William came across solo in the 30s. He looks tired. Rene a bit behind.

Some guy came in solo 4 minutes ahead of the field. He looked strong but had the most butt ugly looking kit I've ever seen. Adler but 2 guys in the top 5.

Sounds like a tough day at Hurt-a-tonic. I look forward to reading race reports.

Wojciech took 7th in the 4s.

Great Job Team! Look forward to reports.

Owens rolled in about 20 minutes back. Says he had to wait for an ambulance or something. Always an excuse with that guy.

Stephane also rolled in. Rumor has it he threw in some attacks on the 40 year olds who according to him "are big slow pussies"Go ahead and say that with a french accent.

Now, in fairness, Jeff Owens and norm stopped and turned around to help Joe get back after his flat. Exemplary sporting behavior, gents! Apparently the wheel car offered to draft them back on but then accelerated away at 40 mph. I'll let them tell that story.

I got dropped on the final stairstep fighting cramps so I slowed and rolled and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I really need to figure out how to finish races!

Great day day big thanks to Jim for driving us up.

Heh. Yeah, we stopped and attempted a chase but the group was gone. But it was cool to try, Joe being one of our stronger riders. On the last stairstep I blew up and enjoyed the final lap as a medium hard training ride.

Then someone crashed ahead and it didn't look so good so they stopped everyone. It was funny to hear people asking the officials if they were keeping track of how long individual riders were withheld so you could get the time added back on.....Uh, no, dorks. Some people are going to the hospital and you got dropped like 30 minutes ago.

^ lol

tough day that seemed promising at first - i could really feel my recent training and loss of a few pounds while i was going up the climbs in the first lap - unfortunately, maybe too much, as i was a bit more aggressive than prudence would dictate.

i started really feeling it in my legs on the second laps, but i was hanging with the lead group (the dudes from BH were very nice and encouraging) until the end of the stairstep climb, when the cramps set in -

aarhghgh!

caught a few dudes (including Phil Penman from BH, who had been attacking ALL day) and worked well together, almost caught them on the KOM, but the cramps told me i could only ride "thiiiis" hard and no harder

we never saw them after that, but we worked well and gave it all we had

wowza - this is a brutally tough race in an already difficult sport

props to wojciech and everyone else in the Kissena Krew for doing battle

final note: NO CHOCOLATE MILK AT THIS YEAR"S SPREAD! (i was super upset at the finish)

"final note: NO CHOCOLATE MILK AT THIS YEAR"S SPREAD! (i was super upset at the finish)"

A travesty!!!! This should have been announced prior to the race reg!

The awesomest thing about Wojciech isn't his impressive 7th place finish. HE'S RIDING ALL THE WAY BACK TO STATEN ISLAND. We saw him with his backpack and spare wheels strapped going by the quickie mart where we were stuffing our faces with ice cream and soda. Maybe that's why he got 7th...

Anyway, it's a beautiful day and I felt much better than last year's massacre. And the trip with Jim, Norm, Ryan, and Joe was really fun.

And actually, Norm and I stopping to chase Joe back on was one of the more neato wanna-be-pro maneuvers I've done. Granted, it didn't work, but it was still pretty great to try.

I will do this race again next year and get annihilated b/c it rulz.

I was bringing-up the rear when I passed Joe road-side fixing a flat. I circled back and saw Jeff coming back also, and I thought we'd have a good c

Excellent effort, fellas!

Wojciech - awesome job!

Ryan - the cramps again? Nooooooo!

William - was it that third piece of hanger steak last night or the Oreos? Maybe it was the Billy Joel.

Norm and Jeff - P.A.S.

Mike - even sherpas get tired.

Joe - what is there to say? Flats suck.

Todd?

Jim and Stephane - thanks for keeping it real for us old guys.

I just want to say something that I expressed to Joe (who came out to watch the Harlem racing)

you guys ARE SO FUCKING PRO for stopping and trying your hardest to pace Joe back. Seriously, no sarcasm intended here. To me, this is what truly makes an "elite" team. A good group of riders who pay attention to each other and try to do the right thing. They make it look to easy on TV, but chasing back from a flat with no 30-car caravan is virtually impossible in our world. But I love it that you guys sacrificed your own chances to try and help your teammate. Fucking pro, fucking awesome. You guys rock.

Here is my report and a couple comments, as if I haven't done enough reporting on this thread:

I was hoping I'd have one of those amazing legs are sore, but you can still ride hard type of days. I was really looking forward to try to help WDC to a nice placing by playing whatever role I could. I woke up and was SO sore. In fact, I woke up several times throughout the night with those I'm falling off a building in my dream but it is really a leg cramp things. You guys know those right? Not just me?

