Central Park Races (NY City) in March - a little help please NYC racers....

[patentcad]

I was hoping to make my return to racing in early March with the Saturday AM in NY City @ the Central Park Spring Series races. They used to be 'open', but the only stuff I can find on the Internet about races in CP in March is on the CRCA website which indicates they are CRCA clubs only.

But that flies in the face with my own experience. My friends did these races in 2006 and they were open races at that time. Does anybody know where I can pre-register for the Central Park races and if they are indeed still 'open' USCF events. I'm planning on the Vets race.

And yes I do have my USCF license, and I am a Cat 4 (for life, like somebody else here). Now that I have officially announced this you can alert the rest of the media.

The world yawns.

[botto]

this nmight help http://www.avdgraphics.com/MCA/SpriSer/SSschd.html

[garysol1]

this nmight help http://www.avdgraphics.com/MCA/SpriSer/SSschd.html

Welcome to 2003 Botto :)

"2003 NYC Spring Bicycle Racing Series "

[timmhaan]

Mmmm...perhaps the schedule isn't up yet. I thought the link was: http://www.metropolitancycling.com/ but it doesn't appear to go anywhere.

the bulk of the races in CP are CRCA races, but early in the season there should be a few open ones. anyone know?

[patentcad]

Thanks for trying Botto. It's the thought that counts.

Anybody have any info on the 2007 races? I do think Tim's comment that the races simply aren't up on the web yet may be accurate. That's odd considering they're only 4-5 weeks off and many of the participants like to pre-register...

By the way, I rode today. 21º when I left. By the time I returned 2+ hours later the temps had soared to....21º. Of course the 20mph NW wind probably made the windchill about -20º riding into the headwind. After this those early March Sat AM Manhattan starts are going to feel like cycling in the Florida Keys.

[botto]

Welcome to 2003 Botto :)

"2003 NYC Spring Bicycle Racing Series "

nmight = a typo for 'this might help', and dude, if you've never been on your bike in CP, this is a thread to lurk, not contribute.

[isuffer]

but then again, they've also had races for everyone. I know I'm not helping much. Have you considered doing Bethel?

[garysol1]

, if you've never been on your bike in CP, this is a thread to lurk, not contribute.

Botto. This is a public forum and I was just kidding around. Botto...you are the master at poking a little fun at people so please don't pull this high and mighty attitude. Have fun guys.......

[botto]

Botto. This is a public forum and I was just kidding around. Botto...you are the master at poking a little fun at people so please don't pull this high and mighty attitude. Have fun guys.......

high and mighty was not the desired effect.

[patentcad]

It's either going to be Bethel or CP. I've raced quite a bit @ both venues, but not since 1998 or 1999 ('99 was the last year I held a license and that was injury-curtailed). I'd really prefer CP. I do enjoy racing in NYC, and there's nothing quite like Central Park racing for me. I love it and I enjoy the city racing scene. I do like that little finish hill @ Bethel however, and that's FAR easier logistically (later alarm bell, easier parking, etc.). If I can do the CP races I might go there. Maybe I'll split it up.

[TheKillerPenguin]

patentcad,

skip the central park races, come up to coxsackie and do the Johnny Cake spring series. 1 race each weekend starting March 17th. B group does 42 miles each race. There's a good turnout and it doesnt start until 11am so you dont have to wake up at midnight to get there ;) and you dont have to deal with NYC traffic.

[timmhaan]

By the way, I rode today. 21º when I left. By the time I returned 2+ hours later the temps had soared to....21º. Of course the 20mph NW wind probably made the windchill about -20º riding into the headwind. After this those early March Sat AM Manhattan starts are going to feel like cycling in the Florida Keys.

personally, i think those early season races are BRUTAL. not only is it cold, but it's dark. there is something unholy about waking up at 4:30 or 5:00am on a weekend, leaving a warm bed while the cold wind is whipping at the window. did i mention it's still dark out?

i always go to bed pumped to race, and then i wake up and i'm like 'damn, why am i doing this again?'. :lol:

[patentcad]

patentcad,

skip the central park races, come up to coxsackie and do the Johnny Cake spring series. 1 race each weekend starting March 17th. B group does 42 miles each race. There's a good turnout and it doesnt start until 11am so you dont have to wake up at midnight to get there ;) and you dont have to deal with NYC traffic.

But isn't Coxsackie near Albany? That may be beyond my Geographic Bike Race Limit. I did see that series posted. I will look into it further. The chance to meet the Big P. might make it all worthwhile.

Not for nothing P. but whenever I think of you I get visions of Burgess Meredith (who played Penguin in the 1960's Batman TV show).

P.S. There IS no 'traffic' in Manhattan @ 5:30AM on Saturday. Only barflies stumbling home from after hours clubs. Actually we'll all meet in Fort Lee, NJ, park there, and cycle in over the GWB. 6 miles to CP, nice warmup.

[TheKillerPenguin]

Its about mile 120 on the Thruway, so I'd guess about 1:45 from your house.

