MDcatV

good points, gotta be selective about which of the pa races to do as well.

turkey hill country classic, that's one to do for sure, it has never been part of the red rose races debacle.

bitterken

How much jackassery has there been on the turns on the race course in the past? They look pretty sharp, and I'm wondering how fast or slow the fields have taken them.

bdcheung

None of the turns are really an issue, except turn 2 which comes following a descent.

timster

How about Millport RR this weekend? Anyone done that one before? It's put on by the same people as Farmersville, and I'm registered for the 4/5 race. I'm not sure what to expect after reading your post.

TheJackMove

It'll be fine (although it seems that there is at least one crash in every one of their 4/5 races). Just keep your head up and look out for things like buggies and cars in the road, don't get frustrated if a couple other people keep passing and riding left of the yellow line, and don't give in to the temptation to be one of those people. The roads are narrow so moving throught the pack is difficult without doing this. Choose your opportunities to do so the right (and safer) way.

Some of it is just expectations, too. I kind of knew what I was getting myself into because I have done these races before, I was just really itching to race and that was the only thing going on. So if you know that you are driving a long way and paying a lot for this, and you are okay with it, you will still (hopefully) have a great time. I just wouldn't skip a well-run race to go to one of those.

jfmckenna

Thats the one thing that I love so much about the Jeff Cup - full rolling enclosure. That's rare in any road race.

timster

Thanks. There were crashes (nothing major) in all of my races so far. Crashes don't really bother me at all. It's not too far of a drive, and I missed out on Jeff Cup - it filled up reallllly fast - so I've got nothing better to do this weekend.

emcb1230

There's also a training crit in Lancaster County on Sunday. I think its called the New Holland something or other. I'm too lazy to get the link.

Lithuania

this really is awesome and what makes me consider it every year

acorn_user

It's also what makes it really important that folks come down from Mabra to do the race. That stuff is really expensive. We're going to have ten motos. :O

emcb1230

I don't think that will EVER be an issue. Didn't the 4 & 5's sell out in like a minute? You all could probably run two of each of those races and have them sell out.

MDcatV

jeff cup owes its existence to being on the mabra bar. it should be able to self sustain now, but in its inception it was brought by the promoters to the mabra bar asking for entry so that it could grow as a regional race.

emcb1230

ahhh, I understand. I'd say its firmly in the regional race calendar these days...but what do I know? Seems like there's an incredible amount of interest in it. This is the first year for 5's right?

MDcatV

^1st time in a # of years. the promoter has done alot of tweaking with the fields offered over the years.

jfmckenna

Oh there is a cat 5 this year? cool. Yeah it will never be an issue to fill fields in this event. This is a local spring classic.


30% chance of rain 63 degrees, I can handle that

aicabsolut

Wow, the women's 4 field is almost full! I hardly recognize any of the names. Maybe I should've put in for my upgrade after all. I don't know what's worse: chasing down the 1-2-3 field with a bum shoulder (which has NOT been getting better) or avoiding 50 scary, new racers (riding the brakes is really uncomfortable for the shoulder). My climbing is a lot better than it was last year. I guess I'd better launch an attack. I'm happy to see us fill a field for once, but I don't necessarily want to be in it.

Colonelmom

I'm doing this race again.. Last year it was my first... but I"m glad I'm only doing 20 miles...the 40+ women and 1/2/3 are three laps... and there are even more than a couple of twitchy rides in the 40+ and 1/2/3s.. GLAD I'm riding with the 4s.. they'll slow up for the turns.. and I'll attack.... even more if the roads are just a little damp.....

aicabsolut

There are several more wheels that I trust in the 1/2/3 than in the 4 field. I would probably get dropped along with some other 3s when people like Kenda Tire and Colavita put on the hurt, which is why I didn't try to upgrade yet. That and my season is off to a crappy start.

20 miles is so weak, though. It doesn't even count for road race upgrade points! Last year's race was terrifying. Plenty of poor bike handling in the pack. And then there was the wreck during the "sprint" (which really meant that everyone gearing up for a sprint ran into a wall of a certain purple team going about 16mph on the front in the last 100m and slammed on the brakes....that's probably what caused the crash, looking back. That and the one who went down hard couldn't hold her line on a dead straight downhill much less anywhere else).

I was going to avoid launching attacks because it puts a lot of stress on my shoulder, but if I can work my way into a break, I'll be happy.

MDcatV

2008 - me following clean currents, rmd pro, d. fuentes, and r. langley. no matter what this year brings, I wont be as cold as I was in this photo

Colonelmom

There is a really strong gal coming up from the beach.. Ali Ingram; she's racing for Vanderkitten. She went out on a break during the Bryan Park training Crit; and did A LOT of work last week at the Smackdown Crit; she's done a LOT of TRIs and is strong... IF she goes.. I'm going to try and get on her wheel... If I get on a break.. I'll do my share.. to keep us away from the field...

It won't count as ROAD points.. but it will count as Circuit points.. there are 43 signed up.. SO if I remember correctly from my oficial's clinic. You'll get points; but use the circuit breakout verses road break out...

Colonelmom

here's the quote from the rule book.. so based on the field size you get 5 points for first; 4 for second.. etc.

(b) Qualifying Distances for each category
To qualify for upgrading points, races must meet distance standards. Races shorter than the minimum distance do not qualify for upgrading. However, if a road race is less than ther road race minimum but above the criterium minimum, it will count for upgrading using the criterium points schedule.

jfmckenna

Man - 70% chance rain now WTH. Can't you guys put in for a nice day up there?

aicabsolut

Yeah you're right about the points. But the thing with circuit points is that they aren't as high and don't go as deep. With a bunch of new people, I'd welcome a longer race to help weed out the weaker links.

What team do you race for? I'll be the only one sporting a GW collegiate kit.

I will take rain this year over the sleet last year, but hopefully it'll clear by mid-day.

Colonelmom

I am with you.. maybe even three laps.. that would meet the RR minimum requirements.. and long enought to weed some out.. but NOT too long for us older CAT 4's

I race for Rostello p/b Fiorucci; see my pict... my teammates are racing the 1/2/3 so I'll be the only one from my team...

Weather man is calling for rain early.. but clearly by mid morning.. we might have some wind to contend with by our start time of 1230...

aicabsolut

Yeah I just saw that. Ugh. My cursed rear training wheel is apparently not dished right now, so it sits REALLY close to one chainstay of the new bike. It's close enough that I worry about flexing the wheel into the frame. But I don't like riding in gusty winds with the deep dish wheels. The front end gets wobbly, especially descending. It must just not weigh enough . I was planning on racing on the new bike. I really don't want to schlep both bikes down there just because of wheels. Damn.