Please attach timing chip to fork. Tom makes no guarantees that the chip trips if it is in your pocket. There will be zipties provided and a wirecutter Tom lends out. The inner tube or electrical tape is to provide friction and to protect your fork finish from the zip ties and the sensor, not as the only means to securing the sensor to your fork.

What Dave said. Doesn't need to be the prettiest (though looking pro like Eloy is always a plus). Just needs to be as far forward as possible. You don't want to put the effort into winning a sprint for the line by a bike throw just to have the other guy get the win on a technicality because their chip crossed the line first

L&C Cup Race Report (Cat 3/4)

• Just Max & I racing as Dave had to extend his help on the day to Marshalling duties
• Without Dave, Max & I didn't really have a plan, I think Max was going to try for some KOM's, i was going to try stay in the pack & finish
• Race started off pretty medium paced, nothing crazy
• Lap 3 up the hill there was a surge and a split, I had to work hard to get back to the main group but managed by just after the finish line
• I think it was on this lap that a rider went off the front (Koontz from R&R strikes again)
• From here on it felt the race wasn't too crazy, I was sitting 15-20 back from the front
• Timing from Dave by the road told us the rider out front was gaining 10s a lap on us
• It felt like R&R were sitting at the front slowing the race but there were other teams up there with 3 or more riders, none of them tried to chase the leader down
• It was slow at the hill, looking at the race results maybe they were slowing it down as Koontz had the quickest 2 KOMs....
• Coming up to the bell i was carrying speed so i moved up and went past the front of the group
• Turned on my medium afterburners for 10-15s,in my mind i had a gap, looked back 30s later and everyone was on my wheel so just moved to the side and slotted back in
• Saw Max go off the front going down the hill
• Coming up to the hill the pace slowed, i was middle of the pack, middle of the peloton
• Bad positioning to be in the middle I'm learning, too compact and with people standing up/moving I had to hit the breaks at one point (note to self - move to the side for the hill the next time)
• Little bit left over the top but no sprint power
• Ended up 29/67
• Av Speed 24.6mph
• Felt a bit easier than the 5 lap Cat 5 with the same NP, less surgey but maybe that's bc no one chased down the guy
• In hindsight maybe Max I could have come up with a plan for the last lap, me leading him up the hill or something.....
  
• Bonus - the are Masters sub categories, in the Cat 3/4 I came second: https://my.raceresult.com/330301/#2_15C432, there are some benefits of being old!
  

Race Results
https://my.raceresult.com/330301/#2_FC1571

That's awesome @KevinWomack & @MaxBucksbaum -- btw, Kevin, if you were to finish ahead of Saul in the next race, you would then lead the competition and get to wear the Masters Leader's jersey. 

Not much to additional to add- felt like an NPC this whole race.  I was sitting in just fine, but didn't feel like I had that extra spark to make any determinate moves.  Mentally that led me to sort of check out for a few laps in the middle of the race, but once I saw Kevin fly through to the front into the bell that perked me up a bit.  Ended up moving more than I should have and found myself pulling the pack with a hard 45 second effort or so through the bottom of the hill.  Was able to tuck back in, but legs were kind of shot at that point.

Rolled in for 23rd

Max and Kevin were looking strong, loved that I didn't see them pulling when there were 3 or 4 other teams with larger squads representing.

Speaking of I couldn't figure out why they didn't coordinate and pull Koontz back. By the 3rd lap he had 20s daylight and basically grew his lead by 5-10s per lap and held a minute on the field for laps 7 through 9. I assumed they knew there was a solo guy out front and I called out the time gaps but the field looked very relaxed. 🤷‍♂️ Koontz was smart and asked for time checks every time he passed by. On lap 9 he actually slowed down to try to give me a high 5 (I gave him an air 5 from the side of the road)

1/2/3 and 5 fields were fun to watch. 1/2/3 saw a few solid break attempts and I heard there was a late race minor pile up at top of the hill (ambulance got there and everyone was already on their bikes and rode away). Nothing stuck and they had an exciting field sprint. The 5s had some good action despite the short race - lap 2 I watched 2 guys off the front with a 10s gap and one guy was bridging up. By the next lap they were working well together and had a sizable lead and eventually took the top spots. Really impressive for 5 laps with ostensibly novice racers.

Sad I missed racing, but glad I didn't get my ass kicked. Nice to see the community out and most everyone had big smiles and good vibes all around.

Chill post race coffee and pastries with Max and Kev.

See you at Verge in a few weeks!

i think i'm in for the cat 5s this sunday

I'm more than likely in for 3/4.

I'm in for 5s Sunday. Looking like the start line forecast will be much gentler than last week. I look forward to that... 

Alrighty folks sign up to volunteer for reg desk and race for free!

Probably missing this week.  Got in a crash Tuesday, think I may have a mild concussion, not totally sure but going to play it safe and skip out on this one

Take good care, Max.
I have out of town plans this Sunday 

Take care of yourself max! 

