"S'up."

So I saw a Van Dessel rider off the front the first couple of laps, and it wasn't Canadian Mike. Where they working for Mike as well?  

niallsmart said:

 - wes comes around in front of me @ 1h14m32. i probably had another 10-15 seconds of decent pace left at this point, so if wes had slotted in behind me (not sure if that was even possible from his point of view) he could have rested a bit. he puts down the gas and I get gapped a little and so wave brendan up, but by then wes is starting to pull off so brendan catches some air until patrick and another rider cover again @ 1h15m17

That would have made a lot more sense. I don't really know what I was thinking.

@wes i was clearly going too slow

Phillip Maronilla said:

So I saw a Van Dessel rider off the front the first couple of laps, and it wasn't Canadian Mike. Where they working for Mike as well?  

This is the perfect question to lead me into what I think is a worthwhile post about team racing and personal energy management.

After the 1/2/3 race, I roll over to check in with the homeboys from KCC, and someone jokingly asked "were you even racing out there?" Of course I was, but I can see how watching the action from the start-finish you might think differently. And it's worth going into some more details I think, because it might help others think about how they themselves can better manage their own personal resources.

So from the get-go, pretty much, the Van Dessel rider off the front that Phillip mentions, gets away with another rider. He's a former Kissena, named Zeb Nelesson, and he gets away with another rider. Zeb is a solid rider, but nothing to immediately send off alarm bells. I watched him get his gap and basically hold it for the better part of a lap before I thought, "Well, let me get to the front, if for no other reason than to prevent Ryan or JP from wasting good legs chasing something that I should be able to bring back." And so I motored to the front and tucked into 2nd or 3rd wheel and started cranking away, taking my turns at the front with a rider from another team. Problem was, neither of us was strong enough to bring those dudes back. Damn. That's a nice ego check there. BUT I did manage to crank out enough pace to keep the gap steady.

Now did I have more to give...just a few laps into a 12 or so lap race? Well, yes. Sort of. I could have gone full psycho and might have been able to shut them down properly. EXCEPT...at what cost?

This has happened to me in the past, I get to the front after the swelling after the pinch point, after the descent, I crank out some major watts and shut shit down, and then promptly get dropped on the climb. And so I have to think, what is more valuable to the team, shutting down a junky thing that should likely come back on it's own eventually, or be in the race to the end? Honestly, if I was strong like John Malcolmson, I could do both. And eventually I'll be able to pull off those kinds of moves, but not today.

So that was sort of the story of my first couple of laps, I'd be pulling on the flats leading to the start finish, then back off knowing that possibly fireworks would hit on the climb causing an entirely different scenario to unfold.

There was another move that I was much more worried about with Elite/Master's crosser, and eventual 9th place finisher, Michael Magur from Verge Sport in it. I may be getting the timing/order mixed up here, but I know I spent the first 4-5 laps either chasing Magur (in black and neon green) or Nelesson.

Another lap, I had a more visually explosive moment, where I bridged up to an 8 rider move that escaped up the right-side of the road while a teammate was riding tempo on the left. I was in the right position, and got up there in a hurry and sat for a few seconds to catch my breath to see what would happen next. It turned out the field was having none of our move and was on our tail post haste.

Other laps, it was just a slow cluster-fuck through the start finish. And in that case, there's just no good reason to barge your way through that stuff, because the field is going to thin immediately just past the start-finish. And then it's more efficient/easier to move up. Also, getting dropped on the climb, right now, for me, is a very real danger. So I was always managing that risk.

One lap, I was on the pointy end of the peloton going up the climb proper. Not going super fast, but hard enough to provide a nice launching pad for the guns. Sure enough, I see Dioslaki and some others, including a Kissena go hard, blowing by me. I always feel good when that happens. Kissena on the front, another in full flight on the side. That's the way good team racing should be. Always a neon orange helmet swimming in front, with the big fish.

And so with just a few laps to go, the ending apparent, I took/take it upon myself to try and rally the troupes, remind them/us we need to get here or there, find him or her and do this or that. If JP is the road captain, then I'm usually first lieutenant. Everyone on our team is smart and they generally know what to do, so I'm not going to pretend to take credit for so and so doing this or that, but I am/was usually around chirping like a mad-man, saying, "do this and that" as appropriate. Does it/did it make a difference? I don't know for sure. But I know it won't hurt.

So absent John Malcolmson-power, I have to be careful how I meter out my efforts. Sometimes you'll hear us recommending to riders that they not worry about finishing the race, and instead that they give it their all early and consider it a job well done. But for me and for the team, in this situation, that was not going to be the best option. To blow out myself out of the race just 3 or 5 laps in bringing back Zeb of Van Dessel? We were missing a few of our big guns on Saturday, so I had to keep my Daisy Red Ryder BB gun in the action from start to finish.

And so as each of you goes through your season, you have to consider all these factors. The racing is just too competitive. You have to manage your resources to help yourself and your team be as successful as you/they can be.

Oy.

Clearlyci need to stop playing with quasimodo and get home. So much
sarcasm laced advice to impart. Soo tired. ..
On Apr 21, 2014 1:19 PM, "Gwynna Smith" <

Yes, Myles, please just come race, crash on Al Barouh, say some mean things about Cat 4s, and join us for coffee - ASAP!

Myles prefers to crash on someone "soft."

