Hopeful Friday 3/14/2008

by Aaron

Section head text.

We have a big racing weekend coming up. Branch Brook, Bethel, and the Spring Series are all holding the latest in their series of races, and the Grant’s Tomb Criterium is on Saturday – with over 500 entries – it looks to be a popular destination for the chamois crowd. There’s a early morning race in Princeton, NJ on Sunday for those with the transportation and the moxie. And since I’m of age and a Cat 3 (the sluttiest category of all), I could potentially do 7 races in two days. Of course, immediately afterward I would collapse in a heap like the fabled John Henry in his battle with the steam hammer, but think of the upgrade points!

71 Comments

Anonymous

Dude you’re selling a bike, not your life’s story. Or did he want us to go “Wow he’s rich?”

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CERVELO-CARBON-SOLOIST-bmc-tubes-pinarello-tape_W0QQitemZ150225256597QQihZ005QQcategoryZ33503QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m122

“The bike was built by Shorter cycles in Potter’s Bar in Jan 2008 with the intention of leaving it in my holiday home in Spain but due to a few investment situations needing some more work on them I ll only get out there for about 3 weeks this year and not for a week once a month as planned.

Also I m at some point soon going to knock my house down to make way for 12 new apartments and will be moving into to one of my smaller rental properties for awhile & I just haven’t got the space for 9 bikes when I move. Hence I will get shot of a few pieces over the next few week.

That said if I dont get a fair price on this I may as well keep it & trash the hell out of it for awhile and sell it as used next year for not much less than I m asking now.

Details of the bike are as follows & everything is new & unused.”

goshachre

It gets better if you look at the questions and answers:

Q: I had to comment on your bike taste. You have by far the best bike eye I have ever seen in my life. I ride a cervelo soloist and mine looks like really weak compared to yours and i love my bike. Anyway good luck with your sale and keep making masterpieces. Brandon Mar-13-08

A: Brandon, What can I say only a huge thank you for comments. I am glad someone has noticed my efforts as it has taking months to get the right kit for these beauties. The fact that u ride a Cervelo shows that u know whats good anyway. I don’t compete at the same level anymore but I still have a real passion for designing my own bikes and then changing them every year to start again. Costly buts its fun. Anyway good luck in the future and thanks again for your comments I shall gladly post them for all to read. Niall

Anonymous

…and the Princeton race is held in Lakewood NJ actually on Sun…but come out to support your favorite collegiate riders (like 40-something Scott Willingham for Columbia…huh?).

Anonymous

That ebay post is great. Of course you just know the guy is a fat Brit with a big pot belly from the pub and gets about 20 mi a week in fighting for the front of his club ride on Sat am. But hey, he can pick components with red and white in them and put them all together – genius!!! And the choice of Cervelo – its just inspired and so rare.

Anonymous

CSC news not surprising since the CEO left last year I think and was the big thrust behind the cycling focus. They always hyped how excited the co got around tour time, but just goes to show that without the key guy, all that support can evaporate pretty fast. Such a commentary on the sport when the whole team basically depends on the presence and support of one dude. Not exactly the New York Yankees is it?

Anonymous

Cat 3/4 – Capala looks to be on good form. Maybe Albergotti or Kim Riseth?

Pro – I like Lisbon and Wilson if they are racing. Maybe Bill Ellison.

Cat 4 – Hmm – maybe Peppo or Sergio Atocha. That kid sucks in the hills but seems to be always in the top 5 in a flat sprint.

Anonymous

alls I know is I aint winnin’. My form is like dung. Standing next to a real cyclist, I look like Barney after an ice cream binge. One 30 sec interval and my legs feel like pudding. Lets make predictions for June races instead.

Anonymous

3/4 – someone you never heard of (i am bringing the pain baby!)

1/2/3 – someone you have heard of

4 – someone who doesn’t crash

Brian G.

I’ve actually been to that statue. It’s in West Virginia alongside the Greenbrier River. You can walk down a canyon and actually visit the fabled tunnel that killed John Henry. That being said I have high hopes for Grant’s Tomb. ‘High hopes’ being defined as survive. Good Luck To All!!

