Robobo1

Checking out the Murad route this afternoon... heard that it is hilly but no climbs. And hearing that Turkey Day (Tradezone) is fast, fast and fun!

Anyone going to either of these? I plan to put my all into Murad (Cat 5)and then see what I have left to help out my teammates @ Turkey Day (Cat 5). It's my first race since Coppi in July, and I'm just getting over a knee problem, but I'm feeling good about next weekend!

MDcatV

I'll be at both, my team promotes Murad, so I'll be there ALL Friggin' Day.

*new*guy

I'm doing the 30+ at turkey day, hoping to get at least one teammate in it as well.

NomadVW 

I will be.

























In 2008.

truckin

I'll be there.

Robobo1

I rode the Murad course yesterday... it felt like it was mostly downhill! Half of the course has a centerline, the other half does not.

Where do people usually try to break away on this course?

kukusz

I'll be there as well, CAT 5. This being my second race and having no real idea of what my relative fitness is, I will most likely just turn the pedal thingies in circles as fast as I can.

truckin

Hey, I'm a 3 (soon to be a 2 if I can just find one more point...) and that's pretty much what I do

Robobo1

kukusz, we'll be in the Cat5 together. You doing both races?

kukusz

I wish I had known about it earlier, the 5's are full now. I'll be on a black and red Felt F55 at the race on Saturday, say hi. I'm not sure how my body will react to 8 am road racing, in MTB racing my ass falls asleep at the start.

calhoun1

I am gonna be hoping that 3 people don't show up for the Turkey Day Cat 5 race. As I am 3rd on the wait list. So I am gonna show up and warm up as if I am racing, and hope for the best.

I hope I get to race.

Robobo1

Calhoun, something tells me that'll happen! Good luck. At the very least you can snag a bagel

calhoun1

Well, I hope so. My wife is actually off of work that morning too (she works at a credit union). So I want her to see me race in my second mass start. With the race only 14 miles, it should be fun and not too bad. I may even be tempted to test myself and go off the front.

Gonna see how I feel. I am looking forward and hoping I get to race.

rizz

Yeah, I went to sign up a while back and it was already full. That's one of the major downsides to cat 5 -- small fields fill up quick. Sure, there are waiting lists, but unless it's close by, that's a long way to travel just to hope you get to start.

DC_Emily

I'll be at turkey day. women's cat 4.

calhoun1

Sorry to muck up this topic, but I have a couple of quick questions:

Is the course for this race flat?

And how often in CAT 5 crits does a break succeed? Would it be better to attempt a late break or go early?

And how many would I expect to see shelled from the pack? (most as it was in the 'C' race at Greenbelt on 8/22, or will it stick together much better since it is a race?)

MDcatV

^^^which race are you asking about?

Murad - course is rolling, not likely that you'll use your small ring, but might want to a few times depending on the pace. Cat 5 either ends in a solo/very small late break by a strong rider(s), or a parade and field sprint.

Turkey Day - industrial park crit. Flat and non-technical, cat 5 is almost a guaranteed field sprint. Some riders will get shelled, but not as many as greenbelt, greenbelt is a much harder race than Turkey Day.

calhoun1

Sorry, I was referring to Turkey Day. So flat as a pancake?

Then I would guess a break later in the race would have a better chance to last. I am tempted to try one to just see how I do. Can't know how it will turn out unless I try. And since my sprint tops at only ~31mph solo, I don't want to try to contest a field sprint

*new*guy

woohoo! awesome.

Robobo1

That's what I'm hopin' for!

Lithuania

ill be racing the 4s at murad. not sure about turkey day yet.

FatguyRacer

No, not board flat. The run from turn 1 to turn 2 is a false flat and subject to crosswinds. The backstretch is the fastest part of the course due to prevailing westerlys. The run in to the line is down a 90 deg right sweeper that goes downhill but into the wind if its a westerly.

Breaks in Cat 4 and 5 races almost NEVER succeed at Tradezone. You'd be better off staying in the front 3rd and out of the wind. Stay to the inside before turn 1 and keep on the curb side to avoid the cross winds and the inevitable bunching up on the false flat between turn 1 and 2. The pack slows as the guys up front run out of gas and the pack fans out across the road and slows, be ready for the ripple effect of this. This is also where most breakaways start from and mostly after a prime. They almost always fail. The best way to win here is to take a flier on the backstretch 1k out while everyone is looking at each other before the last turn and power away to the line and pray you dont just pull the pack with you. If you can get a good gap before turn 3 and can keep motoring down the hill to the line, you might succeed. I doenst hurt to have teamates blocking if you have a plan.

There is less parity in Cat 5 so stay up front to avoid getting gapped off the back when the lesser fit riders start dropping away.

Tradezone is a great beginner race course. You almost have to be dead to not finish the race with the group. My own case in point - In 2005, the Cat4 race was the only race i did that year after losing 55 lbs, returning from a 4 year absence from racing and doing zero interval training. I didnt do squat but sit in, but i never got dropped.

BTW - I used to be the Tradezone Training series promotor from 2000 to 2004. If there is one D20 course i know, It's Tradezone.

I'm not sure if i will race. Im slated to be the pace car driver for most of the events at Turkey Day, but I might take a ride out to Murad and test myself on Saturday. If i can get in cat 4 or 40+.

calhoun1

Thanks John. I hope to be able to put that advice to good use. Is the course well marked before the start of the Cat 5 race? I plan on warming up by riding a few laps to get familiar with the course.

And I think I just may try that 1K flyer... And hope to get enough of a gap to hold it. Of course now everyone on here who is racing knows my evil plans...

FatguyRacer

The course is hard to miss. Its marked by industrial park buildings all around the inside. Consider taking off on your flier right about where you hit the Thom. Somerville building about 2/3 the way up the backstretch. You'll get a chance to do a warm up lap on the course, but when the race is going, warmups are in the opposite direction but around the course loop. The race loop is closed to traffic. Watch for pot holes and cracks in the pavement. The worst of it all is before turn 3.

calhoun1

Then that sounds like a plan. Only way I will know if it will work is if I try. And if it doesn't work, well it doesn't work.

I might as well go for it. Seeing as I am pretty sure I can sit in at the front third of the field for the majority and then go for that flier when everyone is gearing up for a late sprint...