/4?

@UlrikeGlaser Monday I am thinking yes. You could ride w me and Tess down, but we're go to philly after so you might need to train it home. unless others are coming too. 

Yack's riding roller coasters at Hershey Park this weekend.   Rock on dudes...

UlrikeGlaser said:

I definitely want to race at least one day (saturday or sunday).
@GregStreiff are you still in for the 3/4?

Ulrike,
     Both Saturday and Sunday are easy to get to via NJ Transit trains.  THey're both accessible via the same train line even.  With Bound Brook, you need to ride about a mile from the train to the race.  With Raritan, it's right there--though you cold also debark in Somerville and ride a bit over a mile to the race.

(I'll be doing Saturday and Sunday.  Skipping Monday for the first time in ages.)

I took the train to the race in Bound Brook last year. It was very straightforward. 

Thanks, JP. I already checked out the train schedule.
I'm registered for sunday!!

Bruce, last year my race there started in a way eerily familiar to the one you just described. A junior racer had just finished the prior race, and his dad or coach handed him a Sunkist to chug, then pushed him right onto the line in front of me. When the whistle blew, he bobbed and weaved like he was Poulidor climbing Alpe d'Huez, pushing a huge gear. Clearly the orange soda didn't kick in soon enough. He rode for Cuevas Development. Did yours?

Hey Max.  I don't remember the kit.  Bright yellow with blue.  Not as cool as Kissena, but nothing is.  
I remember last year we were hanging out at the start for about 10 minutes while one, or several, juniors were getting ready for the race.  The one in front of you must have been the guy we were waiting on.  Thankfully, no waiting this time.
Sunkist sounds awful just before a race.  I wonder if he saw that a second time when it came back up.

My Garmin shows 90F, which is odd since everyone else's shows around 77F.  I'm thinking my feverish riding must have transferred through the handlebars.