gsteinb

On white plains:

There is a lot of metal, and a lot of paint.

I have a first, third and a fifth there over the past few years. I wouldn't do that race in the rain (I've won two rain races this year, one a very technical crit so I'm not rain adverse). If you watch a youtube video, on the S/F straight there's a repaired utility groove. At some point that thing has a weird lip. I caught it once it twice, without incident, but on a wet road it could be different. There's a large metal grate on the second straight that the race goes over more often than not. There's also metal in, or just before, turn 1. Turn 3 is wicked fast and downhill. The race can and has been won from there. Two years ago the masters winner was the one who hit turn 3 first. But there are manholes. It is definitively the kind of turn guys will be laying the bike down in. There are also two manholes in turn 4, which given the speed out of turn three is very fast. If you go, attack early. Lap 1. Get out. Get the gap. Keep it. I'd be pretty heavily marked, and don't like my chances at that strategy there, and don't really want to deal with being around too many guys vying for a jersey that has no meaning to me.

Incidentally there's a huge money central park race on saturday, and that's going to crush wet weather numbers at white plains.