two new race reports

Raced Saturday morning (6:30am start!) in prospect park. Somehow I got boxed in at the sprint for the line. I was on the inside and kept trying to go around a ML guy for what seemed like minutes... then we were at the line.
Today was the last FBF race of the year. It's looking better for next year's races, or so Charlie writes in his email.
I tried to race well, not giving anything to the other teams and always working with and countering my team-mates attacks. There was a split at the end, and although we caught the main group, 3-4 guys still managed to get away but just barely. Coming up to the finish line, I noticed I was towing 3 guys behind me. I pulled off a little... but unfortunately none of them had any steam. So we lost momentum and I finished with the pack. It might have been better to keep pulling even if I was burning steam - I think I just need more confidence (or a bigger engine).

Another FBF race... maybe the last?

I mostly sat in today, only made one or two efforts. Johanne said he'd give me a good lead out and thought I could place in the top 5. He's a really nice guy. Unfortunately I took 7th. Still, it was a really fun race and I felt comfortable in my tactics... a first for me in road racing. Maybe need to work on max power and the jump for the sprint - although I did pass 2-3 guys in the final 50 yards.

Charlie announced that the parks department might install barricades to block cars from entering floyd bennett field. Although that doesn't sound like a big problem for a bike race it is. Unfortunately every sanctioned bike race needs a pace vehicle.

Mucha Carrera!

Entered and finished three races this weekend. Prospect park on Saturday morning. Didn't push too hard - finished top 15. The HED Jet60 wheel Mike gave me makes a difference. Less effort. It's a wind cheater!
On Sunday I drove out to Doylestown for the Zaveta circuit race. I was registered for two races back-to-back. This is a technical course... mostly due to a big field and the yellow line rule. There was a break that stayed away for 4 laps after the first preem, but nothing stuck so we all finished together. I did not use the HED wheel.
The first circuit race was with the 4/5 field first. I got boxed in for the sprintinished in 12th place. Immediately after that I raced with the 3/4 field (28 miles) and didn't have legs for the sprint. Finished with the pack. Having run out of water during the second race, Gary gave me a sip of his.
Oh, and I had a spill on the brooklyn bridge on Thursday last week with scrapes on my arms and right leg but it's no big deal.

SummerSlam07

6/29/07 - Did the river road hillclimb on Sunday, from the boat basin to the sheriff station. I timed myself even though I was carrying a lot of stuff. My time was 6m, 15s to the brown road sign, and about 6m 45s to the entrance of the parking lot.

6/30/07 - Four hill repeats in central park for lunch. Then out to prospect park on Monday night for summerslam07. It was fun and much more interesting than a typical road or track event. I wasn't planning on riding hard or fast, but then the urge to compete took over and I finished 5th in the first heat, 6th in the final. The blue schwinn rides great! (might need a slightly longer stem).

7/1/07 - Racing in floyd bennet field. Apparently we were in the 'break of the day' but then we got caught in the last lap. I don't remember who was in it... andrew riss, an iron riders guy on a yellow kestrel, and a tall guy on purple lemond. There was very little wind and we didn't work together long enough. A few started attacking each other too soon, imo. Finished somewhere 14 or 15th.

Next time I need to be more aware of who is in the break, and if the break fails I should try to position myself for the sprint and contest it. Need to keep an sharp eye out for the strongest finishers. Looking at the photos of the 123 sprint, the winner was the first with a strong jumpe from the outside, but he cut across the field, and took sprint on the inside. This is a smart move - since any rider who tried to pass on the outside would effectively shelter him from the wind. Also starting on the outside and cutting in might bring some of the slower riders across the field too, blocking the other sprinters who were already on the inside.

Raced union vale on Sunday. Fun 44 mile road race. Finished in the middle, rider 51/100.

Clicking in my ankle prevented me from really mashing the pedals, especially on the third lap by the feedzone... when the pace really picked up I slipped through the pack then popped off the back.

The finishing climb is about 700 feet of rise over 1.5 miles, the only way up is at your own tempo. Maybe next year?

floyd bennet

Yet another race... where I finished (not) first (and not last).
Had energy to spare at the end.
Tilting the saddle up definitely helped eliminate the hand numbness, and that's a good thing!

Saturday morning prospect park race

The "Brooklyn Grand Prix" race on Bastille Day was a logistical mess.

On my first seemingly successful breakaway (and certainly not my first nor last unsuccessful breakaway) we caught up to the pace car, started to pass the pace car, realized our error and slowed down to let the pace car get ahead of us, and then got caught by the field while riding slowly behind the pace car hoping (and yelling to the driver) to speed up.

One of my teammates took 3rd place but was dq'd. Apparently everyone in the field (except for 9 riders) were dq'd. Not worth the entry fee.

Rode easy Sunday for 30 minutes. Rode a little harder on Monday for 2 hours and felt pretty good (fast). I decided I'm getting a powertap in about two weeks.

Made a couple of minor saddle adjustments. Slide back 4mm, nose up a bit. (since my hands went completely numb during the grand prix race.)

Finished around 12th-14th.

Floyd report

After racing Saturday then riding 80 miles hard on Sunday I didn't have much to give at the race on Tuesday night. The turkey sandwich I ate on the way to the race also made me feel gross and sluggish. I attacked a few times, rested a few, and finished mid-pack. The pace felt fast but the average speed was actually slower than usual. Wednesday was a nice recovery ride.


bridging a gap on Tuesday night.

Master's day race

One of the most enjoyable races I've been in, a very interesting race. We caught the handicap group with 4 laps to go.

89 starters
Finish: top 15-20
Lesson: When there's chicanery at the finish line, sprint around it! In second place and glued to a well-known sprinter's wheel 400 yards from the finish, when he slowed down I did too.

Floyd Bennett Field Report

The legs felt like jello yesterday but still raced ok. It was my first top 10 finish at floyd bennett field - riding with category 3&4 guys.

It might have something to do with the new red veloflex tires that I'm riding on.

I pulled a few times in breakaway attempts but nothing stuck. For the sprint I wound it up in a nice heavy gear but didn't get fast enough and didn't have a leadout.

56 starters
finish: 8th or 9th place (top 5 scored)
top speed: 34mph (wind on my back)
sprint speed: 28mph