Aug 14, 2018 at 09:41 PM
@Phil Maronilla ahh didn’t know that. I raced Thursday’s because it used to be better for my work schedule but I should be around Tuesday
Floyd Bennett Field
Aug 14, 2018 at 11:26 PM
*Generally* safer racing tooPhil Maronilla said:@RobertMullen I think the Tuesday series is better. Also it's a 3/4 field so it's a better workout.
Aug 21, 2018 at 02:22 PM
Tonight?? 95% sure I’ll be heading down to Floyd for the 3/4
Aug 21, 2018 at 06:02 PM
I’ll be there!
Aug 24, 2018 at 12:54 AM
Hi Kissena!
We have a new mechanic in training, Anton, a bike racer from the former USSR. He's fast! Race license is in the mail. He is looking to catch a ride to any upcoming road races in the area.
Also - is there Look Sharp laps Fridays still that he could join? Thank you in advance!!!
Please lmk if anyone is willing to take him a little under the wing and show him the ropes of the NYC scene. He's light on the English (we're working on it). He's here weekdays if you want to swing by and say hi. Feel free to reply here or email me directly.
Spasibo!! (Thank you!!)
Kasia
Aug 24, 2018 at 02:17 AM
Messaged you @Kasia Nikhamina, there is a race on Saturday at Floyd which might be of interest...
Aug 25, 2018 at 07:23 PM
Super awesome racing at this morning!
@RichFreeman and I were in the 4/5s along with our friend Kevin. We surfed wheels well and went for the 2nd intermediate sprint. Rich and Kevin initiated an amazing lead out for me and we really jumped the field. I was nipped right at the line. No $20 for us. But considering we haven’t practiced it, literally got it together before the last turn, and none of us felt like we were super sprinters, it was damn near flawless!
I ended up the road a bit off the front because we got a bit of a gap on the field during the sprint. A strong rider came with me but I didn’t have the juice to really work with him (sorry guy) and I went back to the field. Tried to set up another lead out for our friend Kevin but I couldn’t get in the right place at the right time. He ended up doing well in the finale. Rich and I cruised in pretty much with the bunch. I’m cooked.
It was pretty safe racing, especially considering it was on the shorter triangle shaped course. There were a bunch of great takeaways!
@RichFreeman and I were in the 4/5s along with our friend Kevin. We surfed wheels well and went for the 2nd intermediate sprint. Rich and Kevin initiated an amazing lead out for me and we really jumped the field. I was nipped right at the line. No $20 for us. But considering we haven’t practiced it, literally got it together before the last turn, and none of us felt like we were super sprinters, it was damn near flawless!
I ended up the road a bit off the front because we got a bit of a gap on the field during the sprint. A strong rider came with me but I didn’t have the juice to really work with him (sorry guy) and I went back to the field. Tried to set up another lead out for our friend Kevin but I couldn’t get in the right place at the right time. He ended up doing well in the finale. Rich and I cruised in pretty much with the bunch. I’m cooked.
It was pretty safe racing, especially considering it was on the shorter triangle shaped course. There were a bunch of great takeaways!
Aug 25, 2018 at 09:00 PM
Cheers @RobertMullen definitely a fun race today, and it just goes to show what a little (ad hoc) organization can do. The series runs for the whole of September so keen to race this as much as possible (away next week) and work on the lead out on Wednesday. If we had the numbers Minola had I feel like we definitely would have done some damage....
Aug 26, 2018 at 03:36 AM
#jealous
Aug 28, 2018 at 06:57 PM
Anyone doing this tonight?
Aug 28, 2018 at 08:27 PM
No dice for me tonight
Aug 29, 2018 at 12:56 PM
Raced Floyd last night. It was still hot and humid at race time. First couple of laps were slow but once it started moving it got real fast. Eventually a break of four got clear. There were many attempts to bridge (including me) but the pack refused to work together to chase the break and it eventually stayed clear.
I only came out for two Tuesday night races this year, but given how deep you have to dig and the opportunities for breaks to go away I hope to come out for many more next year.
Lets get more teammates to come out regularly. It’s a great place to work on team tactics
I only came out for two Tuesday night races this year, but given how deep you have to dig and the opportunities for breaks to go away I hope to come out for many more next year.
