Hopeful Friday 4/23/2010

Scoot to it.

Like an aged couple settling down for the Friday fish special, the racing in the city has also settled back into a familiar routine. There are races in the comfortable confines of Prospect Park on both Saturday and Sunday, and there are chances to stray from the routine and head out to less familiar race venues, but like an aged couple trying out a fondue restaurant for the first time, it will involve gas.

Saturday begins the the Lucarelli & Castaldi Cup in Prospect Park, but act fast cat 4s as the rest of the fields have sold out.

If you feel like going to Trenton and you’re a cat 4 or 5 or a senior man or open woman, there’s the NJBA Team Challenge & Cat. 4/5 Crit.

After a rather sedate Saturday, things get busy on Sunday with a Spring Series race in Prospect Park.

If circuits of the city parks are not to your liking, you can do the Cape May Time Trial.

And if you really want to do the opposite of a park race, you can get up to Ware, Ma, and do a 120 miles worth of Quabbin at the Quabbin Reservoir Classic 120 Mile Road Race.

 

 

74 Comments

Pierre Coubertin

$8320 plus sponsorship taken in by Kissena’s Prospect Race. Profit works out to at least $500 an hour, probably closer to $1000 an hour of work. Good work if you can get it.

Vladimir Karbonavitch

welcome komrades, ye who race on $2-3k+ bikes yet bitch & moan about $30 race fees.

why don’t you buy an old lady or man sleeping on a sidewalk a $10 sandwich, then go ride hard on 9w to get your fitness fix. you’ll be a better person for it in many ways.

Matthias Seatpost

Why shouldn’t a promoter make money on a race? Do you have any idea how much work goes into one race, let alone a series? If you can do it for less money, then do it and put them out of business. Until then, pay your $35 or don’t as it’s likely you are just Cat 4 pack fodder.*

*Logical assumption

Remigio Post

Yes, Ray was basically defrauding the NJBA and USA Cycling. That is why he was run out. He didn’t pay for the services provided to him by NJBA and USA Cycling.

Pierre Coubertin

Excellent point Vladimir. I only wonder why CRCA isn’t trying to cash in on the easy money. With a better course in Central Park they can charge $35-40.

Ernesto Skidmark

Hey, leave our races alone. We enjoy cheap, fun races. CRCA doesn’t need to charge alot since they don’t need to pay for marshals (members are required to marshal 2/3 races a year). The flip side is the races are bloody early! Not sure you could charge much more for such early races.

Dylan Cable

CRCA doesn’t charge a lot because the work Charlie does for $5,000 a race is done by volunteers and a small paid staff getting $100 each.

Guillaume Skidmark

is Leznek upgraded to a 3 and Sean Smith is now a 4. Isn’t that just great! All you pussies must be so happy

Ernesto Skidmark

No one’s complaining about Sean. He upgraded quickly ala Prensky, rather than dominating a field for an excessive duration.

One may not remember, but the year before last. Leznek spent an entire season winning Cat 5 races rather than move up in a month or two like the above riders.

Remigio Supple

and a series even less so, just the same shit every week. The guy that always brings up that argument needs to take Charlie and Anthony’s dicks out of his mouth.

Florian Saddlebag

you guys are nuts crca is a great club. the club races are fun too. they are slow safe and you can try stuff with out getting dropped

also they promote that are USCF

Mathis Seattube

11:14 has it right. But when people are so ready to cough up the bucks and not only not complain but be thankful, promoters will only up the ante. I predict that CRCA will take their run at the money and that in a year or 2, doing Prospect, FBF and CRCA which cost $300 a year, not so long ago, will cost $1,500.

mehi

Bike Reg is making $2.75 a pop, now that’s making easy money!

I have a hard time paying $35 to race Prospect, especially when I have no chance of placing in the Pro-3 race, so Gimbels and Quabbin Reservoir ($36 for 100k loop)for me this weekend.

I love Charlies races and if the open market accepts it, more power to him.

Leo Ergopower

It costs me about $6.32 to race from the GWB to Runcible Spoon. Well, $7.00 if you include spare change in the tip jar after buying coffee and muffin.

