@eloy @mugwump @Jeff Condon @JohnPowell @Mark Taylor @RichardCornetta

we could use more help with registration if you guys are able to pitch in

I’ll get there early to help

Cat 4s who were not able to race in the Park this past weekend rejoice!

Next L&C is this Sunday the 29th.

Will we finally shed our knee and leg warmers?

Sign up to volunteer and race for free here: https://tinyurl.com/kissenareg

Just registered for the L&C Cup this Sunday.
I think I'm the 89th registrant of a 110-rider field.

@twoyacks, @Jeff Condon are you guys joining?

Looking forward to naked knees.  Gotta do some fur removal.

I’m out of town. 

oooh...Im on it

I'm in...

"Looking forward to naked knees.  Gotta do some fur removal."

JP...I caught your pony tail stealing envious glances at your calves during the last race...

twoyacks said:

"Looking forward to naked knees.  Gotta do some fur removal."

JP...I caught your pony tail stealing envious glances at your calves during the last race...

Nah that was him looking at your wheels trying to figure out how you got a speed shimmy going uphill.

#holdyaline

high praise

I'll be there in the 4's. Can we get a roll call? Anyone feeling particularly frisky?

I'll be in the 4's as well.

@jim_nelson reg'd for the 4's

I can't wait for Sunday. It's going to feel sooooo much nicer to race in warmer temperatures. Coming from Texas, though, I never thought I'd say that 49º was a "warmer" race.

I'll be there, definitely coming in with better fitness than usual for this time of year. I am shooting the RHC tomorrow, which is a full day of running around and finishes 'round midnight, so I come with excuses. If I'm feeling okish, I'll let some of the race go by, and then try to light it up around 3 or 4 to go, trying the see if I can manage a small group to the line.

^looking forward to those shots Eloy

Don’t forget to sign up to help with registration. Show up shortly after 5

I’m in for 4s. Depending on how my legs response I want to either a) go with a break post KOM or help lead out teammates for the finish 

Typically I don't like to describe things as epic but this morning's shower deserves the description. Top 5 best shower ever. The racing was fun too.
And I blew through our supply of q-tips.

Well that was 40 miles of log flume fun

The rain started before the race and kept us company for 39 miles
It wasn't rain of biblical proportions but enough to make carbon rim braking more of a soft suggestion...this chick had a better chance of stopping on the way down than I did...

Let's just get to today's winner who was one of the Borowes' brothers and not because he crossed the line 1st...cuz he didn't...he wins because on the last lap...on the downhill his front wheel exploded.  Not a blowout, not a broken rim...I'm talkin full on disintegration....like this guys face
  
How he held it together I've no idea.  When I passed him he had one foot unclipped which he was using as a Flintstone's style coaster brake

As for the race...JP and I were there & wait for it.....waaiiiit for it....Keith "I don't need no stinking carbon" Snyder who broke his 3 year sabatical from bike racing...Tomorrow starts the clock again and he will be one day race sober
JP tried some moves...Keith was strong and Yacks did what Yack does in the 1,2,3 field = bridged across to a promising move only to get popped the moment it gets organized.  Perlberg was off the front and I saw my opportunity right after the start finish.  I jumped on some dudes wheel & we worked to catch Perlberg near the bottom of the hill...with a  nice gap...by the rink about 4 others had made it across. 
That's when my plan went like this.

 I couldn't hold the wheel for a moment and got gapped...last wheel is not the place to be in those situations... I'm working on it...I should have just went for broke and dug into my reserves to hold the wheel...but I really wanted to finish this race today
On the plus side of the ledger...Team Brands wasn't there today so NOBODY told Yacks to ride straight today...I'm lookin at you Loehner.  Funny Brands pre-reg'd their whole team & nobody showed...oh little rain too scary for you team "Cream Puff"?

As we came around for the penultimate something amazing happened...the rain stopped!

everyone would have a clean shot at the line...truthfully I would have preferred if it started raining harder on the last lap = give some people an excuse not to contest.  It slowed before the hill and Keith put in a little dig.  Yacks found position and stood for the climb which seems to suit me.  I managed the surge and finished juuust maybe in the top 20...which is good for an old fat guy. JP may have a better summary of how the race was won but I couldn't see a damn thing all morning...power file
https://www.strava.com/activities/1538896798
I had to help some poor dude zip up his jacket after the race as his hands had frozen into lobster claws

I'm all out of gif's
Seacrest...OUT !!!

