The first big weekend race of the season on is behind us, so there’s many results to be dissected, I will stop typing about nonsense now and dissect away.
At Grant’s Tomb, Robin Carpenter of the Hincapie Sportswear Development Team won the pro/1/2 race, he also rested up and then won the collegiate A race later for Swathmore College, such an overachiever! Amy Cutler of Team EPS/CSS p/b Shebell & Shebell won the women’s race.Cole Archambault of Green Line Velo driven by Zipcar won the cat 3 race. Daniel Lazier of Bucknell University won the cat 4 race. Svenn Mikalsen of Velorigin won the cat 5 race. Full results (including the collegiate results) and pro looking squishy finish line photos are here.
Photos are here, here, here and here.
At Branchbrook on Saturday, Gorgi Popstefanov of Five Four Sports won the men’s 1/2/3 race. Michael Goret of the Watchung Wheelmen won the masters 35+ race. Juan Aracena of DRV/RCS/DRISCOLL won the masters 45+ race. Steve Kang of Breakaway Courier/CBOE won the men’s cat 4/5 35+ race. Kevin Mellinger of Breakawaybikes.com – QCW Cycling won the men’s cat 4/5 race. Results are here.
The Plainville Spring Series race was cancelled.
On Sunday at Bethel, Brian Fuller of Competitive Edge Cycling won the cat 5 race. Lorenzo Serra of Pawling Cycle & Sport won the cat 4 race. Amy Cutler of Riptide Cycling won the women’s race. Matthew Doran won the masters 45+ race. Ian Whaley of the Bethel Cycle Sport Club won the cat 3/4 race. Sam Rosenholtz of Green Line Velo won the pro/1/2/3 race. Results are here.
The Spring Series Twitter feed continues to be passive aggressively inscrutable, posting 5 pictures of race fields. Enjoy those pictures here.
All, just a quick comment on why the starts were delayed on Saturday. The Columbia students assisted with flyering the course throughout the week with information on race and the NYPD assisted with posting their No Parking signs as well. NYPD showed up early to start towing and cleared the course exactly as we had planned. We had a few spots of ice on the course and that was being resolved.
The reason we could not start on time was because the Riverside Church a) did not respond to the race organizer when they were informed of our event b) did not notify NYPD of their “large” event as is established protocol between them c) when they realized our event was impacting them, they called senior officers of NYPD to try to prevent the race altogether.
NYPD senior officers negotiated quickly to reach a solution and placed additional officers at key locations to ensure riders and members of the public were kept safe throughout the day despite the crossing of many people and cars across the course at Claremont Avenue.
So apologies the first race started 40 minutes late. The officials squeezed a little time out of each race to get us back on track. I know it was cold – and starting on time was one of my goals for the race. Because CRCA and Columbia University Cycling Team had done absolutely everything we were supposed to and worked cooperatively with NYPD, they were on our side on this one and did a great job.
Credit where credit is due – NYPD did a great job.
Grant’s was a well put on race. Starting late because of the church while not ideal in the cold temps probably 1) helped the ice issue with some additional thaw time and 2)ensured a safe race for all fields due to a lack of responsibility on the church’s part.
Can’t believe they tried to shut down the whole race. You’d think they had the power of god behind them or something.
Praise Jesus!
We are Satan reincarnated, FYI….
Well, thumbs up for NYPD on this one.
Geez, the church could have offered extra host for some pre-race, gluen-free snacking.
Registering at Bethel saw a smug arrogant kid in CRCA Development kit with Gucci Loafers? Classic
Was he resplendent in the latest in crabon fibre?
“Smug Arrogant” and “CRCA”….isnt that redundant?
Great job Rod M. Thanks
I stood my ground Sunday, learning my lesson from last Sunday, and did not race AVD’s because of his shitty results posting. Put that in your wallet and smoke it.
Me too.
What is the average placing of people who habitually complain about AVD results? I vote 48th.
I was in the money and complained because I want upgrade points.
NYPD to Mengoni
why would anyone expect a race promoter to promptly, or at all, post results of a race…
NJ races are posted same days. Charlie posts his results same day. It’s actually not that unusual.
Although the idea that you need to have full results and field size posted to get your upgrade is the nonsensical stuff created by over active cat 4 minds.
James Hyatt of Ride Brooklyn Won the Cat 5 spring series.
nah uhh, clark kent won cat 5 spring series
Anyone know why Amy Cutler is listed as riding for two different teams? I mean, 100% kudos to her for kicking ass two days in a row, but that seems weird.
I just wanted to acknowledge the tremendous job done by Rod Millott in making Grant’s Tomb happen on Saturday; not withstanding the work done in the weeks before the race, but pulling a ‘medical-resident’-like 36 hour shift so that the course would not only be raceable but be up to the quality that everyone comes to expect from the venue was no small feat. Next time you all see him on the road, thank him for that.