I can race for free if I bring my own snacks.

MEATLOAF!

Elias Headset

220 wheels? yikes! also looks like a pretty stacked field. noticed a couple blasts from the past on the list as well. I predict a sprint finish, won by Gavin or Ricky. Any other forecasts?

Aurelien Seatpost

According to the BikeReg prereg list, that’s the Burrowes’ new team. Also noticed that Devin Flaherty is registered. I’m guessing that’s the blast from the past 12:38 was referring to.

mikeweb

LoL! – eventhough it’s automatic, does it still have a setting for ‘mullet’ instead of ‘feather’?

Also, does Yakima sell adapters to get a rack onto the roof?

Victor Bushing

that looks like the mustang the original charlie’s angels drove. Farah R.I.P. your poster is still somewhere at my folks house.

Lorenzo Rivnut

That person is dreaming if they think they can get more than $1k for that crap Mustang. The Mustang II, as they were called, was the crappiest every. They were slow and looked like crap. You can be sure that the cheapest 4 cylinder Accord you can buy now will beat that car in a race. A Mustang II is nothing more than a Ford Fairmont with a different body.

CRCA races are not run by volunteers. With very few exceptions all the staff are paid or are doing their required marshal duty.

Charlie probably makes a decent amount of money at each race he puts on, but he earns it. There are many fixed costs associated with a race, which you risk if you have to cancel for any reason. There is also a lot of work involved in setting up the races. There is work before and after the race that has to happen.

Think of all the costs involved. You have to pay marshals and a race staff. You have to pay for officials. You have to pay for pacers. You have to buy equipment necessary to put on the race. You have to have a place to store it all.

There is money to be made putting on a race, but you have to be willing to work hard for it. Not to mention that you have to put up with some racers which don’t know how to act around others.

Just ask yourself why there are no other promoters stepping up to rake in the many thousands of dollars so many people think a promoter makes at a race.

Alexandre Biopace

If anything we should THANK the promoters for what they do. We all enjoy racing and all the opportunities to do so with such a close proximity that we most likely can ride our bikes to them.

ricco

“CRCA races are not run by volunteers. With very few exceptions all the staff are paid or are doing their required marshal duty”

CRCA races are not “run” by volunteers but the people that put the race together, get permits, mail numbers out, keep track of points, upgrades, blah blah blah ARE VOLUNTEERS douche.

Brook Trout

Do you love to douche but you’ve heard that they disrupt the natural pH of your body? Most prepared douches are chemical-based and can destroy your natural pH. Herbal douches offer a delicate alternative to these disruptive mass produces douches.

All natural douche preparation:

2 quarts of luke warm water

¼ cup apple cider vinegar or 10 drops essential oil of tea tree

Combine ingredients in a 2 quart douche bag and proceed as usual. Please visit your doctor if symptoms persist.

Diego Tigweld

hey that’s what i put in my water bottle. my online coach told me i can get more waattage if i did. are you telling me i’ve been douching while doing intervals in central park?

Ernesto Skidmark

Don’t we have a deal with the fucking pidgeons? Twice in the last 2 days pidgeons have waited until the last second to move as I approached in the park causing me to have to duck to avoid having a fucking pidgeon in my face.

Or perhaps we have a deal with the pidgeon sisters?

Guillaume Bushing

for this site to change, but not to disappear. I don’t know Schmalz or Andy personally but it’s clear from their writing and the content they’ve created on this site that they are smart, witty, capable people who, quite frankly, should know better. To sit back and be the impartial administrators while providing a platform on which all this negativity can occur is unacceptable.

Nyvelocity.com, despite it’s hilariously clever cartoons, insightful interviews, and impeccable coverage of local races, is known best for its comment forums where members of the NYC bike racing community hurl insults and slurs at each others from the anonymous comfort of their laptops.

These forums shed a terrible light on the cycling community which we all are part of. I shudder to think of what an outsider or a recreational rider thinking about racing would think of our community if these forums were there first exposure to us. Our community deserves better.

