Looks like our two races are our two races. FBF and Prospect.

Much as I enjoy FBF, family commitments might get in the way. Definitely not for Prospect.

So, who's in for what? Perlberg still has the green in the latter.

prospect for me

chicago this weekend

good luck dudes!

I am in for Prospect.

Does anyone have plans for Saturday?

I'm intrigued by the Floyd Bennet Field points race format, but think I will probably suck at it and it will take away from the typical hard-man nature of the race. Maybe I'm way off on that. Maybe Floyd is just Floyd no matter what the format is.

Hilly ride? Eric? You said you want to conquer those....

friday night racing instead. Do you want to join?

my presence is required in a muggy auditorium to watch Bushwick's finest graduate.

I will be at the Floyd Bennet Race on Thursday, Friday is off, Saturday I will be at the GW bridge at 6am then once again for the group ride at 9 hoping to hit 100miles then racing in PP on Sunday.

pre-reg'd are: Stokes, Perlberg, Katz, Ragot, Partland, Mueller, and Strika. Keith should be there as well, working registration. So far 48 pre-reg, with Mengoni (They've got the KoM lead, right?) , Metra (Stephen Dioslaki's team), Major Taylor and Guardian coaching all having decent contingents as well. Series leader Durso is not pre-registered.

I suggest we set up kind of like last week, though without the expectation that the first-lap break will take the race.

It would be great if we could have Joe, Lenny, and Mike ready at the start. As in right off the line. If Stokes and Strika can help here, even better. Joe is new to this game, so let's give him a nice warm welcome by giving him the chance to make the race as hard as possible early. It will only get easier and make more sense to him in subsequent races. If he can stay at the front for the first half of the race and then do what he can, as in rest, come back to the front follow moves, chase if necessary, recover, back to the front and so on, super. Lenny is probably our best sprinter, so after covering moves for the first three laps, he should probably take a rest until towards the end of the race. Mike has a narrow lead in the sprint competition and while it should not be our total focus, if he can get in for the early sprint via a breakaway, good for us. When Lenny is starting to fade, Keith should be warmed up, and ready to go. Hopefully, myself and Ragot will be fresh and ready to attack starting at six to go.

Keep in mind that attacking immediately after a KoM or intermediate sprint is a great way to get a gap. The field is spread out, lots of chaos behind

The key laps will probably be between 5 and 2 to go. If it's all together at the bell, we want everyone to make their way to the front after the hill up to GAP. The key is to be in the first 20 at the end of the downhill and then first 10 with a mile to go. If we've got people together, we can do something to control teh sprint. If you don't know what to do, look for myself or Ragot and follow us, as we're pretty much going to get to the front every time. Even if you're dead last going up the hill, with smart riding you should be able to get to the front before the downhill.

Race start is 6:30. Let's get together around 6:15am by the tables.

Remember not to ride against the flow of traffic at any time.

JP - I second your comment about not focusing on green. If I get into a break and can grab some points, great, if not, no big deal. It is a damn shame there isn't a 4th jersey for me to win, because wearing the same jersey 2 weeks in a row is kind of lame.

Joe talked a TON of smack today about how he is going to teach us all how to win. Hopefully he can back it up.

But seriously, why are you thinking 5-2 to go? It seems like with the smallish field, early breaks can stick if they are the right size with the right number of riders. I think it is about looking for Durso (if he is there), Mengoni, Metra, Colavita if they're represented. etc. etc.

What do you think?

I think I'm drinking and I'm tired.

However, time to kick at the end.

Awww I'm glad to see you're drunk posting. Owens said he was going to get you wasty face and propose on your man-date before the supreme court outlaws it. Judicial review, what supreme court case was that? Quick!

He just proposed.
I said yes.
Sorry liz, I found someone else.

Reach around









To get a beer
Whew

Mike,
Good questions.

