Irvent

I was gonna try and make it but had a class. Definitely wanna go next week just to watch. Thanks for the race data Aero pretty interesting

jamesvb

I was there for my first crit ever. It was a blast and I plan to race every week.

For you guys on fence this is a wide and safe course. The diagonal finish layout will probably changed. It was strange.

Zmony

I agree, the diagonal finish was odd. A coupla other quirks have me undecided on the course:
Due to the PITA commute to LB I was hoping Irvine would replace Eldo for me during the week. But, I really like Eldo and will probably continue dragging my lazy butt up there every Tues.

esammuli

I went out last night and gave the race a try. It's a fun course and very exposed so the wind made it hard. After marking a few early moves I missed the break with Brandon Gritters, Devan Dunn, Matt Landon and a few others. We spent about 40 minutes chasing hard but the break never got any closer than 15 seconds. Their were no crashes and a good time was had by all.

jamesvb

Work and the wind kept me away. How many showed up to race?

esammuli

It was a pretty good turnout. Probably 30ish for 1/2/3. Not sure about the others. I wasn't out there the first race but I guess the finish was different. They put the line after what used to be corner 1.

Aerodee80

The finish line section was moved and its not weird anymore.

4/5s were about 40s and 40+ was about 30s

gumbii

OMG i have to check this out... i don't wake up early enough...

Aerodee80

stop staying up late fiddling with your reef tank! =p

gumbii

hahaha... but that's all i do... you see me on SCR up on the chatbox at 4am..? they want to ban me there... lol... all the mod's are against me... drama...



so are you winning...?

Aerodee80

Im not aiming to top the ranks for Great Park for the first series. Maybe later on. Although I am 3rd overall at El Do Series 1

gumbii

Kaneko

I finally gathered enough courage to try this race two days ago. This was my first bicycle "race" ever. Needless to say, I was completely blown away. I entered into the Master 40+, got dropped in the first lap, and was left alone for pretty much the rest of the way. I ended up finishing with an average of 20.1 mph which is the best I ever done but I am too SLOW I am going try one more time in a couple of weeks(my legs are still killing me!) and hopefully perform better. I have always considered myself as a fair athlete but it was a very, very, very humbling experience.

Zmony

I read this course was changed, but couldn't find any detail. Anyone know what changes were made?

jamesvb

I've only race there, or anywhere, twice. The first lap surge has been the toughest. It seems to settle down after that. You could try Cat 4/5.... I'm 49 and I find The Great Park safer than expected.

jamesvb

I raced the first week with the "diagonal" finish. It's been replaced with a 90 degree left turn and a 90 degree right.

Rumpled

I watched the last few laps of last weeks race.
I'm no racer, but it's more of a circuit race than a crit. The course is very long at 2.7 miles or so.
According to a coworker who has raced, the turns are not at all technical and easy and broad. He'd prefer a more traditional crit.

Kaneko

Thank you for your advice! I may try Cat4/5 next time and hopefully will be able to endure the surge and hung in there for a couple more laps. Despite of my initial shock of being dropped so quickly, I realize that this was a wonderful experience and motivates me to train harder both physically and mentally.

deitman

See their facebook page...I think one of the pics shows a map with the layout. I think the next series of races is going to cut out the sharp 135-degree turn at the North end of the course...

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Thursday-Night-Crit-at-The-Great-Park/113834771971286

As for the pace, sometimes the 4/5 is faster than the Masters...kind of depends on the start order and who's in the race...one week the 4/5 was around 23mph and the next was 26mph...I usually hang near the back in the draft and surge once or twice during the race to see how long I can sustain a max effort before my performance drops off, since I'm not (nor will ever be due to knee issues) a quick sprinter. My only hope is to train for an early jump and then hold a high speed for as long as possible...I've been a great lead-out for a few weeks of racing before I blow up at the end.

sehall

Just came across this... looks fun! I'll post about this on CycleOC.com to help get the word out...