Above and beyond the call of duty, thanks Rod!
1. Juan Aracena DRV\RCS\DRISCOLL
2. Paul Carbonara AXIS
3. Juan Pimentel DRV\RCS\DRISCOLL
4. Thomas Cipolla BICYCLE PLANET
5. Samuel Martinez WS UNITED
2012 & 2013 season are simple the best with Rod Millot and other names on charge !!! No way to do it better ;))))
Rod for President!!! Wait . . .
Rod deserves a HUGE thank you by all who raced and enjoyed GT. He was out there the day before shoveling the course and stayed up through the night to make sure the race went off as close to on time as possible.
The persons running the Riverside Church event must be new. The GT race is always in conflict with an event at the Church. In the past it has been choir competitions, or was it band, with large buses full of kids. It does not paint a good picture of the church when they try to pull stupid stunts like shutting down a long standing even like the GT crit.
but find it funny you all are so “oh thank you thank you” after he admits cutting some time off each event. church/nypd…not his problem, he had a license.
Rod M to Mengoni
Yeah to Critic…I really don’t know Rod M but he sounds like a likeable and stand-up kind of guy. AND a hard worker as it sounds like he busted his ass to get this race put on despite a bunch of obstacles. All really cool stuff & kudos to him. HOWEVER…and…â€BUT†(and there’s a big but comin up right here…) okay, so I show up nice & early to the P/1/2 race at around 8:45 AM. The race is advertised to start @ 9:55…cool…plenty of time. Or so I thought. No parking. I mean REALLY no parking whatsoever…ANYWHERE. Okay, no one’s fault but mine – no biggie. Still all good. So, I finally find a parking spot @ 9:20. And here’s where the organization snafu comes in. I rush to registration table (still in my street clothes for my number pickup) and they tell me “No Worries…your race start time will be delayed a MINIMUM of 35 Minutes…the earliest you will be starting is 10:30 AMâ€. No mention whatsoever of them trying to “make up timeâ€. Okay, excellent. That leaves me around an hour to get dressed, warm up & get a good place on the start line. So I cautiously take my time. BUT just to play it safe, I start rolling over 15 minutes “early†(10:15 A.M.) From a distance, at 10:15 AM I see a mob of racers at the starting line so I start to hurry. From a distance, I see them take off…so I need to throw down an all out sprint. For the first entire lap, I sprint and hammer. Yeah, I caught on but it certainly does screw up your mindset when this sort of false info is communicated. Again nothing against Rod M. But, he needs to tell his sign in people to refrain from communicating that sort of stuff if it aint gonna happen. Had I been another 30 seconds later, I would’ve had a real, legit beef about all of the nonsense – parking, the entry fee cost etc etc etc. You may say I’m just rambling, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. It certainly will make me think long and hard about doing the race again next year.
Yup, seen and hear this before…..Best bet is to check in with the Chief Referee if anything is running late to see if there is any update in the schedules. If you would have asked me about it, you would have gotten the right answer, “We started late but we are making up the time; so please be ready by your posted starting time and listen for announcements”.
and again, no offense to Rod, he is a great guy…but hilarious how yall roast AVD and then profusely thank Rod, I don’t get it. If AVD’s race had started late and been cut short, forget about it
Critic – you hit the nail on the HEAD! And, to those complaining that AVD “should invest in a video/camera finish”…the liklihood will be that you will be the same group to complain about the extra $1 or $2 entry fee that would be needed to implement that. I think AVD is doing just fine. If you really need to know your placing(s), challenge yourself & get into the damn breakaway…get in the top ten…there should be no question then. It works for me.
AVD does this for profit. Rod does this to get slammed on this board.
Just for fun imagine AVD running Grant’s Tomb. Then think back to when he ran Harlem.
it is what it is…Spring Series is an opportunity to get in some race miles on a great course, which if you’re not in CRCA you don’t get to race that often….GT is a targeted event in (usually) bad-ass conditions. No reason to compare.
Is like comparing waffles and dingles
Waffle & Dingies to Mengoni!
How is W and D this year?
waffling.
to warre downtube: you drove to the UWS of Manhattan expecting to find an easy parking spot? And then the parking issue is the promoters fault?
The difference between Rod and AVD is that GT started late because of issues entirely beyond Rod’s control and Rod appropriately handled the situation to his real credit. Things like starting the Palisades TT, not screwing up the timing and the simple act of posting results within a reasonable time frame are all things entirely in AVD control and yet fails miserably.
