Race Ratio Argument

Section head text.

What makes one race harder than another? Is it the course, the racers, is it a combination of the two? Does 5 wins at FBF equal 2 wins at Prospect and then can you have those wins equate to one big out of town race? Is there a ratio we can use somehow? Does the ratio depend on how many big teams and pro racers were in the race? And if you beat me, you get a special classification, it’s called “haute mediocrity”.

78 Comments

Anonymous

1. George Gyarmathy
2. Igor Misicki
3. Franklin Burgos
4. Wilson Vasquez
5. Chris Loudon
6. Anthony Lowe
7. Rashad Guerra
8. Gary Steinberg
9. Geoff Bickford
10. Paul Carbonara

419

1.Igor Misicki
2.Franklin Burgos
3.Wilson Vasquez
4.Chris Loudon
5.Antony Lowe
6.Rashad Guerra
7.Gavin Roberston
8.Martin Lechowicz
9.Will Schneider
10.Glenroy Grifftith

Andy

I taunt her with my Tina crush. Otherwise I’d be too perfect as a husband and that’s just too much pressure for any woman to deal with.

Mrs. Shen

Unless you want to grease your own seatpost for the next few years, I suggest you stop lusting after that geeky little tramp.

Anonymous

now the 3/4 race is only allowed for 3’s who are 40+. does this mean no more sandbagging for schmalz?

Anonymous

about as useful for getting better as compared to going outside and riding some hard hills, group paceline TTT, as jerking off to porn. You might think its good, but it really doesn’t compare.

David Jordan

Some sort of, I dunno, UCI ranking is in order? based on race history, palmarees of winning riders, place in the season…Mengoni always trumps Spring Series, maybe how diverse the field in terms of regions represented, say like Nationals…but a State Champ is near worthless if the best riders are off doing NRC…Look at Univest. Top USA, CN and MX riders mixed with very excellent Dutch, Belgian, Italian, etc…Euro style parcours, big loop with tougher finishing circuits…add tremendous local community support, prize money, TV/Radio exposure, and then the race takes on a life of its own…

Anonymous

oh yeah? and what makes it your business that’s it’s not my business, guy? you offering me advice that i didnt ask you for about giving advice to someone that she didn’t ask me for?

have you one ?

A race is a race try winning the Park P12?

Now go try to win a P12 big stage race.
Which one hurts more?

Anonymous

I don’t care if someone wears a helmet or not. It’s their choice. Like a seatbelt. It may be stupid. But it’s their business. Not yours.

Anonymous

Some Tool almost took me out walking home from work on Madison Ave. He was riding an old Jamis Alum, Ugly Orgo Athlete Kit, Slow (obviously) and ran through a cross work with people crossing. He yelled and rode away…

jft got to me too

when i see people without helmets on bikes now i always want to yell at them like an insane NY person, but then i just ride by silently

Anonymous

All you guys saying Battenkill is so ‘epic’, get a clue! It’s just a few stretches of dirt, not cobbles or anything.

Anonymous

are NRC races…Course and talent

Park races mean nothing. Nothing if you do good, and NOTHING if you do “bad”…Charlie I. said he never ever placed at FBF and was “proud” of that fact. Yet, we all know his talent

For the record, “Let me just spell out the day and save everyone the trouble….” was the best post I have ever seen here! you should have signed your name to that on dude

Anonymous

hardness = (distance + .5*(ft of climbing) + number of corners)*(((riders’ dedication coefficient)+ .33*(number of pro’s in the field))/(average rider’s weight))^(number of posts on nyvelocity in the week preceding the event)

Chris M

The difficulty scale for me starts with 1) amt of sleep I get in the O2 tent night before, 2) proper wheel selection for actual race wind/hill conditions, and of course 3) single vs double deuce pre-game. The double makes all racing easier, if you ask me.

Anonymous

so true…I did scheudles with my wife last night….so there is this 98 mile race, which will be all day, and is on mother’s day…..that one got crossed out. Lucky that Housatonic was on Fathert’s day…”It’s father’s day you can do whatever you want.”….you have to like 6:30 Park races, the wifey minds those less.

Anonymous

Seem down this year for Cat 3 and up in the out of town races. Palmer and Sturbridge still not full. Jiminy, not full etc etc.

