cat5's

good to join 11aFriday centralPark ride, hard for non-flex schedule folks...but a MUST do someDay 2have JP(aka mugwump) insights, tactics, course analysis!

looks like its just ashley&harry in the cat5(ros, is out, hope joshC gets in), so, Note:
last cpk 2lap race won by 1Lap break 15sec up road, typical bunch sprint for this time for 2nd; given 2of us plan;
a) if Ashley is feeling it(like last weeks 3lap break) or a 2a) ashley(aka, powerMeterBermes) to follow a credible break(ash check out prior winners& know your man.. i will call it id i see it&you)

or

more likely plan c) sit-it 4-6th wheel; ashley follow harry through pack up horseAlley over hill&down to BoatHouse(base of cat's paw hill for sprint finish)...ashley, find a line&wheel for your optimum power &last 10-20sec sprint(ash, you should test your sprint on the hill finish to know where/when your power is for finish). i'll try to hang on for top5 goal! let's get you an ugly nycSBRS jersey.

ash, preRide tonight, kisseena's meet westSide of start @6:30a(6:45a start).
-h;>

Can anyone share how long the sprint is from the bottom of cats paw to the finish line ie number of seconds all out sprinting from bottom to top?

For some reason I cant search the forum.

cat5's
brief race report:
from my perspective(1-4wheel whole race), the 5's stuck quite well to plans 'b, a, &c' ...plan b Ashley'watts'Bernes to make a break if feeling good, plan a launch ashley/other off final lap hill w/ros storming hill and me over top w/Ashley in tow, plan c final lap harry hammer hill w/ros on flats past temple and Ashley to line ahead of sprint pack.
well, we did all that w/my 1st self sacrifice at base of hill...&Ashley's break durnig 'nutral' ...i desperately tried to call him back& Ros's charge up hill on final lap. sadly, each action was out of sequence.

@marc
<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Marc Bertucco</cite>First off,
I have to say, I feel like we as a club let one of our new guys, Ashley, down a bit. I really don't know how he got in front of his field's pace vehicle, or how he was chugging alongside and past the 1/2/3 field in the jogger's lane at one point, but dude's clearly got an engine, and with our collective experience, we should be better mentors (mental note to self, be a better mentor, Marc). I mean, if he was rocking off the front of the 5 field, the pace vehicle should have sped up, right? Because now he's the front of his field. But if he launched his moves during one of the always confusing and frustrating times when fields were crossing/passing each other, then we should have given him the "put it in neutral" sign or something. It sounds like there was plenty of in-race chatter, but those messages have to be short and sweet, because our brains don't work as well with power being diverted from grey matter to our rippling red muscle fibers. to be continued...</blockquote>

lesson s learned:
1. stay behind pace car, 2. listen when harry call you to come back, 3. when another field is passing stay right @ppk, 4. ash, dont go too soon, 5. if teammates self sacrifice, DO NOT pull up at end... you will likely still place 4 or 5th for points! 6. have fun!

-h;>

ps. bravo! 3/4& masters, pro1/2...fun to see kissenas in top 10...esp th Kaiser+sweet race report.
see you all2morrow!
-h

Anyone want to meet early in BK to ride up to Central Park for tomorrows race?

There is a really big rock on the right hand side of Cat's Paw near the top of the climb. Don't sprint before there. It is about 200m before the line. Be patient with that finish, lots of people will go way too early, uphill, and simply come to a dead stop.

The left side of the road is longer, but a bit flatter by the right curve. There used to be a diamond painted on the ground in the shared bike/ped lanes that was around 200m to go. Suffice to say, 200m is after you exit the final right curve.

Ashley, Harry, Joshua

If you want, look for me on the opposite side of the road near the start. I'd like to have a little team meeting where we can briefly go over some strategery. I've got an idea that I think just might be the ticket for you guys. I'll try to be there by 6:20.