Lets get more teammates to come out regularly. It’s a great place to work on team tactics
Sep 01, 2018 at 02:57 AM
@richfreeman & others, dunno if this will reach you but Anton is registered
for Sat 9/1 Floyd race, look for him in RBB kit on a TCR
for Sat 9/1 Floyd race, look for him in RBB kit on a TCR
Sep 01, 2018 at 08:12 AM
@Kasia Nikhamina Unfortunately back home this weekend for a wedding, hope he goes well!
Sep 02, 2018 at 11:05 PM
There's a FBF race tomorrow morning that I think I may do. Anyone in?
Sep 20, 2018 at 02:21 PM
There is a floyd race on Saturday, 8:45AM cat 4/5 start. Anyone else interested?
Sep 20, 2018 at 07:41 PM
People are still racing road?JohnOlsson said:There is a floyd race on Saturday, 8:45AM cat 4/5 start. Anyone else interested?
Sep 20, 2018 at 10:16 PM
All the floyd-pros are prob going to be sitting around eating cheeseburgers instead of racing Sat. Best odds of winning a race is this sat I think...
Sep 20, 2018 at 10:19 PM
That's why I showed up to races when it was raining. And so did every other racer, too.
Mar 17, 2019 at 09:11 PM
The Floyd Bennet Field races are in trouble. Aviator sports has taken over issuing permits at this National Park and the cost for registering for each race has gone up astronomically. At this point there is a strong likelihood that none of the series that currently take place there will run at all.
If you, or anyone you know, has connections to politicians you should get in touch with Charlie Issendorf who promotes our Tuesday Night Series. His email is: charlesissendorf@gmail.com
Here is a quick recap of the situation as written by Charlie:
Trying to run a FBF race with $2000 plus the timing, reg, marshals, and insurance would mean those races would have to increase substantially in cost. I have a hard time seeing that happening. Please let the board or Charlie know if you think you can help.
If you, or anyone you know, has connections to politicians you should get in touch with Charlie Issendorf who promotes our Tuesday Night Series. His email is: charlesissendorf@gmail.com
Here is a quick recap of the situation as written by Charlie:
When I applied for this year's FBF permit, I was told Aviator Sports will now be issuing all permits. I reached out to my contact at Aviator and he said the fee will be $2k per race. That's $34,000 for our 17 race series. In the past we paid $150 for the entire season, not per race. I was told the $2k will cover "Aviator staff, Park Police, and Ambulance services". I told them we're self-sufficient and don't require Aviator staff, we hire our own ambulance, and in the 25 years we've been racing at FBF, we were never required to have Park Police onsite (FYI - Park Police are already at FBF, if I need them they are a phone call away and arrive within minutes). They responded by saying Aviator staff needs to supervise, we must use their ambulance service, and Park Police are now required to be at the race.
Here is an email from the National Parks Commissioner, which was not encouraging:I'm sorry to hear about your concern that the Floyd Bennett Field bike race may be impacted by a recent change in our event management plan. As you noted, in the past Gateway handled the permits directly and the fee was minimal. Unfortunately, the park reports incurring additional costs associated with its role in the administration of the permit. While I understand the race promoter has been able to provide many services, the park still has a responsibility to ensure an adequate level of safety and security on its property. Further, NPS policy typically requires that we charge a fee amount based on cost recovery. The bicycle race has not been singled out; there are a number of events that fall under the new system.As you also noted, we now have an agreement with Aviator Sports under which they serve as our agent/representative for the permitting, administration and management of events like the bicycle race. Under the agreement, Aviator will provide oversight, and will make certain there is adequate security and ambulance coverage. In establishing the event fee Aviator is allowed to charge, we looked at comparable rates charged by NYC Parks. The $2,000 permit fee being charged by Aviator is actually less than the Parks Department would require if the event were on its property.
Mar 18, 2019 at 05:31 PM
@PatrickGrehan one of my wife’s best friends is married to Ydanis Rodriguez who is a Councilman for Washington Heights and is the chairman for the council on transportation. He’s done a lot of cycling related charity events, so this could be of interest to him. I’ll talk to my wife tonight and see what she says.
Mar 18, 2019 at 09:52 PM
whoa. Potential for no FBF is a huge deal. It seems like NYC Parks isn't all too familiar with the self-sufficiency, insurance, etc. that cycling races already have.
