FTW!
It’s too nice outside to spend time dicking about on the interwebs, so let’s get down to brass tax.
On Sat, the CRCA Masters Throwdown happened in the rain. Preliminary results are here, full results are pending (insert witty joke poking fun at old people taking a long time to do things here). At the same venue on the same day in the same rain, Barb Blakley won what i believe was her first of many races to come at the Women’s Cat 4 Open Race presented by BikeDoctorNYC. In another park in another borough but in the same rain, Gavi Epstein won the 1/2/3 race with Javier Mereles taking the honors in the 4/5 at the PP Challenge. Full results are here. During a much more reasonable hour in yet ANOTHER borough with much drier conditions, Al Barouh dominated the field (and was able to leave early to pick up his special lady friend at the airport) to become the NY State Cat 1/2/3 Track Champion. Francisco Liuzzi became the Cat 4 Champion, Julia Sante is the Women’s and Steve Tinston is the Masters 50+. Full results are here and there are some videos of some of the events here. Big thanks to Alan Atwood for putting in the time to not only handle the CRCA Masters results in the am, but then run a perfect but extremely time intensive track event until about 8pm following that.
Sunday at FBF, Paul Burrowes won the Cat 1/2/3, Malcolm Mitchell won the Cat 4 race and Peter Shapiro won in the Cat 5s. Results are here. In NJ, there was the NJ State Masters and Juniors Crit championship, results are posted here. Results for the Cycledrome Crit at T-Town are here. Reports from the Catskills Divide road race have been lost in transit, but I do hear that Ellen Moses won the Women’s field, so well done her!
So long for now…
Of course!
That is right, yall should give up bicycle racing and race pigs instead. Clenbuterol any one?
my whole family hates you
Kissena Track results
Omnium
1st Booby Leah
2nd Jimmy Staff
3rd Jamey Watkins
Sprints
1st Jamey Watkins
2nd Kris Hoy
3rd Joeson Kenny
Kilo
1st Hassan Bolt
2nd Nisejane Phillips
3rd Azimul Awang
Keirin
1st Teodore Mulder
2nd P. Borgain
3rd Andrew Perkins
The Catskills race had a small field but it was fantastic. Highly recommended.
This morning I woke up and raced to the toilet.
So i guess there was day of race registration for the Graveyard series? Would be nice if that kind of info was posted somewhere…anywhere.
How much did each Team GB medal cost at London 2012?
An Olympic medal won by Team GB at the London 2012 Games cost an average of just over £4.5 million. Boxing was the most cost-effective sport in terms of funding per medal, with hockey the least
Figures obtained from UK Sport, the strategic body overseeing performance sport in the UK, detail the amount of money invested in each Olympic sport since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We have compared this data with the amount of medals won by Team GB at London 2012.
The largest amounts of UK Sport money were spent on rowing (£27m), cycling (£26m) and athletics (£25m). The high overall costs of cycling – particularly in its the track form – lie in the need for the latest technology in bikes, helmets and clothing; such as the ‘hot pants’ used to keep Team GB cyclists’ muscles warm before their race.
British cyclists won 12 medals in London, including 7 golds in the velodrome, with technological superiority no doubt playing an important part in their successes. This puts spending on cycling in perspective – the average spend per cycling medal was £2.2m, compared with £8.4m of spending for each Olympic swimming medal (overall spend £25m).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/datablog/2012/aug/13/olympics-2012-cost-per-medal-team-gb-funding
Why are Saturday’s Track and Masters Championship results taking so long to post?
Track was posted last night (as I only was doing racing stuff for 20+ hours on Saturday, and 5 more hours on Sunday); the CRCA race you’ll have to ask Matt Vandivort about; I was Chief Referee.
…..and please post your name next time; the courtesy would be appreciated.
the track results are linked above, have been since 9 this morning
All State Champs should be tested. Especially those from BH Comedy, you never know which other riders could have become contaminated by being in contact with David Anthony.
For those looking for some winter track training the new Rock Hill velodrome in SC is beautiful. Nationals were just held there and the track is worth a visit.
lots of track love here! is it going to become the next big thing?
Cross is over, track is in. All aggro roadies to track.
track is whack.
Track is dead without corporate sponsorship.
The migration can’t happen soon enough
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/nyregion/most-new-yorkers-say-bike-lanes-are-a-good-idea.html?_r=1&hp
Every road cyclist knows about track racing. If you want to get insulted keep asking us to come out.
NY State champs had what, 7 riders total? Is that up or down from 20 years ago?
there were 51 riders out on sat. it was well attended, people had fun, results were posted as the races were finished, etc. track will continue to exist and get attention, and you can continue to be miserable and (probably) alone.
Once you go track you never go back, baby!
Get real, you guys race on 400 meter non regulation size Kissena track with cracks, bumps and you call that track racing. Now we can talk if you had a track like T-Town in place of Kissena track.
that’s the stupidest crap i’ve ever heard. So, Prospect/Floyd/Central…now THOSE are real regulation races!!
nice comeback bro! you told him!
yeah what is the difference, racing on Kissena Track is like racing on the road, no difference.
i don’t always race bikes, but when i do it’s on the most perfect of courses and surfaces…
JoshS
My mom loves your comebacks
this site may have finally lost me. You guys haven’t talked about anything race related in forever. You realize the Vuelta is going on?
