Big Apple Bicycle Classic- Cat. 4 (written by Pat)

Another weekend of racing at Prospect Park brought another 9 laps of swerving riders, potholes, and a sketchy sprint finish.  Joe and I headed into NYC at just after 5 a.m. again for the Big Apple Bicycle Classic which is part of the NYC Cycling Series.  The fields filled up very quickly, and luckily the race director from Kissena held me a number so I could race.  Joe got to join the top guys in the P-1-2-3 field and as he will write soon, he had a very painful experience!  The Cat. 4 race started out pretty standard for a Prospect Park race.  Pretty solid speeds the first few laps kept it from bunching up too much through the sketchy pothole filled sections on the last mile of the loop.  I didn't contest the first prime because I was way too far back in the pack still trying to move up from starting at the back of the field. ( I almost missed the start of the race again this week because Joe and I once again had our patented last minute arrival)

When the 2nd prime came around, a large group of about 15 guys formed about 10 seconds up the road.  It looked dangerous so I bridged up to it and knew we could make something stick.  I immediately got to the front and drilled it, and when I turned around I saw only one Kissena guy decided to go with me.  We got a huge gap on the field and started getting a little too tactical with the sprint(50 bucks is big for me right now!).  I sat on Kissena's wheel for as long as possible as he was going about 15 mph not wanting to put out too much energy.  Just as I was about to sprint by him about 50 meters from the line, a NYVelocity rider flew by us to take his 2nd prime of the day.

The rest of the race was very uneventful until the last half mile.  I was sitting about 5th wheel when we went through the pothole section of the course.  As the field was jockeying for position, the rider next to me must've hit wheels and fell right into me.  I somehow swerved to my left and avoided falling, but the crash sounded real nasty behind me.   I quickly moved up to about 3rd wheel and followed the NYvelocity rider who had won both primes.  I started my sprint a bit too late and wound up getting 3rd, missing 2nd by about half a wheel length.  My sprint felt great, I still have to learn when to start it though.  Hopefully this 3rd place will give me enough points to upgrade to Cat. 3!  Hopefully everyone involved in the crash is ok and will be back racing in Prospect soon enough.

PJ

2 Races + 50 mile recovery = Saddle Sore!

Saddle sore is one of the most simplistic but often occurring cycling discomforts I have to deal with.  Perhaps my saddle is to wide, seam is in the wrong spot on my bibs, or a bit of both but saddle sore is a pain in the ass both literally and figuratively.  I managed to score me a solid bout of saddle sore this past weekend (4/31-5/1) as I spent 100 miles in the saddle on Sat. between two solid race efforts and a 50 mile charity ride.  Anyone out there know of a good chamois cream to recommend?

Saturday (4/31) consisted of a 6:30 am Cat 4 race in Prospect Park followed by a Time Trial up High Point Mt. in NJ at 10:15.  In the first race, which was round two of the Lucarelli and Castaldi Cup, I was the race leader and was granted a yellow jersey to wear during the race.  It was a beautiful morning and 110 riders lined up for our Cat 4 circuit race, which consisted of 9 laps of the 3.4 mile loop of Prospect Park.  Mixed amongst the laps would be 4 sprint points, two for the green jersey and two for the King of the Mountain race.  The race was fairly typical of a Prospect Park race as Kissena, Siggy’s, and United all had strong representation which kept the pace high and assured that no breaks would stick.  We also had our buddies from Speedwell present to help control any breaks and work with.  Both Pat and myself decided previous to racing to sit in until the sprint points as I was leading the Green jersey race and Pat and I were sitting 2,3 in the KOM race.   I contested sprint point one and jumped early only to be outleaned by a Kissena rider.  I decided to sit in and not contest number two as I already had enough points to assure my lead next week.  The KOM  points were interesting as myself, Pat, and Joe M from Kissena went top 3 on both.  The order was flopped as Joe M took the first and Pat took the second with my placing third and second after trying to lead Pat out.  Pat currently sits in second, one point behind the leader.  Each time over the hill, the three of us opened a gap but bc of the TT later that day we decided to sit up and wait for the sprint to conserve energy.  Fast forward to sprint lap and I found myself sitting 15^th wheel with 1k to go… perfect positioning on the left side of the road which always opens up for a great line to the finish.  600m to go, the riders up front hit the brakes and I am swamped on all sides and end up 40^th wheel and have to sprint like mad for 7^th place.  I was closing fast but found myself boxed and with no-where to go as the road was full!  I was closing fast but ran out of room… lesson learned today.  