Anonymous

its getting out the door to the races that are hard. Unless you’re a single, childless guy with an endless income stream, but then you’re not as dedicated as the rest of us…..

Anonymous

Its always the riders that make a race. Just cause a race has hills doesn’t mean you have to go up them fast. Its that dick on the front drilling it up the hill that makes it hard. Period.

Tom Boonen of NYC

do I have to bring my own F-ing photographer to the race next time to get some shots of me climbing up the damn hills? WTF?

Cat 4 for life

last year after watching Lance win the Tour de France 7xs. I went and bought a Madone. The tour is man’s racing.

This local stuff is all stupid, and I train like a real hardman. 53×13 uphill all the time! You local guys that win the local stuff couldn’t hold my wheel in a man’s race. Keep the parks for your weekend glory.

kwk

i think the easiest way to look at it is. the quality of the riders multiplied by the difficulty of the course.
either one is zero and you have an easy day.

this is a stipid topic, lets get back to more bashing

Tough Euro guy

Forgot: “It doesn’t matter how hard local races are till you’re in Europe, in the gutter, pegged and getting pissed on buy the guy in front of you while his teammate is pushing him along”
Local races are easy. True Story.

Anonymous

do you guys think Boonen is posting on some bulletin board somewhere asking for pics from the weekend?

Anonymous

With respect to p/1/2 races only — I find that harder courses are easier, sit in, the race comes to you…you either make it through hard parts or you crack. Prospect, Bethel, Crits, etc…you need to be on top of moves, who is in them, time it right, get in the right break, etc. Paris Roubaix 2008 – motorcycles break up group, people aren;t paying attention, next thing you know only Ballan can hold on to boonen and cancellara….on a paved part of the course. That is why mentally I think the flatter, faster, strung out races are harder.

751

the ratio of DNF’s to starters and the size of the main field at the finish can be pretty telling.

almost no DNF’s or dropped riders at typical PP and CP races = relatively “easy” (still hard to win…)

more DNF’s, typically broken-up fields at floyd = harder

50% DNF’s at quality crits and RR’s = hard

2 guys off the front, 16 guys in the “field,” only 33 of 92 starters getting finishing times at battenkill P-1 = HARD

Anonymous

Floyd? You gotta be kidding. Come race with us Vermont hard men and you’ll see what racing’s all about.

Anonymous

maybe not Toekeneke, but maybe

He’s been in the break for a long time at Harriman (less steep stuff than Toekeneke though)

Anonymous

argument

noun

1. A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed: altercation, bicker, clash, contention, controversy, debate, difficulty, disagreement, dispute, fight, polemic, quarrel, run-in, spat, squabble, tiff, word (used in plural), wrangle. Informal: hassle, rhubarb, tangle.

Anonymous

It depends on the racer. I super fit 140 climber is going to rock a race like Tokeneke and get rocked at the Harlem Crit most likely. A guy like Wilson can power through the pack in a crit or park race and have lots of kick for the finish. That same guy is toast mile 10 at Tokeneke. What makes the race hard, the qualities of the bike racer. Guys that are solid at everything and great at nothing (all arounders) can do ok in any race but hardly ever win. Races are hard, but some are just more suited for certain people. Also – Feild size can play a major factor.

Anonymous

Oh brother. Let me just spell out the day and save everyone the trouble….

8 AM: Comment from “win is a win” guy
9 AM: Comment telling us we “dont know what a real road race is” and we’d get “destroyed” if we “dared” to venture “north with the big boys.”
930 AM: Cameo by “Battenkill sucks guy”
10 AM: “Bear is Easy” Guy arrives
11:15 AM: Euro wisdom Guy
12:30 PM Earnest account from Cat 4 about how hard Battenkill was.
12:45 PM Earnest Cat 4 flamed to death
1:30 PM: JFT gives us a generous account of Tour de Trump
2:30 PM: JFT flamed about helmets
3:00 PM: “Battenkill sucks” guy resurfaces to make sure we heard him the first time
3:30 PM: Schmalz watches Golden Girls rerun
4:45 PM: Dave Jordan drops Voice of God wisdom
5:30 PM: Someone asks for Prospect pics
7:45 PM: Ken Harris helmet talk begins….

Comments are closed.