Branchbrook cancelled for this weekend as well! darn it, drat, etc!

I don't think they emailed the registered riders - but I saw this on the site:

Branchbrook Park Road condition Updates:
Wednesday, March 7, 2 pm. We've just received word that they won't be paving this week. So we regretfully have to cancel again. As we did last week, anyone who has already registered will be entitled to a refund or an entry in a future race.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/Register.asp?EventID=15170

I would expect them all to be cancelled.

Yep... Branchbrook is my local park, and while riding in it is fine, racing would not be. Knowing Jersey (especially Essex County) maintenance I am expecting the whole series to get canned.

While all the branchbrook races til now have been canceled, the promoter swears that this race will go off. Fingers crossed. I'm going to wait a lil longer to pre reg, but otherwise I'm in for the 4/5. I'd do the 3/4 double, but work calls.
https://www.bikereg.com/Net/15174

"We were told today by the parks department that everything will be repaired for Cherry Blossom. It's a big festival for them so I anticipate that they will keep their word and have it done. I'd love to say 100% yes but I'm probably at about 99% right now.

Thanks,
Tom"

I'm in for the 3/4 and can drive 3 others from Brooklyn.

I'm in for the 3/4 & 1,2,3's Jim maybe I can ride out with you then back with someone else?

Cool Joe. Anyone else?

A quick check of Bike Reg says that they are grinding the road and repaving will be done by Thursday.

A full course of 4 day old asphalt.....

More than likely in for the 3/4 as well. Dropped by the park today, yeah, closed because it was ground down. I'll update you guys on Thursday or Friday regarding its condition.

Posted By: konradMore than likely in for the 3/4 as well. Dropped by the park today, yeah, closed because it was ground down. I'll update you guys on Thursday or Friday regarding its condition.

Wake up early and do the 4/5 you jerk.

Okay, my legs feel like garbage but HOLY SCHNIKES THAT PARK IS SMOOTH! I almost feel like I have to go there tonight and dump gravel and broken glass everywhere so that it'll feel somewhat familiar.

Mattie, I'll try to do the double but can't promise anything.

See you all on Saturday.

no promises...
I am going to try and come for the 4/5 race.

Collegiate racing the past month has left me in pretty decent form... want a lead out Mattie?

I'm in. Will be driving from Brooklyn; going to try and do the 3/4 and the masters
holler if you need a lift

Report guys?

3/4 race started 40 minutes late as they cleared the carnage from the Women's 4 race and the Men 55+..... like washing blood off the roadway with water bottles and multiple riders taken away on boards.

We swallowed our nervousness and lined up with me, Rene, Joe, John, Jules, Jeff W, Konrad, and Mattie (Konrad and Mattie being late additions to the race after missing their 4/5 start after a poorly timed pee stop.)

Joe took off from the gun and sat out solo for a few minutes while the field got organized and figured out the course. Tail wind along the S turns in the back made for some sketchy curb squeezing the first couple laps.

Lots of go no where attacks for the first couple laps until a decent break was established of 4 guys including our own John M. We did some nice blocking and covering of moves as they slowly pulled away from us for about 1.5 laps then slowly came back for another couple until it was all back together with about 4 to go (only a 10 lap race because of the delay).

My brief shining moment was with 3 to go, riding a wheel up to what became a 4 person break including J Jacobs. I thought it was maybe a good move but wasn't sure of our gap and we couldn't get organized so we only lasted until the strong headwind on the front stretch.

With 1.5 to go we worked to get organized. Jules put in a monster pull to put some hurt on. In the end none of us could get position and we all rolled in with the group. John got maybe 12th or so. 49 minutes of hard and fun racing but no results. Fun course though, especially with the new pavement.

Some of us went to get some Cubano recovery sandwiches and then John went back to race the Masters and Joe and Rene went back to do the 1/2/3.

That headwind on the finishing straight sucked. Rene made a play up the left side, and I hopped on, hoping to either string it out or kick for the sprint. But being exposed on the left exposed us to the brunt of a head/crosswind. As soon as I swung out I was dead in the water. The quandary was if you tried to move up the right, it was super easy to get pinched into the curb.

