mperlberg said:

Bump. Prospect park recon tomorrow. 4:45-6:45 come whenever you can get there.

-- File under Mentoring as well - Goal setting, planning, mental preparation for races --

If I am going to a race, I have a plan for that race - fitness or winning. I don't think I'll gain either from Grant's. In terms of fitness, I could double up and gain some fitness, but it's crit fitness. Additionally, while it appears I can ride a trainer well, I don't think I'm doing the specific training for success at Grant's. Further, Grant's conflicts with my buildup for races I care about. I'll be at Branchbrook, doubling up on my races the day of Grant's.

My first Crit will be Rahway. Which will come after my race build up commences and is in full swing. March will see the shorter 5 min efforts begin. April will have the 3,2,1 min efforts show up in my training. So, Rahway will at least let me be on the way towards racing fitness and I can have a legitimate shot at winning. I like to use the race as a marker of my fitness to let me know if I'm on the right track.

Come May, I'll be in race shape as I define it - properly ready to go with a base of fitness that is being used to sharpen my racing fitness and abilities. So, to that end, Orchard Beach becomes the first test of my training. The payoff is the Memorial Day weekend. 

I've found that given my limited training time and recovery abilities, I can bring my fitness level up to that of the best in NYC, but I can't maintain it there for as long. By the middle of June, I am done with my peak / plateau. I will still race, but expect little and my racing turns to fitness and helping teammates achieve thier goals. Personal ambition pretty much is gone, except if the opportunity presents itself.

If Grant's was in the summer, I'd happily race it - either as a race in my peak window, or as part of my more careless summer racing. As it sits in the calendar now, I will not enter it unless compelled to do so. I just don't see the compelling reason to spend as much time getting to and from the race as I will spend for Branchbrook, but getting less out of the race.

--Eric

• Family friendly! Walking a short crit course backwards, hanging out in multiple locations is a great way to see the action unfold. There aren't too many races where your friends and loved ones have the opportunity to truly see you race.
• Later start times! The earliest race kicking off at 8am is a full 45 minutes later than the Branchbrook start. And sweet jeesus the Pro 1/2/3 race starts deliciously at 2:45 in the AFTERNOON. (If I hadn't promised to be there early and onsite all day to mentor/coach Kissena members, I would definitely bask in the glory of sleeping in)
  
• You love crits. It's one of just 2 or 3 actual crits in the local area every year. (Rahway is a fun enough race, but with just one turn where you even have to think about breaking, it sure as heck ain't going to get you ready to race the Memorial Day Weekend Jersey crits from a bike handling, exploding out of corners, trying to recover in between point of view.)
  
• You suck at crits. You're not going to get better at crits by not racing crits.
• You are a great bike handler. 5 turns, left and right turns, a slightly sketchy descending banked, high-speed sweeper, this is a course that rewards the great bike handler for sure.
• You are a terrible bike handler. You're not going to get better at turning by avoiding challenges.
• There is only ONE Grant's Tomb race. As opposed to many, many MANY opportunities to race at any of the other park race venues.
• You love to race with your head. It's impossible to turn off the brain in a crit. You must always be thinking, calculating, absorbing, reacting, acting. It's a rush that is not to be missed.
• You've been training hard. Lets face it, this winter has been rough. There's going to be a higher than usual amount of dudes opting out of training days because they haven't been able to get outside. Come the summer, relative fitness tends to even out. Exploit your tough-guy advantage, early and often!
  

• Again, lots of stopping and starting here to allow me to point out lines, approaches, exits, etc., in a way that everyone can hear. Dress appropriately.
• Also, I've ADDED a second date on March 1, for those who are planning to race the first AVD Spring Series race and want to get clinical the day before. As of now, however, it seems the more popular date will be on the 15th, when several from the women's team have already written the date in their calendars.
• While many chose not race CP in the spring there are two bigger later season races in CP that are very popular with the club. And being successful in CP is challenging. Can be easy to finish with the bunch, but placing is a whole 'nother thing. So, you know, something to think about...
  

Marc Bertucco said:

• You suck at crits. You're not going to get better at crits by not racing crits.

1. Practice riding/sprinting/shifting with your heavy winter gloves! You want to know ahead of time what kind of adjustments you need to make to your riding style based on what kind of gear you are wearing to keep frostbite at bay.
2. Don't overdress! If you leave the house and feel nice and toasty all over, chances are you are going to be a hot--then freezing cold--sweaty mess just one or two laps into your race. Everyone's layering system is going to be different, but in general, you want your hands/feet toasty at all times, but if your legs and core are chilly for the first 15 minutes of your ride/race, you've probably got the layers done right.
   

L&C Cat 4 tactics and teamwork talk and practice at the Velodrome 3/23

Now that the Kissena racing season has started with a bang at Grant’s Tomb we can start to think about tactics for the L&C cup series.

Having the date of the first L&C cup race pushed back to April 5^th gives us the opportunity to meet, plan strategies and work on skills.

Given that we have a new mix of racers with varied teamwork skills, a large Kissena presence in the Cat 4 fields, as well as many goals (placing, jerseys, series points) it makes sense for us to meet to discuss roles and strategy and practice leadouts.

JP has agreed to let us piggyback on his “The Kissena Early Season Day at the Velodrome” on Sunday, March 23rd, at 9am after the Spring Series race in CP.

In addition to whatever JP has planned, my initial sense is for us to address the following (suggestions welcome):

Until then, we can share our goals and ideas for the series