The High Point Hill Climb is contested from the Port Jervis side of the mountain.  It is a 5.4 mile race against the clock up to the highest point in the state of NJ (hence the mountain’s crafty name).  The hill averages around 5% but kicks up to 15% at some points while also having some flat sections in the middle where the Big Ring comes in handy.  I was secretly hoping to chase the fastest overall time, but would have been happy to win the Cat 4 race.  I knew I would be fatigued after the mornings 30+ mile race and hoped to ride conservatively early on and hammer home the second half.  I started in the middle of the field at 10:14 am with Pat starting 30 seconds later.  I figured the top three would be between myself, Pat, and our teammate Paul who is a strong climber as well.  The hill starts with 3.75-4 miles on Rt 23 South, heading uphill towards the monument.  I attacked the early climb harder than I would have liked, but was setting a very fast pace the opening 2 miles.  The opening miles are a gradual uphill of around 6-7% followed by a flat section of a half mile which precedes another 7% mile long section.  The opening miles were clicking by fast, and I kept my cadence at around 85-90 while focusing on picking up as many previous starters as possible.   I managed to get up to 30 mph on the flat section 3 miles in but really could feel the power leaving my legs as they filled up with lactic on the next uphill section.  The last 1.5 miles were a blur as my HR was high, my legs were shot, and I was just hanging on.  I surely was to aggressive early on, as the steepest pitches in the last 1k just about pinned my HR while leaving me gasping.  I crossed the line, exhausted, with a time of 21:26 good for the win in the Cat 4/5 race with Paul taking second and Pat third.   My time held up for 4^th overall on the day.  I look forward to riding the climb again in the fall, on a day when I am fresh and ready to attack early on as I think I can challenge the 20:30 mark. 

Pat and I ended out day with a HILLY 50 mile ride in north jersey as part of the police unity tour.  We were joined by a retired police officer, Kelly, who completed his first 50 miler ever in preparation for his ride down to DC this coming week.  It was a great recovery ride but late in the ride I was attacked by my nemesis, saddle sore!  We took the hills nice and slow and spun the lactic out of the legs… first 100 mile day on the bike!  A great day of preparation for Killington and my last race as a Cat 4, as I have since upgraded to 3!

 I spent the following day channeling the former runner in myself by acting as a pacer for the Long Branch ½ marathon, as my store was a sponsor of the event.  I was able to pace a group of 10 to a finish time of 1:30 for an avg pace of 6:53 and a week’s worth of sore quads are sure to ensue as it was my first running steps in over a month.  Compression to the rescue!

Just Can't Get Enough...

Let’s just hypothetically say you love reading our blog… hell, hypothetically you could hate reading this, and catch up on our weekly happenings for spite… In either case you can catch more of us and our racing/training/shuffle-boarding/movie watching on one of our other Social Networking sites.

Twitter - www.twitter.com/rercyclingteam

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Real-Estate-Rescue-Cycling/153078698091059

World Wide Web - http://rercycling.com/

                We try to update as much as possible and will begin adding racing pics as well as some shots from some of our more scenic training rides.  We will also update the sites with information on group rides, events, and/or races we will be competing in.  We will be hosting a weekly group ride from our bike shop sponsor, The Getaway Cycle Center, beginning in the coming weeks and will be sure to update when we have that set in stone.

                See you on the World Wide Web!

-JJ

Augusta Crit Series, April 26 (Written by Pat)

Did a mid-week crit up in Augusta on Tuesday, April 26.  I had won the B(Cat 4/5) race earlier in the series so I was able to do the A(Cat 1/2/3) race for the 2nd time.  The first time I did the "A" race it wasn't too bad.  I wasn't able to get in the winning break but I was able to take 4th or so in the field sprint for 8th overall.  This week was a completely different field with many stronger riders.  The first few laps of the race we averaged around 26 mph as a break was attempting to get established.  I covered a couple of guys that I knew were strong, but unfortunately none of them got in the break.

Once the break was established, I was expecting things to calm down a bit.  I was very wrong. People kept attacking the chase group instead of getting a steady paceline going to try to bring the breakaway back.  After about 30 minutes of this, I knew there was no hope for us to catch the breakaway and I just sat in a bridged up when an attack looked like it gained a bit too much ground.  Unfortunately, some people in this race take it a bit more seriously than a training race should be taken.  I had a bit of a run-in with a very strong, ex-pro rider that was not happy I was unable and unwilling to bridge up to an attack.  I had been doing a large percentage of the work in this group and was in a bit of trouble if didn't calm down.  After a pretty heated argument with a couple of guys, the random attacking continued until the last lap.  I ended up rolling in for 16th overall, about 7th or 8th in the chase pack.

Overall, I felt really strong which I am happy about.  My tactics were questionable so I know I need to learn to relax and let other people do some work.  I need to learn to trust that other riders are also willing and able to chase down attacks and let that happen.  I was more unhappy with the atmosphere of the race.  The organizers are great and I have no complaints about that.  However, I do have issues with the way some people handle themselves during the race.  Unfortunately, this race is far too important to several people.  To me, it is an opportunity to race with some Cat 1/2/3's and test myself before I upgrade.  It seems like for them it is their entire season.  I hope that things will calm down a bit as weeks progress because I really enjoy the race, the course, and most of the racers.