 

The DNS & Dnf's totaled 52 !!!!

Results
https://legacy.usacycling.org/results/index.php?permit=2018-957

Hey Powell....how'd this work out for you ????

"I can't wait for Sunday. It's going to feel sooooo much nicer to race in warmer temperatures. Coming from Texas, though, I never thought I'd say that 49º was a "warmer" race."

Apparently I was the "6th" cat 3...whatever that means...but 6th sounds waaaaay better than 27th

During registration I thought we had lucked out on the 50% chance of no rain side of things. The clouds seemed to be breaking up and the reg sheets were dry. We lined up, the whistle blew, and it started pouring.

Within minutes I was as wet as I could get so it was just a matter of counting how many pieces of grit were lodged in each eyeball and spitting out the god knows what in my mouth before I swallowed it.

Played around at the front for a bit then rested for a half lap until the green jersey bell rang with 7 to go. Got back to the front and slotted in 4th wheel over the top of the hill and got 4th in the sprint, missing points by half a wheel.

Threw in a couple little attacks on the next few laps. Rolled up next to Patrick to see how he was feeling and told him I would put in a big dig if he wanted to counter it. At the bottom of the downhill I was getting ready to launch and just then the green jersey (RBNY) put in a huge attack and got a ten second gap. I waited until the temple and then jetted off after him. Took about 90 seconds and I landed on his wheel just about the old finish line. A few seconds after I arrived one of his teammates appeared and I thought we may have a good move but we got swallowed up at the bottom of the uphill. It was fun though.

Second green jersey sprint happened on the same lap as a KOM and the jersey contenders were caught a bit unawares. It seemed like the teams looking for KOM points were driving it pretty hard and I found myself right next to three RBNY guys about 20 wheels back with their sprinter. We were still there half way up the hill and I lost focus for a bit thinking that there was no way anyone as far back as we were was going to get to the front for the sprint line. Before I knew it, I was still with a couple of the RBNY guys but the green jersey had slipped up front and ended up getting the points. Damn it, but my own fault.

Last lap I knew I didn't have much left to contend the sprint anywhere near the front. There was a two man break dangling and a few guys had the field strung out chasing it down including Eloy. I figured if he was chasing he may know something I didn't (like we had a sprinter) so I decided to just crank it up and see what happened. I ended up with the field on my wheel and caught the danglers in short order. Right about Lincoln Road my legs completely gave up and I swung off. As the field came by I realized John O was on my wheel. He later thanked me for the ride to the front and seemed like he was feeling good. Sorry I left him smack on the front so far out but I think its a good lesson learned and we should have planned a little better. I would have slotted in and helped bring the move back a little slower to conserve some energy to lead out John on the uphill.

I rolled in 90 seconds down, shivered for a bit and then headed for coffee. Apparently Patrick got 10th which I don't think he knew cause he didn't mention being that close to the front. Nice work and nice racing with he, Eloy, and John. I think we comported ourselves well out there today and I know I had fun.

Yeah, Bike Racing!

@twoyacks This desert rat stuck his toe out of the front door this morning, felt the slick streets and said "no thanks." We're heading to New Orleans for Jazz Fest on Tuesday, so if I had even a minor mishap in the race, my wife would be rather unhappy. Decided to play it conservative today.

I'm still a masochist, though, and made up for it by doing a bunch of threshold intervals indoors. In retrospect, I'm not sure that was the better choice.

On the upside, I didn't have to clean my bike today... :-|

good choice...Yacks no race before the Hawaii trip...i tempt fate enough in this life

JohnPowell said:

@twoyacks This desert rat stuck his toe out of the front door this morning, felt the slick streets and said "no thanks." We're heading to New Orleans for Jazz Fest on Tuesday, so if I had even a minor mishap in the race, my wife would be rather unhappy. Decided to play it conservative today.

I'm still a masochist, though, and made up for it by doing a bunch of threshold intervals indoors. In retrospect, I'm not sure that was the better choice.

On the upside, I didn't have to clean my bike today... :-|

Most accurate GIF ever

JohnPowell said:

Most accurate GIF ever

John, the good weather is almost there.  Soon enough it will get exhaustingly hot in TX (high 80's already forecast in Houston for the foreseeable future)  and you will bask in the glory of the northeast spring and summer.