Section head text.
Former VCN diarist Andrew Guptill wins the Capital Region Road Race, proving once again that we are very good luck here. Stephen Jamison won the masters 35+ race. Plus, Capital Region sounds very close to Capital City, “The Windy Apple” – was the Capital City Goofball there?
Amaury Perez won the 123 at Prospect, with Johan Burrowes winning his third Prospect race in a row in the 4s. This time, incident free!
No word from the Jersey State Fair Cross Race yet – did Adler ride a smart race?
And no, we don’t know where the pictures are yet.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamvmoore/1095555112/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamvmoore/1093849225/
Great race for them. Super strong and equally nice guys. Windham Locals and Windham Mountain Outfitters Alumni.
Eddie Espidia (Blue Ribbon) got 2nd in the crit– Filip Capala got 6th (?) with a strong, late move to almost bridge up to the breakaway.
That’s all I saw.
Accardi wins TT by 1:10, 4th in GC
Capala won the cat 3 RR.
http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2007/08/11-Saturday-Night-Fever-Summer-Cross.asp
Graham Lang CRCA JrDev/Orbea wins Juniors by over a minute!
Arjan from NYSketches got 7th in the 3 crit at Christiana, starting the Bridge with Capala siting on.
Nice one to take the win Steve J! Good going ADM, Badger, and MH all in the the top 10.
http://redroseraces.com/index.php?option=com_results&Itemid=1&task=showResultsAll&raceID=46
Lang wins jrs. at Capital then goes race cross at night. Very pro kid.
Tomorrow is on!
From Kissena:
http://kissena.info/more.php?id=230_0_1_0_M
The final race of the 2007 season will take place tomorrow, August 14. The course is still open.
I am still working with the Park to have our races continue next year and they sound much more agreeable than one week ago. I will keep you posted.
Charlie Issendorf
Race Director
Kissena Cycling Club
Anyone know if there’s racing tomorrow night?
Too slow to ask. Thanks.
Charlie,
Thanks for your contribution to NYC cycling all your hard work at FBF – keep fighting, and let the group know if there is anything that we can all do to help.
is accardi going to sandbag forever in the 4’s. he’s got the engine of a cat 2 at least.
Funny but the upstate guys seem to sandbag more thann the NYC racers. We tend to be in a rush to upgrade even when we are not all ready or have suspect results. Some guys upstate destroy the 4s forever and never go up until they are forced – see Fey, Piller (Placid Planet), Morrison, et al. Morrison finally upgraded and now is kicking the 3s ass.
Mexicutioner must be from upstate then – he’s been sandbagging the 5’s for years.
must not be subject to upgrade rules. Same guys top 5 every week in the 4s and they dont upgrade. Pretty weak!
I think there is nothing that Accardi will like more than to upgrade to Cat 3 because I think the races are in some ways easier in CAT 3. In Cat 4 you can get boxed in on climbs behind some slow guys and then the sandbaggers kill you at the front of the race creating gaps that are sometimes impossible to close. Accardi, your results of late are impressive and those upgrade points will come. Great TT result. You would have been 4th in the CAT 3’s with that time.
I have been convinced for sometime while the field in the 4s is weaker the race is often harder. I am a decent climber and often find myself stuck behind a slow climber on the decisive climbs. I then have to go all out to close a gap to the front 15-30 guys who are clearly stronger then me in the hills and either sandbagging or ready to upgrade. Every hilly cat 4 race seems the same. Where as the 3s you know you will most likely have a good wheel to follow on the climbs. I guess I need to work on my positioning in the climbs and get stronger. Nothing like closing a gap set by Bruno et al. when he was a 4.
So accordning to your logic, the pros would be easier than cats 1,2,3 because they all climb so quickly.
No getting caught behind Contador and having to close gaps!
Just saying 4s and the quality of riders is all over the place. Leads to many gaps that are hard to close. That does not mean 3s are easy. Just more steady even if at a higher pace. Sorry I offended any Cat 3s out there.
But do find Cat 3/4 races are more steady in the climbs than Cat 4 races where you have gaps all over the place. I believe a cat 4 won the Capital Region RR 3/4 Saturday?
My experience is that the CAT3’s finish stronger but the bunch stay together much longer which makes it easier on the climbs earlier in the race because in CAT4 you can get caught behind some really slow guys on climbs and you might not even realize that you are being dropped by the front group. From watching the Pro/1/2 races it seems the newly upgraded 2’s are struggling with the pace and I would therefore say that these races are much tougher than CAT3 races because these guys were able to upgrade and therefore much better than the average CAT3. It is like CAT 3 is this nice place in the middle.
