At the Tour of the Catskills, Roger Aspholm of Westwood Velo wins the 1/2/3 GC, with Radical Media taking the the top two podium spots with Elena Leznik and Evelyn Stevens. Aaron Wolfe of SouthAfrica.net is 5th in the cat 3s. Stefan Kusurelis of Cadence Cycling wins the cat 4 race over James Stevens of Gotham. Gregg Galletta of Merrill Lynch is second in a dead heat in the 30+ race. Troy Kimball of Westwood Velo wins the 40+, and the durable Doug O’Neil of Deno’s Wonder Wheel wins the 50+ race. Full results are here.
Â
At the Calvert-Toefield battle between the Categories, the Cat 3 field caught the Cat 4 field, and Radoslow Smologa won the race in a field sprint.
Â
At the very pro and very wet Univest Grand Prix, Lucas Euser of Garmin-Chipotle presented by H30 wins, and that very long-named team takes 3 of the top 5 spots. Sunday’s Univest Grand Prix of Doylestown was won by Yuri Metlusheko of Amore & Vita – McDonalds. The Omnium was won by Frederik Ericsson of Cykelcity.se/Klehr Harrison. Many results here.
Amazing 2 days of racing. The rain actually added to the epic race day one. The 3/4s were tons of fun with some attacks and breakaways each day. That guy from Cadence is a TT monster. Great job to the promoter, towns and volunteers. This will soon be a classic NE race. I think it could actually be bigger than Battenkill since the locations are much better (more places to stay and eat), closer to NYC/metro area and the courses were fantastic (very tough both days).
Thanks again to everyone who made it a great 2 days of racing. One more thing, very cool of the guy who found the SPin City racers bike on the side of the road the morning of day 1 and actually brought it to the race for him. Nothing like loosing a $6k bike and having a kind person return it. Very lucky!
even getting dropped both days the the ride was great! It is so nice to get out of the city and race a course designed for pro’s.
What’s the etiquette on waiting for the Yellow jersey when s/he has a mechanical?…I heard Silke, who was leading the women’s field had a flat on the second day…I wonder if ther other riders waited for her? I hope they did, bc I think that’s the right thing to do?!
3s field didn’t catch 4s…
That’s right, only a group of 6-8 3’s bridged to the 4’s with two to go, when we all settled in for a relatively orderly field sprint. The 4 field dropped a lot of riders. The speed wasn’t crazy fast, but there were innumerable surges — the kind that do hurt the legs after a while.
If Silke flatted, it was after she had been dropped on the hill
I heard that Silke dropped her chain and the other 2 attacked/did not wait.
Maybe Silke should get a triple like Evelyn Stevens, then she could make it up those climbs.
I sincerely hope that next year there will be more races in the catskills. What an incredible course, and just about 2 hours away from NYC.
How cool is it that there is a network that televises the lesser known cycling events in the east as well as the less known international races. Watched univest on television “LIVE” both races + Tour of Germany, World Champs TT, and this week all stages televised of the Tour of Missouri. Frankie Andreu on the mic (Germany) – Empire, Saknt, Champsys on the bike (univest), for all the world to see.
– BTW, M.Johnson nice effort on that crit preme lap – soooooo close!
Assuming it happens (based on the overwhelming praise I suspect it will) many Metro area racers should consider skipping the long trip to GMSR and doing Catskills. The 2 days were harder overall than stage 1 and 2 of GMSR. The pro loop looked scarey hard since those guys had to do the worst climbs twice. Day 2 – they did that 7 mile climb twice – pretty sick.
The towns have lots to do for families (hiking, shopping and great places to eat and stay for all prices). This event was awesome. My legs are throbbing today after racing some of the toughest best roads all year. ALso – even if you were dropped the courses were so nice that it was just great to be out riding in the country.
Hey clowns, this aint the TDF. If someone flats that stinks for them, but you should never wait for them. This is recreational racing – not the pros. Maybe when Chodroff flatted when he was solo off the front at Union Vale, the 1/2/3 field should have stopped and waited so that he could maintain his gap.