Jeff and Paul rode very well in the Cat. 4/5 race.  They finished mid-pack but according to Jeff, they got in a couple of breaks and rode very aggressively.  I can't wait to see how they ride after they get a bit more comfortable with the racing! 

PJ

Mid-Week Update and Race Weekend

The past five days have brought four days of glorious spring weather, which are great for the beginnings of a solid bike tan, and one day of cold, wind, and heavy rains.  Finally, spring has sprung in North Jersey and with it has come pleasant rides in short sleeves as early as 7 am this week!  As for the one day of cold and rainy weather, that happened to fall on the Saturday morning… the one morning I raced this weekend!  Luckily, Pat and myself both braved and survived the nasty weather and have come out of it for the better with a couple more podium placings and a few days of beautiful spring weather to enjoy post-race. 

 The Lucarelli and Castaldi Cup Series started last week and will run for eight weeks in Prospect Park, NY.  The series races include Cat 5, 4, and 1/2/3 fields with each race offering jerseys/bibs to Overall leaders (yellow), King of the Mountains (polka dot), and Sprint (Green).   Prospect Park has one 600 meter long incline at a gradient of around 5%, so King of the Mountains is loosely used but it’s great that they have the competition.  The 3.1 mile loop is fast, open, and full of sweeping turns.  It is not a course that favors climbers or breakaways… both of which are favorites of mine.  I awoke at 4 am to the sound of wind and rain and upon looking at the temp on my phone, 40 degrees, was hesitant to ride.  Luckily, Pat convinced me otherwise as he is looking for Cat 3 upgrade points and we headed into the city to race.  Our Cat 4 field included about 45 riders, mostly from NYC clubs.  Because of the rain and winds I figured no breaks would go off and stick, so I decided to sit in and go for the sprint, mountain and overall points.  Kissena was strongly represented and seemed intent on drawing out chasers to keep the pace high.  Luckily, Moshe and his Speedwell teammate were present to help Pat and I control the Kissena tactics and keep the race in hand.  After a few laps of chasing small breaks with Pat and Moshe the bell rang for the first of two sprint points.  I fell in line and followed the Kissena wheels until I was second wheel 400 meters from the line.  At this point I hit it, and held on for the sprint points win.  On the next lap I led Pat out for KOM points where he ended up second to Joe M from Kissena, who is a strong rider in his own right taking 2^nd at Battenkill.  Sprint point 2 was contested by myself and a few others and I nipped a rider at the line for max points.  Next lap, KOM point 2 was led out by the Kissena train while Pat and I sat in.  I managed to get around Pat and Joe M to take those points and lead over the top.  At this point a lap and a half remained and I was intent on seeing the race stay together for a bunch sprint, as I felt I had good sprint legs this day.  Luckily Moshe helped to pin back a few breaks and I was able to sit third wheel until the slight rise to the finish where I hit it and again held the field off for the overall win.  Pat ended up third and sits in third overall in the KOM race and third in the Overall Cat 4 field.  I ended up getting the Overall lead, the lead in the sprints competition, and sit in second in the KOM race.  Much thanks to the Speedwell boys for working with Pat and I, we’ll do our best to repay you in the coming weeks! 

The last few days have been great for riding and it’s great to be in the swing of daily training again, after my post-Battenkill swoon (no more shuffleboard and beer nights for a while).  One ride even included a hilly loop that passed by the former King of Morocco's NJ vacation home in Basking Ridge, NJ.  It’s great to be able to wake up and get in a 3 hour ride before leaving for work at 10 am… and even better to do so in short sleeves and shorts.  It has made the build up to the Cat 3 race at Killington a welcome challenge!  I’m sure in a few weeks I’ll be whining for 50 degree weather and less humidity, but for now bring on the sun, heat, humidity, and even the mosquitos that come along with that post winter weather.  Anything to avoid sub freezing temps and hours on the trainer!  The next few days brings more of the same weather (hopefully) and week two of the series at Prospect Park, where I will be defending my lead while wearing the yellow leaders jersey and hoping to help Pat into the lead of the KOM race. 

Climbing over Natirar Park

Enjoy the Spring temps and get your bike tan on!

-JJ

April 23rd, Lucarelli and Castaldi Series #1 (Written by Pat)

Late Friday afternoon Joe and I still had no plans of racing this weekend.  We had a down week of training plus the weather forecasted for Saturday morning looked absolutely miserable.  We were looking through some upcoming races and found the Lucarelli and Castaldi Series in Prospect Park.  They offered yellow(overall leader), green(Sprint points), and polka dot(Climbers points) jerseys to the respective leaders each week, plus I am desperate for Cat. 3 upgrade points after my disappointing crash out at Battenkill.  So we decided to brave the weather and give it a shot.

