Hopeful Friday 3/27/2009

by schmalz

Could mention AC/DC here

This weekend’s racing is a classic Metropolitan Area version of a game of four square. On Saturday, there’s a CRCA club race and a Branch Brook race in two corners, and on Sunday there’s a Spring Series Race in Prospect Park, followed by the Bethel race in the other corners. That’s quite a grid—it’s sure to take a big ball to play all the boxes.

 

159 Comments

Anonymous

the first guys come off as guys who never get first in real life so they do it on the internet. also “fags” as a derogatory insult is really out of style, dude.

ralba

Great stuff. I am waiting for Kozak to send us some more photos.

And back to fear – Sunday is going to rain in the AM – racing in the rain – another fear I have.

ralba

Great stuff. I am waiting for Kozak to send us some more photos.

And back to fear – Sunday is going to rain in the AM – racing in the rain – another fear I have.

Anonymous

The first guy had a chance for the win, and blew it.

He’s like the guy with a little gap before the finish who throws up is arms for a victory salute, then crashes before crossing the line. What a fag.

Anonymous

You are going to have to broaden your mind and realize the most promising rider in our area isn’t on Empire or Champ Sys.

With out any real aero equipment aside from bars and almost no TT experience Evelyn Stevens gets 14th against the best women in North America

Pro 1/2 Women (5km)
1 Amber Neben (USA) Nurnberger Shoair 10:40
2 Mara Abbott (USA) Team Columbia Highroad at 0:27
3 Ina Yoko Teutenberg (Ger) Team Columbia Highroad s.t.
….
14 Evelyn Stevens (USA) Velo Classic Tours p/b Incycle.com 1:12

And she would have bested a few of the pro men if she was in their field. Now the events will play to her strengths.

Anonymous

Don’t forget she’s been racing for less than one year, except for one CX race. Her first race was the CRCA women’s clinic.

Go EVIE!!

Anonymous

Some of the guys racing RHC would hand your ass to you easily.
Better get your sleep so you can be pack-fill in prospect park…

Anonymous

Red Hook Question

I’m betting that the “kid drop-off” question was posted my some fat self center 35+ racer who is insecure with their own mortality and even worse thinks that they think what they do as a recreational racer is socially acceptable and is in some way “Real Racing”. Old farts that judge; suck.

Anonymous

racing brakeless, on an open course is not brave, or fun. it’s just dangerous and stupid, regardless of the caliber of person in the race.

Anonymous

CRCA club races are the safest out of all the park races. everyone is accountable for their actions.

Anonymous

No, you’re wrong.
Park racing has none of the following in the bunch:
-Generally accepted excessive alcohol consumption
-Brakeless fixed-gears with chopped bars
-Majority of riders in toe clips

Granted, park racing DOES have:
-New riders
-Dangerous riders
-Possibility of drunk or severely hungover riders

But it’s not safer. I have been on both side, working as a messenger for many years and “racing” in the scene, only jumping over to real, sanctioned racing after I saw a guy get slammed by a cab while running a light during the July 4th race in ’99. It’s stupid, it’s unsafe, and it’s something I’ll skip tonight so I can go to bed by 7PM to wake up and have Ken Harris bury me on HH tomorrow morning.

Anonymous

You are just jealous ’cause your wife won’t let you out of the house that late and apprehensive because you don’t know anyone there… so you keep preaching about safety. yawn

Anonymous

will probably have 90% less chance of a course interference that a central park or prospect park race. Anybody who raced in the Empire Games Qualifyier last year knows what I’m talking about.

Have you ever been on those Red Hook streets late at night. There isn’t anything on them. There isn’t ladies walking their dogs, joggers with headphones on, crack heads on bikes etc. The race will also have marshals at the (2)! intersections that might possibly see one piece of traffic every hour at that time.

Anonymous

This is proving a similar point to the BikeSnob post yesterday… We’re two groups from similar fringe sports who really can’t get along. Both groups have obviously rigid rules about dress, attitude, social interaction, sub-affilitation — but neither group seems to embrace the other, talking majority here, as a peer.

Social rules… ugh.