Sick rides by the Radical Gals. If Silke doesn’t want flat tires in a race, she should try running heavier tubes. She could run solid rubber tires and her bike would still be lighter than Evelyn’s.
While I personally think this is hardly news worthy, I want to clarify before the rumors/speculations/comments get out of hand. I was dealing with a mechanical and had to get off my bike three or four times. It sucked and it was a bit of bad luck, but I certainly didn’t expect Elena and Evelyn to wait for me. It was a race and not a training ride. Simple as that.
always. whoever is/was trying to start a shit-storm, please go back to complaining about sandbaggers and triathletes.
You are still THE champion in my mind.
Congrats also to the two Radical Media who raced smart and kicked butt.
Ok, can we move on?
What the h~ll did I do to you?
it’s not racing every week end that tires me, it’s traveling.
I will focus on Catskills rather then GMSR next year.
maybe they’ll have enough time from now and next year to properly intruct the pacecars and marshalls. maybe put some marshalls at the pro/1/2/3 turn off after the feedzone also.
The $10 lunch that the organizers put together post Sat’s racewas great.
The place was right by the finish line and the food was fantastic value….bbq chicken, roasted corn, pastas, salad, water…pretty much all you can eat. It sure was better than drinking the ‘ol recovery drink. Those planning to race next year, I def recommend it.
Our very own Cupcake takes home silver in the 35-39 team sprint at Masters Natz, adding to his gold in the match sprints last week.
Nelson Li took a silver in the 40-44 match sprints.
Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation.
Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France — and will race for no salary or bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews.
Word is there will be Tour of Georgia./
oy vey
“Other rumors are that Armstrong will continue to pursue mountain bike racing, and may try his hand at cyclocross as well.”
the question is can he come back and still beat the system, seven time winner-seven time doper
Does it prevent nipple chaffing? Is it so you can pin a number on? Prevent sunburn on your sternum? Why?
Help me out here? Tri-guy O.G.
Seriously, to complaint about a first year event with a few hiccups is lame. Overall the event was amazing and well run. Some races that have been going on for years have similar issues. Some of these drivers are no local and they miss turns. Marshalls are not all racers and can make mistakes. Overall this event was sick and worth the trip next year. Better value, closer and more challenging than GMSR.
BTW – Tour of SOmmerville RR had the same issue this year and its been going on for years.
I like to complaint.
If your chances in a race go south because a lead car or a marshall takes you off course I think view people wouldn’t be aggravated by it.
Adding races to squeeze out established races is not the way to go. Catskills should reschedule so it doesn’t have to grow by taking people away from Green Mtn.
Two stage races , two weeks in a row at the end of the season won’t work. Catskills can also never get a good P/1/2 field against Univest, unless it takes riders from Univest too.
Catskills is a great location and great course so it’s a real plus if this can grow into a much bigger race.
Doubt anyone but Cassidy, Roger and Lindine had a shot in the Pro1-3 based on the time gaps. Next time be up there with the leaders and its not an issue. BTW – Pace car in Pro1-3 did not go off course since it was driven but the local bike shop owner. Not sure what you are talking about…
I disagree… GMSR is very far for many and lots of local racers (Metro area) stayed home. Plus I heard alot of negative stuff about the way the race went down this year (placing, wheel support for 2 man breaks in mile 7 of a 70miler leaving the pack without wheels – not sure how true that all is), so Catskills is a great option for many who want to travel only 2.5 hours for 2 great tough days of racing. As for Univest, look at the race entries… Besides Empire, Kenda< IF and Frutta the rest were not local teams. None of those guys have a shot anyway. They would have been much more competitive at Catskills. I think you can get a solid Cat1-2 field on the same weekend as Univest.
none of these guys has a shot? spoken like a true sandbagger.
Hey Folks, thanks for all the comments on the race this past weekend. They’re all legit. We’re pretty happy with the turnout and generally with how it all went. Thanks for everyone’s patience with some of the misdirection, confusion, and ‘rough edges’ with our first-year race. Anyone who got misdirected (I know who you are) just e-mail me and you’re in the ’09 Battenkill for free if you want. Next year our volunteers will have a year’s worth of experience and prep. It’ll be bigger & better.
