by Ben Harris

There has been much discussion on the various city blogs, newsletters, and websites regarding the upcoming races – who is going well, what teams will mop up, who has the coolest kit. While these write-ups are well written, I take issue with their lack of coverage on the most colorful segment of the local racing scene – the CAT4 field. This ragged band is by far the largest segment of the racing public, and make up the majority of most teams in the area. The CAT4 field has an incredible diversity of talent, from future CAT1’s who make a brief stopover before upgrading, to perennial CAT4’s who stink but just love to race. In Dan Schmalz’s recent CRCA article he likened himself and his CRCA comrades to a league of weekend bowlers who like to dress up and parade around. If this is the case for Dan and his A field cronies then I guess us B field riders are wannabe weekend bowlers. Either way, here’s a quick preview of the top-5 teams from last years CRCA B Team Cup as well as a couple of notables that should be mixing it up in the park and elsewhere in 2006. I’m sure that this is a very incomplete list of strong regional B riders, so if you are strong and I forgot to mention you, I apologize – feel free to kick my ass in the next race.

Metro-Sanchez

Riders to Watch,

@##=#<4,r>@##=#Amaury Arias – 1 podium finish in ’05 CRCA road race

Andy Gipp – 1 podium finish in ’05 CRCA road race

Craig Goodstein – 2 podium finishes in ’05 CRCA road races

Petr Huppert – 1 win in ’05 CRCA road race, 3rd Bear Mtn. Spring Classic

Norbert O’Reilly – 1 win 1 podium finish in ’05 CRCA road races

Eustimo Quintero – 3 podium finishes in ’05 CRCA road races, won Bear Mtn. Fall Classic

Carlos Riviera – 1 win in ’05 CRCA road race

Lewis Almonte

Who are they?

Metro-Sanchez is this years’ defending champion of the B-team cup. Metro showed great consistency last year scoring points in every team cup race and winning handily over the other teams. Their early season CRCA results were impressive winning 2 of the first three races. The team showed terrific depth with wins and podiums spread across several riders as well as a dominant performance in the Spring Series. I do not know much about their 2006 roster, but I have not heard of any defections so I’m assuming they have retained most of their strong riders.

Strengths:

Metro has several very strong sprinters (especially Quintero) and have shown a consistent ability to put riders across the line first in a bunch sprint. Holding aside their fast finish, they have also shown an ability to get into, and win in breaks. This is a very well-rounded team with lots of riders who can pull their weight. I think that their B team will lose several riders to upgrades this year which may thin their ranks a bit but with 7 different riders on the CRCA podium in 2005, I don’t think one or two riders becoming A’s will make much of a difference.

Kit review:

The one area that I would pick on a bit is Metro’s kit. They have a very boring blue and gold theme that gets lost in the peloton. If history is a good predictor of future events, Metro will continue to talk with their legs and not their kits and leave the rest of us to look cool, while they get down to the business of winning bike races.

5/10

Overall:

Metro had a very impressive 2005 season, and 2006 should be no different. The only reason that Metro is not my top pick for the 2006 B Team Cup is that the team limits may change the dynamics of the B field racing and may cause more winning breaks and fewer of the bunch sprints that Metro has historically dominated (remember how the July 23, 2005 B-race unfolded?). While they are not my top pick, it will not surprise me at all if they run away with it again.

Foundation

Riders to Watch:

@##=#<1,r>@##=#Will Riffelmacher – One win, one 2nd in 2 2005 CRCA races, won 3 of 4 stages and the GC at the 2005 GMSR (2nd in the stage he didn’t win)

David Burns – 1 win 1 podium finish in ’05 CRCA road races, won 2005 Bear Mtn.

Pablo “Paulie” Castro – Won a ’05 CRCA road race

Who are they?

Foundation is perennially the largest and most difficult to categorize team in the CRCA. They have a very open and aggressive recruiting strategy, which has yielded them some very strong riders in the past. Last year, they picked up Tom Auth who proceeded to shred the B field before getting upgraded (and shredding the A field). This year they picked up Will Riffelmacher, another former rower with some very serious horsepower. Will is new to NYC, but raced 2 CRCA races last year yielding a first and second. If Will begins the 2006 season as a B, look out. He is the odd-on favorite for whatever B races he does before his inevitable upgrade to the A’s. Aside from Will, Foundation has Dave Burns, a strong all-rounder who won Bear Mountain, Paulie Castro, a sprinter who won a road race last year, and lots of strong masters riders who prefer TT’s, but do wonder into the odd B race. Foundation lost a large number of riders to other teams over the off-season (specifically the newly-formed Jonathan Adler team), but their open recruiting policy may yet yield some hidden gems for 2006.

