So now that my racing season has officially started, I will be regularly writing race and training reports w/ some ramblings here and there. Today was a good start for my first race of 2009. I showed up to Prospect Park on two hours of sleep after a night out. Nonetheless I still felt ready to race.
This year the race director has added KOM and Sprint points during the race. This may sound like a good idea, but during the race no one really new which lap was a sprint. Naturally the 4 field assumed every lap was a sprint and KOM lap. At least this kept the pace high. My goals for this race were to attack the field at least once, take one pull at the front and be in position to contest the sprint. I have to say that I completed all of them.
Two laps in I attacked about a mile before the start/finish as I thought it was a sprint lap. WRONG, it was not and I went for nothing. But my first goal was complete, and right before I took the front to help reel in a break but I turned that into my planned attack. I stayed up front most of the race, working w/ the two Rutgers who also raced the 4 field today. Coincidentally we ended up working together in the final lap going into the sprint. Here I used the pack position skills I learned last year to get in prime position to contest the sprint. I got a clear view of the winning move and reacted. Unfortunately I did not have the legs to really gun the sprint. I guess that's what happens when you race on two hours of sleep.
I learned today that the 4's are much smoother than the 5's in Prospect and that 4's don't like to work at the front. It seemed today that only 2 teams were working at the front today: Brooklyn Velo Force(won the final sprint in a squirely leadout train) and Kissena. I also learned that there are some cat 4's who should have their licenses ripped up. There were a few wankers who attacked on the downhill and nearly caused crashes. In the final sprint, a few more very small minded racer took creative lines. Causing several near misses at 35mph and totally disrupting the leadout. Finally I saw that I am ready for next week when it really counts at the season opener. Legs feel good, form is good, all is good...
Showing posts with label Brooklyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooklyn. Show all posts
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
So it begins again...
Tomorrow will be my first race of the seaon, Prospect Park.
I did the bulk of my season there last summer and had a blast. Yes; there were crashes, arguments, breakaways, and late starts. But that's Brooklyn for you...
The vibe there is pretty good, post race everyone is pretty friendly and happy to have finished unscathed(most of the time). However, during the race is a whole another story. You got bumping, elbows, yelling arguing and nervousness and that's just while you're lining up. During the race it's an every man for himself hammerfest that doesn't ease up till the end. I did I mention the screaming downhill that always sees a nasty crash..
I missed only two races of last year's cadence cup, and with the addition of KOM points this season I will be there for all of them. Last year my sprint wasn't enough to contest the win, but after a good period of base training that will definitely change.
I can not leave out the crit paradise that is NJ racing. Every other weekend you can race several crits with some squirelly racers and either get shelled or get some cool prizes on the prime laps. As much as I enjoy Prospect, there is nothing like a NJ crit. You got tight turns, potholes, 60 man fields, and super fast master's races. Racing crits every weekend with some hardened racers will make you much more aggressive and squirelly, which will help me next week at Rutgers.If you ever want to learn how to be a better crit racer than there is no place better than NJ.
As you can tell, I am definitely ready to start my season off on the right foot. I have been training hard and working on all my weak areas. I feel good and my form is progressing along nicely. I think I will end this rant here as I tend to ramble on and on. One final thought, Prospect Park means I need to leave at 4:30 am. I guess that means no partying tonight :(
I did the bulk of my season there last summer and had a blast. Yes; there were crashes, arguments, breakaways, and late starts. But that's Brooklyn for you...
The vibe there is pretty good, post race everyone is pretty friendly and happy to have finished unscathed(most of the time). However, during the race is a whole another story. You got bumping, elbows, yelling arguing and nervousness and that's just while you're lining up. During the race it's an every man for himself hammerfest that doesn't ease up till the end. I did I mention the screaming downhill that always sees a nasty crash..
I missed only two races of last year's cadence cup, and with the addition of KOM points this season I will be there for all of them. Last year my sprint wasn't enough to contest the win, but after a good period of base training that will definitely change.
I can not leave out the crit paradise that is NJ racing. Every other weekend you can race several crits with some squirelly racers and either get shelled or get some cool prizes on the prime laps. As much as I enjoy Prospect, there is nothing like a NJ crit. You got tight turns, potholes, 60 man fields, and super fast master's races. Racing crits every weekend with some hardened racers will make you much more aggressive and squirelly, which will help me next week at Rutgers.If you ever want to learn how to be a better crit racer than there is no place better than NJ.
As you can tell, I am definitely ready to start my season off on the right foot. I have been training hard and working on all my weak areas. I feel good and my form is progressing along nicely. I think I will end this rant here as I tend to ramble on and on. One final thought, Prospect Park means I need to leave at 4:30 am. I guess that means no partying tonight :(
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