O dear lord! No more spots! 😭

.

Ugh. Stuck in spam filter. Bummer. Ah well...
Does anyone know what protocol will be for each race? Ie. Will there be separate mails for each L&C and Castelli race individually this year?
Thanks all

Also- anyone signing for the Randall’s Sunday am crits?

Jules said:

I thought Charlie was moving to San Francisco?

He is moving to California, but not yet, and not before making completely sure the races are in good shape and good hands.

We are looking for someone to act as the KOM official for the Prospect Park races. This is a paid role.

You do not need to be an USAC official, but will need to score the top 3 across the line and ring the bell the lap before.

Please contact Charlie Issendorf at charlesissendorf@gmail.com for details.

Feel free to let me know or post any questions/concerns here too.

BUMP

First L&C race is this Saturday. Charlie needs someone to score the KOM on the hill (basically get the bib numbers for the top 3 in four KOM sprints). You get paid $70 for this job. 

Hey @David Yang you only need one hand for that!

Has anyone noticed the excessive amount of pothole and broken up roads in the park these days? Should add another interesting element to the race. 

Jeff Condon said:

Has anyone noticed the excessive amount of pothole and broken up roads in the park these days? Should add another interesting element to the race. 

So it isn't just me?  

Every few years the clubs band together and sign a petition to improve the road surface. It usually works

Jules said:

Hey @David Yang you only need one hand for that!

I'll prob take it easy for a little while but looking to volunteer later in the series.

David Yang said:

Jules said:

Hey @David Yang you only need one hand for that!

I'll prob take it easy for a little while but looking to volunteer later in the series.

KOM judge official duties are calling! (Mark got it covered this weekend, but later in the series we'll please need someone)

RACERS! What are everyone's hopes, goals and ambitions for tomorrow's race? Post about them here!

I have no idea what to expect.

I'm riding solo in the 1/2/3.

At least four squads have seven riders apiece.  Which means most of them need to be represented.  A couple have six apiece, a couple have five.  Not certain of anyone's fitness level, though I've been looking at results of recent races to have a sense of who is riding strong.  And what teams are coordinated.  

I want to position myself well, make sure I'm on the front side of any split, and try to figure out when I can get into a move.  

First race for me this year, so my goals are pretty simple: have fun, stay in the top 5-15 wheels, don't crash. If I can be of assistance to anyone with more ambitious goals, even better

First race ever tomorrow - my lofty goals… survive and enjoy the ride

How'd it do??

Results, bro?

5s we’re every bit as chaotic as you’d expect. NYCC had some sketchyyyyyy riders but thankfully no crashed. I think the team performed well overall. Bunch of guys were racing for the first time and held their own and kept good positioning. I flatted on the last lap so that was a huge bummer, but Michael took 3rd which was awesome to see!

I think Michael Cumming taking third was our best result.  

From what he related to me, it seems like it was a solid long effort for the sprint.  

They totally messed up my placing on the result email.... 🤷‍♂️ I was right behind the big 5th FL rider at the end so I was 34 "unknown rider". I need to complain to get my midpack finish right! 😡

Kevin Man said:

They totally messed up my placing on the result email.... 🤷‍♂️ I was right behind the big 5th FL rider at the end so I was 34 "unknown rider". I need to complain to get my midpack finish right! 😡

Just put in an anonymous tip to the UCI that the 5th floor rider had nefarious sock heights. We’ve got your back, Kevin. 

It was both strange and great to be back to racing in Prospect park. 

For myself it was the first time riding in a large pack in close to two years (I usually stop racing once CX season starts in Sept.). While there was some sketchy riding in the 3/4 field, including a crash on the final lap, it was less dangerous than I feared. 

I clearly didn't have race fitness, so spent most of the race mid-pack. Given my current fitness, this was as much as I could expect. The 3/4 field averaged 26 miles and hour and we only completed 8 (instead of 9) laps as the 123 field had a blistering 28 mph average. I guess riding on Zwift builds some good fitness.

Other than getting used to racing a bike again the other cool part was seeing friends, showing up at 5am to help with registration and going for coffee with teammates afterwards. Looking forward to more racing with you all

Quick or long report L&C 3/4 Report

• First race since 2019
• Know going in that is impossible to expect rewards for work I have not done
• Likely most everyone in the sold out field felt the same...
• simple goal of finishing in one piece
• Few of us Kissenistas in the Field
• So awesome to line up and race in the park again!
• First time down the hill, not even 2 minutes in, is like OMFG WTF, is this how it always was?? because, wow, almost 70km/h in a huge field felt like OMFG WTF
• Jeff would mirror this comment post race
• Pandemic legs and fitness, meant mid pack fodder for me
• race did not feel super fast, but at an avg speed of 42 km/h it clearly was
• likely not the case, but felt the most unfit I've ever raced in PP
• On these races, my favorites are when the race gets hot! -- not today, haha, holding on for dear life
• Our kissena crew was keeping it real last lap, we all survived a crash last time up the hill, but further distanced us from the front, finishing 40 ish but happy to be able to do this and feel safe (at least from contagious diseases )
• We would then learn Michael podium his race #firah!
  
• best part of the race was all of us hanging out and grabbing coffee post race
• So awesome to see everyone
• Can't wait for more

@James Reeder
please share your race report , you are clearly a super strong rider , but you were surfing the back whole race , then got popped, 
im 💯not looking to shame but I feel like a lesson could be learned by all 

This was a fast one.

Attacks started from the gun.  Not a solo guy trying to get up the road but 4-10 steamrolling.  It was impressive to watch.  I had resolved not to get involved for at least the first half of the race.  So I just wanted to avoid having to close a gap to a split.  

The first move gained a decent gap and held it.  We got the first sprint bell and they were still out there.  It didn't seem like a concerted chase from the field, but on the flats before the hill, it looked like the break just sat up.  Weird.  

I was sitting back a bit further than I wanted most of the time, which wasn't so good.  Sometimes, I try to position myself for an attack after a KoM or sprint, and try to decide at the moment whether or not it's a good time.  The first one came and we went into it hard enough, I didn't think it was worthwhile.  

When we got the bell for the second sprint, there was a move starting to coalesce.  It looked big enough that it could take the sprint and keep going.  I wanted in.

So I attacked.  Quickly got up to 34mph before the downhill, but that wasn't enough to get away from the field; I just strung it out.  Felt like I was pedaling through sand.  We caught that move.  

On the last lap, I didn't have confidence in fighting for position for the sprint, especially with the ambulance probably still on the hill. 

There was another group dangling.  I tried attacking just after the temple.  But didn't have it.  Strung the field out again, I hope.  Then, when caught, went to the back, just trying to stay in the field without crashing.

I don't often look at average speed during the race.  But when I crossed the line, about 10 seconds behind the field or so, I stopped my clock, and looked down.  28mph average speed.

Thanks to Strava, I can tell you that of the 19 times I've done this course at this distance, this was the fastest.  

My normalized power was a good bit lower than some of the other races.  In some respects, I wish I had just spent the race trying to get in all the moves as a way to shock my system into getting used to racing.  Le Sigh.

Ohhhh @PatrickGrehan I thought the race felt short.... Cus they cut a lap! Totally make sense now... I was trying to go up with 3 laps to go then all the sudden it was the bell lap... Ohh well 

Those past race pics look sharp. Jealous of having teammates to debrief with. 

Skindawgs for the win.