To Guccio regarding what Downtube said:
You need to pay much closer attention grasshopper!! Focus Lolo. FOCUS!! Carefully re-read what was stated: “…[there was] no parking whatsoever…ANYWHERE. Okay, no one’s fault but mine – no biggie. Still all good…”
WOW!! Way I see it, Downtube totally takes it upon HIMSELF that there was no parking. No blame on the promoter whatsoever. Only issue I see was that the race start time was expressly and under no uncertain terms misrepresented thus causing him to narrowly miss the start.
I can’t believe Warre Downtube would make it all the way to p/1/2 without understanding how crit starts work. Didn’t we all make that cat 5 mistake as cat 5s?
I think I prefer going by the gooch going forward.
Dorian: when the guy says for the second time something about parking in a passive aggressive manner, “Had I been another 30 seconds later, I would’ve had a real, legit beef about all of the nonsense – parking, the entry fee cost etc etc etc.”
He’s not really saying its OK.
it’s the race course that he had booked, nothing, aside from the weather, should be out of his control
Is there any info on whether floyd is happening this weekend? I’m hearing that it is likely cancelled…
LOL
Screw the race at FBF this Sunday. I’m going to Bethel. FBF is probably covered in goose crap anyway.
Floyd Bennett Field….make all your dreams come true!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC6AzmXrNbU
Online Registration is closed.
Due to FEMA, and Gateway not being able to give out permits this Sundays events will be canceled. Riders who have preregistered can get a refund or have there fee switched to another day. Contact avd@panix.com for any additional questions
Remi Fork: I think I know the kid you’re talking about (a) he doesn’t wear Gucci, I saw the exact same shoes that you were talking about, but absolutely not Gucci (b) he may come across that way at first, but is not as smug and arrogant as you make him out to be. His family is no doubt affluent, but I don’t think you should hold that against him
What the hell is this, The View? Bike racers talking about Gucci wardrobe and loafers?
Get out there in the cold whilst sporting your summer kit, ride in the rain, and have some horsemeat sandwiches you bunch of coddled pretty boys.
The crca should take over the ss, they could easily do it ,
Let me put forward a scenario (just a scenario, mind you):
USAC requires a payment of $3 per racers for insurance after each race, this is due after the race, and this is based on how many racers the promoter reports to USAC
If a promoter only reports those racers that place and not the field size, they may only have to theoretically pay USAC for the racers reported.
If the race had a field of 100 and the promoter only reports 10 places, that’s potentially 90 unreported racers, and that’s $270 not paid for insurance.
I certainly hope that there’s no promoters out there who would think of underreporting field sizes to not have to pay insurance money, as that would be very serious.
Again, this is only a scenario, not an accusation.
There is usually plenty of parking on the viaduct. You need to approach it from 135st. Just tell the cops/marshal you are there for the race.
Just as an FYI, for those complaining about AVD, it’s not all his fault. Blame the officials too. They are supposed to run the race and post results.
just a clarifications…no complaints about parking. That’s positively on us…hey – and I caught on despite the “early” late start that was communicated…all was well. And to Rob M – many thanks!! I know the immense effort needed to put on a race. Hope it was a success for you all around. I’ve put a race on before and know what it takes just to break even and cover costs! Regarding AVD – before casting stones, put yourself in his shoes. Try putting on a race yourself (with a start-time at the crack of dawn)…see what an effort it takes to just break even. After you’ve done that a dozen times, then go ahead and comment. I’m guessing the complainers haven’t been there or done that.
Exactly! I felt bad for AVD when I saw him running around trying to keep guys who finished the race out of the way of both the joggers and the Pro ,123 field. Pure pandemonium.
I can’t even imagine trying to pull off what he does.
Plenty of folks put on races and do it better. They manage to run the fields they say they will, post results, and have marshals and pace vehicles. CRCA manages to do it in the exact same venue. AvD has taken a once prestigious series and taken it to a point where it’s worthy of it’s own meme. That’s fine and his own business. But if one looks at the complaints that are repeatedly trotted out they’re all valid. And he’s mainly hurting himself because it’s become a last resort race for most. Barely anyone preregisters, and almost no one signs up for the whole series.
Again, it’s his business. But the whole ‘try doing it’ angle is wildly misguided.
I agree that there is definitely some room for improvement. I do get a little frustrated waiting 4 days for my results to show up on USA Cycling.
I still enjoy the SS.
That isn’t a scenario, it’s passive-aggresive bullshit. AvD may be a lot of things but there isn’t actually any evidence that he’s doing anything fraudulent.
farting in the wind
Here’s a likely scenario. AVD continues to send out fields with no pace motorcycle. Some guy gets up early to go for a jog in Central Park. He’s crossing the roadway with a walk signal in his favor, he’s in the crosswalk, and he gets mowed down by the field with no pace vehicle. He sues every rider that came into contact with him, the promotor (who is probably judgment proof), and the City and Parks Department. Remember, the jogger didn’t sign any Release not to sue. Because of the promotor’s (AVD) failure to provide a pace vehicle to warn pedestrains of the approaching field, the City and Parks Dep’t refuse to issue any more permits for bike races in Central Park.
