I'll be in the depleted Cat4 field for this weekend. I will probably be looking for a break that can stay away, that I can do my patent pending, drive the break, and come in dead last move.

I feel like this is the race to capitalize on the fact that all the strong people should be at Battenkill, excuses permitting obviously......

Dan OTF for the win! I can feel it

Posted By: titoYeah - not much to report on my end either. Dan was good about reminding me not to waste energy trying to move up into the wind but rather follow wheels. I made one bridge attempt to the two guys way up the road - one NYC Velo guy followed me, and after a bit I motioned for him to pull through. His response? "no, you gotta earn it". Uh...what? Dude, why did you follow me if you don't want to work? There's only two of us - there's no "sitting in" here!
That was that - the field soon caught us at the top of Cat's Paw and the NYC Velo guy just shrugged and smiled. I kind of gave up at that point - which I regret now - and rolled in with the pack on the final lap.

lollin hard over here

"NO! YOU GOTTA EARN IT!" will be my new catch phrase when anything bike-related happens to me

Dan was trying to convince me to jump in on this, too. It'd be my first race, so the potential of a smaller field is pretty attractive, but I'm still on the fence. Knowing that there's another cat 5 riding helps, though.

do it, adam!

there's never any better time than . . . uh . . . this Saturday morning!

get these cat5 races OUT OF THE WAY so you can get to the 4's ASAP - they are a bit safer, and a much better bang-for-your-buck.

Looks like the Cat 5 race is sold out, but there is a race at FBF on Sunday that still has places available.

Damn, so much for a smaller field. Looks live everyone but the cat5s are heading to Battenkill. I've wanted to try FBF, so maybe I'll hit that up instead.

bollox, my plan is foiled

"Can't pull. Am fat."

Tito shoulda punched that guy in the nuts tho.

I am doing this race.

Nutpunch.

It's a Jungian thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VHKpGJX29s&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I'm in for this one too. Curiously, some of the strongest 1/2/3 usual suspects are too...would have thought they would be at Battenkill. Ah, well, just goes to show that there are no easy races.

Agreed, had a look through the names in the 5s and its mostly the same guys

@Chrisian,

looks like I am working for you this weekend, since you're out best chance to place unless I figure out how to get into a break with a Montecci rider without wanting to scratch my eyes out from looking at their fugly kits.

Looks like the usual suspects will be there for the 4s. Montecci, Scotto and Dave Jordan each have a large number pre-registered. I think this is going to be a week without a successful breakaway since last week it worked and folks are not going to want to miss out again this time. So in the last lap, Christian, lets look for each other and I'll do my best to set you up for the sprint near the bottom of Cat's Paw. How does that sound?

I will be there in the 4s as well. Do you guys want to meet at the BB?

Sure, BB @ 5:30 and roll up 6th avenue.

Small crew of Kissena's out in Central Park today, but for some reason the call of the Battenkill was not heard by many of the usual suspects, leaving the racing as hotly contested as usual.

In the 1/2/3 race Dan Strika and I were rolling around a field that strangely included all of Mengoni, including Breech, Bunde, Borrnow, Pollo and Pollo Jr., Velasquez, and one other guy I didn't recognize. The race was ultimately pretty boring, Breech on one other dude rolled off with 1.5 laps to go and held the gap as the field's chase was inconsistent at best. The sprinter's teams were true to form and refused to have an organized chase or leadout train with a few K to go. As such, kind of a cluster fuck at the end, with me rolling in somewhere near the back.

However, I learned many interesting facts at the start that I will now share with you.

+We Stand United clearly thought there weren't enough black red and white kits this year and so they debuted yet another new kit today (their third in 3 years for those keeping track). And I'm thinking, why then didn't you jamokes just say, when we asked a simple question (why are you guys all wearing diff't kits?) earlier this season, "oh, well we're waiting for our new kits to come in." Fine end of discussion. I get that. Instead they have to be strangely coy and flippant about the rule they were breaking for the first 6 weeks of the season. People are weird.

+One of the other red, white and black teams this year, home of the big budgets and big mouths ("my powertap is too heavy"), Foundation apparently isn't so good with the communication. Inson "I never met a person I didn't want to yell at" Wood was particularly chatty this morning and shouting three rows up to his "teammate" this fascinating conversation.

Inson: Hey, no sleeping today. How did you do last week?
other dude: I got third
Inson: Yeah, I was blocking for you.
other dude: Oh, okay.

I guess that's how "real teams" communicate. Awesome. On our fake team however, in stark contrast, I get a nice call from JP later that day (I had to jet quickly from the finish line), wanting to hear how my race went, and oh, by the way, I've got a fat chunk of change to share with you from our actually awesome 1st and 7th place finishes.

During the race, Inson was heard yelling at his teammate on the last lap, just past Tavern on the Green. "Suicide! Suicide, suicide!" Dude apparently listened and launched an attack only to be caught and spit out the back before Horse Shit Alley. What was the point of that clever maneuver I wonder. No matter, Inson proved once again that he is more studly than I and when I passed him sprinting up the hill. When I got held up by riders sitting up, I shut it down. Not good ole Woody, he weaved and winded his way like a Super G slalom skier to beat me to the line. Double awesome.

The funny things about Inson: 1. there's a shot of him from last week chasing--considering the break was away for 11 of the 14 laps, it's possible it was early on, but... 2. Inson is Marc's neighbor.

CAT 5, Central Park, 3 Laps.