Anonymous

probably well over half of the field in red hook will consist of racers who also compete in uscf races. i think the two sub cultures get along fine.

Anonymous

Why do people choose to dress like borderline homeless bike messengers? Its one thing to be a messenger as a way to pay the bills. Its another thing to act/dress like one if you are not.

ralba

I had no clue who Evelyn is and that she is from NYC. It is great she got 14th – and I am sure she bested many of the men. So how does this relate to our teams in looking for a hero. Did anyone mention our teams having heroes? If so, let me know. Is Evelyn riding with a team from NYC?

Evelyn, keep killing them – and the guys too. It is clearly amazing what you have done in less than a year.

Best,
Ray

Anonymous

seriously?

she won hilltowns and union vale in the 4s, won GMSR in the 3s, came 2nd in valley in the sun p/1/2.

she rides for radical media now. way to pay attention to the locals!

Anonymous

Evie is arguably the best rider to come out of NYC in 2008. She’s already killing in 2009

— Chodrof is someone that could be included in that argument — Hey, did I just suggest a topic for next Wednesday?

I was looking for pictures of her, but I only found those you see below.

Anon Stevens Fan

Anonymous

I like that her 2nd job is kicking ass. She’s like Batman. I think that makes Peppo like Catwoman.

ralba

Look – I admit that I didn’t know her placings. To be honest, I don’t really follow the women’s race results as much because my plate is full and I don’t have a women’s team anymore.

Also, I don’t necessarily pay attention to many of the cat 4 races for men either. It is not that I don’t want to know everything going on or don’t care – it is that given my schedule

1)full time job
2)a family
3)12 cyclist on my elite team – which I have to fly around
4)the rest of my club responsibilities (my 3rd job)

you shouldn’t expect me to know of Evelyn. Now I do. And you bet I will pay attention to her and root for her when she is competing.

Many of you know me -and to those that have ridden for me know that I support local racers & racing – and even go out of my own pocket every year to be sure that the guys that I am supporting locally are taken care of.

So – your comment – “way to pay attention to the locals!” Is a silly remark – I bet you I know more about what is going on with local racing than you. Sorry that I didn’t know Eve.

Again – best of luck to Evelyn – I am sure she can beat me.

Best,

Ray

ralba

Interview on here. I mean, COME ON.

Secondly, have some guts and post your name. I try to keep up with the news – and there have been a few people on here written up more than once. Just because someone has been interviewed doesn’t necessarily mean I have read or need to read it. Seriously.

So my suggestion to you is – stop being an ass about it. So what, I didn’t know who Evelyn was and now I do. Did the WORLD all of a sudden stop because I didn’t know who the heck she was? Was I supposed to know Evelyn? Seriously – tell me WHY I was supposed to know of her? Because she won a couple of races or placed well at them? Otherwise stop being so obtuse about it and post your name so I know who I am talking to.

Best,
Ray

Anonymous

– teany wins by blinding everyone with their kits- this proves to be a winnning strategy going forward
-Kingpin racing decides that bike racing is too tiring and they’re rather just abide and hit the lanes
– pacifico launches jeff king into a break, who drives it straight to a Blockheads for breakfast burritos
– the entire FGX team misses teh race because they’re too busy checking themselves out in the mirror on the way out the door
– adler keeps the rager going from the night before and half the team does whippits in the field sprint
-Schmalz rides away from the field so that no one has to see his man-junk in the red spandex he’s rockin’

Anonymous

I don’t know much about the Red Hook crit but one thing is for certain: those guys really can take a joke!

Anonymous

I know lame and even that last post amazes me….

wow, just, wow….

Sometimes I wish I was illiterate….

Anonymous

meant that 15:44 lame…

RHC is just weird and smelly….

not in the race in CPK weird and smelly sorta way but in the Totally Baked Ten Days at a Phish Concert doing bong hits until your ears bleed sorta way.

Anonymous

Ray said he doesnt follow local cat 4 but then he comes up with this “meaningless predictions” post and doesn’t sign his name. Come on dude.

Anonymous

15:44 that was f’ing poetry! classic! i don’t really even know who you’re talking about but it was still funny.

