Branchbrook NJ Spring Series

Mar 23, 2014 at 05:14 AM

mperlberg said:

P.S. konrad I've got a $5 bill with your name on it! Welcome to the 123 big time!

Boom. I'll get a light talking to over not working in chase (I thought I was supposed to shut it down?!) any day of the week.

twoyacks

Mar 23, 2014 at 03:06 PM

This pic jarred my memory...I got squeezed pretty hard into the curb in the sprint. I had to look for an opening and restart...Wide right is a better line in that sprint. I don't think I could have come over the top of the Marty's Reliable rider...but 2nd was there for the taking had I went right instead of left.

cat-45-winning-sprint.jpg

twoyacks

Mar 23, 2014 at 03:07 PM

http://2nmr.com/2014-race-6-lucarelli-castaldi-branchbrook-spring-series-roseville-circuit-race/

twoyacks

Mar 23, 2014 at 03:35 PM

The Yanger...starting it all.

cat-45-winning-break-in-making.jpg

twoyacks

Mar 23, 2014 at 04:58 PM

pics are up

http://2nmr.com/2014-lucarelli-castaldi-branchbrook-spring-series-roseville-circuit-race-photos-master-45-cat-45/

David Yang

Mar 24, 2014 at 02:24 AM

Oh man, here is the picture of me and "Thor".

Jules

Mar 24, 2014 at 03:03 AM

Like.a.Boss.
We'll be reading about him in velonews in a few years...

twoyacks

Mar 24, 2014 at 11:55 AM

He looks like a young Floyd...only crazier. Actually a very cool dude. We spoke about my Spooky and how he stopped into the Spooky shop to talk with Mickey once. He won the field sprint the previous weekend by starting his sprint real early and no one could come around him. Glad he was not in my break on Sat.

twoyacks

Mar 24, 2014 at 06:08 PM

Upgrade complete...this is gonna hurt

neilx

Mar 24, 2014 at 07:21 PM

Thor = BSNYC's Sasquatch

The Sasquatch
No matter where you live and ride, you will eventually hear tales from the more experienced racers of a freakishly strong rider who will occasionally appear as if from nowhere to decimate the field. Sasquatch stories differ from region to region, but they always contain certain common elements:

• The Sasquatch wins the race in an epic solo breakaway.
• It wears some sort of improbable outfit, like work overalls and a hockey helmet, and rides an unconventional bike, such as a loaded tourer or a Y-Foil with flat pedals and Spokey Dokes.
• After winning a race, it promptly disappears.

It’s easy to dismiss the Sasquatch as folklore, but eventually you too will encounter riders like this—freakishly strong ones with old equipment—though the field does tend to embellish their exploits over time. The logical explanation of course is that Sasquatch is actually a former Blow-Up Guy, he has a life beyond racing, and he’s figured out that he can win because everyone else is so badly overtrained. (Or: He does in fact dwell in the forest and has discovered a wild-growing supplement that’s not yet on the banned list.) Nevertheless, it’s vital to the racing community that the Sasquatch is elevated to the realm of the supernatural. This is because the alternative—that rest can be good, and that all this expensive stuff doesn’t actually make you much faster—is simply too disturbing to contemplate.

Jules

Mar 24, 2014 at 07:24 PM

Whatever. Next race, I'm wearing knee highs and a mullet.
Because #sasquatch

Jeff Owens

Mar 25, 2014 at 06:34 PM

Fatboy might make my debut this weekend. Anyone doing the 4/5 masters double I can snag a ride with? I'll bring deep fried honeycomb.

jim_nelson

Mar 25, 2014 at 08:46 PM

Jeff, I'm likely to do that double (or at least start them). I'll know by end of day tomorrow. I've got car space.

jim_nelson

Mar 25, 2014 at 08:46 PM

Actually, I might do the 45+ masters since I'm old now.

Jeff Owens

Mar 26, 2014 at 12:46 PM

Jim, I'm on your heels age wise... I got carded the other day though!

twoyacks

Mar 26, 2014 at 05:56 PM

Free lead out to whoever rocks The Kittel hair-do

2c80e5b62462151fd176baae2d161318.jpg

Andrew Da Silva

Mar 26, 2014 at 06:31 PM

Done

dstokes

Mar 26, 2014 at 07:08 PM

35+ and 1-2-3 for me.