As for the GMSR vs. ToC debate – I’ll be the first to admit that the goal of the race was to draw as many riders after GMSR that we could and also draw those that didn’t want to make that trip up to VT who saw this as a convenient alternative. We had a few advantages this year in terms of length and proximity to NYC that helped us get the riders we did get. That said, I raced the GMSR myself and it’s a really great race. Univest is great too, but it has vastly different goals vs. ToC, so we really did not compete with that one at any level: we had no money, they had lots; we’re a Pro/Am, they’re a Pro race only; we had photos only, they had live webcasts… That said, we’ll probably stick with the same weekend next year – the region and NYS needs a good post-Labor Day race weekend. Lots of people are so quick to jump into cross these days. What’s the hurry? All that running and carrying – so confusing.
Thanks.
how about one more week buffer after GMSR? some of us don’t want to have to choose…and it’s hard to find good races into September. not all of us race cross.
A couple of people mentioned that, but then we’d be up against Bear Mtn…
Dieter, thanks for ToC, the race formerly known as Battenkill-Roubaix, and supporting the sport in general. Really appreciated.
http://gallery.me.com/RRubey#
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=6560
Any input on this out there? Whats the course like? Flat, rolling? Good bad? thanks
pretty much the last RR of the season.
I can’t resist, I need one more. just one more hit.
Question for Alan or any officials out there. 1. Why do some races post results on USA cycling while others dont. Does it cost more? Also – for upgrades, if you are ranked say top 10 NY for Cat3s but dont have the upgrade points (instead you have many top 20s) do you take that into consideration for upgrades? Seems like a guy who races 4 times and has 4 top 5s is given more of a shot at an upgrade than the guys that race every weekend and place in the top 20.
Finally – for a Cat 3/4 race like Tour of Catskills – when this is reported to USA Cycling – do you give any upgrade points to the 3s? Some of the guys in that race are on the verge of Cat 2 so beating them was a good result despite the fact that there were more 4s.
I think many locals would love to get some more info on upgrades.
Thanks
alan has an email address: alan_atwood@hotmail.com
also, if a cat 3 has raced 4 times and each time placed in the top 5, he is obviously a better racer than you–of course he is given a better shot at an upgrade. why do you think your top 20 finishes should hold more weight?
you show up to the races, and you have a competent finish, but why upgrade if you aren’t winning/podium/top 5?
go upgrade your training instead.
Reed,
Thank you for initiating a great race weekend at the Catskills. I know you were the first one to drive this project, and cannot imagine the work that you had to put into execute this,including bringing on the best race promotor, Dieter.
Next year, you will be back there racing, I hope.
If you want trophies you’re in the wrong sport.
i wouldn’t worry about it conflicting with Fall Bear, which basically does not exist anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thriller+prison&search_type=&aq=3&oq=thriller+
Was Yogi Bera retarded?
“Seems like a guy who races 4 times and has 4 top 5s is given more of a shot at an upgrade than the guys that race every weekend and place in the top 20.”
I’m glad someone finally wrote this, because let’s admit it – we’ve all been thinking it. This has been the elephant in the room for many years, and we need to deal with it, now. I, too, have always had the vague suspicion that the rider with four top fives had a better chance of upgrading.
After extensive covert ops, I was able to get my hands on a confidential document from USACycling and am sharing it with the NYVeloCitizens, since – as we all know – upgrading is a complex, misunderstood, black art, and we’d all love to get some more info on how it works. Or – as I say – how it doesn’t work.
The confidential document can be found here: http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=580
I need to warn you, though, the information is pretty shocking, so make sure you’re seated before clicking. (And preferably wearing a helmet.) Apparently, USACycling has a codified system for awarding points to those already at the top. Assuming a road race of >50 guys, here are how points are distributed … and let me warn you, it’s anything but fair:
1st place: 10 pts
2nd: 8 pts
3rd: 7 pts
4th: 6 pts
5th: 5 pts
6th: 4 pts
7th: 3 pts
8th: 2 pts
9th: 1 pt
10th: 0 pts
etc.