Accardi is a solid rider but like most good Cat 4’s it’s hard to get results unless you’re a sprinter or a 135lbs mountain goat. He’s doing the right thing getting results slowly and will be a true Cat 3 soon. The majority of upgrades to 3 are ego based. Guys just don’t want to be known as a ‘Cat 4’. Truth is there are a bunch of Cat 3’s who have never been a factor in a Cat 4 race and would have their ass handed to them if they ever ventured outside NYC.
Don’t give Anthony a hard time for not upgrading. If you want to trash someone choose anyone one of the guys who upgrade on bogus results.
about that upgrading deal. Out of state racers will sandbag till they’re blue in the face to get the $ and positive results for as long as they can milk it. NYC riders are the complete opposite. Its like a shroud of shame to still be a certain catagory for too long. Weird mindset.
Empire got 4th and 5th overall at Christiana Pro/1/2. (Lisban, Zmolik)
“Just saying 4s and the quality of riders is all over the place.”
(SIC)
Anon – you are the only one who does not seem to agree with this. Please go away.
He doesn’t have any results in RR or crits, TT’s don’t count for upgrade points.
See Tom Auth for comparison, although AA has a bit to go before he TT’s like Auth. And Auth never seemed to race outside the park, but when he was CRCA club Champ and doing TT in the 26’s he was a Cat 4.
apply the rules of grammar to your silly little posts and I shall happily go away, little man.
Accardi may or may not be sandbagging but may i suggest you guys try training instead of throwing money at TT bikes… the guy beat all the 4’s times at FBF on a track bike. Clearly the equipment is not helping you.
I’m Offended
Besides he is over 35 so he can get his ass kicked by 1’s, 2’s and 3’s just by doing the out of town Masters 35+ races.
With very few exceptions, CAT3 races are harder than CAT4 races (and CAT2 races are harder and CAT1 races are harder…) – the sprints are faster, the climbs are harder and there are more attacks. Accardi may fair better in the 3’s because he is a great TT rider and there are more strong riders to attack with and work with in breaks, but climbing and sprinting is definitely harder. I don’t really understand the logic presented earlier.
I do agree that the jump from 3 to 2 is a much bigger jump than 4 to 3.
Now that we are back to the upgrade topic, where the heck is Olsen? Gets his 3, curses up a storm at Bear and disappears.
What gives?
And what of O’Malley? Has he been deported or is he in hiding training for the fall Bear Race?
Both are on the DL – O’Malley has a bum knee and Olsen has been sick.
While they all have great results they do not have the upgrade points. With mostly top 20 placing but not 1-7 you get nothing other than a good ranking on the USA cycling website. They don’t have the PP, Rockleigh Crits etc to get easy upgrade points with and have to do tough out of town races where 9th is great but worth no points.
I think 10 top 20s and definitely 10 top 10s in races like Unionvale, Tokeneke, Battenkille etc will get you an upgrade. Otherwise half the 3s would/should still be 4s….
Anthony O’Malley has been deported.
Gregory Olsen has also been deported.
Charlie Iseendorf, please forward to my office immediately registration information for the “Mexecutioner”.
a lot of guys who know they’re not as competitive as 3’s upgrade anyway as soon as they can because they know they are less likely to be taken down by sketchy inexperienced riders. It’s not just ego, it’s self preservation.
I recognize I am not in the best position on certain climbs. Ussually I am in the middle of the pack. That does not always help prevent getting gapped. I then go on to state that I need to get stronger and work on my positioning on climbs. So thanks for stating the obvious DB.
if you can’t hold your place in the top 30 of a cat 4 field it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll find cat 3 races easier.
The top 3 GC’s at the TOC were a 17 year old monster (place well every day). A mixed result cat 4 that soft peddled the TT) and a newly upgraded 4 that had really good results as a 5.
It may be not so much you position on the climbs, but more so your position in the pack leading up to the climbs. If you spend the better part of the race going through the corners in the middle or back of the pack – you will be toasted from the accordian affect by the time you get to the climb. Compound that strategy over a bunch of laps and you just blew what could’ve been a good result for a decent climber.
anyone doing the Keith Berger Crit? How are the corners in this race? Tight and technical or wide and fast? Sounds like a nice event with a good cause tied to it. Plus nice PRimes
yawn
…..you can’t get upgrade points from the Rockleigh crit is a 4. The race distance is too short (17 miles)
of the pack, who is going to be at the back?
Yawn rejoinders, yawn
that restaurant is so crowded, no one goes there anymore.
