We got this file from Brian Gabele, who pulled on his cloak of invisibility as he crossed the line in 4th place for the Cat 3 green field. This is Brian’s last race as a 3. He weighed 154 lbs the morning of the race. Here’s a quick summary from Brian:
The first half of Battenkill I resisted the urge to be over zealous on the steep, short, initial climbs. It seemed like many in the field hammered up these climbs burning matches too early. I lost good positioning at times but managed to gain it back pretty quickly afterward on the rollers.
The principal role I played for my team and this race was to the attack the field at mile 39 (Matt Cuttler, a great breakaway companion, went with me). It was my role to filter out all the big sprinters from whatever was left of the field in order to give myself the best shot of a top 10 finish. Matt and I broke away but after he missed a right turn I went solo and hammered for what seemed like 10-15 minutes on rolling terrain thinking that I could get away until a group of 6 caught me (pulled up primarily by Cuttler).
I was pretty spent after the effort and our group of 7 climbed the final hill together, descended and then rode at a near conversational pace for the last 5 miles of the race. Coming to the line I was in the company of other racers faster than myself but I knew the finish pretty well – shortly after the right turn the line was only about 2 blocks away which catches many racers by surprise – so I gambled and accelerated as soon as I saw the turn in the distance. I didn’t have that much left, however, and the stronger riders of the day beat me to the finish.
I hope everyone involved in that crash is feeling better; it looked and sounded awful. Congrats again to Peppo and the others in our break for an epic race.
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wholly pooh look at that pwr file!
great ride, brian.
Serially. Wholly Pooh indeed. Some long 5.5 w/kg
Didn’t your coach tell you not to use new equipment for the first time in a race! Get a new coach!!
see, this is absolutely ridiculous to me. this goes to show that all people should really go to a freakin wind tunnel and get themselves checked out aerodynamically.
i weigh 145 pounds, my 30 minute is 290, my 60 minute is 250. i’m a cat 1.
now here’s this guy, ten pounds more than me, with a 30 minute of 320, and 60 minute 293. That’s not even TT’ing, that’s racing, where you’re on and off and on, etc. (not sure if that’s a normalized number or not). I’m 100% sure that with my numbers and aerodynamics, I would’ve won any cat 3 field (… because i’m cat 1, not because i’m a douche), even with my numbers.
All I’m saying is that if this guy were to actually use the power that he possesses, he would be MUCH more competitive, instead of chilling in the 3’s. i see this far too often and it’s a pity.
Are you really attributing your Cat 1 status just to “numbers and aerodynamics”? I mean, probably trumping both of those to an extent is your tactical knowledge? Right? Also, BG just upgraded, so I’m guessing you guys are a lot closer in ability than you might imagine.
i do my testing in the lincoln tunnel. will this help me?
your numbers suck
I disagree. I think his numbers are great. Why train so friggin hard to boost your numbers when you can do just as well racing smart?
Training your body is the easy part. Training your mind is tougher. If people spent even a quarter of the time they spend obsessing about numbers on learning strategy and tactics they’d be much better off.
And some learning you just can’t force. Look at how many people make the same dumb ass mistakes over and over, week after week, at a place like FBF? The body is far better at adapting (stress / adaptation) than the mind.
gabele isn’t “chilling” in the 3s though. he is upgrading and will be a strong 2.
his numbers aren’t great, they’re really bad. i think that was actually his point.
bad given his weight and that he was not 100% the whole race. Not many guys have his power in NYC. He will be fine in the Cat2s.
Fail. By the 1’s admission, the bad numbers are the Cat 1’s. Gabele’s a very very good.
kindergarden
for kids with aspergers syndrome
and here you are, right with us.
Brian has solid power numbers. He’s not off the charts but he’s strong no doubt. What puts Brian apart from a lot of other riders is his attitude to both racing and training. He’s prepared to put his head down and suffer when others are not. And like most people racing in NYC he’s doing it part time and on avg. only puts in 7-8 hours training a week.
As for tuning his aerodynamics for mass start races ? for are you kidding ?
If Brian had that sort of cash he’d be riding for Westwood Velo not Luzzo’s Pizzas.
the cat 1 below clearly upgrade awhile ago. cat 3 is much more competitive these days. i can name tons of guys with better #’s than Gabele in the 3’s. Maybe not the weight too, but they should be more competitive on the flat races.
Its Gourmet Pizza…
Who was Brian softening up the field for? Someone else on Luozzo’s should have been doing that for him.
uh, did you watch paris-roubaix?
He ended up 4th in the Cats 3s (one of the fastest races of the day) and was beaten out by Peppo who had a leadout and is a good sprinter, Clifford who is a beast and trains near the Gunks of New Paltz and another super strong guy. Not many guys can say they won GMSR (Gap), top 3 in Unionvale, Tokeneke and 4th at Battenkill all in a very comp 3 field.
Great job. I look forward to seeing you ride well in the 2s. BTW – Mr Cat 1, did you have these results as a 3?
Don’t be so quick to assume… I just upgraded.