I'll be racing in the A's. woot! :D

And the 1960's batman movie rocks :beer:

[botto]

personally, i think those early season races are BRUTAL. not only is it cold, but it's dark. there is something unholy about waking up at 4:30 or 5:00am on a weekend, leaving a warm bed while the cold wind is whipping at the window. did i mention it's still dark out?

i always go to bed pumped to race, and then i wake up and i'm like 'damn, why am i doing this again?'. :lol:

the good thing about racing so early is that you can stuff yourself with bearkfast afterwards. ;)

[patentcad]

4AM isn't that unusual of a wake up bell for me. To make those CP races it will be 3:45, suit up, grab the coffee to go and hit the pre-loaded car for the ride to Ft. Lee. But I will be home by 10:30AM or so with a race and 40-50 miles under my belt. Sorry, I'm not driving longer than 60-90 mins. to race anywhere. You're confusing me with somebody who's all stoked because he might WIN the race.

I ask my buddy how the CP races compare to the Nyack Ride on Sundays, and he says: 'it's really easier, more pack suckage, but it often splits up into 2-3 groups and if you're not in the lead group you're hopelessly out of contention even though you're not dropped'.

To which I replied: 'What's your point? I've been hopelessly out of contention in the USCF since 1990.'

[marcelinyc]

check here
http://www.racelistings.com/home.htm

[DrPete]

You need to race in CP. You race to train. Training is for wussy. :D

[patentcad]

check here
http://www.racelistings.com/home.htm

Ummm.. if there's a point to this reply, share it with us. No info on the CP races here.

I'm TOLD these races are open. Everything online indicates they are CRCA. Which is the original dilemma.

[slvoid]

Patent, these races are club only races.
http://www.crca.net/racesarch/schedule.htm

Any other races not on this list are open.

[patentcad]

Patent, these races are club only races.
http://www.crca.net/racesarch/schedule.htm

Any other races not on this list are open.

But there's the rub. Is this new? Those March CP races have been open for 20 years. This year it's different? If so my friend's team (which is a CRCA sub-team) will not be participating. Odd, since their team member won the Spring points series last year.

I agree, that is what that CRCA website would seem to indicate.

Also odd: only 3 of the 5 Saturdays in March are accounted for on that list of races. This is very confusing. I'm sure the truth will be revealed in good time.

I guess I'll be racing someplace in March....

[slvoid]

I think you'll feel better after a good night's sleep.

[patentcad]

I think you'll feel better after a good night's sleep.

I have emailed the President of the CRCA, Mayor Bloomberg's office, the NY offices of the CIA, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I will get to the bottom of this.

Is this the 'Obsessive' part of this 'OCP' you guys are always blathering on about?

[TheKillerPenguin]

Too much coffee?

[botto]

But there's the rub. Is this new? Those March CP races have been open for 20 years. This year it's different? If so my friend's team (which is a CRCA sub-team) will not be participating. Odd, since their team member won the Spring points series last year.

I agree, that is what that CRCA website would seem to indicate.

Also odd: only 3 of the 5 Saturdays in March are accounted for on that list of races. This is very confusing. I'm sure the truth will be revealed in good time.

I guess I'll be racing someplace in March....

which leads me to believe that the saturdays that there are no club races listed will be SS races.

[patentcad]

which leads me to believe that the saturdays that there are no club races listed will be SS races.

Is an 'SS race' some neo-Nazi phenomena? That's going to be a tough sell in NYC.

[botto]

Is an 'SS race' some neo-Nazi phenomena? That's going to be a tough sell in NYC.

You know what I meant.

If you don't get an answer from CRCA, pm me, and i'll get you the email address to a friend who's a racer and part of the CRCA admin.

[patentcad]

You know what I meant.

If you don't get an answer from CRCA, pm me, and i'll get you the email address to a friend who's a racer and part of the CRCA admin.

No, really, what does 'SS' stand for?

This place is full of AW (Acronym Weenies).

By the way the head of CRCA e-mailed me and those open CP races are run by another entity. It would appear that they simply haven't posted anything on the Internet yet.

[botto]

No, really, what does 'SS' stand for?


spring series.

This place is full of AW (Acronym Weenies).

By the way the head of CRCA e-mailed me and those open CP races are run by another entity. It would appear that they simply haven't posted anything on the Internet yet.


and i thought that was the case, but it's been so long since i've done one, i couldn't remember for sure.

[bravo106]

There's also the Branchbrook Park series in Newark, NJ. (the north end, closer to Bloomfield) They usually start up in March and continue for a few months. IIRC, the first race starts around 8-8:30 a.m., so you get to sleep in a little later as compared to CP.

BikeReg (http://www.bikereg.com/events/default.asp?p=16&ne=15&et=1&rg=&states=) and MontclairBikery/Premiere Cycling (http://www.montclairbikery.com/page/page/4154126.htm) are some of the places you can get info.

