Mar 27, 2014 at 01:20 PM
Maybe you'll see a Jersey Devil.
Ronde Van Mullica
Mar 27, 2014 at 02:06 PM
Really, though. Any other 3 thinking of racing... Da Silva is providing a ride! The most daunting aspect of getting to a race is taken care of! And you'll be boosting the Kissena presence by a whopping 50%! Collectively, we've got a lot more power with 3 guys than we do with 2.
Plus there's gonna be a slumber party with arts and crafts.
Mar 27, 2014 at 02:40 PM
I did this race a few years ago. It's a great race with lots of action aided by prevailing winds on a square course. The key is to be on the left side of the peloton approaching the sprint, as the yellow-line rule is waived for the sprint, so the left side opens up big-time as guys cross the double yellow to start their sprints.
Unfortunately I can't make it this year. I'll be watching the Red Hook Crit and riding long and hard Sunday (on the later side).
Mar 30, 2014 at 08:44 PM
Wet, wet, wet day. The rain really started coming down about ten minutes before lining up. Developed into a downpour for a good part of the race, then stopped for the last 10 or so miles, which were super cold. Couldn't feel my hands and therefore had a hard time fumbling into my pocket through my vest to get my food out so I didn't get a chance to eat. Despite the cold, wet, and hunger, today was a great learning experience in how to race in the rain and how racing is in the 3s. It's days like this that remind you why you thought school was such a drag - learning is hard and at times a real drag, but you do it and in the end you're better off for it.
Andy and I were hanging out up front, throwing some flyers, jumping in moves, nothing was really sticking. I felt like we were covering everything and doing it pretty well. At one point early on after some of the heaviest rain, I drifted back through the pack to find Andy, who I hadn't seen in a bit. On a wet day, I wanted to be sure we were together and both alright. At that time, a move went. This one had the benefit of having two guys from the only two teams with more than 2 teammates in the field (I think) and by the time I realized what was going on, they were gone and some serious blocking was going on.
I tried like crazy for the rest of the race to get a chase going. I was jumping in everything and attacking the field any time I noticed the pace was lulling... which was often. At times we'd make progress and move up the road and, lo and behold, there would be one or two guys from either of those teams that would soft pedal. I don't know if it was the weather or what but it really seemed like aside from myself, only a small group of other riders were ever interested in chasing.
At one point I was so gassed that I needed to relax. Another chase had gone up the the road and was hanging. I sat in and watched it roll away. At this point the race was over because the break was long gone so I figured I may as well continue to ride as hard as I could to get a solid workout in. I went to try and bridge. It took a long time in no man's land and one or two popped riders, but another rider and I made it. Cool, now I know I can do that.
In the end, no result to speak of. No real motivation to take the sprint and I was so spent from the ride that I wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. I did learn a lot though, and have some real confidence in my fitness... now it's just about learning how to apply that properly. Let's see which is easier to build. I think with one or two more guys, we would've been able to be in every move and would've come back with something solid, but it's a long haul for a long ride in shitty weather, so it's understandable.
Also, BIG UPS TO PERLBERG! Thank you so much for letting us hang at your parents' house last night and for taking us to the pig roast. I had a really good time and really, really appreciate your generosity and hospitality. I didn't get to say so as I was sneaking out at 6am or before you guys rolled out, but seriously, thank you! And thanks to Ragot for the booze, encouragement, and the encouragement to booze. Looking forward to a lot more of this kind of stuff this year. That was a hoot.
Mar 30, 2014 at 10:49 PM
Good company this weekend. Konrad left out the part where I go off the front and in the process ride off the course due to a mix of heavy rain and low visibility.
Mar 30, 2014 at 11:12 PM
even better - on the way there, Perlberg and I went the wrong way. I pulled a U-turn and got stuck in the mud. e got muddy, the car looks like it got pooped on at speed. We got pulled out by a friendly pickup truck after I got my tow hook out.
The race?
It was fast, hard and not very smartly ridden as Wachtung Wheelmen and Weather Channel shut everything down as the break stayed out for about 50 miles. The bad part was Wacthung refused to work in chase groups once it was clear that the break wasn't coming back. Even when the chase groups were clear and the pack wasn't very interested. Same thing happened in the Masters on Saturday. Negative racing...
Mar 30, 2014 at 11:20 PM
You have a tow hook in your race bag? That's impressive.
Mar 30, 2014 at 11:33 PM
On lap one I made a good bridging effort to a break that had all the right teams represented. Everyone kinda sat up and we were caught. I almost crashed into the field when we suddenly slowed. I was kinda petrified to realize I had no breaking power whatsoever. I drifted back to see if I could toy with the barrel adjusters to get the pads a little closer to maybe get some tension. No suck luck, and I missed the break.
I tried a number of attacks and bridging efforts. Nothing stuck. Sometimes I would try just because I was freezing.
On the final stretch (we were sprinting for 5th I think) Eric navigated my tired legs up to the front and then put in a long hard effort to keep me in position. I know when I sprint I need a long sprint, but this was a little too long. I took the lead and gave it my all but died a painful death between 250 and 200 meters to go (there were signs marking out the distance to go on the road side). I was swarmed and probably finished in the 30s.
Anyway, between this 60 mile race and the long break at Branchbrook, a good weekend of racing / training.
Also - the pig roast was great.
Andy, Konrad and Eric were all great house guests. They made their beds!!
Pencil in Zeppelin Crit on your schedules for a bit of Perlberg family hospitality in June.
That's all folks.
Mar 19, 2015 at 01:21 PM
Sunday, March 29 -- https://www.bikereg.com/ronde-van-mullica-road-race
I'm going to be in Jersey that weekend and am planning on hitting this while I'm there. Anyone else considering making the trip?
I'm going to be in Jersey that weekend and am planning on hitting this while I'm there. Anyone else considering making the trip?
Mar 29, 2015 at 04:48 PM
I did this, and it was dumb. The course was fine, but the field treated it like a mild group ride. Flat course made it tough to get away, though with about 2 miles to go I got boxed in and missed the winning move. It ended in a field sprint. I went at about 250m which was way too soon. Got swallowed up and finished 19th. Dumb move cost me at least 10 spots.
Field sprints have never been my thing, so kinda happy to have given it a shot, though pissed at the result. Because this was part of a series, there was a lot of blocking and other shenanigans. Also my Garmin died halfway through. Until next week.
Field sprints have never been my thing, so kinda happy to have given it a shot, though pissed at the result. Because this was part of a series, there was a lot of blocking and other shenanigans. Also my Garmin died halfway through. Until next week.
Mar 29, 2017 at 09:04 PM
still feeling a bit under the weather, but I am likely to race Saturday at Prospect Park, and then Sunday at the Ronde.
https://www.bikereg.com/ronde-van-mullica-road-race
https://www.bikereg.com/ronde-van-mullica-road-race