Since this is Mother’s Day weekend, I would normally be writing a Hopeful Friday mentioning the Orphan’s Classic at Bear Mountain, as it was always on Mother’s Day; but the date for that race has changed, robbing many of a viable excuse for not partaking. Anyhoo, this coming weekend sees action in Prospect Park, and also some Long Island park activity.
Saturday has the Big Apple Classic at Prospect Park. If you want to get out of town, there’s the Sterling Classic Road Race in Sterling, MA. And if you feel like traveling and doing a time trial, there’s the Somerset Circuit Time Trial in Whitehouse Station, NJ
On Sunday, there’s the Tour de Parc Criterium in Wantaugh, Long Island. Also on Sunday is the Kissena Women’s Track Clinic, where mom’s can learn to ride closely together without any braking.
First (?)!
What’s the deal with the race in Prospect tomorrow? There are only 5 spots left in the Cat 4’s and all the other fields are full. Last year you could just show up and get in. Why the change?
If you mock me, at least make it funny.
Bike racing is the new brunch. Long lines, mediocre enjoyment, elevated chance of crapping your pants.
People like racing?
Promoters,
First – thanks for your efforts.
Second – given this strong demand for park races, would it be possible for you to include Cat 3 only fields on a few race days for the rest of the season?
brunch comparison–awesome.
I think it is a good question, sod, not mock worthy. does it seem like more people are racing so far this year? seemed to me like last year was kind of a down year.
solution will be higher entry fees. just wait…
There have been a dearth of out of town races as competition for park races so far this year. As we get deeper into the road season, there will be more races, so fields will be smaller, and you can walk up and reg.
There seems to be a dearth of competition at the Tour de Parc so far.
The sport has picked up in popularity, no doubt about that. Maybe it’s the internet, maybe it’s Bloomberg’s green initiative and all the new bike paths, maybe all the cool carbon bikes, and gear.
I noticed several races that are not USCF so promoters can have no field limit in the races and there are 100 plus riders in the cat V. Yes, they still use the USCF cat. system.
Back in my day you did not have to drive far to race for $1000, $15 entry..in the cat 4s! It’s a promoters market now, as long as they put on a good race
It’s the Radio Shack effect. People go in to buy a weather radio and they find a sport for life.
I thought the radio shack effect was you go in to buy batteries and you get hit up to donate to a charity that uses 90% for operating expenses, and 10% is given as grants for cancer research.
this year seem like a lot of cat 5s.
like every race gets sold out
Twitter is saying cryptic things about the SS time trial and the people who are owed free races. Is there an interpreter? http://twitter.com/NYCSpringSeries
should be pretty epic. Supposed to be windy!
What is Van Dunk’s policy? If he doesn’t post the results to a race, your next entry is free?
They should remove the womens category and put a junior race. If you are going to waste resources, might as well do it for the good of the sport.
Women can race any category. The only reason seems to be political correctness.
Don’t tell me it’s also good for the sport, because women races have always had low turn outs
Any update on the Wait Lists for Bear Mtn? New fields going to be added? Or racing with the women?
Because it doesn’t hurt to occasionally include women in the sport of cycling. Its a big enough sausage fest as it is. Look at the track: there’s a womens field in every race and they had pretty good turnout last weekend.
And your arguement for women in mens field applies to juniors as well, let’m all race together.
“Don’t tell me it’s also good for the sport, because women races have always had low turn outs.”
i understand your view. but i disagree – it is resectful to our sisters. yes, it’s non-economic and i for one still support it admitting that. its not like you’re offering a M60+ recumbent field. its the only chance women have to race w/ other women, and even then im sure its a shallacking for a W newbie/cat 4. we all know some women racers…try some empathy bro
The usual low-turnout events should be bundled as they do in cyclocross. Old men, children, and women should race together (staggered, of course) and race officials should just learn to pay attention to their numbers. Let’s say you put the 45+/55+ men with the Women’s Open and juniors… those categories usually have 10-30 riders each.. that equals no more than 90 riders.
Easy. Problem solved.
CRCA has a really weak race calendar this year. Everyone must get their park racing fix.
Last year the races were held on the same day therefore lessening turnout in PP.
I have to say, CRCA needs to step up. What happened? There used to be more races in the past. I don’t see any mention of Harlem this year.
There should be a Will Schneider field
Wasn’t there a ban on bitching about AvD?
No? well ok, the translation.
Anthony’s bright idea is rerun the TT. Of course he hasn’t mentioned if it will count in the series, or even how the last one counted. Since two of his podium finishers are out for the foreseeable future will they be bumped from the overall standing and have to return their trophies?
As far as being owed free races, AvD promised to post results within three weeks or those that placed would be owed a free race. Problem is he thinks he’s now posted all the results and he still hasn’t. Where he has he’s made a mess of license numbers and results are attributed to folks all over the country. There’s a guy from Denver who will be happy to know that he kicked ass on NY masters despite being a about 5 years too young and having no results in his own hometown.
Van Dunk should just let it go. Like every year once the snows start to melt we’ll all forget what a mess it was and how much we complained and we’ll all line up on that first dark 24 degree morning. Why not? It’s that or rollers and pancakes. But no one in their right mind should take the time to lend approval to redoing that TT. At the very least when the weather calls for summer race kits there are sure to be far better races to do.
“CRCA has a really weak race calendar this year. Everyone must get their park racing fix.
Last year the races were held on the same day therefore lessening turnout in PP.
I have to say, CRCA needs to step up. What happened? There used to be more races in the past. I don’t see any mention of Harlem this year.”
