island rider

I'm in the midst of a debate on this one. 35-44 has 9 entries. Cat 4 has 15 entries. If the numbers stay small I have less concern about the NYS Championship leading to increased risk, but a big part of me just thinks turning myself inside out on Saturday would be a better use of time. That said, I really need more race experience.

shovelhd

The stretch between turns one and two really only has one good line at speed. There's a cheese grater in turn two at the base of the rise that could give you trouble in the rain. Turn three is riddled with manholes, but there are two or three decent lines. The best sprint position is to set up left and late apex turn four to carry as much speed as possible into the hill. You have to be up front to win. The prevailing wind is in your face between three and four. I loved the course and always did well there.

echappist

im surprised at the low attendance for Watermelon crit. that said, $35 is quite hefty for a non-descript course...

gsteinb

Watermelon crit: In past years they have given out baked goods for prizes for most categories. I won the cat 3 race there one year and got a banana bread. While that holds some charm for some folks, as evidenced by the numbers, most folks chose to do other things.

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.

YMCA

Turn 3 is the only real issue I see with a rainy White Plains. The tire bounces everywhere with lots of speed. Gary is correct, if it's wet, a winner may be able to shoot that corner quickly and hold it all the way thru 4 to the line. The rest of the course is about learning the best line and staying relaxed. The kind of course that can easily be a bunch kick dependent on team tactics. Very wide avenues and corners.

globecanvas

Looks like the masters race might be in a little window of not actively thunderstorming (though almost certainly wet).

35 signed up now for the combined 35+/45+. I have an expectation for how the race will play out. Excited to race!

shovelhd

Watch Enaeus ride away?

globecanvas

He's not registered, and not in my age bracket. Plus I think he lives in CT so if he does show up and wants to solo it, more power to him.

I think certain breakaway artists will go very early, and certain sprinters will try to keep them in check. My money is on the break, but it might take a few tries. I just hope my legs are in the break too.

island rider

I was just planning on latching onto your wheel.

globecanvas

In previous state crit championships that strategy has ended in the ER.

island rider

See, this is why I am actually nervous about doing this. Between the course, the rain, the championship and the risk tolerance of racers in proximity of NYC, I'm actually afraid I will be too timid because I'm concerned about crashes and end up being stupid myself.

tetonrider

wait...didn't you just get poison ivy? and you're racing? props to you.

good luck & have fun. if it's a tight course, maybe announce that you have poison ivy & you'll get more space.

Harlan

At nutmeg now. Raining like hell. Afternoon races should get interesting. There was a bad crash in the 4s and it was dry. Guy busted his bike, and body.

TheKillerPenguin

Yikes. Stay safe! The t-storms came through here half an hour ago.

globecanvas

Called it!

TheKillerPenguin

And then took 2nd in the 40+. Underachiever!

carpediemracing 

Watched FF win the 45+. He sat up in the 40+ from what I could see, like "I don't want to solo the whole race".

Saw Mikey there. Bailed out, it was pouring, cold, the late races meant we were really pushing my Pop's time frame, and to top it off I was hungry. When I got home I realized I forgot to eat lunch.

I guess today is trainer day.

milmo

A guy from that race with a broken bike (both seat stays sheared) walked by me while I was warming up. A lot of road rash. Said the guy in front didn't hold his line, he wasn't angry, just resigned. But then an ambulance showed up at the point of the crash, far side of course coming out of the first turn, so someone got it worse than him.

In the 50+ going up the little hill a rider on the inside goes down, forces the rider just outside to cut hard right into my path and I end up grass surfing. It had been showering for about 30 or 40 minutes at that point and was just turning heavier. Risk/reward balance didn't seem worth it so I soft peddled in to dnf, though watching the rest of the race from the sidelines it seemed OK, maybe I overreacted. Caution increases with age. I had won a prime in the 60+ and got a small piece of the purse so had declared victory for the day before the 50+ started.

gsteinb

I'm hearing the former big bumble bee gone Incredible Hulk dude was tested last weekend.

carpediemracing 

Huh. I didn't hear that.

I know Hunter posted that he had to pee.

I wonder if FF did? I think the testing was after P123 since no one was saying anything about Masters stuff.

I always thought of the P123 race for Nutmeg specifically as being sort of a Wild West kind of thing with the big prime hunting stuff going on, guys that come out of the woodwork to grab the $100 primes. In the past I always thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if some of those guys had to pee in a cup. I have no idea how the race turned out as I left shortly after I got there.

globecanvas

I believe they tested the masters podium at White Plains last week.

gsteinb

actually, what I heard was he was tested in Connecticut two weeks ago. Targeted. D9n't know the validity of that.

mike868y

Amos is promoting another road race later this year! Looks like it's going to be brutal. Perfect Tokeneke prep.

https://www.bikereg.com/the-cream-wi...e-circuit-race

grolby

Hmmm. No women's races, not even an open race. That's a shame.