Nostradamus

Pro-1-2: Gavin Robertson’s coming out party.

Cat 3/4: Scott Wisenbaker

Cat 4: Tough call. Gui Weinmann from Kissena, Matt Richards from NYVC, or some college kid we’ve never heard of.

Women1-2-3 Sarah or Silke

Women 3/4 Maria Q.

willy wonka

cat3/4 – someone you never heard of

cat123 – someone who takes supplements you never heard of

cat4 – someone who doesnt crash

mihael

Old Big Mengoni won’t win, he never did well, even when he was Young Medium Mengoni. He will beat the best Pros in town on any given day up cats paw when he has his game. It’s almost worth conducting a study to the Cause & Effect of the phenomenon.

Gui

Whoever thought I’d take the 4 race I have to say I’m honored by your prediction but you were far off.

If Nostradumus’ predictions were right, the planet would have exploed in 2000 or something like that.

I think the winner was some guy from Sid’s. And Dave August from Kissena did well. All I managed to do this race was clear the winter cobwebs out of my lungs for my first race of ’08. The winter training plan included speed work behind diesel powered Access-A-Ride vans – I think maybe that was not such a great idea.

There was sketchy riding in the four race (surprise?) It seems to be a new tradition to crash into the barriers post finish line – a similar thing happened at the Harlem Skyscraper Crit last spring. Poor guy, looked like he hit pretty hard.

Wish I could have stayed to watch the rest, it’s a beautiful day out.

Dr. William O'Donnell

Tom Bencivengo (I hope I spelled his name correctly) of Somerville Sports. He was third there two weeks ago and rode a strong and intelligent race today.

waiting patiently..

He either didn’t celebrate enough, celebrated too loudly, was lucky, didn’t earn being cat 1 or 2 or just won because he was the best that day.

Ray Alba

I just got off the phone with Anthony Van Dunk – the racing will be on – he thinks it will be rain – so die hards are going to love the event.

I heard today was Sakkonet, Bob Lea, then Wilson. Came down to a field sprint

Anonymous

Cat 4/5
PLACE RIDER TEAM CITY ST
1 Maurice Gamanho Unattached Lebanon NJ
2 Jonathan Vanosten Pro Pedals Westmont NJ
3 Stefan Kusurelis Unattached New York NY
4 Joseph Sieracki Somerset Wheelmen Scotch Plains NJ
5 Luis A. Funez Van Dessel Factory Team S. Bound Brook NJ
6 Daniel Hauber Pro Pedals Team Express West Berlin NJ
7 Nick Iacovelli Unattached Maplewood NJ
8 Al Blanchard Gs Park Ridge New City NY
9 Otto Sanchez Pro Pedals Cherry Hill NJ
10 William Baumgart Sanchez-Metro New York NY
11 Jerry Truppelli PSR-Peddlers Shop Racing Ringoes NJ
12 Christopher Sullivan Unattached Glen Ridge NJ
13 James O’Neill Watchung Wheelmen Washington NJ

Masters 35+
PLACE RIDER TEAM CITY ST
1 Ed Ceccolini Campmor/Schwalbe/Notubes Pompton Lakes NJ
2 Earl Peretti Bikery/Shebell MonclairMontclair NJ
3 John Durso Liberty Cycle Morris Plains NJ
4 James Furman Van Dessel Factory Team Hopatcong NJ
5 Christopher Peterson CRCA Jersey City NJ

Pro 1,2,3
PLACE RIDER TEAM CITY ST
1 Thomas Bencivengo Sommerville Sports World Team Brooklyn NY
2 David Sommerville Sommerville Sports World Team Brooklyn NY
3 Brian Rafferty Deno’s Wonder Wheel Cycling Mamaroneck NY
4 Michael Miller Team Alliance Environmental Birdsboro PA
5 William O’Donnell Westwood Velo – Trade Manage Racing Oxford NJ
6 Thomas Dolan Sommerville Sports World Team New York NY
7 Salvatore Scotto Divetta Sommerville Sports World Team Brooklyn NY
8 Glenn Schneider Team Beacon Lake Worth FL
10 Thomas Luzio Wonder Wheel Mamaroneck NY
11 John Durso Liberty Cycle Morris Plains NJ
12 Jim Kaeli Colavita Racing Rockaway NJ
13 Michael Chevett Unattached Long Island City NY
14 Ed Ceccolini Campmor/Schwalbe/Notubes Pompton Lakes NJ
15 Eben Weiss Gs Gotham/Toga Bikes Brooklyn NY