Don’t even know where to start with this one…
1. Harlem is not a CRCA race
2. CRCA has the same amount of races every year with a similar schedule
3. Central Park will only give so many dates, after nyrr and everyone else gets permits crca does.
4. It’s not about crca stepping up, if you think that’s the problem join the board next year.
CRCA gets 15 club races plus Mengoni and Maltese in Central Park. This has been true since 2005 and is true this year. Last year there was a 16th club race because Parks cancelled a race in 2008 because of a special event. As of this date last year CRCA put on 3 park races. This year there have been 4. The next CRCA park race this year is May 22. Last year the gap was from April 4 – May 30.
There have been few CRCA park races in May for many years May is the busiest time for other park events and also was the time for major out of town races. The first 2 weeks in May were Jiminy and Bear. Jiminy was cancelled and Bear was moved back a week so that it did not conflict with Mother’s Day. The Ephrata stage race was also canceled. I am not sure what other races changed but the late April/May schedule seems much weaker.
Unfortunately we had to cut fields from Bear because of the course change caused by the closure of Tiorati Brook Road. Expenses for the race such as police have more than tripled because of the longer racing day. CRCA is going ahead with the race even though we face losing $5,000 or more because CRCA is committed to support the racing community.
The big gap in the CRCA schedule is in June. We tried hard to get another date in May and/or June but parks could not accommodate us. The conflict is not with regular NYRR running races but with other special events. Last year we had a good June schedule.
We have scheduled a TT on June 6 at Harriman to help fill the gap.
CRCA has a full schedule of races from the end of June through the middle of September. We also brought back the traditional Turkey race this year. Since we could not get any more dates in May or June and the only alternative was a very late Sept or early Oct date, it is really not a lost date. Fall dates have been unpopular.
For May, CRCA tried scheduling a crit at Orchard Beach and was working with Deno’s on a crit at Coney Island but could not get permits from the police. Police policy for the past several years has been “no permits for new events”.
John Eustice has been the promoter for Harlem for the past few years. He has done a great job in making the race a major event again and 2010 should be big. CRCA is helping by providing marshals and sponsorship money. It is really up to John to announce the race for this year but it is scheduled to happen on Father’s Day. Details should be coming from John soon.
Thanks Mike and the rest of the CRCA volunteers. You make racing in New York phenomenal.
My argument is that if you will waste resources, help the juniors. They of course, as everyone else, like their own categories.
I like women as much as the next guy, but they don’t like racing bikes nearly as much as men
Don’t worry about your individual Prospect field being too big. It’s a Greg Avon race, they all wind up being one field anyway. Wheeeeeeeeee!!
The more junior races held in the city will attract more kids to get into the sport of cycling and discover its beauty. Rather than hanging out drinking, smoking and doing all other kinds of crap.
Mike, you don’t have to respond to every troll that starts talking shit about CRCA on a message board. However, your response was very good, so kudos.
Where was the ambulance to pick-up the bodies after the P123 at PP this a.m.? Good thing none of the injuries appeared life threatening. 1 broken collarbone, though.
Zmolik wins from a late three man break today, ahead of Joao and Wilson
Hey, we have real problems. The daily distraction at Pez isn’t working and there are no thumbs to open for the last two hotties.
PP 123 field was full, and only 3 AXA’s were signed up. But there were at least 5 in the race! I want a recount!! I clearly would have won if not for that.
Not sure what your beef is with Greg Avon, but the race today was very well organized and very well run.
except when the 123s caught the 5s or 4s or whoever.
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=dds/dds10/dds-apr10
…Too many of the NYC team kits look like Cervelo TestTeam from the back of the field.
How the hell am I supposed to know when I have to be at the front?!
there was a wait list , bunch of no shows
have a p 1,2 rather than a p 1 2 3
it is crazyness
dear team somerset, you are some horrible park racers
affirmative. disasters waiting to happen.
They were racing like a bunch of douchebags. Multiple, blatant rec lane violations during the entire race. Also, throwing elbows in lap 2 of the race? Are you kidding me?
I concur. Park race douchbags.
This cat 3 was nearly taken out by a 1. So do you want to make it a p23. Give it up. Shit happens no matter what cat.
Zmolik transfer a Liquigas to help Kruziger in TdF
Did Zmolik beat wilson in a sprint or did it break up before that?
Zmolik attacked his breakaway companions with about 600 meters to go and held it. Wilson came in 2 seconds after then Joao about 6 seconds back.
Joao gave the field a minute head start the race started and he was putting stuff in his bag, he almost ended up in the master’s racer.
women racers often don’t pre-reg for races like bear (because they don’t have to). Typically Bear gets a good turnout for the women.
also, for the record, many women like to race just as much as men (or juniors). in some places (norcal, the pnw) the women’s fields are as large, or nearly as large as the men’s . . .
know who else gave the field a head start? -> Your mom
Uh yeah, that’s great for NorCal but we’re talking about NYC. Big difference.
pretty likely the women who do race love it as much as you do– they train and get up at 4am ect just like you. there just aren’t as many of them.
What’s for dinner?
3s blow. should be 1/2 and 3/4
it should be a p,1,2 race, a 3 race, and a 4/5 race. that way, upgrades make sense.
gotta watch this:
http://www.wimp.com/newyork/
Team Somerset you guys worked hard during the race and I always saw your kits off the front. Don’t worry about the cry babies who talk on here.
Instead of complaining during the race why don’t you get serious and race like elite riders? Look at the UCI level, how many crashes and elbows do you see? It’s part of racing.