As for our poorly timed pee, Konrad and I did the customary pre race whiz at the side port a jon to skip the queue, and did our first recon lap. As we swing through the finishing straight we can see the pace car in the distance and shit ourselves once we realized we missed the start. I still had my warm up vest and mess bag on as we came across the start finish. I threw my bag musette style and killed myself for 10 minutes trying to hook back on. Definiely hurt to go straight into a v02max interval on a 3 minute warm up. Needless to see, we didn't catch on. I made a sad face to the promoter and he comped me into the 3/4.

Very sketchy start; we did a warmup lap and saw 3 different accidents in various states of repair (two ambulances) and our queue for the start was delayed for an additional bad accident just after the lefthand 90 degree corner. Riding up & down the eastern border of the park we saw two or three stretchers, as many more ambulances and about 5 different police/fire trucks. At one point there were two people actually (no shit) hosing blood off the curb. We all (I think) were ready to pack it in right there.

Somehow we lined up and Joe blasted the hole shot; I had a horrific clip in- going from front row to dead last in about 200m (apparently both Jeff and Renne had simliar issues)

What followed was a pretty frustrating race; John got in a good looking break early on and I spent time on the front blocking with enough other Kissenas that I heard someone say "Kissena and XYZ are blocking" so I guess we did a pretty good job.

I countered attacks when I could, and initiated a few good ones myself - the best of which was with a lap and a half to go; I got away clear and thought for sure I'd attract a couple of people to work but when I looked back everyone was there (albeit strung out like all fuck) so I guess people just pulled rather than trying to make a clean jump.

Overall I found the course fantastically smooth and challenging - the constant left/right turning meant there were always people getting pinched on the inside of turns - the windy stretch was REALLY windy so I'd burn matches to make it up to the front there and then slowly fade back in the left/right maneuvering.

I put in a decent dig leading into the final lap to keep things strung out we didn't do a great job of organizing - I think most people sat up on the final run in.

Two notable guys; one unattached Jr on a yellow S-Works was a complete menace; Javier Mereles from 2011 Battenkill (3rd in the 5's) was there and riding steady as a railroad as usual. He's a good one to look out for both because he can ride 1-handed in a pack and when he's in shape is willing to commit.

Something like 330 for 10 minutes 370 for 5 was the highlight of my day; I'd intended to do the double but didn't realize that there was an hour wait in-between so I headed home early for some much-needed family time.

This was the 2nd race in a row where I woke up thinking "I don't want to race today" which I take as a bit of an early warning...

Our 3/4 race was delayed due to four people from the preceding race being tended to and taken off course in ambulances. The marshal sent us off the starting line to continue our warm ups while this was being done, allowing us all ample time to reconsider our aspirations for the morning. Finally, they called us back to the line and blew the whistle.

Testimonies gathered during the first lap and on the grass afterward suggested foul play; somehow a majority of Kissenas had trouble clipping in at the start, myself included. We made some breaks and did some blocking. The narrow roadway made things difficult. In the end we bought our own muffins.

Jules said to me on the way home that while he had fun and raced as hard as he could have hoped, he didn't feel like he learned anything from the race, and at the time I felt the same. Upon some reflection, I did glean a couple of lessons regarding positioning on a narrow roadway and when approaching corners.

Glad there were a few takeaways from the race and all the Kissena riders kept the rubber side down.

Jules --I was visited by the clip-in demon last year at Branch Brook... actually, I was visited several times, right-up until I switched over from Keos to Speedplays.

Oh, when I read your note about Javier Mereles, I read "he's a good one to look out for... is willing to vomit." Then I reread and saw that you wrote "commit", of course, it's the same thing. You may not have learned much from the Cherry Blossom race, but it's always useful to reflect on our core values and willingness to vomit is certainly among those.

