Aug 27, 2013 at 04:27 PM
Bedford was being torn up last week and was graded from around L South to Kings Highway. Anyone been on it since Tuesday? 23rd Street would be a good alternative if it's still bad.
Floyd Bennett Field
Aug 27, 2013 at 05:51 PM
I'll be leaving from GAP at 535 tonight.
Aug 28, 2013 at 03:07 AM
Felt good tonight in the race, then I flatted with 6 laps to go. Then Veselka for all you can drink beers and pierogies.. The highlight of my night.
Aug 28, 2013 at 12:37 PM
last night was both a good and bad way to end the season. bad because i didn't get much by way of a race result, and good because it highlights what i most need to work on for next season.
a break got away after, i think?, the sprint preme. used way too much energy to catch up to it, then had nothing left when the field swarmed around me and the break. i'm not even sure if the winner was from the break? a junior beat me. respect to that kid. how old is he?!
a little disappointing because i had made it my goal to not race like someone with sand for brains and sit too close to the front for too long. used a lot of energy for no reason. i moved back for a little while and my god was it easier. when you're near the front you're in a better position to answer attacks, but you're also in a worse condition to answer them physically due to your increased exertion.
i was surprised to see just how relaxed the yellow jersey plays that race. the guy basically sits 10-15 people back until the last .25 lap. he lets breaks go and lets others catch them. i even tried to sit on his wheel for a while but felt that he was going to miss an important move: he was going that slow. then, right before the final turn, i saw him rip past me, along with much of the field, when i was too spent to respond...
so i end the season as i began: clueless as to how a bicycle race is won! i'll have plenty of lonely winter nights on the rollers to watch these videos and get a better sense of where i went wrong.
video is converting; should be up tomorrow or the day after.
kudos to bruce, who was in the break. and also who goaded me on at one point when i needed some encouragement. phillip and wes: sorry about the scourge of flats.
aaron: that is eerie! it's the same thing that happened to me! i carry a spare tire to all races now. a foldable one fits easily in my race bag. i think that the debris-ridden path to floyd makes it more likely that some debris gets inside the tire/on the tube before placing it in the rim bed, and upon expansion it rips through the sidewall. did any part of the tube touch the filthy flatbush ground before gracing your rim? or the sidewall could have just been ripped by some evil glass on flatbush. you may never know. hope you enjoyed your beer; sorry i couldn't make it as i decided to just ride straight home. the 25 miles home were the longest non-race 25 miles in recent memory.
Aug 28, 2013 at 01:48 PM
Brendan, just stick with it. Now that you are in a category where more guys are of similar fitness and strength to you, you'll absolutely have to start learn how to best manage your "box of matches" if you are going for placings and not just a leg/lung shredding workout.
I think Jules' end of season push to score upgrade points is a fine example of how a rider whose power profile did not change significantly from the previous year, nonetheless was able to score some very impressive podium places by racing as much with his head as his heart.
Finally, no one's tire sidewall blew out while riding up to Rockleigh! (I think.) Now that you live up in the Heights, you might just have to consider racing Thursday nights, in the summer out in the bucolic splendor that is Northern New Jersey. Also, the racing at Rockleigh tends to be less Darwinian than at FBF, so it will be good for you to help develop your race positioning (which will in turn help you race better in Central Park and other places) and tactical savvy.
Still, all things considered, you had an excellent season of racing and should feel good about the things you accomplished. Onward and upward!
Aug 28, 2013 at 04:33 PM
I had a great race. No placing, no contending, but I really got into it last night, with my head and my heart.
It started with my telling Phil that my legs were toast. Long rides on the weekends, hard commutes to work, and my quads were abuzz with pain. I warmed up on the way, and on the course, but didn't have much confidence.
Some breaks tried to get away, solo attempts, a few groups, and we brought them back. Not much wind last night, so the back stretch moved at 24.5 where normally we're going 27.5 with a tail wind. I came up on Brendan after sucking at his wheel for a while - you were behind the yellow jersey and I couldn't see if he was soft pedaling because of a teammate in front, or just going slow. I, too, tried getting on his wheel, but he doesn't seem to care about staying up front until the last sprint, as you mentioned.
Then, at one point, on the stretch before the last turn, I was in single file and sat up, could see over everyone that there was a small group that had broken away and was starting to make more headway. I pushed alongside the single file, hoping someone was going to jump. When I was up front, and realized no one was going and the gap was widening, I bridge an extremely long gap, head down almost touching my bar, and TTed to the break. It felt like it took forever. I believe I played a couple of hands of solitaire in my head, tried to remember the complete words to 'When you get Caught between the Moon and NYC', and other things to distract me from being pushed into the pain cave. Very happy to sit on someone's wheel for a bit when I reached them.
The group was about 8, including David Lipscomb, and we got organized with a rotating paceline, keeping the speed. On the first lap near the last turn, I yelled this was it, and everyone yelled back we had one more lap. Damn, I was ready to be done and be part of the top 10. Then I heard the bell. We kept going and with half a lap to go, things started falling apart as guys got tired and dropped out or wouldn't move out of the way, much to the chagrin of the riders who screamed and yelled for them to pull off. Both laughable and annoying to have people yelling like that. I swallowed a bug and told everyone about it. That seemed more appropriate.