Anyway, the plan was modified in the morning after warmup to survive the first loop and see if I can settle in and do something on the second loop.

The plan was further modified when on the first NEUTRAL climb, I was sent to the back too quickly. I started in the front to conserve energy and slip back gently, but before I knew it I was all the way back. Uhh ohhh.

I actually settled in ok for the next 10 miles or so, until we got to the stair-stepper climb. OUCH. I was off the back again and again with the HR pushing 196 BPM. It was too much for me, I was digging in and giving it my all trying to not let my fellow tail-gunner Ragot get away. At the crest of the climb, I pushed back up to a small group containing Ragot, but the field was gone. We rotated through a bit but it was over. I pulled out at the parking lot.

The most epic Pro-As-Shit minute of my race came after I pulled out of the race. Ragot and I were chatting when I heard the lead vehicle for the field behind us approaching. I figured it was the 4s with all out dudes so I sprinted up to the feed zone to give my bottles to them. I did some crazy cyclcocross shit trying to make it up there, jumped back onto the road and got the whole feed zone to cheer for my charging up the hill in front of the pack. Then, I swerved into the grass, dropped by bike, and got ready to feed. The spectators were so confused.

Unfortunately, it was a field with no Kissena riders. it was a good 15 minutes before the 4s came by. Hah. Tried to play that off casually. I did get to give my bottles away to 2 kissenas later in the day.

Enjoyed a nice ride home with WDC and feasted on some fish and chips when back in Brooklyn. A nice weekend in all.

I'd love to ride up in those parts more often - absolutely beautiful.

A big thanks to norm and jeff! When you guys came back it was a major boost in confidence. It did feel pretty pro when we were bloeing by everyone on the k train. Some days it's just not meant to be. But we tried had as shut. Good result from w with his 7th place finish. Hope you got home safe. And I'm pretty sure that ride put some hair on your chest

Since everybody is all posting numbers now, figured I'd join in. From Housatonic today:

5s (712 watts)
10s (671 watts)
20s (555 watts)
30s (524 watts)
1min (452 watts)
5min (329 watts)
10min (289 watts)
20min (264 watts)
30min (254 watts)

Ah what a day.

Lined up feeling good, wanted to make a solo break and be forced to ride back home with a frame strapped to my back. (Didn't happen, Thank God!)

The Neutral Climb for us (cat 4's, <39) was very neutral. I was lined up somewhere mid-rear of the field and used the climb to move up (as did Jeff)
Stayed near the front along with two juniors. Joe came up after the second climb and we started to set the pace high when he got a flat. After a nice steep climb Ryan
informed me that it would be smart to attack if I still wanted to. I did so, got a small gap but slowed down a lot at a corner (not knowing how to take it)
and got caught. Tried this again a few minutes later, but once again slowed down way to much on the corner before the KOM. Even if I would've managed to stay away through the
corners there was no way I would have stayed away on the climbs solo, mainly because I would not have pushed it the way I had to in the group just to keep contact. On lap two we get our front group down to about 20 guys (Ryan and myself included) and organize a pace line, though it was hard to keep it organized due to the amount of people and constant hills/ descents and me trying to work too much

After the second climb we were down to 7. I get dropped on the KOM climb but work my ass off to make contact with the group again. I did, and we drilled it super hard through to the finish.
Came into the finish 3rd wheel but was in too small of a gear to give it my all out whimsy sprint.


Hardest race I have ever done. Connecticut has some unforgiving hills that's for sure. The roads were in suburb conditions though, quite a change from Floyd

Thanks for all the help and advice guys. Congrats to everyone who finished

Posted By: Wojciech PI did so, got a small gap but slowed down a lot at a corner (not knowing how to take it)
and got caught.

Dude, Wojciech we worked on cornering at the crit clinic! We'll see you there next year right? Haha. Seriously though, congrats on a strong finish on an epic course.

* * * updated report : hey guys --the system chopped most of my report... here's the full account * * *

I was bringing-up the rear when I passed Joe road-side fixing a flat. I circled back and saw Jeff coming back also, and I thought we'd have a good chance at catching back on. The wheel pick-up did accelerate up to a high rate of speed --Jeff and I didn't get into its draft, so we were chasing the truck and Joe (tucked nicely in a few feet back of the tailgate). Within about 2 minutes Jeff and I were cooked. That felt terrible twice-over, as all those watts were left mixing with vapors of petrol on the road, where they were of no use to Joe.

