MrCrassic 

...and show up late to a race because you spent too much time debating whether you should race today or not.

I woke up an hour and a half before the race started, but didn't get much sleep (again). So I was debating whether to stay in bed and catch up on sleep or just get out there. After 15 minutes of this BS, I decided to get up, make a quick smoothie and toast breakfast and drive out to PP. Only to find out that the race had already began. Good job, me!

However, I did accomplish one goal today. For the first time, I did five laps around the Park, the standard length of a Category 5 race there. I always hesitated on doing that amount, but after I saw the guys racing, I just had to do it. Not only that, I did it at 19.2 mph average! Fastest I've ever done it, though I am still struggling up that hill (had I done the race, I would not have been able to keep up there; the 5's were moving up that hill pretty fast).

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patentcad

I'd post a Race Report about today's Master's 35+ race, but the neutralized race/re-start/finish was so F'd up, I'm not sure what happened. But our man Jerry Martinez figured out a way to win the race (he often does), we took the overall Avon Series trophy (Jerry won it) and that's what matters. Well, OK, it doesn't matter as much as the cool race action photos I think they snapped of Pcad on the Col du Rasta, but that remains to be seen.

Hey, if you're going to sponsor a team, it's good to sponsor one that actually gets results. Spring Series and Avon Series Master's 35+ titles this year. That doesn't suck.

scottmorrison99

Well done, sir.

patentcad

To clarify, they neutralized the 35+ race right at the end of lap 9 due to an ambulance scraping up a crash from another race in front of us. After several minutes they announce they're going to re-start the race and we'll have one lap to go. They further ask that all the guys that were in the breakaway form at the front, and they'll get a 20 second head start. Suddenly the 15 man breakaway has 25 guys as the honor system fails. I'm sitting there like an idiot thinking anyone is paying attention to this protocol, the 'breakaway' rolls, but then everybody just rolls out behind them. By the time I realize this is utter BS, the whole race is 300 meters up the friggin road. I wasn't about to chase it down only to have zero gas left even if I caught them in a one lap finish, so I went back to the car.

Fortunately my pal Don saw two of the series points leaders who were NOT in the break jump into it at the re-start. He jumped with them and was there to lead out our man Jerry. Not the organizer's fault, but in my view they should have said 'now it's one pack, 2 laps to go' and that would have worked much better. But we got the desired result. Whether they will count this result to the overall series title remains to be seen, but we think they will.

Enthalpic

You subconsciously sabotaged your own race. You made yourself late because at some level you either don't want to race at all, or lack the sack to do it, just sayin'.

dmb2786

you're going to turn into a smoothie.

scottmorrison99

pcad's no cheat.

patentcad

Here is the only way to get to a 6:40AM race: you decide the night before, you're doing it, come hell or high water. And sometimes the hell and high water are provided, but you HTFU and race regardless. Believe me, unless you wind up in the ambulance, you'll always be psyched that you did afterwards.

patentcad

After today, those days are over. Henceforth, I go with the peloton flow. Far be it from me to be the moral compass for a bunch of Hack NY City Bike Race friggin WEASELS.

sounddevisor

The system kind of failed in the 5s race, too. There were 3 guys away up the road (so no pace vehicle) when we got caught by a break from the 123s - who also, for some reason, had no pace vehicle - I found out later that their pace vehicle pulled in behind the 5s for some reason, allowing the 123 break to go by us unannounced and unmarshalled. A few minutes later the rest of the 123 field went by us (still no pace vehicle in sight) and somehow mysteriously picked up a few "extra" members from our field.

One of those guys may have come back to the main pack eventually, but I'm pretty sure that one or two of the first five places got a little extra help from the 123s. If only they paid out cash to the 5s - the entire 123 peloton would have earned an extra 12 cents apiece!

Whatever - I'm happy to report that, from the start of the season when I got dropped like a pop-fly at a a baseball game for the blind, I have now managed to get enough form to stay in, make a move or two off the front, and even have enough left for a sprint - 3rd in the field sprint, seventh overall!

I guess there's something to this training stuff after all.

BananaTugger

Everyone can't be wrong, can they?

patentcad

You'll see.

VosBike

I like racing in prospect. It is pleasant...no one does anything except on the hill really.

Doing this race this morning plus a nice slow trip to bear mt. put me in the hurt. Man I need to get back into some semblance of form.

patentcad

In the Master's race, they'll attack anywhere. And the breaks often succeed.

VosBike

I can't wait.
In the meantime, maybe I just get mentally lazy at PP, but I never feel any need to pay much attention on the back and finish stretches.

patentcad

What often determines the success of a break in a Master's race is the rhythm of the race. Today was a perfect example. The opening was slow, and for the first time this year, the Cat 4 field actually caught and passed us around Lap 4 or so. Then it picked back up, and we caught and passed the 4's about a lap later and never saw them again. Go figure.

The other factor is tactical: which teams are in the break, how many guys are behind. If you get three guys represented by three major teams in the race, their teams not only won't chase, they'll go to the front and block, which facilitates the breakaway's success. Lots of team tactics in the 35+, makes the races more interesting.

MrCrassic 

Bringing back old topics, I see?

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MrCrassic 

Both.

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