@Norm; very true re Javier. After my blood cooled from the frustrations of logistics, I reflected on a few things learned this weekend:

1) I'm getting away cleaner and stronger when I jump. Good.
2) I'm far more aware of when an attack/counter is coming, again good
3) reading Perlbergs report really highlights how much knowledge of the field matters - from who will work to bridge or who who has an agenda. I can't aspire to JP-esque strategy but it's on my radar as a skill to develop.
4) love "Kaiser's" race reports - the guy focuses on a few core things and practices until he executes. Good example to follow
5) even though he's 4 days into a massive block of training I beat John in a sprint or two today and in the process squeezed out PR's in 10 and 12 second power. I'll take a win over the Mad Kiwi any day, excuses be damned. Don't care if he was on platform pedals with a basket on the front of his bike. I'm chalking it a "W"

I seem to recall I was riding a recumbent.

Hey! No harshing on the Glory. Mine, all mine...

I think we rode really well! Jules, Joe, Jim and Jeff were off the front and trying to get things away. Mattie and Konrad mixing it up... My goals were to try and just ride hard for BK training and then try place at the end (ended 9th place, still in the money). We definitely shook things up and I got to capitalize on the teams efforts. There was a lot of depth in that race, and felt far harder than a typical park race (possible because I was in an all-in break doing 390-410W pulls). It would have been better if we had a train—that's how Jacobs got second, but no sweat. No train, no muffins!

Second 35+ goal was training for me. Was away a bit and being bought back, in the red, just missed the 10 man break that stuck. The wind had picked up, so the 35+ race was a little harder with not as many lulls (25.7mph avg). There was another Kissena guy I haven't raced with Dan (forgot last name). RR?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BviLM92EkIU

1 Baldwin Ross Summit NJ Cat3/4 Men
2 Jacobs Patrick Speedwell Racing Bloomingdale NJ
3 Fowlkes Gregory Century Road Club Assoc New York NY
4 Gellineau Patrick Team Squiggle Brooklyn NY
5 Coluccio Paul East End/Kreb Cycle Massapequa NY
6 Lumkong Wayne Skylands Cycling Andover NJ
7 mereles javier Team Montclair Bikery Fair Lawn NJ
8 King John Pro Pedals Bike Shop Atco NJ
9 Malcolmson John Kissena Cycling Club Brooklyn NY
10 Nothstein Tyler Chester County Cycling Foundation Orefield PA

@ Jules. The one sprint I beat you in I set a new max; 1405! I'm chalking that a "WWII"

@ John: that makes me feel better because you gapped me by a bike at the start and that was the closest I got. You must have been motivated by the sweet sweet taste of imaginary muffins.

...by the way, there were like 8 thousand photographers there - has anyone found any pictures online from this race?

Posted By: John MalcolmsonThere was another Kissena guy I haven't raced with Dan (forgot last name).

Probably Dusan "Dan" Strika. Quiet, nice guy. Wins prize for "coolest name most likely to be a G.I. Joe action hero character." Mostly keeps to himself in Master's races.

Posted By: normanzoJules --I was visited by the clip-in demon last year at Branch Brook... actually, I was visited several times, right-up until I switched over from Keos to Speedplays.

I plan to do a "clip-in/leg speed/race to the first corner" drill during this year's crit clinic. Last year's participants seemed to find it valuable (and pukey-inducing). As soon as I get my work schedule I'll post the date/time.

Scanning those results, two names stick out. one is Pat Gellineau. Gellineau probably had been racing for 20 years before I started racing. He's been to the Olympics and a national champ from Trinidad and Tobago. The guy's racing age is 61. He's not as fast as he used to be, but he's tough to beat. (he stands out in races because he never buys anything and never throws anything away). The second is Tyler Nothstein. Must be Olympic Champ Marty Nothstein's kid.

Posted By: mugwumpScanning those results, two names stick out. one is Pat Gellineau. Gellineau probably had been racing for 20 years before I started racing. He's been to the Olympics and a national champ from Trinidad and Tobago. The guy's racing age is 61. He's not as fast as he used to be, but he's tough to beat. (he stands out in races because he never buys anything and never throws anything away). The second is Tyler Nothstein. Must be Olympic Champ Marty Nothstein's kid.

There were some T-town heavies, Diefenbach (sp?) and Gil Hatton I definitely saw warming up.

Anyone know who was taking photos?