About then the road turned-up and --not my vision was not entirely restored at that moment-- I think the truck just kept hammering up the hill and left Joe with the two gasping-for-air teammates. I wonder whether the driver was laughing at his ruse to shred our Kissena come-back plan (Nah, I do think he trying to be helpful). Anyhow, Joe then took a heaving pull while Jeff and I recovered from the pick-up chase... soon we were all 3 working pretty well... within about 10 minutes, we caught sight of the main group --THEN-- Joe's chain dropped about a minute later. Another stop, much of our gains ebb'ing away.

Well, the other highlights are covered above. I just wanted to add more color to the pivotal pick-up moments. I am sorry that we didn't get Joe reconnected with the race. I should note that, upon reflection, I believe that this bad karma might have had something to do with an action Jeff took on the car ride up to the race. I recommend to Jeff that he somehow restore dignity to the arachnid that he so nonchalantly disgraced.

All said, I enjoyed the day quite a lot and look forward to next year. Nice seeing teammates up there racing, relaxing after, and the carpool under Jim's steady direction and driving (none of that crazy pick-up driving from Kissena, mind you) was excellent.

-Norm

p.s. Todd also helped in the effort to chase Joe back on... he took his turn for most of the way up the KOM hill.

p.s.s. Jim mech'd out on the 1st lap of his race.

p.s.s.s. Thanks again Mike for the bottle of special electro-fruit mix at the feed.

Wojciech asked a question about the yellow line rule when approaching turns, that I think is worth answering here on the forum.

Some promoters take a very aggressive/hard line towards the yellow line rule in turns, but for the most part, I find that it's a-okay if you go over the yellow line in order to take the safest/fastest/straightest line through the turn.

The narrower the road, the faster the approach, the harder it is to stay in the "right lane." But you should note that some right hand turns, it is quite easy to take a good line through the turn without crossing the yellow line. Some it is virtually impossible. Use your best judgment, see what other riders are doing and make your decision.

Ultimately you often have to follow the field through turns because, for example, if everyone goes far left to set up for the turn, and you stay to the right, the line you take across the apex of the turn, if you follow your natural line, you will cross the line of the riders who are going from the left side of the road through the turn. But if you are off the front by yourself, you can choose from multiple approaches without fear of t-boning other riders as you exit the turn. You might end up painting the yellow line after the turn, but IF you CAN safely adhere to the yellow line rule, you should.

Late HH race comments (short and long race report, you're the judge. I was lame (hey, I finished 39th!) but had a lot of fun. First lap: I noticed during our neutralized slow first climb that my legs didn't enjoy climbing that day, which didn't surprise me at all. I hoped they would react to racing in a positive way. They did, but not on the climbs. Since I knew I could not climb, I wanted the pace to be faster than it was, but nobody seemed to be willing to work in front. After a while, I could not find Jim, I stayed near the front, could not stand having to keep using my brakes in the descents because guys were breaking ahead of me as if people or cows were crossing). I positioned myself in the first group before the feed zone because I knew I would lose ground on the climb. It did happen, I chased the front group with another dropped guy, we caught the group but lost contact during the next climb. We chased again. I did what Marc said, pushed at the top of the climbs, it did work. Actually,I did that each time there was a faux plat, a sharp turn, each time guys would slow down after an effort, and dropped at least twenty guys in small groups during the second half of the second lap, I recovered a minute or two with each group of two to five guys, dropped them and finished alone for the last five miles (lost a minute because of an ambulance, but I guess others too). I finished just one minute behind the "second group" (guys who finished 22 to 38), the first group was more than five minutes ahead. There is no way I can climb like the guys in the "first group", but staying with the "second group" was within reach and would have been fun. Other races with climbs are scheduled (Tokeneke, Tour of the Hilltowns, Tour of the Catskills, Capital Region, GMSR), either in the 4s or in the 50+ (only Tokeneke is for the 55+). So I've decided to train harder (Monts du Québec, here I come!), the goal being to have as much fun as I had last Sunday.

@Stephane. I was thinking you finished up nice and strong in the middle of a big tough field. As racers we always want to do better, and that is good, but we also have to recognize when we've done a good job given the circumstances. More importantly, you had fun!

Funny. I now want to conquer a hilly race. goal set. Kill.

Stephané and Wojciech are Cyranos of the saddle... deeply doped in their respective brands of Panache.

Touché!

Looking good Jorge...

http://www.bicyclingimages.com/HousatonicHillsRoadRace/Pictures/17577557_gm8NGH#1346181379_dgWrLbJ

Podium! Yeeah! Nice work, Jorge!

Go Jorge! Great work!

P.S. 1st place gets a certificate of merit? Lol!

Oh snap. Nice job, Jorge. The fondo was just a prologue!

Thanks Guys!!
Fun/tough race, can't imagine doing more laps...