Cat 3/4
PLACE RIDER TEAM CITY ST
1 Christopher Loudon Sid’s – Cannondale New York NY
2 Jonathan Chambers Gotham Cyclists Hellertown PA
3 Mark Fontanilla Liberty Cycle E Hanover NJ
4 Steve Sambrano Main Line Cycling – Bikyle Lansdale PA
5 Earl Peretti Bikery/Shebell Montclair
6 Frank Ferrarese Monclair Cyclists West Caldwell NJ
7 Kuria Njenga Westwood Velo Nyack NY
8 Marc Innella Westwood Velo Somerville NJ
9 Stephan Wimmer Unattached Princeton NJ
10 Willie Payton We Stand United Brooklyn NY
11 Ricky Gargiulo Colavita Racing Summit NJ
12 Leszek Sniadowski Unattached
13 David Stokes Kissena New York NY
14 James Furman Van Dessel Factory Team Hopatcong NJ
15 Mark Cowin Pro Pedals Atco NJ
16 Jed Kornbluh Jonathan Adler Racing Hoboken NJ
17 Louis D’Amelio Vna Dessel Factory Team Belle Mead NJ
18 Zane Dordai Colavita Racing Maplewood NJ
19 Joseph Brennan Century Road Club Of America Warren NJ
20 Fabian Autedo Unattached Parsippany NJ
21 Wilson Andrade Cycle Craft Racing Elizabeth NJ
22 Mark Taylor Unattached Brooklyn NY
23 Edward Peterson Pro Pedals Team Express Williamstown NJ
24 Brian Gristick Skylands/ACT Budd Lake NJ
25 Sean Groenewald Southafrica.Net West New York NJ
26 Nicholas Chivily GS Parkridge West Orange NJ
27 Chris Rodgers Colavita Racing Lawrenceville NJ
28 George Vlahogiannis Team Fitness Mission Rutherford NJ
29 Aleksander Minoiski

——————————————————————————–

Anonymous

frightening. not sure what everyone is fighting for in the middle of the pack. plus dark, raining and fast. holy…

Anonymous

Talk about riding a smart race – Filip Capala was the most consistently well placed racer I have seen in a long time. 2nd to 4th wheel the entire race. Very nice to watch. The kid’s a stud.

Anonymous

Keough is fast, but his young and skinny. Bobby Lea had the misfortune of having only Elliston as a teammate to lead him out from the bottom of the Hill…it was too far. Sakonnet had like 9 guys. Nonetheless a great show for the youngster. It will be interesting to see what a little meat on his bones and a few more years do for/to him. PS Elliston is not a climber.

Anonymous

he’s just skinny… they don’t always equate to the same.

with that said he is a total fucking hard man, nice guy and pro

Anonymous

I disagree. After the first two laps it settled down into a pretty smooth race. Felt more in control than the 3/4 to me.

re: There was sketchy riding in the four race (surprise?)

Anonymous

Van Dunk or something more interesting?
How about a little Cannonball a la New Years Day? time for a hard 100 with some friendly rivalry? Save $20-30, actually do some climbing…anyone?
Start at GWB-NJ, generic 9W north until, South Mtn, Stony Point, Welchs Grape, Tiorati, Perkins, return 9W, Climbs west of Nyack, Hadley/Tweed, 9W, 501, Closter Dk, River Road, GWB-NJ…
Start at 7am… Chocolate Egg for finishers. Call it poor mans LBL…or open to suggestions for a 5 hour climbing ride with some pride on the line, 😉

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