I had to google translate what “Vuelta” meant.
I’m not currently aware of anyone doing laps, in central or prospect?
Floyd is tonight, are we calling the laps around floyd Vuelta’s
Who won the Vuelta de Floyd tonight?
Kissena is non regulation? Says who? Not the UCI or USAC. If you want to get down to it, T-town doesn’t fit the new standard of 250m either. From what I’ve seen from the guys that race at both tracks, Kissena’s riders are just as fast as what t-town has to offer in the same category.
As for the Vuelta, I thought we all gave up caring about that race years ago.
Why does my coach keep screaming, “Verga! Verga! Verga!”?
For a track to be recognized by the UCI, it must go through a homologation procedure, that, and the fact that Kissena is a statuary track, not a legitimate one, is the reason Republicans have long looked to defund it.
REPUBLICANS!!!!!
and to think some morons want to build a 200 meter track in Brooklyn.
Wow 51 riders, 20 of whom probably were star track juniors at Kissena track for States in an Olympic year, this must be a new low for track racing. How come more riders were not attracted to the event given after all the hoopla of the Olympics? If it didn’t happen this year it would never happen. Was their another event taking place the same weekend? Track racing is dying a slow death in NY. A pity no olympians come out of Kissena anymore, they all come from T-Town and elsewhere.
only 1 or 2 juniors there on sat. the juniors had their day on sun. so yeah, 51 actual adult track racers. all at kissena at one time. there was even a former irish national match sprint champion in attendance.
Don’t get caught up in “Second Hand Hater-ade”; it’s more toxic than cigarette smoke 🙂
oh i am not caught up, just making sure what’s out there is the truth. kind of like ken, but i don’t have quite the vocabulary that he does. “homologation” ken? well played, sir.
Republicans want to defund kissena’s velodrome because it’s not recognized by the UCI?
I’m interested in trying track next year. How long does it take to get to Kissena and how do you get there? And where’s the best palce to buy cheaper used track bike. thx
>Republicans want to defund kissena’s velodrome because it’s not recognized by the UCI?
I suspect it because of the homologation
Track is for douchebags.
What if you are only homologation curious? Can you still try track? thx.
Track racing is the union of one cog and one chainring, as God intended. And no brakes, no freewheeling, if you get my drift. What more could Republicans want? It must be the rainbow stripes that gets their knickers in a bunch.
There aren’t enough Republicans in NYC (3 out of 51 or so on city council) to fund or defund Kissena, so I don’t understand Ken’s comment. Also Kissena does not get much or any funding. Maybe Ken could explain.
Only 250 meter tracks are UCI valid for World Cups or World Championships. USAC is also only holding elite championships on UCI approved 250 meter tracks.
T-Town is an older 330 meter track so no elite championship events are held there. The proposed Brooklyn track is 200 meters so no major events will be held there either. Beats me on why someone would want to put so much money into building a new track from scratch without meeting basic standards.
Track is awesome, and if you don’t think so, you are entitled to your opinion. But there’s really no need for you to share it here.
what can be said about kissena has been said before and will be said again and again. if you don’t like track racing, great…but why be a jerk to those people who do enjoy it?
I have seen the crowds at kissena really dwindle these past few years. Not sure what happened, the track was as bumpy then. what attracted me in the first place was the inviting community. its a shame that people would rather give Josh crap than give him props.
Kissena gave me my start and without it I would not have done the Ttown friday nights or nationals. It would be a bad track to race a world-class event, but then again check out the carnival races in T&T, that track is 500meters and all torn up…oh, and Njisane finished 4th in the match sprints at the olympics.
Currently, 200s can’t be used for WC or Olympics. As to whether it’s the national feds or UCI that determines rules for nationals, I don’t know. All these rules are subject to change. 333 was the standard for almost 40 years.
If by “major” you mean UCI events, yes, not happening at the Fieldhouse anytime soon. Most six days are on tracks less than 200, and those are pretty major. As I’ve stated often, I feel the less the UCI or USCF is involved in our racing, the better off we are.
Note the UCI’s own track is a 200m.
To explain my first comment, I’d first have to explain my idea of humor, both statutory and legitimate, and you would have to have been reading the news over the plague of foot-in-mouth disease overrunning Republicans in Missoura now.
I don’t get why people are complaining about a free track. After years of the repeated homologation rape of turn 4 at Kissena, I’m looking forward to something symmetrical, covered, and more accessible for kids.
So Colin is basically saying that the track community was cool so people were attracted to in, that’s when he joined and started racing there at that point people started quitting and numbers dwindled…
clearly i doomed the scene.
clearly i doomed the scene.
I liked this site much better when the people on in were less angry.
Kissena produced some fine riders over the years. A world champion and a olympic silver medalist. That doesn’t exactly suck. Colin is in the conversation in races down in TT, and even grabbed a win this year. Several masters champions have come out of Kissena as well.