I'm down for the 3/4!

Speedy recovery @MaxBucksbaum !

I just have to hope Jonas stays healthy, it seems whatever occurs to him happens to me shortly after

Heal up soon Max!

Heal up, Max! Looks like I'll be solo in 5s for now... 

See if you can hook up with any of the people who came out for the meet KCC ride on sunday.

BlakeFoster said:

Heal up, Max! Looks like I'll be solo in 5s for now... 

My buddy Moshe (dark beard, green helmet) is racing the 5s too, he’s not on a team but a good rider to collaborate with!

Take care @MaxBucksbaum give that concussion a wide berth. No need to rush back.

L&C #2 was a good time!

Prelude:
I spend an hour at the velodrome yesterday on a 50x15 which seemed like a way easier gear last autumn. I attempted 3 flying 200m attempts and even with the excuse of a headwind I definitely noticed a significant lack of torque in my legs. So knowing my lack of power I resolved to work on my "do as little work as possible and finish the race" for L&C.

The race:
Roads were oddly quiet heading to the park. Maybe the nice weather on Saturday had people out late and the city was nursing a collective hangover? Registration desk however was bumping and both the P123 and 3/4 fields had 80ish racers with a solid number of day-of registrations. Only 2 guys forgot to bring their numbers today because they didn't realize it was for both race series and one of them declared, "Who reads emails anymore?!"

Temps were in the mid 40s so I only needed to layer 3 fleeced jerseys and a base. Kevin, being the hardboiled scotsman, sported summer bibs and bare legs. Blake rolled up, said hello and looked like a man on a mission as he lined up for the 5s. Or maybe that's just his 6am on a Sunday face. Either way, he looked serious as hell.

The P123 field was so large that the late starters came squeezing past our 3/4 group on the right side at the start. Kevin held a spot for me and I rolled up in a primo spot. The wind today was from the east and was deceivingly strong. I stayed sheltered on the right on the west side and transitioned to the left by the ice rink. The few brief times I got stuck on the wrong side it was noticeably harder to maintain speed. Lap 2 or so I saw Rob Mullen of ROR (and former KCC) pull his team lead and last week's 4/5 winner Alden up on the crosswind side. That looked hard.

3 guys got a little gap after a KOM. I was near the front when it happened but had zero power to do anything about it. KruisCX and NYCC had guys in the break and had 5 or 6 each in the field blocking. I watched as they gapped us by 2...3...5...10 seconds - they were tantalizingly close and I had visions of trying to bridge, but a few braver souls made solo attempts but fell apart in the deceiving crosswind. By the time I counted 15 seconds on the east side their respective teams were very effectively blocking and honestly I felt relieved that the pace had slowed. The rest of the race was a blur. I dropped anchor around KOM/GAP and let the field wash over me to the finish, Mission Conserve All The Energy: Accomplished.

I caught up to Alden and Rob of ROR spinning down after the finish. Apparently Alden bridged up at the very end of the race and got 4th which makes sense. He is an elite MTBer but openly admitted he doesn't know how to race on the road. The guy has plenty of power so with a little strategy, I can see him on top of every podium through the rest of the year.

Kevin is 2nd in the masters points classification, but with a kid coming in a few weeks may not be able to vie for the podium at the end of the series. Life first!

Random KOM stories:
I'm assuming they were a junior, but they must have sprinted up the hill for 3 or 4 of the laps. If the goal was to break away, they would have been more effective if they started their closer to the front. Credit where credit is due, they went up the left side, hidden from the cross wind, but basically sprinted past half the field to get to the front.

A guy in a Veselka jersey on the last hill, with the podium spots already gone, came up from behind me - solidly mid pack - and sprinted egregiously into the left joggers lane to get around 2 or 3 other guys. On top of a shithead move that should have gotten him DQed, he was sprinting for what - at best 20th? I will never understand.

Random port-a-john story:
Five minutes to start I went got on line to use the bathroom. The guy behind me (who I'm pretty sure is the yellow jersey in the 3/4) was in dire need of #2 so I signaled for him cut and he ran to the first stall as it opened up, cutting 2 other guys in front of me who were rightfully indignant. Regardless, the first stall had no TP and he found out the second did not either. By the time I did my business everyone else on the line were commenting on what he should use to wipe (grass, leaves, kit, fallen TP on the floor of the stall...). We all had a good laugh, but I hope he made it (judging by his results today, he did).

Cafe stories:
Coffee and pastries with Kevin at Hungry Ghost. Blake headed home soon after his race so we missed him. We got to the cafe early, but the KruisCX crew rolled 12 deep shortly after podiums. Kev spilled his coffee on the floor which was the universe telling us to wrap it up.

Hope to see you next week for L&C #3!