Keith Burger is a freeze/thaw cracked, tar and chip patched rutfest with potholes and funky sand dusted subtle apex depressions that takes place in an old parking lot under a I-95 bridge underpass in the ghetto…”…in the ghettoooooo”
I bring my carbon FIR tubulars and leave the Reynolds in the wheel pit. goodtimes…..
I can now run my Tubies and try not to get dropped out of the corners…
andy, where are the pics? how long is this going to take? this is unconscionable. we need pics of the two-up sprint in schmalz’s backyard, pronto. i heard it was hotter & heavier than a prospect park sprint finish
Please do not call tubulars ‘tubies’
it makes me sick.
Speaking of sausages:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamvmoore/1095421646/
that higher category races might suit a rider more than lower cat one in terms of the rider placing — if the cat 4 races tend to end in field sprints or something and the rider in question has a poor sprint but is good in breaks or events that break up
But there is simply no way a cat 4 race is harder to avoid getting dropped in than a cat 3 or 1-2 race. No way.
Discovery (done). Team is disbanded. Bryneel retires. Yates unemployed.
Currently no US Pro-tour team in cycling (Which is baaad for the sport!!!).
Slipstream thinks 08 will be too soon.
The team that won 8 TdF cant land a sponser!!!
On some courses good riders can get away with riding in the middle or the back for a lot of the time. It can even help them stay relaxed and avoid pointless surges. Some of the top regional masters guys (Andy Ruiz is an example) often spend a lot of time near the back early in road races. The key thing is that they moves up before the smack goes down – and they have good sense of when it’s the right time.
And it’s possible to tailgun and not have the accordian effect hurt you. You have to ride your own pace at the back, let the gap get a little wider going INTO a corner but not slow down much coming OUT of it so you end up right on the wheel of the riders in front.
Some top guys do this in wide open crits. It won’t work in technical races. Somerville is a good course for this – I saw Jason Snow (current maters nats crit champion and former winner of the Somerville 1-2) spend lots of time at the back early in the event. Supposedly at masters nats he was at the back till 5 laps to go.
http://www.ccccracing.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=892
“Team is disbanded.”
Not at the moment. Later.
“Bryneel retires.”
Not at the moment, later.
“Yates unemployed”
Not at the moment. He might get a job in cycling later, or he might be unemployed later. Or he might work in his family gardening business later.
“Currently no US Pro-tour team in cycling”
No, currently there is one. For next season PROBABLY none. “Currently” DOES NOT EQUAL “2008”.
T H E C O N T A D O R D O P E – T H I N G W A S J U S T A B O U T T O T A K E W I N G S . . . S O T H E Y H A D T O T O R C H T H E C Y B O R G L A B.
I dont think we are saying a Cat 4 race is harder then a 3 or a 2. The point being made or at least an attempt to be made is that often times, Cat 4 races blow apart earlier due to the varying talent levels in the feild so positioning in the pack is key. The 3s are smoother, more diciplined and thus maybe “easier” to sit in but not necessarily do well in placing wise. You also dont see breaks last in the hilly 4 races unlike a 2 or 3 race.
3 TO GO
is strong and more exciting anyway as these guys get paid next to nothing and most do it clean. Discovery is about as American as CSC.
Those turns look round? Is that correct? Looks like a track race…
Pro-tour 08′ slots are taking shape as we speak and right now the US is not locking anything down.
keeping some form (and this implies that I have some form at the moment) over two weeks of no access to a bike? If I run, what kind of running will be best to maintain the level of fitness required for cycling. I am going to get fried at GMSR but I desparately want to avoid having to push my bike. Any constructive thoughts? Oh what the heck, any thoughts?
I would focus on your core muscles and some cardio. Work your abs/core and run 2-3 miles a day or more depending on your running fitness. It will keep your lungs inshape and you may even find yourself climbing the Green Mtns a bit faster. Also, try going for some speed hikes if you are near trails, swimming, and kayaking. Just stay active. The time away from the bike if done right could be a blessing in disguise.
I find after a week of easy riding and hard running I acutally ride better but that is just me.
what new teams have “locked down” pro-tour spots?
with the stranger
I have heard that if one of your arms is impaired, you can simulate the stranger by sitting on the dominant hand for 3-4 minutes prior to engagement.
Velocitynation should review the local team bikes – ala Cyclingnews.
Adler – Ridleys
Affinity – Affinitys
DC Racing – Raleighs
Mengoni – Jamis
Champ sys – Specialized
Empire – Cervelos
Sids – Cannondales
etc etc
The Targetraining Aegis.
Empire has applied for the Discovery Pro Tour slot for 2008. Also heard possibly BVF.