Average Speed
24mph
NP
314watts
Average Power
229watts

My plan was to attack with a friend of mine who was in the race for the first time (unattached) on the last quarter of Harlem hill. Plan was, if the pace is slow until the hill on the first lap, we were going to go on the 1st lap, I spoke with Sammy T (who is the cat 5 leader) before the race and he was in for the attack as well. Lap one, road up to top 5 wheels having started at the back with the possibility of a first lap break open. Pace was on the higher side so as we hit the hill I looked at my friend and we both agreed it wasn't the time. Few surges here and there, followed wheels drifted to around 10 wheels back until the second lap, moved up to top 5 wheels by the decent. Looked over and my friend looked mean, hit the base of the hill and he exploded away, duuuude the base.......I thought we said the last quarter of the hill........I went with him. He weighs about 20lbs less than me so I was shall we say "working" to stay on his wheel up Harlem Hill. 10 seconds at 889w peaking out at 1026w to get away from the peleton then 1 minute at 547w. We got to the top, plan was for me to come through to the front for the shallow decent and drive the rollers, the group was toast including my friend and we had dragged about 5 others with who were weezing away, we gave up just after the crest.

So the first mistake was that we didn't stick to the plan which was to go before the crest of the climb, not at the base.

Settled back into the peleton into the last lap, I was from then only thinking about the sprint wondering if that attack had killed my kick?

We get to the decent, last lap and my friend comes up next to me, "you ready"? "For what" I said as we came around the corner for the hill, "Im not sure about this" as he looked aver before we got to the base again, off he went and I went again with him. This time we had a gap, and I think Sammy T was on me cleanly too. Did another minute at 538w peaking out at 998w to get away. My friend kept driving to the top and I came through just before the crest and hammered it over the top and down the hill, arms on bars TT style for another minute. Gave the flick, looked over and I was on my own with about 10 bike lengths or so. I either went too hard at the top or everyone was pooped or both. I took a second look back and it looked like more riders had bridged to the two who were part of the attack, I sat up and waited.

In hindsight I probably should have kept driving as in sitting up we all got together and all the usual suspects were back in the mix within another minute.

So Second mistake was again the same as the first.

Third mistake not carrying on and sitting up, an attack is an attack right? I should have committed!! I think i thought well, from the hill on the last lap solo is impossible but the chasers were hurting just as much as I was and in fact the peleton was further than I expected.

So back into the group, again thinking of the sprint, again thinking do I really have any kick left after setting fire to my matchbox let alone individual matches.
Pretty sketchy 5 minutes followed. Lots of elbowing and shouting which I think was mostly coming from a big tanned siggi rider on a BMC with stars and stripes thinking he was the king. "If your not going to race move out the way" "Your all slow get out the way" I really wanted to turn around and say something but things were sketchy enough.

Last 5 minutes were full of power spikes, I count 23 spikes over 550w not including the sprint and a further 4 spikes over 670w before the sprint. Graph looks like an earthquake is happening even with 3 second smoothing.

We got to the base of Cats paw and my friend fires off, here we go again..... He is light, and very powerful so I thought he could tow me up there so I got on his wheel, we went from about 15 bikes back, mid hill there were riders pouring on each side so I fired round him with 2 riders in front and 2 either side of us.
In the past I've sprinted with too low of a cadence so I purposefully didn't shift up before I kicked to ensure a high cadence.

Mistake number 5, don't test new sprinting cadences on the actual sprint. I got along side 1st as we drag raced up the hill but I totally span out about 25m from the finish and 3 or 4 guys came past me. Think I got 6th or 7th.

Last 5 minutes (NP illustrating the power spikes);

Duration
05:00
NP
358
Average Power
304

Again, I didn't get anywhere near my training sprint power numbers and I know that my aggression earlier in the race killed my snap.

It was fun attacking and putting the hurt on people, I do think if we stuck with it we could have got away cleanly though I do think I need to educate myself on racing smarter!

Ash,
nice feisty race...&good result esp. w/all the attacks - 'from the bottom on 110berg' - you WILL get them next time!
-h

ps. my guess, if had not done 1st, then, 2nd attack with 3 could have worked(others hearts were not into it, after 1st retreat - break mates MUST believe you are in it to the end).

26may
nySBRS - prospect park, 29May2012

cat5's harry&Josh R reg'd; ashley Ros?

https://www.bikereg.com/Net/15341

final race of series!

I think im out, not recovering as quickly as I had hoped. Supposed to have my stitches out of my mouth on Monday, wouldnt want to force is racing this weekend.
Truly bummed to miss the last race tough

Ashley ,
what happened? planned medical procedure or injury?
-h

I am in for the 4s. Looking to work for whomever wants to win this race.

@Harry, had to have an impacted wisdom tooth cut out, gum had completely infected. Started feeling it Saturday evening, Sunday morning I woke up with the equivalent of a golf ball in my mouth, Monday afternoon, surgery...........

Been in bed on liquid only diet and prescription crack since then. Stiches out on Monday at the earliest assuming wound sites heal.

@Harry, Unfortunately I'm also not able to race this week. My weekend will be occupied with my Apt move.

Harry,

I think the plan if you're in the hunt by yourself, make a deal with the current leader in the Cat 5 series since you're not in the overall series leader hunt, him helping you is positive for both of you, and try to get his buddies to give you a hand and go for the win.

Hi folks,

Will be in the 3/4 race. Bit under the weather but happy to help anyone.

Daniel