Negativity here creates negativity in our community is the physical sense. The malicious negativity needs to stop. Doing so is the combined responsibility of Nyvelocity’s admins and it’s users, through a mutual desire to foster a more positive attitude on this site, which has become an important part of our NYC cycling community. We need to treat each other with respect here and in person, if for no other reason than that we care for the community which connects us all.

Stan Chainline

I feel for the sentiment in the comment below, however its a broader symptom of the internet or human nature and nothing particularly idiosyncratic to NYVELOCITY. Iv’e seen kite flying site, bird watching sites, car collecting sites, to say nothing of political and religious sites with more antagonism on their message boards. Even the NYCC message boards can get pretty aggro. Perhaps in the case of some of the older guys this is the only message board they regularly visit, but for better or worse this board is the best reflection of our community and is both the best and worst part of the site.

Lukas Rivnut

i agree, this site needs some cool rules, or we’re gonna be bogus, too

1. The long posts have to stop
2. The gay (non-homophobic) whining about “negativity” has to stop

Alessio Polished

looked like this was the most highly contested prize of the day, with two big crashes leading into it.

Guys if your not in the front lead out, chill out, some serious injuries occured today sprinting when the race was pretty much over, the second crash looked real nasty, hope all involved are alright.

try to stay rubber side down

part of the wrekage

I was in that first crash in the 4s, two guys started their sprint early locked handlebars. I was right behind it, busted up jaw and some scrapes. Jaw isn’t broken I just can’t chew anything. One guy went to ER as he was showing signs of concussion. Everyone else just had road rash…

If your sprinting for 30th, you clearly are an idiot. Don’t ever sprint mid pack, your just asking for trouble.

Alessio Polished

actually decided to sit at back and watch the crashes play out in front of me,

30th place was a joke as the crashes happened mid pack, I know cause I sat back and watched, if you thought you were racing for first , afraid not , about 30 or more guys were in front of you that crossed the line safely.

sorry you were involved , and hope nothing broken

Matteo Brakepad

Results are out for the Team Challenge held in sunny, pretty Trenton NJ. 1st place was Team Metra consisting of Nikolia Masluk, Stephan Dioslaki, Greg Leach, Greg Batista, and David Martin. Van Deisel came in 2nd with William Elliston, Gie Neilson, Edwin Bull and ??? two others. As a contender and writer of this little summary I’m unsure if it was Liberty Cycle who came in third or Northeast Hardware. While the weather was pretty, the racing wasn’t …It was an all-out major haul ass grind for the 35 lap, 1.1 mile loop. By virtue of design, the race was destined to be a slugfest (but who would imagined it to be literally just that)…the way it worked was each team was allowed to enter only five guys and each lap was a sprint for points for 1st & 2nd place. And each fifth lap went 4 deep. After numerous assaults and attacks a twelve or so man breakaway ensued. This elite group consisted of: Elliston, Gee Neilson, and Edwin Bull – all of Van Dessel, Rosenhaus and Raffie of Northeast, Dioslaki, Masluk, Leach, and Batista – all of Metra, Steve Ward, John Durso and ?? guy of Liberty. Needless to say , these 4 teams were quite well represented and therefore would have the race locked up. Emotions flared as two riders exchanged words whilst hammering along in the break….this actually lead to a few physical exchanges in which racers pushed, shoved trying to take each other out…after the battle for victory of real reason we all came to the race had concluded, this battle of sorts continued on the sidelines. KUDOS to head race official Dan Donnely who threw himself between the two over-adrenalineized racers causing the situation to diffuse!! Wonder who would have won ?!?! Regardless of that….the results are out for the “real fight”!! By unanimous decision….

Yann Grips

All kidding aside, it was a quality field with a good deal of depth. A drag-out slug-fest in more ways than one….lungs were burning & I tasted that sweet taste of blood.

C.M.

To the crca and kissena riders that brought this race alive-hell of a job i didnt get the result i expected but had fun racing and enjoyed seeing NYC boyz in action.Good job

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