Ashley, if you haven't seen it yet, there is a post of someone's bike cam of the CP course, and a two-part post where I narrate the course. If it's not hellish for you, it might be helpful for you to print out the post, then watch and follow along. Here's the thread:

http://kissena.info/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=615&page=4#Item_26

@marcB,
thanks, we'll se you there @6:20a team meeting.
-h

Thanks Marc, that made a good read. See you at 620.

I didn't make it to the race this morning. My stomach was off and I turned around at the 59th bridge which was closed this morning anyway. Spent the rest of the day in bed with a stomach virus. Ugh

Hope that those of you who raced in the park had a fun and safe race. reports please! I gotta read something while I lay here.

Patrick

My notes from the 5's Race.

2 Laps, 26 mph average speed.

Spent the 5 minutes before the whistle franticly trying to get my power meter to work, typically it died as I rolled onto the line to take my place so no power data analysis for me today. Started the race almost at the back as the whistle blew and right away realized this was not going to be the same style of race as Prospect Park last weekend.

2 Laps only. I knew it would or should be quick but we were motoring right away, strung out immediately. I got onto Harry and he worked us up to the front by the decent. Someone fired off full gas on the base of the hill to which everyone responded. Kept the pace up all the way up and over the hill. The early escape got reeled in by the top of the climb only to be countered by one of the 15 siggi riders who then took a flyer which happened again and again and again. The usual sketchy crew out in force trying to squeeze into any non hole/gap possible including one twat who actually got inside my bars at one point.

My plan this time was to have a go at the sprint and I thought id try and hide from the wind as much as possible. That was working all well and good until on the second lap a break formed in front and the leaders jersey went to bridge just after the crest of the climb. I responded slowly thinking someone would pick him up but it looked like people were letting him move so I pulled out and spent about 20 seconds working hard to reel him in into the wind, we were all together again within no time minus the break that was still up the road. I think after that I lost a little concentration on my positioning, I was aggressively marking the leaders jersey allowing myself to slip back in the pack. Before I knew I was 30 or so guys back, peleton all strung out, leaders jersey going nowhere so I tried to push up knowing, but not really knowing the finish was so close. Worked hard into the wind to move up 5 places past horse shit ally but was still miles away from the front (with the break still existing). I could see Cats Paw coming up in the distance, I pushed again another 5 places but realized that was it, the finish was a sprint away and I'm 20 guys or more backoff the front of the train. I knew the uphill sprint suited me so I thought id still try from so far out. I had a location in my mind from the night before that I would launch my sprint about half way up the hill but that all went out the window when I positioned myself so badly so knew I had to go early or nothing at all to catch up. I had a wheel about 20 riders back for about 2 or 3 seconds into the climb which started to go backwards so I went from the bottom, and went, and went, and went, my heart was coming out of my mouth as I was out of the saddle <4 bpm off my max HR for the next 18 seconds hitting 1bpm off my max HR by the top. I realized I was passing the old break guys as they were fading, riders on the front were dropping off too. Seeing them fade kept me going, kept pushing all out for 33 seconds gaining on every second as everyone was fading, made it to 5th (ill be dammed if it wasn't) and what felt like spitting distance to the leader but got pipped on the line to 6th by less than half a wheel on the line.

Definitely learnt the lesson of importance on position leading into the last sprint as well as starting to recognize some of the riders. I choose a bad wheel to stick on but now I know a few more of the dudes who are good for it I know who to look out for. Biggest sprint of my life though without a doubt, would have made for some interesting 30 second numbers but oh well…….. Overall I'm happy to have made it that far up considering the bad position I put myself in and once again it was a great experience.


Duration: 28 minutes 24 seconds
Average Speed: 41.84 kph

Does anyone know where any pictures might exist of the finish for the 5s?

Had a nice and hard 4 hour ride after with Harry, Marc and JP for a bit before he pealed off, think I put in another 10 or so max interval efforts on the climbs to finish myself off and gratefully accept the rest week ahead I'm going to gift my legs with.

1/2/3 Race Report...