And yes, I did have results in the 3’s… when I was 16.
well check you out, sweet 16 bro!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrm-rPSCIBw
You had results as a Cat 3 when you were 16 and now when you’re an angry mild aged banker worried about losing his job you just upgraded to a 1. What have you been doing for all these years?
he’s been living in a van, down by the river….
You’re being too harsh on the guy. He’s not saying Brian is a weak rider. Actually, he’s saying the opposite. Just because Cat 3s are strong as *hit doesn’t mean they’ve learned everything there is to learn about road races like Battenkill. Sorry, Cat 3s are still racing kind of dumb. No offense.
Were your numbers always that low? What’s your 20 sec power? I can’t see how you could win anything around here with a FT of 250 watts. Is your nose is rubbing the tire when in the drops?
numbers, schmumbers, power, schmower. who can’t wait for shorts & jogbra’s to finally appear in central park this weekend? that’s what matters. all else is goobledy-gook.
“Hey cat 1 12:24 WTF?”
Maybe he’s just a smarter racer than you? I’m getting the feeling that a lot of you guys are a couple years into racing, and have only ever known the world of power and numbers. You don’t realize how terrible your tactics are.
I’m not naming names, but I can think of a couple local Cat 2s who have BUSY full time jobs and train 6-8 hours a week. Their “numbers” aren’t that high, but they are smart as hell and win races.
Maybe the preoccupation with power actually contributes to your failure to comprehend higher level strategy? Maybe you’re racing to beat your PBs instead of the race?
Well, we can always dream about tactics, but BG doesn’t really need our help. It’s hard enough just staying on his wheel. That said, I flatted, Stoffel flatted, Chris also had a bit of bad luck.
Honestly, those numbers suck and I’m surprised he’s winning races with them. But good for him for playing his strength’s, maybe he is inclined tactically.
Remind me never to post my power data.
bad tactics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpsZQQEmTF8
36-24-36
solid numbers.
The “corrected” results have the top finishers at 2:42:31-results still not correct-oh well
perhaps bg started his timer early? I would be interested in knowing the actual finishing time for the cat 3 field.
I have some power numbers, so does everyone else. All I’m saying is that there are a lot of guys who could be doing a lot better with the power they have. Tactics and aerodynamics are PARAMOUNT in cycling. Big numbers? Who cares if you can’t use them in an applicable field. For example… Chodroff, TT Vegan, O’Donnell, and all the Westwood guys suck pretty good in anything but a TT. And yes, winning a cat 3 race is cool, but overall, you still kind of suck. sorry. If they were to take it SERIOUS, like what every cat 1 has done, you would learn and be willing to apply your skills to all fields, by working on your tactics, power, connections, etc.
Look at my numbers, yeah… they’re pretty terrible. However, I use my tactics and intimidation to win.
——
Hey broham – I had cat 3 results when I was 16. That was… 4 years ago. Definitely not a disgruntled banker, but I’m still living with my parents, and going to college. Aaaaand I’m already more successful than you! I don’t need a job because I make it racing, dood! Whaaaammy!
He won GMSR last year, and he probably could’ve… (should’ve?) upgraded to Cat. 2 after that. He’ll be seeing/dropping you in the P/1/2 races shortly.
Here’s and idea: let’s get a volunteer with decent numbers and no results to wear a helmet cam and earpiece. You watch the live feed and tell him what to do. He should be a cat 1 by the end of the season. We could make a lot of money from this all summer! I have copyrights.
you still need tactics to win a cat 3 race
18:41 forreals yo! can’t make this shit up, can he? a 20 yr. old successful cat 1 in the area….hmmmm surely must be well known and about to “make the leap” soon as mommy says no more freeloading mac and cheese & you’re on your own kid?
Yay, Connor is back!
hmmm… doubtful.
“He’s prepared to put his head down and suffer when others are not”
Would read more correctly if it said He’s ABLE to…” As racers, we all are willing to suffer, it’s just that sometimes we can not go harder. That is when someone with power numbers like Brian’s (and willingness to hurt) can beat us. Alls you can do is alls you can do – when it really gets tough, numbers win everytime. Plus, his numbers are posted, I believe, from a powertap. Where are these other “higher” numbers? Coming from someones mouth or a crank based power meter, or both. Those numbers are extremely solid for a rider of his weight especially if the road goes up. This kid has some good genes. And no, I don’t know him.
I gotta disagree with ‘Gotta Disagree’
I do not believe that all racers are willing to suffer. They think they are but to be honest I don’t think a lot of racers know what suffering is. When it starts to hurt most guys will give up.
That’s why solid physiology and excellent phycology will win over excellent physiology nine times out of ten.
One of the main difference I think comes from cycling being a total white collar sport in the US. Kids come from college or a life of privilege to take up the sport. Whereas in Europe it’s traditionally been a blue collar sport. The hard men of cycling were bred from the mines and steel factory’s of France, Belgium and eastern Europe. They knew what it was like to suffer. Getting on a bike was an escape for them. American cyclists/athletes with a few exceptions just have it too easy and that’s why they do know how to suffer.
You saying the hard men of Wall Street don’t know how to suffer? Do you have any idea what it’s like toiling away & working for Goldman Sachs and being FLAT to last year’s bonus? If that doesn’t toughen up character, then I don’t know what does. Mom!