Un-f~cking-believable. It’s 2008, and we still have this antiquated, progressive points system. I’ve had a couple of my boys back at the lab running numbers, and we’re far from finished, but so far the output’s not good. Apparently, this system is virtually *guaranteed* to give more points to better racers, and continue to do so indefinitely. Meaning that not only does it SEEM like they have a better chance of an upgrade – that may actually be the case! Typical of everything that’s broken with the system: the point-rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer. Today’s current system unfairly advantages racers who have points, at the expense of those of us who desperately need them.
In fact – and again I’m relying on the boys back at the lab here – if there were 100 Americans in that race, the boys tell me 91 of them (that’s approximately 91%!) wouldn’t even get a SINGLE POINT. I’m going to write that again, simply because the implications are so devastating for the average American racer. 91 out of 100 racers could just stay at home or be spectators and get the exact same amount of points. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not in favor of the American taxpayer subsidizing 91% of the Cat 3 race population to sit on their a55e5 at home (where at least one of them will undoubtedly type out a long-winded post which reaaaally beats a dead horse into being deader.)
Friends, this is not something we can just punt to the next administration. My opponent Alan Atwood’s plan is just more of the same – points subsidies to the better racers, only upgrading those who have earned it, and literally nothing for the little guy. (Unless the race has a few hills, than actually the little guy can do ok.)
Well, I’ve seen one year of the Alan Atwood system, and I for one am not interested in another four years like 4x the last one year. The system needs change. I’m going to Boulder, or wherever USACycling is, but I’m assuming it’s Boulder because it seems like it should be and I’ve always wanted to go to Boulder. Where was I? Right, my plan. My plan is demonstrably more equitable:
1st place: -10 pts
2nd: -10 pts
3rd: – 10 pts
4th: 0 pts
5th: 0 pts
6th: 1 pt
7th: 1 pt
8th: 1 pt
9th: 1 pt
10th: 1 pt
etc.
etc.
The (slightly inverted) flat points plan – a clearly superior alternative to Alan’s which is nothing more 4x one more year of the status quo. The benefits are obvious:
1. Ern and all the Exodus boys get 10 points deducted and re-distributed to more deserving racers
2. 4th and 5th place get nothing, as guys/gals getting top 5s have been hogging points all too often, as already mentioned
3. The original poster will be eligible for an upgrade almost immediately, and we won’t have to hear from him again
That’s my platform – change we can believe in. So who do you want next year? An anonymous long-winded fool, or some selfless, dedicated, hard-working, underpaid, overstretched guy who loves the sport BUT his name anagrams to “Ow! Anal Toad!”?
(FYI, on immigration policy, don’t even get me started. Those Dominicans beat me senseless every race. Anyone know how to say “Uncle!” in Spanish?)
I have been a Cat 4 since June and have gotten some good results in competitive races this summer (ie not Floyd). I am pretty close to getting my upgrade, but I am not hankering for it. Despite coming frustratingly close a few times I haven’t won a race yet and I’d like to get an actual victory before moving up.
Basically anyone who can stay with the pack can finish in the top 20 of a Cat 4 race. It basically means you finished the race. Congrats. If you aren’t getting on the podium or top 10 in tough out of town races, why is there this obsession for racing with the 3s? So you can wear a different # and then get dropped halfway through Bear Mountain next spring?
I hate the elitist idea of points and catagories – All riders should be considered equal “worker-riders”. Fields would be determined at random, and everyone would be treated as an equal, racing for the collective good.
Also, there should be no choices in bike brand. The USCF should approve a single state brand of bike. We need to even the playing field and get rid of this capitalist idea of bike technology.
Down with the Man!!!