You may have noticed from the lack of post-race report written on smart phones during the cool-down lap because we are too excited to wait, that today in Central Park was rather uneventful. The 1/2/3s lined up with JP, Rene, Dan and myself. With 4 laps to work with and only JP and Rene at fully operational strength (not sure where Dan is at these days, but he looked comfortable in the pack), it was going to be hard to inspire a breakaway. JP did his bit and reports the first lap was hard. For me, for some reason lap 2 felt the hardest. Having had a couple of nights of sleep free from work, plus a brand new mattress that is soooper comfy, I was feeling better than usual, but it's all relative. I wasn't going to get dropped today, but I wasn't going to solo off the front Cancellara-style either.

Rene took his shots off the front too, but nothing was really getting away. Well accept the two guys who got away. Not sure when they escaped, but they did and we didn't have a guy in the move. Normally, with a full 5 or 6 lap race and a full squad of guys, I would have gotten to the front to work to pull them back. But with just one lap to go, at best, I would have helped bring it back for team 15-stone (Dave Jordan presented by stay-puff-Marshmallow man, in association with Dave Jordan Associates, I'm so awesome, look at my name on my jersey, it's in a cool funky font that I discovered on my when I was printing up signs for my October-fest frat party in 1993).

And so, instead, I decided to take my own advice and find JP's wheel and get ready to contest a "best of the rest" sprint for third place. Things were looking good through Horse-shit alley. I was moving up nicely without too much effort. By the boathouse though things were getting sketch-a-rooni, and by the right hand bend where the "long sprinters" (and by "long sprinters," I mean dudes who will blow spectacularly long before the line) there was some serious argy-bargy and I had to shut it down for safety's sake. Sigh.

After the race, Ashley, JP, Harry and I rode north, JP turned back early for family nap time, and I did my best to tire out the Jack Russel Terrier Twins, by pointing them up Ash/Tweed, to the top of Clausland Mtn, back around some back roads home to Englewood then up one of the tougher stair-stepping climbs home. Unfortunately for me, those guys just kept going and going and going.

Great result Ashely!
Victor Chan usually has pictures up; the Kissena Facebook Page will have links to any pictures we find as well.

There I was saying I was marking the leaders jersey, the pictures showed otherwise (I was marking him on the last lap, this must have been on the first lap where the roles were reversed)

Victor Chan @ 2:50 PM on 3/28/12:

"Just came back from Prospect Park. From the Temple to the skating ring parking lots, the road hasn't been paved yet. Not sure if more repaving is under way in the next couple of days. Don't know if the Sunday race is a go."

"The paved section is baby smooth. :) They haven't put markings on the road yet. From what I heard, the park department will expand the cycling lanes to 2 lane wide. Which means that effectively the joggering's lane takes up more of the racing road. Not sure when they will implement the new lane."

If the race is happening Sunday, I will be there.

I was there today. The unpaved section was much shorter.

Really, its raceable the way it is - though I doubt they'd do it.

That said, I did get a flat. But its really not that torn up.

I'd be not at all surprised if it was done before Sunday. In fact, I'd be surprised if it wasn't given the progress I've seen the last couple days.

AVD just tweeted that the paving is finished. I would prefer to see it myself than take his word on it.

I went to PP this morning and it is now smooth as silk. I signed up for the cat5 race.

ooooo

SWEET....my carbon tubulars are much relieved...

I rode it last night - its very nice! And that bump at the bottom of the hill is gone.

@ N. That bump is just biding its time.

Malc - you in any of this action?

I am in for this. We'll see whether I will be anything other than hanging onto the back of the field like a dingleberry.

I am planning on riding FBF and Spring Series. Hopefully the rain is light Sat morning and we won't need snorkels.

John, let's do the Haka before the race starts!!!

Of course... A very splashy Haka:

Ringa pakia
Uma tiraha
Turi whatia
Hope whai ake
Waewae takahia kia kino

Ka Mate! Ka Mate!
Ka Ora! Ka Ora!
Tenei te ta ngata puhuru huru
Nana nei i tiki mai
Whakawhiti te ra
A upane ka upane!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!!

and let's not forget the throat slitting action!!!!