Near the final turn, final lap, my heart held high because I was going to place, someone flew past us as on the wings of Pegasus. By Thor's Hammer! I didn't recognize the jersey. Did he bridge? Then another jersey. Then Yellow Jersey. Finally, I looked back and, aich!, 50 jerseys! Caught. Stuck behind my break guys. Swarmed. I watched them get out of their saddles, sprint past me like hawks dropping from a craggy mountain top spying tiny mice 1000 feet below. The finish got closer so I sat up, and blamo, the junior rider sprinted passed me. Good for him. Such a small guy, he didn't have the strength to mash big gears so he was spinning like crazy and kept up. He'll be even stronger when he turns 14.
I enjoyed bridging, being in the break, riding with teammates - nice job Brendan, even though all I was trying to do was get in front of you so I could be on Camera! Sorry about the flats, Phil, Wes, because you both looked super strong. This was a great series, a nice season of racing.
I went home, took a shower, had a beer and passed out.
Aug 28, 2013 at 05:37 PM
post-race shenanigans
Aug 28, 2013 at 06:37 PM
^ it's the only reason i race.. for the pictures! Haha.. THanks @Bruce.
Aug 28, 2013 at 10:42 PM
that is probably the most flattering picture of me, ever. my future children will giggle! thanks, bruce.
[i just re-read that and wow, things sound really different on the internet. the way that reads makes it sound sarcastic. it's not. when are we installing the "tone of voice" plugin on the forum?]
Aug 29, 2013 at 05:04 PM
the video is up but "processing" 
http://youtu.be/Ha0MyQ7RwGY
http://youtu.be/Ha0MyQ7RwGY
Sep 02, 2013 at 01:25 AM
Due to my selfish Amsterdam to Paris excursion, we got pushed off the podium for the overall jersey (ouch, by 1 point), and to second place in the green jersey. Sorry fellas. What did we get for winning the team prize?
Mar 31, 2014 at 04:09 PM
It's about to go down. Any early adopters?
Mar 31, 2014 at 04:47 PM
Why wouldn't it be Aaron?
Mar 31, 2014 at 06:21 PM
Go back to bikereg and look at the event immediately underneath the one you're referring to
Mar 31, 2014 at 07:20 PM
I find that more people just show up and race instead of preg-reg'ing before hand for Floyd races.
Mar 31, 2014 at 07:46 PM
Pretty much everyone does day of registration.
I might go.
I might go.
Mar 31, 2014 at 08:39 PM
Am registered for the 3/4 race. but the flyer says it starts at 7. i thought they started earlier this early in the season?
Mar 31, 2014 at 08:52 PM
Bikereg says 6:46 for your race. Show up early.
Mar 31, 2014 at 09:18 PM
Now I'm no math ace, but I believe 6:46 + 50 minutes is a 7:36pm race finish. P123 7:46pm.
Sundown is at 7.20! Bring your miners lamp.
Sundown is at 7.20! Bring your miners lamp.
Mar 31, 2014 at 09:38 PM
I predict shortened lap counts and combined fields.
Apr 03, 2014 at 05:04 PM
I will be there, as per usual, sandbagging with Lance, Schmaltz, Mihael in the 3/4's
Apr 03, 2014 at 05:06 PM
Word on the street is that a certain Polish wanderer might make an appearance in your race.
Apr 03, 2014 at 05:20 PM
I'm going to try to make it down there tonight.
What time are you all going to be cruising down flatbush?
Apr 03, 2014 at 05:58 PM
Woj the intrepid returns!
@mp I will likely be running late as I have meeting at 5:30pm in BK.
Apr 03, 2014 at 06:38 PM
I'm planning on rolling down FB around 5:30ish
Apr 03, 2014 at 06:57 PM
Ok ill text you if I'm going to make it and try to meet you by the bp.
Apr 04, 2014 at 12:47 AM
Michael "Perlberger" Perlberg the "Kisseno" takes 2nd place in the 123 race. Wrongway nabs 3rd in the 3/4.
God it feels good to be back home.
Apr 04, 2014 at 12:59 AM
Sweet..... Mike.
Nice job... Wrongway (errr..sandbagger...not)
Nice job... Wrongway (errr..sandbagger...not)
Apr 04, 2014 at 01:29 AM
Hey, hey! That's enough Neil! Wrongway is not a sandbagger. Damnit!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKbLquqxBAQ
Apr 04, 2014 at 01:36 AM
Fun race.
Stephan Hoffman solo'd off the front literally from the gun and won.
There was a hard initial chase, and then I joined a BH guy for a lap chasing and trying to get across. No luck.
The field chasing was embarrassing. Six Cycle in particular, total mess. There were some huge fitness gaps. Scott Savory rode like a good teammate for Hoffman.
Vlad rode well, kept position, helped chase, and mixed it up when he could.
With a little less than one to go, the pace was slowing for the sprint for 2nd. A few guys had rolled off the front. I went after them and there was no response from the field. I blew by them. I think one guy came with me.
THIS IS THE BEST PART:
All of a sudden, I wasn't really sure if I was caught or not, Ricky Lowe (aka WDC's nemesis) is on my wheel. He pulls through once and takes a good hard pull. I take over. He is yelling something to me that sounds like "take second!"
I can't really figure it out but we have a gap and through the final turn I accelerate and take 2nd. Sweet.
In conversation afterwards, Ricky said he was hoping to just ride my wheel to 3rd, knowing that the effort to get across to me put him in the red really bad. He faded and didn't place in the top 5. Anyway, cool to know I'm starting to get that level of respect.
Fun times.
PS my new Ritchey Zeta wheels are really nice.