First, the smallish field. I've noticed that pre-reg usually dips down when the weather forecast suggests rain is possible, as it was this past Friday. So, I'm thinking that we'll probably see the field get a good bit bigger come the morning. Maybe not 110, but I'm thinking 80-90 is possible. But you are right, if it ends up with 51-60, a long break is definitely possible, and more likely with the right kind and combination of riders.

Which brings up the second thing. I think half of the horses you rode with last weekend are not going to be present. Gargiulo, Durso, the Mengoni rider in the KoM jersey, are not the kind of guys who get scared by rain, so I'm thinking htey're not coming. Of those who are pre-reg'd, Breach of Mengoni and Raffi of NE Hardware and Dioslaki of Metra are present and are good to really keep an eye out for. It's practically a lock that Dioslaki will go on the first lap. Stalin Quiterio of JV is pretty careful with his efforts. He won't start the move, but if it seems right, will try to jump across. Raffi usually races this way as well.

Now, of the rest of the registered field (and not on Kissena) who I see as threats for long breakaways: Ed Beamon (probably in Van Dessel Jersey and Fly V Australia shorts), Nikolai Masluk of Metra, Jason Walters of Guardian Coaching. Not too many long-break riders overall.

As for choosing 5-2 to go, there are a number of reasons. First, in races without a defining course feature, the final third of the race is usually a time when it's good to break away, as the weaker riders in the field are tired and the sprinters don't want to waste their energy chasing. Plus, those who have been active all along have probably lost a good bit of their edge. With 1 lap to go on such circuits, breaks are unlikely to stick because many have saved something for the end and their appetite is whetted because the finish is so close. Second, experience indicates that with big summer fields in Prospect, this is the time of most successful breaks.

This year has been different in terms of the ratio of successful breakaways to field sprint finishes. Many more breakaways this year. I'd like to think that's in no small part due to us, but it could also be that too many people assume breaks won't succeed so they sit back. But then, people remember their last race. And with the long break succeeding last week, I think it will be harder for it to succeed this week.

Yes, we should be aware of the long break possibility. Yes, we should be looking for it. I'll definitely be looking. But unless the field stays 51-60 riders, my guess is we shouldn't expect it to happen.

BTW, Ragot is discussing what he's going to do with Owens tonight, right?

I'm, no, I'm talking about my birthday present for you jp.

Posted By: eragotI'm, no, I'm talking about my birthday present for you jp.

LOLZ. I was going to say, JP watch out when he tells you the pre-race team meeting is inside the bathroom.

It's not?

Early laps were active. The field split on lap 3ish I think. Metra was driving it hard. Joe and I, and maybe Rene? were in the front group. Joe and I were working hard but I saw our group growing (20+) with some strong riders sitting in. I was hoping to get them to work, but they didn't and we were caught. In retrospect, we should have attacked and tried to split the group up further. Live and learn.

I'll let JP fill in the details, but the short of it is that JP got into the break on lap 5. I didn't go with it. It started at the bottom of the hill, JP had a gap, I was gassed, and I figured I'd just end up dragging the field up closer to him so I sat up. We messed up a bit by not sitting getting in the chase group that eventually formed so we'd have an advantage when the front group grew to 12. At this point, the field mostly sat up, Kissena patrolled the front and followed moves, lots of fun.

Folks were complaining of not chasing, but the field (except for Brian Breech) was doing absolutely nothing. We had 3-5 guys up front throughout the race (Rene, Joe, Lenny, Me, Ragot, Dan) and nobody was really challenging us. On a side note, nobody even attempted to verbally organize the chase, they just yelled at people for getting in the way.

P.S. Joe did an amazing job for his first pro123 race. Kudos!

Since our date was "outed" on this thread...

An evening with Eric:

We rode bikes to the free pizza and beer place. Joe came along. Joe didn't have a bike. This is team binding, er, bonding.

We also went to the cyclones game and drank beer, ate pizza, hot dogs, and all the things cyclists should do after an 80+ mile ride and a race the next morning.