Waking up at 4 a.m. to pouring rain, temps in the 30s, and high winds was not the ideal way to start my Saturday morning.  After debating with myself whether or not it was worth it to put ourselves through this misery, we forced ourselves out the door and to the race.  We arrived at Prospect Park in time to do our usual 5 minute warm up, which is really just getting over to the start as quickly as possible, register, pin on our numbers, and get on the line just in time for the start.  

The race was scheduled for 31 miles, which is 9 laps around Prospect Park.  For those of you who haven't seen the course, it is a wide open road, with no technical turns.  There is one 800 meter big ring hill that averages around 3-4% grade which is where the KOM competition would be fought out.  The rest of the course is a gradual downhill followed by a slight rise to the finish line.  The first couple of laps were pretty uneventful.  Luckily, the rain slowed to a drizzle so I was able to stay a bit warm for the first half hour or so.  Kissena had a very large representation in this race.  They had about 8 guys in the race, so Joe and I knew we had to mark any potential breaks from them.  Fortunately we had some help in Moshe(finally got it right!) from Speedwell Racing.  He did a great job breaking up the Kissena train and helping us keep them in check.

The first Sprinter's points were contested by both Joe and I, and we took 1st and 3rd respectively.  Joe attempted to lead me out for the first KOM climb, and I was able to pull off a 2nd place with him taking 3rd.   It was sometime after that KOM climb that it started pouring on us.  My whole body was slowly going numb and I was having trouble getting my legs ready for the second KOM climb.  I skipped contesting the 2nd green jersey sprint, which Joe won again, to save my legs.  I knew I would have to beat the Kissena rider, Joseph M. on the second KOM climb to be in polka dots at the end of the day.  Unfortunately, I could not match his acceleration on the climb, and I got 3rd behind Joe and Joseph M.

The rest of the race was spent marking Kissena and trying to keep my legs warm enough so they would be ready for the sprint.  The lead up to the sprint was pretty unorganized, and I just marked a couple of wheels and was able to pull off third place, behind Joe(another win!!).  Joseph M. of Kissena finished 4th, virtually crossing the line at the same time as me.  Unfortunately, Moshe got a flat right before the sprint and had to roll in with a flat.  Unlucky for him as he was looking very strong the last couple laps. 

Overall, it was a great race, we got a yellow jersey and some valuable upgrade points out of it.  Joe and I both look forward to doing the race again next week.

-PJ

Post Battenkill 12 Days... Downtime!

It felt great to wake up to lightly bruised and annoyingly sore quads the day after Battenkill.  I decided I need a somewhat down couple of weeks after riding and focusing for 3+ months on the second weekend of April.  I do enjoy a beer or two from time to time and really enjoy a good red wine, but enjoyed it a bit more these past 2 weeks.  Sure, I still raced… but did not do much of a warmup or cooldown and also neglected on my mid-week maintenance rides that have become very helpful the past few months.  I also realized I still suck at guitar hero… something I am unsure whether to be happy with or ashamed about.   Also of note, is the fact that I realized that B horror flicks are both not entertaining and all too predictable… I would assume this is a result of not seeing one of these in recent years until this week and not from the fact that I have grown intellectually in any way.

Post-Battenkill  Week’s  Stats:

Races: 3 including Battenkill (TOB, Augusta Crit, Tour de Lake)

Wins: 2 including Battenkill (TOB, Augusta, 2^nd at TDL)

Pat and I on the attack at Tour De Lake

Hours on the bike: 16

Mornings slept in rather than riding: 5

Nights Spent Playing Guitar Hero until 1 am: 1 (I still suck at that game)

Hours Spent Playing Shuffleboard in a dingy Local Bar: 3

Trivia Nights Spent at Local Irish Watering Hole: 1

Cups of Coffee Drank: 17 (5 more than a regular two week period)

Late Night Movies Watched: 6 (Soul Surfer, 127 Hours, Pirahna, I Spit on Your Grave, Frozen, Scream 4)

Crappy Late Night Movies Watched: 2 (Pirahna, Frozen)

Pints of Ice Cream devoured: 4 (2x Snickers Vanilla Ice Cream, 2x Edy’s Butter Pecan

Bottles of Wine drank: 2 (Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio)

Beers Drank: 23 (a variety of Fine/Cheap American brews… Bud light, Yuengling, Mich Ultra)

Up next for me is a return to serious miles/hours next week and a focus on the Cat 3 race at the Kilington Stage Race.  First, I will be racing at Prospect Park 4/23 in what promises to be a windy and rainy circuit race.  Keep the rubber side down… (knocking on wood)!

-JJ