Anonymous

I respectfully say this:
Ray you are a king but you should know who Evelyn just based on the way she looks in her spandex…FINE looking young lady.

Anonymous

Great thread, nice work everyone. Now all we need is for Evie to zabel Ray at the line in the Red Hook Crit and the planets will be in balance.

Anonymous

I respectfully say this:
Ray you are a king but you should know who FGX’ Mike Beckerman just based on the way he looks in spandex…FINE looking young gentleman.

Anonymous

I’ve spent plenty of time riding behind Beckerman. He aint all that. Not like riding behind Roger Aspholm. Now THAT man looks fine in bike shorts.

Not that I’m into men’s butts or anything. I’m totally not. I like girls! Evie! Liz Hatch! Hotness!

See? Straight as an arrow.

Anonymous

WHynothavejoustingonttbikes?
thisisthelowestthispalcehaseverbeen…
comeonalfred!
comeoneileen!
youareallnuthuggingpussygrindingsaddlemunchers!!!!!!

Anonymous

In fall 2006, at a Manhattan bar, Mr. Armstrong, his agent Mr. Stapleton, and hedge-fund manager David “Tiger” Williams, along with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and impish local cycling gadfly Dan Schmalz, discussed how cycling could benefit from central ownership. Sources close to the meeting say Mr. Schmalz kept interrupting the ASO conversation to say “that’s nice, but when do we get our free Zipps?” and “is there any chance Kate Hudson is gonna stop by?”

Anonymous

from what you hear? if you didn’t race that field then why are you telling teams what they need to do?

Anonymous

Way to unleash the beast with that sprint! You made Slokar tremble at the line or he was just really cold.

Anonymous

That’s how you post results!! Online in hours with a finish line picture, no less. CRCA, welcome to the new Century!

Anonymous

a bike dirty in quite this way. A packed on primarily grit and sand concoction that is hard to to get off. And I didn’t have a piece of lube left on my chain….

ugh…

Anonymous

best thing to do is let it dry, then use a dry paintbrush to knock most of it off & out of the components., then clean in the usual way

Anonymous

“need to learn how to work — pacifico racer and foundation guys did nothing, from what i hear”

If you can get the other guys in the break to tow you around while you rest, then come around at the end to place better than them, then you acted correctly. This is racing. Do the minimum amount of work to get the highest possible placing.

Remember, there is no rule that says “You must pull thru!” If you can get away with it, by all means sit on. They might not talk nice to you, they might call you (and your mom and your sister) nasty names, but if you beat them, you win.

Anonymous

and doing no work is a strategy. It aint going to win you many friends, but it is a strategy. The workers in the break need to know the strategy to counter this and get rid of those who don’t work.

Anonymous

why wasn’t Setanta, with like 6 guys behind, able to bring the break back? Today was fun in the B field, and kudos to Metro for initiating what became a 15 – 20 person break with many teams represented, but why no chase down from behind.

And does anyone else think the big rock on the main page look like the back of Ving Rhames’ head in ‘Pulp Fiction’?

Anonymous

um..didn’t Setanta get top 7 –> had man in a break –> didn’t chase for good reason? please read results before painting tales

Anonymous

Todd’s not their sprinter and Setanta was chasing the break aggressively when they first got away. They just couldn’t muster an effective chase to bring the break back.

Not BS – just a question on a Saturday night as one rests the legs in anticipation of further fun in PP tomorrow morning.

Gold Star still goes to Metro-Sanchez for punching a hole in the field.

Dblume

You can’t win here so don’t try – if the race ends in a pack/sprint finish they say the B’s race with no tactics and 4’s are not racing savvy. If there’s a break, then they want to know why the pack let it get away? This was a fun, smart race in “classic” early spring conditions. There were multiple breaks (with good team tactics blocking, chasing down, etc.) until the winning break of 15-20 got away on HH on the 4th lap. The pack tried to close it down, but there wasn’t much organization, or motivation really since most of the teams that know anything about race tactics had at least one rider in the break and had little desire to bring the field back together. Metro, Foundation, Setanta, Luzzo’s, NY Velocity and I think maybe FGX and Organic all had riders up in the winning break.