[timmhaan]

By the way the head of CRCA e-mailed me and those open CP races are run by another entity. It would appear that they simply haven't posted anything on the Internet yet.

was that ken harris, by chance? i agree that it's frustrating that no one has posted anything yet. i wonder if there are problems getting permits?

[DrWJODonnell]

branchbrook is definitely up...I know I will be doing a few of those. I will look into CP and PP for you. I might do those as well (they are nice and early so I cna be done with one race and ready to go to the next).

[timmhaan]

i might try to do some branchbrook races as well.

i gotta figure out how to get there coming off the PATH train though. anyone done that before?

[patentcad]

Tim- Yes that was Ken who emailed me.

Is that Boss Tweed on your avatar by the way?

[botto]

Tim- Yes that was Ken who emailed me.

Is that Boss Tweed on your avatar by the way?

i thought that was Darwin?

[timmhaan]

yep - it's darwin. although it would be funny to have a boss tweed avatar.

[botto]

yep - it's darwin. although it would be funny to have a boss tweed avatar.

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cdavis2/images/tweed3.gifhttp://www.graphicwitness.org/group/nastwmt.jpghttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/images/1204boss.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/Boss_Tweed,_Nast.jpg

[popdelusions]

No, really, what does 'SS' stand for?

This place is full of AW (Acronym Weenies).

By the way the head of CRCA e-mailed me and those open CP races are run by another entity. It would appear that they simply haven't posted anything on the Internet yet.

Yeah, the early season spring races in CP are part of Team Squiggle/Metropolitan Cycling Association's race series, they put on a few races in March and April in CP, PP, and at Floyd occasionally. No idea if the contact email on the MCA page that botto linked to is current, but perhaps worth a try.

It gets confusing because there's ANOTHER "Spring Series" put on by Kissena Cycling Club. Then there's the occasional race put on in PP by "Kissena Sports," which is not the same Kissena...

[marcelinyc]

kissena april track series start on april 15 says bikereg. wonder who put that up?

[jemoryl]

i might try to do some branchbrook races as well.

i gotta figure out how to get there coming off the PATH train though. anyone done that before?

Take the NJ Transit midtown direct service from NY Penn station to Newark Broad St.: this puts you about 1 mile from one corner of Branchbrook Park. Check some online maps for the rest of the route. If you want to take the PATH you might be closer if you get off at Harrison (one stop before Newark Penn), but I would prefer the NJ Transit option.

[timmhaan]

Take the NJ Transit midtown direct service from NY Penn station to Newark Broad St.: this puts you about 1 mile from one corner of Branchbrook Park. Check some online maps for the rest of the route. If you want to take the PATH you might be closer if you get off at Harrison (one stop before NY Penn), but I would prefer the NJ Transit option.

oh, wow...i didn't realize it was so close to newark broad st. that's good to know...makes things a lot easier.

[popdelusions]

kissena april track series start on april 15 says bikereg. wonder who put that up?

Joe Brennan's putting those on.

[marcelinyc]

Registration is now open http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=4394

[patentcad]

Registration is now open http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=4394

3 laps? That can't be right. That's 18 miles in Central Park and 9 miles in Prospect. I'm not schlepping down there for that.

[botto]

3 laps? That can't be right. That's 18 miles in Central Park and 9 miles in Prospect. I'm not schlepping down there for that.

sounds about right. how far are you from bethel? doesn't sound nearly as exotic as central park, but...?

[patentcad]

I've done Bethel enough to know what that scene is like, it's a tad further but no NYC hassles. I may opt for those races. And the CP and PP races were always considerably longer than that. 4-5 laps in CP, 8-12 laps in PP. That must be a misprint. I will get to the bottom of this.

[patentcad]

I've done Bethel enough to know what that scene is like, it's a tad further but no NYC hassles. I may opt for those races. And the CP and PP races were always considerably longer than that. 4-5 laps in CP, 8-12 laps in PP. That must be a misprint. I will get to the bottom of this.

Right. It's 4 laps in Central Park for the 35+ (24+ miles), 12 laps in Prospect for the 35+ (36+ miles). That's more like it. You can preregister for all 8 races for like $210. I may do it and start with the second race in CP on 3/10.

[botto]

Right. It's 4 laps in Central Park for the 35+ (24+ miles), 12 laps in Prospect for the 35+ (36+ miles). That's more like it. You can preregister for all 8 races for like $210. I may do it and start with the second race in CP on 3/10.

what's wrong with the 1st race (whenever that is)?

if all of the "i rode for Xmiles in -40° weather" posts of yours were true, then it's not like you're out of shape. :)

[patentcad]

what's wrong with the 1st race (whenever that is)?

if all of the "i rode for Xmiles in -40° weather" posts of yours were true, then it's not like you're out of shape. :)

Organizational cluster fcuk every year. Try it some time.

[botto]

Organizational cluster fcuk every year. Try it some time.

i've done my fair share of spring series races, thank you very much. ;)