Ryan J

Mar 26, 2014 at 07:21 PM

Does anyone have a ride home for me after the 123

twoyacks

Mar 26, 2014 at 07:36 PM

I think I can take you...I plan on dropping my bike at Ride Brooklyn on the way home.

Joaquin

Mar 26, 2014 at 09:56 PM

I think I'll also have a spot - just give a shout before the race so I know whether to bring my rack.

Tim Heckman

Mar 27, 2014 at 08:18 PM

Anyone else going this weekend that has room in their car?

Ryan J

Mar 28, 2014 at 01:32 PM

Thanks for the offers guys. Joaquin is near me so I'll roll with him, there and back.

David Yang

Mar 28, 2014 at 01:41 PM

@Tim - Gameday decision depending on weather. If you're definitely racing, have a backup plan, otherwise I'll text you late tonight or very, very early tomorrow.

niallsmart

Mar 28, 2014 at 09:41 PM

I'm planning to be there for the #2 race, leaving from Manhattan if anyone needs a ride.

Jeff Owens

Mar 29, 2014 at 04:42 PM

I raced. We raced. Avoided crashing. 123's formed a nice break. Rained. OMAR's made it all worth it.

image.jpg

Craig London

Mar 29, 2014 at 05:05 PM

Good lessons from today's 123 Race. I was sitting at the back on the start line and surfed the back for the first few laps. I remember I said to Andy if a break gets away will it even stick for the full 80 minutes? Of course by lap 2 the field split into 3 echelons and I was stuck at the way back.

We had 3 guys up the road in the first group which was good. I tried to get across solo but couldn't with the wind so I sat back and did some blocking with Ragot, Konrad and Andy. By lap 3 the 2nd group crashed and the field was neutralized so it was now the break up front with about 15 guys and the rest of us in back. The break had something like 2-3 minutes by this time. If you looked across the field you could see the break going by on the opposite side of the park.

I know a lot of guys felt like me, pretty good fitness and pissed they missed the move so early on and still had to race another 60-70 mins. I basically sat on front and made sure nothing got too crazy for a bridging effort but the break was gone. We sat around for the rest of the time and during the last 4 laps it started to rain. A lot of guys dropped out with the rain.

A lot of good lessons that brought me back to tactical bike racing:

1) The race doesn't care how fit you are- you always have to pay attention.

2) Postion counts. Keep that head on a swivel if it's a windy day or the front of the bunch is all amped up and wants to keep it single file for the first few laps.

3) Early moves can and do stay away, esp with a large split like today.

4) If you have teammates up the road and the gap is established it's your job to make sure they have good blocking behind. The team did a great job making sure to police the front. The best backhanded compliment I got after the race was a guy who said, "Good riding Kissena. You guys sure kept it interesting today."

Overall very interesting day at Branchbrook as I thought it would be another routine crit where we ride in circles and wait for the field sprint, but today was not that day. This is good prep for upcoming races. Nice team work today from our guys. I don't know how the sprint shook out bc I was so far back so would love to hear some diff perspectives on the race from the front.

dstokes

Mar 29, 2014 at 10:08 PM

Lucarelli/Castaldi series of Branchbrook races ended today. I think it was the 5th in the series. I was at four of these (first one in early March was snowing or some shit) and really enjoyed them. For $40, I raced in two races, giving me 2.5 hr and 60-65 miles of racing each Saturday in March. The promoter is super efficient and all races went off pretty much on time and without any confusing issues with packs overtaking one another. The races were animated, most resulting in an early break with Kissena representation. The mood was significantly less aggro than the NYC park races and crashes were rare. I've done more park races than I care to remember and although I love the fact that so many are available to us, I also appreciate the ability to do something different.

Congratulations to Mike, Ryan and Joaquin who made the break in the 123 today. Konrad led Andy out for a good result in the field sprint. The 35+ was uncharacteristically compact and ended in a field sprint, despite Eric's best efforts to initiate a break. I think Durso and Diaslowski were saving it for the 123. Sorry that Jeff lost several spokes in a bonehead maneuver at the front of the 35+ field. Hopefully he can replace them without removing his tubular. And then there is Omar's. A very different experience to Kondatori, but a wonderful place for a recovery meal.

See you all in the Park in a couple of weeks. I'm off to 'The Bay' next weekend and wish the Batten Killers and L&C cuppers luck.