Kudos to the B-racers today – I thought it was a great competitive race with guys out to have fun and race smart. They thought they also rode prudently given the conditions.

Anonymous

there was no more than 10 guys there, no fish stories please. they did ride well and sure made racing interesting, i hope every race will be like this, let us have fun for a change!

Anonymous

My first time back in 1.5 years, and no B crashes, though almost a fist fight. Guys knew it was dangerous and were careful, and there were hardly any others in the jogging lanes.
In the chase guys needed to be willing to sacrifice-blow themselves out. I would have, but it would not have been right, cause I was dropped the hill before, and that would have not been right ethically for me to do it, though I regretted this later. MetroS fledged their plan lap 3, executed it lap 4, I think.

karlwithak

if you are in a break and you refuse to work , just expect to be messed with, and if you can sprint and yo are sitting in you will REALLY be messed with, this is bike racing , ask any guy who has raced in belgum or even in bigger races here what happens to you,

Andy

To 7:25. Why’d you regret it later? You did the right thing. Once you’re dropped you can only jump back on for training.

Anonymous

Yeah, I know all about his competitive rowing history, but has anyone locally had the meteoric rise he has had. Has anyone won a CRCA A race a year after their first Cat 5 race?

Anonymous

Tom Auth was club champ when he was still a cat 5. Will Riffelmacher went from cat 5 to cat 1 in about a year.

Anonymous

You should have done crew – seems to be pretty good training:

Auth
Prensky
Slokar
Chodroff
Riffelmacher
Sagalowsky

Others?

I think I also used to see Wilson training in a rowboat in the Central Park Lake.

Anonymous

I heard Wilson once qualified for the Olympics in a row boat while everyone else was rowing fiberglass sculls.

Anonymous

Sat, Apr 4 (6:30am): Club Race
Points race, Cat’s Paw finish.

This is gonna be even more fun.

It’s clear the the B field (much to the collective disdain of the A field) is the place to be. Average speeds may be slower but team tactics and good old fashioned amateur competitiveness is going to rule the day.

It’ll be a fistfight (metaphorically speaking) on wheels.

Anonymous

Rumors? I heard that CJ kicked a puppy to death on the way home he was so upset that Setanta didn’t chase the break.

Anonymous

It sorta looks like he’s in the wrong gear. He seems to be struggling with the bike at the very end. Maybe there was an issue with his rear mech (yeah, I said mech).

Anonymous

“It’s clear the the B field (much to the collective disdain of the A field) is the place to be.”

yeah, maybe i should downgrade to join you dorks.

Anonymous

Umm…I don’t think the team tactics are better or the competitiveness higher in the B field than the A field. The B field just posts more on this site.

Anonymous

Pozzato was just faster. They started sprinting at the same time and Boonen couldn’t match his jump or his acceleration.

Anonymous

With all the crossover success for rowers to cycling, I wonder whether it would be better to row/use a rowing machine in the off season rather that weight training.

Anonymous

is worthless unless you’re doing heavy duty training under interval intensive programs like those definitely were. Think 20 hrs a week once cross training is included. Also, they probably didn’t stick with crew because they were slow.

Anonymous

rowing and bike racing in new york have a lot in common. they both reward the desire to go to bed when other people are out having fun so you can be up at dawn making yourself puke with a bunch of other idiots, for the sake of a sport none of your friends care about.

Anonymous

is way more common in rowing. watch some crash-b videos and note all the trash cans near the ergs.

Anonymous

fella in an off-white kit.

Supposedly he took the paint off the walls in a team meeting post race yesterday. Wanted to know what the FGX was going on with Setanta and how they let Metro Sanchez get away with initiating such a big break.

Anonymous

the Spongebob crowd. They’re mean and vindictive.

Yeah, what was up with DKNY #613? He was giving someone a ration of $hit for something. I haven’t heard that many curse words since I overheard Bruyneel and Armstrong reading Toto (rimshot)….