The exodus of elite riders basically came down to a disagreement of what was on the program. Less riders meant the races didn’t count, so even less showed up. Now there isn’t enough interest to hold an A race.
The track remains to same though. If 100+ guys can show up to race that hell hole FBF on a Tuesday there’s no way the track conditions at kissena should discourage anyone. Turn 4 takes some time to learn to love. You get used to it, and it makes you a better racer.
It’s not an official distance? Last check nationals weren’t being held in prospect park anytime soon.
I don’t know anyone who didn’t feel racing on the track helped their road racing, particularly crits. And some of the best riders in NY have been known to do their share of track racing.
As to when or if NY gets a new track: It would be nice if NY got a new track, but it’s not going to happen. It’s fun to imagine. It’s nice to know that the money is there, but in the end if it ever were to happen we’d be lucky to have our grandkids race there. Maybe those are the kids Ken is talking about. If there were three tracks in NY and one was kissena and one was a 200 and one was a 250 that would be great. Right now the standard is 250 and the proposals should aim for what the standard is. The standard might change? OK. It just as easily might not. So Kissena is what we have. It’s where you can go tonight to race. No where else. You can sit around plotting how great you’ll be once there are steam rooms and lockers and weights and all sorts of imaginary stuff but there’s a real race that will happen tonight in Queens. If guys come out and race it’ll be hard fun.
does homologation feel good? how do you do it?
Wasn’t it in 2009 that nearly every local cat 1 and 2 track rider was on the same team? That more or less killed it for me, as well a trend to shorter and shorter races.
On the other hand, there’s a track going up in Boulder (250 wood), the new SC track (250 concrete), a new 167 in Chicago and another going up in Cleveland. So there’s going to be more track racing in the US in general.
the most awesome part of track is sprinting full tilt and crossing the finish line, then relaxing your pedal stroke thinking you’re going to freewheel. try it, see how it works out for you.
I’ve raced track and have raced at Kissena, but my marriage cannot withstand two week nights of racing.
I love that hell hole you call FBF… if only CRCA would do more races there
FBF is awful and I disagree that CRCA should do more races there. It takes an hour and a half to get there only to race on a garbage surface.
Ken,
I won the 2009 series but wasn’t on a team anyone else at the track was on. You didn’t show up much that year, despite winning the series the season prior.
When you did show Tony was usually along as well so you had twice as many teammates as I did.
Seems off that that’s what killed it for you.
Interesting, albeit somewhat revisionist thinking,
Still, best wishes
Gary
I used to go to Kissena as an Intermediate (dating myself there) on Tuesday nights. I had fun until one night two of us 14 year olds bumped in a corner and the other kid went down. Kid’s father PULLED A GUN OUT AND WAVED IT IN MY FACE after the race. Apparently the $3 prize meant a lot to him. Good times!
Lately I’ve been sleeping in an altitude tent to boost my hemologation, to no avail.
Anyway, I speculate that the reason Josh is always ‘pushing’ track racing is because it’s, like, you know, ‘fun’ and stuff. Like other amateur athletes, we race because we enjoy it. I suppose he’s naive to think others would too.
I also suppose I missed the exact point in time where amateur bike racing in NY went from something working folks did on the weekends to an all out arms race of douchery, but I just have to browse these postings to be reminded that it has. Thanks again.
Track is so sweet. I need to get out for that racing. Any weekend racing/riding options at Kissena?
Thanks. Sorry from Manhattan (I always assume that’s assumed). I guess no one rides there on track bikes?
Don’t be such a homologationphobe.
No one answered how long it takes to get to Kissena and how you get there? But I also have another Q? Is it all shorter sprint like races. Anything longer for more diesel types?
you didn’t give us much to go on. how long it takes to get there from where? from manhattan, you can take the 7 train to the end and it takes about 45-60 mins, depending on if you get an express or not. from there its about a 1-2 mile ride to the park. full instructions are located on the velodrome’s site here: http://www.kissenavelodrome.info
the events vary based on the evenings program, which is usually posted by fri/mon.
“Secondhand Hater-Ade.”
That was brilliant.
And aptly describes most commenting on internet forums.
John Campo was responsible for the high turn out of riders at Kissena Track after it was reopened in 2004 or 5. He had Saturday clinics which introduced new riders to the track, he did this on his own time and free of charge.
Since he left, the ridership has dwindled, also the newness of the reopened track has faded. These days it is a battle to ride on the track with remote control cars, and RC airplanes. What can you expect of a public venue. Also a turn over of riders happen every five years, people come and people go, some might return after a hiatus.
There needs to be some control and organization to bring the interest back on track (pun intended) instead of milking the track or what its worth. Adrew LaCorte and Affinity have tried to bring about a resurgence, LaCorte used to be there early in the season cutting the grass and patching the cracks with the help of other volunteers. Alan Atwood does a great job of running the races, but an infusion of some sort is required to take it to the next level. For starters electronic timing for timed events would be a plus.