Eric throws like a, well, like a cyclist.

The end.

I think "An Evening With Eric" should be a thread of its own.

Posted By: Jeff Owens
We rode bikes to the free pizza and beer place. Joe came along.

This looks like a poster for NAMBLA.

It was a great team effort today.

Everyone we had was at the front at least once if not more. Stokes followed the first move of the race. Rene was aggressive early, as was Lenny, Joe, Mike. Dan Strika was a the front following things when we had three in the big split. Ragot was there as well. It was great to watch and be a part of.

I saw Dioslaki go at the bottom of the hill after 8 to go. While I generally think it's too early on this hill, I knew he was someone to follow. He quickly got two or three lengths on me and I thought I must be struggling, but he didn't get any more, and I could see he was running out of gas at the top of the hill, as was I, but I still closed on him. We were quickly joined by his teammate Nikolai, Jason Walters of Guardian, Roger Friedman (DieHard), Will Schneider, and a guy from the EMS team. Dioslaki was gunning for Mike's sprint jersey. I skipped a few early pulls, but cautiously joined in. Once we hit the false flat over 1k before the finish, Nikolai gunned it so hard I thought he was going to split the break apart. I guessed Dioslaki was behind me, but I was afraid to sit up in case there was no one on my wheel. I wanted to take Dioslaki in the sprint and I was trying to figure out how to get two more guys in the points so Mike could hang onto the jersey, but I didn't see how to do it, other than sitting up and possibly blowing myself out the back. So I hoped I could match his jump. I tried but couldn't. got second on the points sprint.

The group wasn't riding great together. Nikolai was absolutely killing it, while Roger Friedman and the EMS guy were struggling. I thought we were going to drop both. EMS kept on skipping pulls.

We were moving along fine. I got second in the second points sprint and second in the second KoM as well.

We were caught by a chase group with Paul Burrowes, Paul Carbonara, Raffi Urzdowski, and Stalin Quiterio with two to go. As usual, Stalin was able to skip pulls w/o the group complaining and the pace slowed down. We were under the impression that the field could be close. There was an attack just before the bell, which I countered and then another shortly after we passed the finish line...and I got dropped! yikes. The guys I figured to be weak jumped on it. I chased over the hill and caught the group, dallying before the descent.

My hip flexors nearly cramped trying to follow Raffi's attack at 1k. then when the sprint lit up, I was limping. I was surprised that EMS and Friedman and Schneider all had more. and put me into 11th. The dick spot. That's some anger I'm going to have to work out.

Our one error was not putting someone in the chase.

thanks to the team for the awesome support. Sorry I didn't have the legs to finish it.

For those who didn't see the race, I think we got out to a minute fairly quickly, which we held, and then when the chase group left the field, the field packed it in. Some said the gap was over 2.5 minutes. Great coverage by Kissena.

Posted By: mugwump

The dick spot. That's some anger I'm going to have to work out.

Hopefully Victor will post a picture of you getting 11th like he did for me last week so you can think about it over and over and over.

Posted By: mugwump

Our one error was not putting someone in the chase.

Yup. We messed that up. I was keeping an eye on Brian Breech figuring he's been pretty spot on getting into all the right groups. Oops.

@JP, if Will Schneider ever beats you out of a breakaway again, you are off the team.

An evening with Eric (and Joe and Mike), Part Duh (see above):

The scene: Barcade

The situation: Beer

The game: Rampage

Joe laughing at Eric. This isn't the computrainer, son. This is Joe stomping all over everything in sight, just like on the bike. Putting out all the watts at half the weight. Haha. Can't stop Joe, can't even contain him. I think Eric plunked all the quarters in though, so he gets the assist.

I played Paperboy and died 3 times within 30 seconds. The grates kill you in that game. So not real.

RAMPAGE!!! Oh man that takes me back. I am *SO* down for that if there is a rematch.