Strengths:

As long as Will is riding as a B, Foundation has a rider that can sprint, climb and TT. If you are looking for a wheel to follow, he is a pretty solid pick. Holding Will aside, Foundation has some talented TT riders, and guys that can work well in a break. Paulie has a reputation for sitting in on a break, but he has put up results and some would call his strategy “smart racing”.

Kit review:

Foundation has sported a red – USSR-themed kit since its’ founding. The bold red and white certainly stands out in the field (especially when Foundation is fielding 20 riders), and for that I give it high marks. The all-red can be a bit boring for some, and others have noticed the similarity to the lycra santa-suits worn by the servers at Roberts Steak House around the holidays, but there is no mistaking foundation riders when they are up the road, and that is supposed to be the goal of a kit anyway.

5/10

Overall:

Foundation is the original mega-team and that strategy yielded a 2nd place in the B-team cup last year. While the team did lose several riders to other teams in the off-season, I think that the combination of strong break riders and a couple of good sprinters makes them a dark horse contender for the 2006 B-team cup.

VisitBritain

Riders to Watch:

@##=#<2,r>@##=#Andy Cohen

Ken King – 2 podiums in ’05 CRCA road races

Steve Mandrapa – Won 2 ’05 CRCA road races

Ivry Semel

Who are they?

VisitBritain is a perennially strong team with tons of depth and great coaching and guidance provided by Smiley and others. They have proven year-in and year-out that they can recruit, develop and retain great riders and their current B-team roster is reflective of that. Last year, VB finished a disappointing 4th in the B Team Cup, but the new field limits as well as the development of several VB riders should improve their placing significantly. For 2006 VB’s B squad loses strongman Chris Louden to the A’s, but picks up Ken King, who was previously unattached. In addition several VB riders have improved significantly and should start the 2006 season well. If you raced out of town races last year as a CAT4, you saw Cohen, Mandrapa, and Semel in nearly every selection, posting consistently strong results especially at the tougher hilly races.

Strengths

VB has a very strong climbing team with several riders well-suited for Bear Mtn., Housatonic Hills, Tokeneke and other hilly races. Look for big results at these races as well as the regional stage races (Mandrapa was 2nd in GC going into the final stage at GMSR). In the CRCA, the B team does not have a standout sprinter, so look for them to get into breaks and force selections. The team had ho-hum TT results in 2005, but I would expect that some equipment upgrades for a few of the riders could make them more competitive. According to the Team’s captain, the B squad is going to focus on the tougher out of town races.

Kit review

VB has a very clean and classic looking (albeit a bit boring) kit. I happen to like the red white and blue and I think that the recent refresher with the different colored arms looks great–it reminds me a bit of the Confidis kit without the yellow.

7/10

Bottom Line

VisitBritain is my pick for the top team in this year’s B Team Cup. The team has unmatched depth and I think that the field limits are going to play into their strengths, given their big A team. I would expect to see VB also put up some big results out of town. Without a great sprinter they are going to have a tough time at Prospect, and other sprinters racers, but given their success in recruiting talent in the past, they may have something up their sleeve. Speaking to the VB Team captain, the Cat 4 Squad is going to focus on the out of town races and less on the B Team Challenge so this may affect their park results somewhat.

Merrill Lynch

Riders to Watch:

@##=#<5,r>@##=#Dean Brizel – 3rd ITT

Tony Falk – won 2-man TT

Ben Harris – 3 podium finishes in ’05 CRCA road races, 2nd ITT, 2nd 2-man TT

Tim Nelson – 2 podium finishes in ’05 CRCA road races

Andy Shen – won 2-man TT, 2nd ITT

Who are they?

Merrill Lynch began as a CAT4 team and continues that tradition with a strong B squad for 2006. The team picked up a few new recruits in the off-season that should help bolster the roster. Several of ML’s CAT4 riders currently ride as A’s, but given the new field limits, you may see some of these 4’s racing down during the odd B races (keep an eye out for Wilkins and Baldwin – both CAT4s). Merrill finished a disappointing 5th in the B team challenge in 2005 so they will be definitely looking to improve on that this year.

Strengths

ML’s B team should continue to show well in the TT’s (wherever it ends up happening) with riders Dean Brizel, Tony Falk, Andy Shen, & Ben Harris. Also look for ML to use some of that TT horsepower to attack the peloton and work in breaks. While not traditionally a strong sprinting squad, there are rumors that the ML team has added a couple of sprinters to both squads, so keep a look out for them to put their sprinters on the line if things are left to a bunch sprint.