Would it be helpful to get comps for other crit series around the country? I could reach out to the promoter in Houston for the Memorial Park series. It's held in a public park owned by the City of Houston. @JohnPowell , do you know anyone that could provide feedback for Driveway?
Would it be helpful to get comps for other crit series around the country? I could reach out to the promoter in Houston for the Memorial Park series. It's held in a public park owned by the City of Houston. @JohnPowell , do you know anyone that could provide feedback for Driveway?
Mar 18, 2019 at 11:22 PM
Scott,Scott Kuhlke said:whoa. Potential for no FBF is a huge deal. It seems like NYC Parks isn't all too familiar with the self-sufficiency, insurance, etc. that cycling races already have.
Would it be helpful to get comps for other crit series around the country? I could reach out to the promoter in Houston for the Memorial Park series. It's held in a public park owned by the City of Houston. @JohnPowell , do you know anyone that could provide feedback for Driveway?
I read Aviator Sports move as a 'fuck you, we hate bikes' kind of move.
It's not like they're improving or even maintaining the runway in any meaningful fashion. It's not like anyone else is using it. It's not like cyclists use more park resources than a few rolls of toilet paper per race day.
Mar 19, 2019 at 11:54 AM
JP, I think you are probably right, but the dynamics here might not be so black and white, and not everyone at Aviator Sports might be into a 'fuck you, we hate bikes' kind of move.mugwump said:Scott,Scott Kuhlke said:
I read Aviator Sports move as a 'fuck you, we hate bikes' kind of move.
It's not like they're improving or even maintaining the runway in any meaningful fashion. It's not like anyone else is using it. It's not like cyclists use more park resources than a few rolls of toilet paper per race day.
Perhaps they are not fully aware of much details about the races, how many years, little resources it uses etc, etc... Perhaps they are motivated to maximize revenue, we can but speculate.
Certainly, looking for someone connected to NYC parks or Aviator Sports, that could help us move the conversation in our direction, is the right move.
Mar 24, 2019 at 01:43 PM
reach out to CRCA, and the city council and the media- coordinate, and press hard. I’m not sure how aviator got a monopoly and then the ability to ruin fbf. Also look in Harry Z who made the movie about racing at Floyd.
There is is a lot of history here and the NYC bike racing scene is rich with media savvy folks.
The big thing is to coordinate this
There is is a lot of history here and the NYC bike racing scene is rich with media savvy folks.
The big thing is to coordinate this
May 07, 2019 at 12:52 PM
Saw this floyd Bennett petition post on the verazzano FB page... Might as well share it too!
http://chng.it/4PkTB8T775
http://chng.it/4PkTB8T775
May 09, 2019 at 02:37 PM
Peoples,
There are nearly 1600 signatures on the petition, which is great, but we need to keep the pressure on.
Can you take a moment to call one or some or all officials listed below?
From the petition:
There are nearly 1600 signatures on the petition, which is great, but we need to keep the pressure on.
Can you take a moment to call one or some or all officials listed below?
From the petition:
"Can you spare five minutes to take additional steps to convince National Parks Service and Aviator Sports to #Save FBF? Here are a few key individuals you can email and call. We suggest taking a polite tone while conveying your passion for cycling *and* for accessible and affordable public parks.
1. Dean Rivera, COO, Aviator Sports (718) 758-7500. You can also tweet at @AviatorSports
2. Joshua Laird, National Parks Service Commissioner for NY Harbor: joshua_laird@nps.gov (212) 668-5180
3. Pam McLay, National Parks Service, Chief of Business Services: Pam_McLay@nps.gov (609) 955-1462
3. Ask local Congressman Hakeem Jeffries to help bring this to a resolution. District Office (718) 373 -0033 or (718) 237-2211
4. Senator Chuck Schumer, NYC Office: (212) 486-4430"
May 10, 2019 at 02:36 PM
I mentioned this to a friend who is a journalist for the WSJ. She is going to looking into this. If she finds something that makes a compelling story it will be in print, but no promises (don't forget the story needs to sell papers).
May 10, 2019 at 06:20 PM
Anybody have contact with Jason Gay , he works at WSG also and is or at least used to Race
May 10, 2019 at 06:22 PM
Awesome, Ian!! your friend should consider chatting with Jason Gay, and perhaps, Reed Albergotti, both WSJ writters and both cyclists. Jason, in particular used to race quite a bit, including FBF.