Picture a road with three lanes. Let’s say you’ve been a Cat 4 racer for a season with some top 20s but no top 5s. You’re in the middle lane. You’re not going to win a top 5 spot because there are always guys in the passing lane. They have good raw materials. They’re on track to be strong 3s or even 2s. In the slow lane you’ve got guys who don’t have time to train, or have basically maxed out what the good lord gave ’em.
I don’t think the poster below is that far off. As a strong 4 (even without top 5s), you could be competitive in the 3s while never cracking the top 5 in the 4s. And racing with the guys in the slow lane and the guys in the fast lane can get incredibly boring and discouraging. You’ll always beat the slow lane guys, and you’ll always loose to latest crop of guys fast-tracking to 2/3. Even with a lot of training you might never beat guys like Cuttler and Gulla who are/were destined to be 2s.
That said, it is dumb to complain. Just train hard enough to beat ascendant 2s, and when you finally upgrade you’ll probably be top 10 in the 3s anyway.
What about a rider who likes to ride “off-road”?
Let’s call ’em shoulder riders…
don’t upgrade before you can win in your current field. unless you never want to win at all…
There are a few perennial 4s that are always a presence in races, attacking, mixing it up etc yet never seem to win. Strong riders but lousy racers.
i am sure. and they are *probably* entitled to an upgrade by now under the new rules. and if they do, they will never even be mixing it up, let alone placing.
I think some of the 4s at Catskills saw the difference in 4s vs 3s. Sure – some of the top 4s were fine and could climb better than some of the 3s but they were always just sittin in. You could tell on the flats and rollers and in the wind some of the 4s were getting gassed and more timid in the technical sections of the course. The 3s were always up front pushing the pace and reading the race more. Even the 3s that were not the best climbers were attacking and giving it a go before the big climbs. I did not see too many 4s doing this. Lots of sitting in. Catskills was 2 days of pure suffering but you could tell the 3s easily whether it be in the attacks into the wind, flats and rollers or climbs. They came to the front.
strong racers but mediocre riders
“don’t upgrade before you can win in your current field. unless you never want to win at all…”
Maybe I want a more quality field. Maybe I fare better in a faster race. Maybe Cat 4 sprints involve about 20 dudes riding backwards blocking all holes.
Funny that you say this about the Catskill race. I did see a cat 4 guy was pushing the pace quit a bit on the second day. Two separate solo breakaways that lasted for more than 25 miles. It was us in the cat 3 field that allowed this to happen and I wondered why never followed him. I guess he wasn’t on anyones radar that day.
“Maybe I want a more quality field. Maybe I fare better in a faster race. Maybe Cat 4 sprints involve about 20 dudes riding backwards blocking all holes.”
maybe you will just be packfiller, like most guys in most races.
“Maybe I want a more quality field. Maybe I fare better in a faster race. Maybe Cat 4 sprints involve about 20 dudes riding backwards blocking all holes.”
Maybe. But you may also may be just packfiller.
The Cat 4s all raced great.
Agree about a certain cat 4/The big Cadence guy was off the front many times and pushing the pace day 1 on the flats (trying to bring back the break)and day 2 on the rollers before the climb. I bridged to him day 2 on the rollers and could not stay on his wheel for more than a few miles. We had a 1 minute gap fast and it was all due to him and his big engine. He dropped me and hung on with the leaders. That guy has serious power.
“Race not fast enough” + “blocked in for the sprint” = 2 for 1 sale on my all-time favorite excuses. Especially in combination.
“The restaurant is so crowded, no one goes there anymore.” – Yogi Berra
Now that you’ve wanked your ego, go back and race with the rest of the other overachieving 4s.
you 4s are whiny bitches.
the problem is there are so many of you. each race only has 1 winner, and 8 other points slots. if you can’t get the points then YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO UPGRADE.
if you are behind 20 dudes in a sprint, then you did not position yourself properly. look at your own performance on why you are not getting points instead of blaming the fucking points system.
if you are so frustrated about not getting points, that means an upgrade is MAYBE NOT FOR YOU.
agreed to below
I got my hole blocked by a CAT4 once and it really hurt