Anonymous

He got bumped (ever so slightly) on his arm and went nuts. Seemed like run of the mill pack riding moment – everybody stayed up and no one lost control – except his reaction. IMHO – the guys that bitch the most are the worst bike handlers

Anonymous

“Hmm… Is Mike Green paying attention to this easily corrected critism?”

Well, wouldn’t expect any less from Mike. This guy is on the ball. First he does a great job with Bear Mountain and other open races, now he is taking care of business as President.

Anonymous

Most of the Champion guys got blasted in Redlands. Is it really going to raise the level of NYC racing when they come back to packfill our races again?

I am sorry to be a jerk on this website, I don’t do this normally but I do think that some of these average local guys don’t realize how far below from the real pro races they are.

Some of the Empire guys got DNFd in the first day too but some are actually holding their own. And so is Gavi. He is a good rider.

Anonymous

Pictures posted soon — 1/2/3 race – small group lapped field real quick. 3/4 race small break as well.

Anonymous

I wasn’t involved, but saw him (DKNY, #316 I think) almost get in a fistfight with one guy, then get into it with someone behind him who told him to calm down. Almost took the right side of the pack down. And that’s aside from his poor bike handling, which was sketchy throughout the race. And then later in the lap he tracks down and harasses the guy who told him to calm down some more (something about “mind your own business.” Out of control. It’s a club race. We see each other race after race. This guy needs to get a lid on it or get out.

Anonymous

when someone acts like that, it’s best to approach him or the officials after the race. talking about it here isn’t going to help anything. but he sure sounds like a real fucking douchebag 😉

Anonymous

Greg Olsen finished 10th in the Bethel 123 race. He’s looking strong right now, he’ll be a Cat2 in no time.

–CTvegan

Anonymous

Kid is riding like a beast! 1st and 5th the past two weeks in the Cat1-3. Both in breaks.

Nice to see the CRCA junior getting stronger.

JG

ralba

Most of the Champion guys got blasted in Redlands. Is it really going to raise the level of NYC racing when they come back to pack fill our races again?

Ok – I will admit – this race was hard for everyone – even most of the pros- Floyd Landis didn’t finish – does that mean he is pack fill too? John Loehner didn’t finish either, neither did Mike Margarite – does that mean these guys can’t crush local guys and some of the pros out there? I would think they can.

You have to remember – most of the PRO guys were out West already racing big races! Tour of Cali being one of them. You get that kind of racing under your legs – this early in the season – then you know these guys are going to be faster and fitter. The longest race you can do here in March is 50 to 80 kilometers – its going to be really tough to finish a really hard race when all you can do here is a 30 mile race and train after. Gavi finished and on the last day he was in the 2nd break and would have placed if it were not for a flat.

As for the other guys

Lisban flatted
Franklyn Flatted
Rodney got popped 2 to go on the crit
Raj – needs to put more time on the bike but at least tries

Now to say that MY team is going to be pack fill is just LOAD – especially around here. In case you haven’t seen our results – let me post them again for you.

Branchbrook Park event 1 7-Mar 1st Wilson Vasquez

Spring Series Event 2 8-Mar 2nd Luis Aquino, 3rd Chad Butts, 9th Raj Seepersaud

Grants Tomb Crit – 5th Rodney Santiago

Spring Series Event 3 15-Mar 2nd Wilson Vasquez, 3rd Luis Aquino, 6th Rodney Santiago

Bethel Spring Series 15-Mar 2nd Chad Butts

Branchbrook Park 21-Mar 5th Wilson Vasquez

Spring Series Event 4 22-Mar 5th Gavi Epstein,8 Franklin Burgos, 10 Luis Aquino

Bethel Spring Series 3 22-Mar 3rd Chad Butts

Branchbrook Park Event 4 -P 1/2 28-Mar 3rd Wilson Vasquez
Masters 2nd Wilson Vasquez

And I am waiting for more results from this past weekend

As to your other point about thinking we are pro -I have never said that – and I know Mike Sherry doesn’t say that. We might have ex-pro’s on our team – but I don’t say we are pro.

Good luck and please don’t be shy – post your name.

Best,

Ray

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