The CRCA JunDev Orbea
“If the license does become available, that would mean that it would be available for other potential ProTour teams to apply for it. There is a process in place at the moment; there are some licenses up for renewal at the end of this year, and there would be applications for those licenses. This would make another opportunity.”
You can also train on the JJ rubber Virginia if you are stuck indoors without access to other facilities
Augusta, NJ (8-11-07) Ric Stagg of Trenton, NJ was arrested Saturday evening on charges of public drunkenness and performing lewd acts. He was found riding the tilt-o-whirl with the snake woman who complained that he was asking her to take his temperature. He was found by police without pants. Mr. Stagg, 37, had been released from the Trenton State Prison earlier that day, and when apprehended said “take me home, boys”. Mr. Stagg is being held on $1500 bail.
bike bling reviews are dopey BS. “The Ridley was firm, yet compliant, with that elusive….” Who cares?
also, not protour but this is serious company:
http://www.spartacycling.com/univestgp/teams.html
Everybody likes a cool looking race weapon. Part of the fun of this sport is the gear.
I thought Marcel Wust’s column in “procycling” was pretty accurate in respect to the bikes I rode that he reviewed.
Cool to see how the guys you race against have their bikes set up.
what’s the deal? charlie?
Maybe read the thread before getting on Charlie. He already posted on this thread and the CRCA net yahoo group about tommorow night.
Can we ban Adler from posting? Their posts run from terrible to make my eyes burn out of their sockets. They need some creative writing classes.
This excuse for going to 3 is so weak. If you’re sacred about sketchy riders, go around them and get to the front part of the field.
He upgraded to A’s in CRCA on his own initiative – it’s a points thing in open races.
Adler horribly unfunny.
Where did Mo go?
Is Mo no mo’?
Show the Mo!
…i think it’s legit. 4’s are sketchier all around (not everyone of course). I’m talking about park races, not out of town stuff.
Park races are much more sketchy then out of town open Road races due to the feild being strung out. But lets not forget that half the 3s were 4s at the start of this year so the level of saftey cant be that much higher.
Mo Ragaza has been deported.
I must say the level of riding during that crit was very high. That course must be the most techinal and I didnt see any sketchiness and no crashes.
riding at the back though was not the best place though, as guys were just seizing up every time up the hill and trying to close the gap on the hill was a tall order… 5 to go …pop…..maybe next year
in 123 races the speeds are more consistent. this is what makes the races safer, along with the better skills.
some of the 3s were 4s at the beginning of the season, but in the 4 races half of them were 5s.
5’s are actually all categories that haven’t been sorted out yet…4’s are in need of stepping up, out, or onward, 3’s – lame ducks shooting other lame ducks in a small pond.
2’s – sucK!
1’s are mostly ok
pros – same
SHEESH!
“O’Malley, Former Underdog”
Everybody fades away.
Waves.. waves carrying them away.
Wait.. wait,
O’Malley, O’Malley, O’Malley..
O’Malley, O’Malley, O’Malley,
Sing with me, sing with me, sing with me
Or I won’t even sing.
Tend to be safer than crits w/o real corners. The technical nature of the course strings out the field, and guys who can’t ride a proper line get popped off early.
I’d bet the average cat 2 has an aerobic engine better than at least 90% of the population. That is hardly sucking. It is like saying that a physics professor at CUNY sucks at physics because he doesn’t have tenure at Harvard. Grow up.
I agree, I even bet the average 4 has a bigger motor than 90% of the population.
for 2s, it’s probably more like 98%.
and, how do you need an “excuse” to upgrade? isn’t that for sandbagging?
is anyone else happy as hell that cross is round the corner?
not to move this away from the riveting and important road cycling taxonomy project taking place below, but here’s an actual question–do you have to race your road category in cross races? i’m road cat2, never done a cross race, yet my license says “CX 02 UCI elite”… i’d prefer to start off by sandbagging for as long as possible. (so there, i guess this does apply to the discussion.)
i beleive they should be separated from each other. but maybe you should race with the elites- better learning curve!
You should be able to request a downgrade in cross to cat 4 if you have never done one before. When the cross categories were introduced last year, they matched the road category to the cross category, knowing that folks would move themselves up and down appropriately during the first year.
Put in a request through your USAC account to downgrade to 4 in cross and just explain that you have never done a cross race before. You can always move back up after you’ve done a few.
I would not downgrade because most local races that are very laid back and simply fun training have Cat 1-3. If you are Cat 2 you have the engine to stay with a Cat 3 in a cross race. This is no different then Semi-Pro Mtn Bikers racing cat 4 Road and kicking everone’s ass. I would just do the Elite field and be prepared to get lapped.