Race report: 

I’m trying different things to see how my race readiness fares. Today it was getting to the start as late as possible without being LATE late. I also am not great at dressing for 35-45 degree days. Did well on kit except my gloves were too warm, but it was too cold to go without them for me so I went with hot hands. I rolled up with 8 mins to the gun, so I stopped at the start line for a quick #1 (in porta potty ofc), fist bumped Yang, and yelled good luck to Kevin. I was solo in the 5s, but linked up with Lennart’s comrade, Moishe. Today wasn't my best race, but I fared better than last week, shaving 2:30 off my time. Happy about that at least 

As Dave noted, it was a little windy today but not as bad as last week. The crosswind was pesky, but Moishe was a good lad and had done a recon lap and told me where we needed to be positioned to hide. I was the sole Kissena in the 5s today so my plan was to suck wheel of riders bigger than me who are strong and confident. I stayed towards the front for the first couple of laps. Moishe sent an early attack right at the start of the downhill, made for a fun and fast start. On both 1st and 2nd laps, on the approach to the gazebo a group of 8-10 riders would split from the bunch and roll off. The field was a bit messy unsurprisingly. Either I was too slow to react quickly or was trying to make up for other riders letting the group roll away, but on both laps when I tried to fight to go with the split I ended up pulling the whole bunch back together and burning at like 300 watts (high for me) with <90 seconds before the start of the hill. I did what I could to settle down and get into good position going into the hill. I got distanced after the hill on lap 2 after burning matched back to back between trying to make the split and staying in good position on the hill. Both times the field ended up coming back together, so I should have been patient and sat in, I definitely could have hung on longer had I chilled. Live and learn. 

Still working on getting my fitness up… looking forward to warmer days ahead. 

I stopped after the finish to fill my bottles and catch a video of Dave & Kevin going by in the 3/4s, I think they had 3 laps left and their field was close to catching the break. 

I watched and envied the 1/2/3 field, the big hit rider who ended up winning had been in a solo break for a while. When that field lapped me he must have had at least 20-30s on the peloton. On my bottle fill they came past again and he as back in the field, and 2-3 other riders were off the front. At some stage it came back together and the solo dude won the sprint. That team is looking super strong and has been winning a bunch this year already. 

I had to jet early to get in post-race endurance miles before a Sunday full of chores. Went from PP to Central Park and then home. I noticed Brooklyn was quiet on the way to the race, and the same was true when I rode through Manhattan. I was very jealous of the lazy Sunday/sleep in crowd. 

See yall soon

L&C Cup #2 Race Report

- Opted for short shorts. Was pretty cooked from riding the day before with no sunscreen.
- Marked Saul Metnick from NYCC Magan from the start, he is my Cat 3/4 Masters (45+) sub category nemesis
- Stayed front 1/3 of the pack for most of the race
- Was inside for the first couple of laps, outside for the rest of it
- I've been trying to go into the hill top 15/20 people recently and maintaining a steady pace going up, this has seemed to work pretty well for me, giving me some kick left at GAP to get back to the front or catch any breaks
- NYCC were in amongst front going into the last couple of laps
- Moved closer to the front going down the chute on the last lap
- Got on a big guys wheel who was moving up to the front coming up to Temple
- He pulled off and I was pretty much at the front pulling everyone (on the east side anyway). Did this for 5, maybe 10s and then eased off 
- Ended up getting swallowed in the middle and had terrible position coming into the hill
- Picked up some places coming up the hill on the inside
- Was behind Dave and also saw the Veselka guy jump right into the joggers lane to pick up a bunch of spaces
- Came around GAP on the inside feeling pretty good, with enough energy left to try sprint anyway
- Started sprinting but it was pretty cramped in there, first time really i've been stuck in amongst a group all sprinting, was a bit apprehensious to try zig zagging about
- Picked up a few places but was a bit behind Saul
- Ended up 27th and 3rd in the Masters for the 3/4 so second in the standings with 7pts
- A future L&C is 3 days after we have our baby so not sure I will be able to make this one. I suggested rescheduling the c-section but it hasn't been well received. Will have to hope the other guys miss one or two also.
- Race felt fast without being surgey, enjoying the 9 lap format way more than 5
- Av speed 25.6mph

https://my.raceresult.com/333506/

See you at the next one!

Alrighty folks, sign up to help with registration desk this coming Sunday's L&C #3 and race for free!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRpbiPcoONInDJU1BKpzOp7u0c8adnqiGMJE4qzJyFTWznbw/viewform?usp=dialog

Marco's photos on the L&C facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/lucarelliandcastaldi

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1207948391338404&set=pcb.1207951168004793

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1209176034548973&set=pcb.1209178784548698

Kev moving so fast he's vibrating in this photo:


Me suffering to get on Max Davis's wheel just before I watched the break ride away from me:


Kevin and my orange helmets peeking out from the group while watching the Sanba rider attempt to bridge (he did not make it). Note KruisCX riders and Saul in the master's kit (NYCC) blocking for their guys in the break:

Was the Veselka guy ID'd by any videos and disqualified?

Nope.

No race for me this weekend, should be back for Verge in 2 weeks. 

I'm signed up for reg desk and 3/4.