Exactly. The most important lesdon is to whenever possible always fall on
a fat guy.
On Apr 21, 2014 2:36 PM, "Ryan J" <

Hey guys, re those Van Dessel guys. They didn't know me from Fred. But I kept telling Neil that we had lots of friends working for us and to stop looking back. I will be racing the next L and C cup race in yellow for sure. Gotta respect the jersey.

@Brendan Re your video — I think you guys got it mostly right (leading it out and still taking 4th is impressive). I think if you're serious about going for the W, you'd want to be completely sheltered (behind someone big) for the last two laps at least. Second wheel is a harder place to be than third, so be there for as little time possible too. The thing I notice with your videos is I can see up the road a lot, your videos want to be 99% fat ass full frame with 20 seconds of open road at the end.

Front - 100%
2nd wheel -30 to 35%
3rd wheel - as much as 40%
4th wheel - as much as 40%

Reposting, might be helpful for new Cat 4's:
 
The Form Up
Getting your riders together is difficult in a race. Some they will be all over the place. Assign one rider to set the train in motion. During your pre-race meeting decide when/where the team will organize. The designated sprinter will have a teammate with them throughout the race. That rider is the best candidate to start the paceline. The rest of the team slots in around this duo. Surround the sprinter as your team moves into their designated place in the rotation. Once you have a cohesive formation it’s time to do your thing. So do YOUR thing – get out in the wind, away from the rest of the field, or at least on the periphery. Don’t play games with position, execute your strategy and dominate the finish. The front rider is in charge of choosing the line, if the wind is coming left to right the train should be all the way on the right side. This means any attempts to pass the train will be eating wind and benefiting your train. The front rider is also in charge of gauging effort to discourage riders from taking a flyer or swarming you. It’s the duty of the riders at the back of the train to communicate loud and clear to those ahead.

The Train
The guy on the front has no idea what's happening behind. The whole time the sprinter should be yelling instructions: "steady", "go!", "pull off". The train needs to be hyper aware of what's happening around them and communicate the instant they see a threat or opportunity. Last person yells forward how many teammates are in the leadout train, allowing the front guy to gauge how far they need to take it. Yell because most the time people won't hear you. You can do the Starbucks thing and repeat the command so no mistakes are made.

Visualize and practice how you will manage your 1-2 min effort. You'll be a lot more tired at the end of the race. If you're fading early, dump it into a big gear, scoot back in your seat and engage the larger muscle groups hips/quads and hammer it. Most of what your feeling is your head overriding your body and you'll find if you focus you can squeeze out a few extra seconds of full power.

Protect the sprinter until it’s time for him or her to make the final dash to the line, usually @200 meters. Using up riders too soon and leaving your sprinter in the wind is what you want to avoid. The aim is to ride to just before aerobic and muscular exhaustion. Practice 90 second full gas efforts, the sensations will be godawful: your HR is still increasing, your legs cooked, but you have to be able to keep pedaling and hold your line. PP has the downhill then a false flat, which makes these efforts challenging to gauge — practice on that section.

Etiquette says it’s bad to interrupt another team’s train, so it’s fair to threaten anyone who gets in your space. If your first in line, don’t go faster than necessary. Before the all-out acceleration begins, there’s no need to go nuts with the pace. Anyone who tries to rush by is usually doomed, because they’ll have to fight the wind for too long and will fade before the finish. For this reason, don’t panic if anyone attacks. Just reel them back in and continue with the leadout at a manageable pace.

Near the finish, the risk of getting jumped by another team increases, so the team should be willing to lift the pace when needed.

How soon should you start using up riders?
That depends on how long each can ride on the front, so it makes sense to measure backward from the finish: If you have four leadout riders, each can sprint for 333 meters, a sub 25 second effort at 50km/31mph. In this case the all-out assault shouldn’t start any earlier than 1,300 meters before the sprint. The last guy should go fo a bit shorter, he should really be accelerating steadily to full gas and hold it there for as long as possible. You want more people in the leadout than necessary so you can have sweepers and stack the sprint.

Brendan if you tuck in behind me you won't have to pedal. I'll take you to the promised land. #hugeass #tall #drafthorse

Alright, we're back on this Saturday:

https://www.bikereg.com/lucarelli--castaldi-cup0

Hells yes.  

I fought the law....and the Yacks won !

@yacks- was it because you had a 5 min grace period?

yes...and because I'm Yacks.

Oh...with Bear Mtn on Sunday...the fields should be smaller at Prospect on sat.   I am showing signs of intelligence...who's the failure now MOTHER ?!?!

Yacks, the fields might be smaller but the race leaders and guys with a lot of points will surely be present.  Everyone else is like dust in the wind, dude.

BTW this guy Baris Aytan from Turkey who won the Cat 4s last race has been cleaning up all spring including multiple podium spots at Orchard Beach.

https://www.usacycling.org/results/?compid=413052

Unattached? Let's make sure to find out who he is Saturday morning.

Also, what happened to 4th and 5th place?

https://www.usacycling.org/results/?year=2014&id=1479&info_id=74427

Brendan is still listed as 6th...

They take the masters riders out of the open rankings

Ah got it.

Full standings here:
http://www.nycbikeracing.com/#!lucarelli-castaldi-cup-results/c1sys

Looks like I've got some work to do

Having the Bear Mountain race (which is a Cat 4 championship) the day after the next L&C race increases the chances for a successful breakaway: the field is likely to be smaller and a lot of guys will be reluctant to burn their legs chasing after a break... 

Following up on that guy Baris Aytan. It looks like he raced last night too. Came in 9th. So he's dangerous. 

Roll Call for 1-2-3!

I'm there