Any rules against running drop bars on a mtn bike with the breaks on the tops? I race cross a few times a year for fun and am running a hardtail Mtn Bike with Drops, 26×1.25 tires and a locked fork.
Is for fat kids who suck at road races.
It’s the ultimate frisbee of the biking world.
Totally! Cross sucks. The only thing that’s cool and valid in this world is you. You are awesome at bike racing — keep sending us your thoughts!
is like a time trial but fun.
the only people that hate on cross are the ones who havent done it or can’t stand getting dirty
I have been convinced for sometime while the field in the CX Bs is weaker the race is often harder. I am decent on the run-ups and often find myself stuck behind a slow dismounter the decisive barrier section. I then have to go all out to close a gap to the front 5-8 guys who are clearly stronger then me in the sand bogs and either sandbagging or ready to upgrade. Every muddy B CX race seems the same. Where as the A’s you know you will most likely have a good wheel to follow on the hole shot. I guess I need to work on my positioning in the mud pits and get stronger. Nothing like closing a gap set by Sven Nys et al. when he was a B.
best comment ever.
Cross is more like the nude, jello wrestling of the bike world.
yeah and its for fat guys (who dont use water bottles during the race) like Jeremy Powers and Matt White. They suck on the road big time. So does Chris Horner and Jon Page. I’d rather wheel suck for 3/4 of the race just to put a few big efforts in at the end.
Did you get your feelings hurt? It’s all right. Go have another twinkie.
I’m terrible at ultimate frisbee…
That’s because you’re fat.
I’m thinking of painting my bathroom periwinkle but part of me thinks I should stick with a light orange. Also is it okay to use last year’s paint
When reading many of these comments about cyclocross, I find it difficult to accept that I’m part of this community.
Where are you Bear Mtn????
in winning a Cat 3/4 race as a 4 and getting no USA cycling points if you are the only 4. I guess you still get the updgrade points but USA Cycling rankings are so cool!
Bear registration opened this morning at 10am and it filled at 10:11
Any suggestions for a good spare tire (easy to fold and keep with you). I run COnti-Gator skins but they do not fold up easy as a spare.
It use to be counter-culture, but now it’s just filled with rich yuppies trying to be cool.
cross isnt full of stuck up elitists bitching about how gentrified the area has become
Fuck it, Dude, let’s go bowling.
I can’t believe how many posters to this site act like they’re these haute arbiters of cool. Do you realize we’re all riding around in shiny underpants?
maybe gaining popularity and drawing more racers (and undesirable personalities) but the vibe and people are still 100times cooler then the arse holes at most NYC road races. Its still not as cool as a short track Mtn bike race but you will still catch a racer having a post race Budweiser and racing in Cut offs. Falling is fun and expected, mud is even better and getting lapped is no big deal.
Short track mtb races hurt. I once puked after one of those
body armored chicken fights on manhattan bridge bike lane is where its at…..
Bike polo is the new thing.
Cross is kewl!
You can wear silly mustaches!
Chubby guys like CJ can race cross earnestly!
Wow wee! Boy o boy it sounds like fun.
I can spend another $2500 earned from my exciting job finance and get a whole new bike with ceramic bearings!
And I get to fall down too!
It’s all just about participating anyway!
Forget training!
To the last ever FBF!!!!
Um, who invited the bitter guy?
Where’s my pizza!?!? Me and the cross-lovin’ boys up in finance ordered it an hour ago!!
Or is everyone so testy because they haven’t opened registration for Bear?
Come on, bitter guy. I know you can do better. Let it out. Unclinch and release.
I think it would be unclench, not unclinch.
Which ones are those, the loser musician hipsters or the ever-embracing road-racing shiny-pants wearing lawyers and finance guys? Or both?
just checking.
come in all shapes and sizes- from the ugly hipsters that ride brakeless NJS fixies to some obscure coffee shop, to the finance types wearing Assos everything on a $12000 colnago. anyone can be a prick!
Whose sprint reigned supreme?
are your down to earth ,nice guys who win 123 races…
Elitists are cranky, hunrgy, old, lonely Cat 1s who didn’t make it.
“from the ugly hipsters that ride brakeless NJS fixies to some obscure coffee shop”
I had one fixed gear guy ride up and gloat about having “no gears and no brakes” like he wanted me to be surprised or awed. What a dork.
“no gears”? No, depending on how you look at it he has one gear (which is fixed) or two (front chainring and rear cog).
No gears means a scooter.