Kit review:

With few changes from last year, their kit remains a bright (and Easter-themed) spot in the peloton. Some may not like the liberal use of pastel colors, but they remain one of the most pro-looking kits in the CRCA, and isn’t that what we are all going for?

8/10

Overall:

Merrill Lynch should field one of the strongest B squads this year with a big roster, lots of depth and several riders who can podium. They should dominate whatever TT’s the CRCA ends up hosting and should be able to clock up several podium finishes at club races. I like their chances in smaller breaks rather than bunch sprints in the park. They are not my top pick for the B cup, but will certainly serve as a dark horse. At out of town races, there are several CAT4 riders on the team that have significant potential to podium especially the several CAT4’s that race as A’s.

Jonathan Adler

Riders to Watch:

@##=#<3,R>@##=#Andy Collins

Anthony O’Malley

Mo Ragaza

Chris Uglietta – 1 podium finish in ’05 CRCA road race, 1 Prospect Park win in 2005

Who are they?

Jonathan Adler is a new team formed from the combination of several Foundation riders and several ex-Skyliners. The squad has put together a very strong roster and will be looking to make a big impression in their first season. The squad is led by Jay Fitzgerald, formerly with Foundation, who has had some impressive results on the track and ‘cross circuit. While the team is small, they have several fast finishers (Uglietta, Collins), a great driver and breakaway threat (Ragaza) and also perennial Irish strong man O’Malley (who can be a real all-round threat if he proves he can use his strength wisely). The team has stated that they will be focusing on out of town races, but with Fitz’s inability to miss any races, I would expect them to have a strong showing in the CRCA as well. Fulmer is currently out with a knee injury, but should be racing during the 2nd half of the season. Out of town, expect to see Uglietta sprinting for wins and Collins and O’Malley going quickly uphill. Finally, we have been warned that JA Racing might also have some ringers waiting in the wings. Sounds interesting!

Strengths:

JA has a very good balance of sprinteurs, grimpeurs and rouleurs. The team also likes to race often and aggressively. Uglietta is one of the strongest sprinters in the field and has been training hard in the off-season and has finally learned that drinking is best done post-race at Spring Lounge (the team’s bar sponsor), rather than heavily the night before. If you raced out of town last year you saw O’Malley and Collins in nearly every selection, posting consistently strong results especially at the tougher hilly races. O’Malley is a particularly strong climber and had a top-5 finish at the Tour of Hilltowns in 2005. I think that the 2006 racing season should suit this team well as JA has several riders who were consistently in breaks last year. I also think that if they can keep their sprinters in the front group, they have a great chance to win with Uglietta.

Kit review

Sporting the boy-racer retro stylings of “Mo The Pro” Ragaza, these JA threads surely can’t be missed in the elite B peloton. A striking medley of flash and class, the kit was inspired by the legendary Gulf Motorsport racing teams, exemplified by the graphic design of the 1960’s-era Ford GT40. The kit is already a Central Park crowd pleaser amongst the ladies and spandex-clad gents. Expect to see hot team wives/girlfriends rocking the jackets in SoHo and other fashionable locales.

9/10

Overall

As a smaller, tight knit team who prides itself on the love of racing hard, Adler has a clear shot for the B Cup if they show up en mass (and sober).

Others to Watch

Aaron Wolfe – Edgemont Capital: With his weight down below 35 kilos and a dedicated team behind him, look for Aaron Wolfe to be riding hard at the beginning of the season. Edgemont is also sporting a new kit with more sponsors than a pro-team begging the question – can you look too-pro? Watch for Wolfe to put up big results at Bear, Housatonic, Tokeneke, and the regional stage races.

Jonathan Bloom – Setanta: Bloom scored a podium finish last year in a CRCA race. I’m not too familiar with the Setanta team, but their green jerseys can be seen in most breaks in CRCA races. This team has several talented riders so look for Bloom and others to put up results next season. Setanta finished 6th in the team cup last year.

Christopher Wilkes – Blue Ribbon: Blue Ribbon is the defending champion in the A Team Cup, and while they were not terribly active in the B field last year, Chris Wilkes did post a win at a CRCA road race in 2005. This race finished on the Westside so maybe he knows something that the rest of us don’t about the alternate finishes. Also, keep an eye out for overflow Blue Ribbon A riders in the B field.