Haven’t done an AVD race in a while. Does he really send out fields w/o pace vehicles or are you speculating?
I don’t understand why NYSBRA does not take action against AVD already. If you read the NYSBRA board minutes – AVD is one of the biggest headaches they have to deal with. He has flagrantly failed to meet the minimum requirements to put on safe races and has repeatedly had issues submitting accurate race results on a timely basis, if at all. What is the point of having an overseeing body such as NYSBRA if they can’t address such a major issue. AVD has had extensive warning. Take away his right to promote these races and award it to someone responsible and who will not put the safety of racers and the public at risk.
Here is your NYSBRA board – write them
Officers:
President: Jeffrey Poulin: NYSBRAPresident@gmail.com
Vice-President: Andrew Ross: nysbra@gmail.com
Secretary: Vacant (Ryan Post acting) – contact Jeff for info
Treasurer: Rod Millott: romillott@deloitte.com
Regional Reps:
New York City region: Eric Ragot: eragot@gmail.com
AVD continues to send out some of the fields without pace vehicles, and he has already done it this year in the SS.
If a pedestrian gets hit by a field, it is extremely likely that there will be no more permits issued, not just for AVD, but for bike races in Central Park, including CRCA. I guarantee that if the pedestrain has juice, is connected, and/or is vocal about it, bike racing is done in CP. When, not if, a pedestrain is hit due to the lack of a pace vehicle, the City and Parks Dep’t will likely determine that its just too dangerous to run bike races in CP.
There are soo few venues in NYC to race. AVD is risking one of the last venues by refusing to hire pace vehicles.
CRCA should take action against AVD, not just NYSBRA. If CP is lost as a racing venue, my guess is that CRCA will fade away. Which would be truly unfortunate because AVD wanted to save himself a few dollars.
What a complete BUNCH OF CRAP. AVD – keep doin’ exactly what you’re doin. Thanks to you, we’re racing. It’s a Spring Series there to help us find our form and get back our fittness…they’re fine.
To all you complainers…if you guys ultimately prevail, what we’ll end up with is absolutely no race at all.
What a success that would be!!!
AVD does hire motorcycles or cars to pace the fields. Sometimes not everyone shows up at 6am though and he is stuck in a tough spot. Often he likely has to choose between a marshal to blow the whistle (which does a similar job as the pace car) or the pace car. Give the man a break.
What is Anthony up against that CRCA or Charlie isn’t? What do other promoters do in a similar situation?
His own incompetence.
Central Park is not issuing permits to anyone who is not already a permit holder. CRCA is maxed out at 15, which Iis down from 17 2 years ago and 22 in 2005. If AVD loses his races no one will be able to pick them up.
Rod and others on the board can verify.
Getting what you wish for, getting rid of AVD, I will not work out well.
It’s been the same story for years , live with it.
For NYSBRA to take the races away from AVD would be irresponsible
Since there is no Spring Series race this weekend, are people doing Nyack or heading up to Bethel? Saturday seems a little sketch weather wise…
Once the race day starts, it is up to the Chief Referee to allow the races to occur. Any problems aren’t up to MYSBRA – which issues the permits if they are inline with USAC regulations – they are due to the actions or inactions of the Chief Referee. If the course is not safe, if it is dark, if there are no pace vehicles, adequate marshalls, etc…
It is up to the CHIEF REFEREE! The promoter gets everyone there, registered (in accordance with USAC rules? – as overseen by an official? – licenses checked, foreign riders with permission letters, proper categories, etc..), and provides the infrastructure.
The CR must be the one making calls about the race. If the CR is too weak to not allow a race to happen because it’s unsafe, then we need better officials. The USAC has set up technical committees that are meant to better officiating. Alan Atwood is NY’s representative to the Technical Committee and is charged with making officiating better in NY.
So, when it comes down to races – the promoter gets everyone there and provides the structure. The CR and officials actually run the race. NOT the promoter. If it appears that the promoter is running things and the officials are asking the promoter what to do, then the system is backwards and broken. Complain about that.
Well said Tom Tarmac. AVD is doing right as promoter. End the complaining and focus on racing. Or, alternatively, if you prefer to complain, you may just end up with the inverse…you may succeed and put an end to racing in CP. Choice is yours.
Possible snow showers forecasted over the next few days… why do we race in shitty late-March winter conditions when the weather is still beautiful in September and October? I don’t get it. Why not move everything up by a month?
AVD to start Autumn Series
DVD to pause.
this drives me crazy every stinkin year. same thing
Its more about daylight than temp. Plus fall is CX season.