patentcad

70+ miles today, including my team's criterium in Rockleigh. I did the 4/5 race, first crit since 1999. Oh well. A few observations from racing with the 4/5 boys:

• Mostly very competent racing, but a few very squirrelly moves. One guy cut me off in a corner for no reason, but then, I expected him to do something stupid, and so he did. Happily I did not clip his wheel. I gave him a 'Duuuuddddeee!' but that was it. Another guy yelled at me for nothing and my one word rejoinder to him on the backstretch was 'relax'. I think maybe after that he did.

• Reasonably fast pace (25+ mph). No concerted breakaway attempts.

• Odd finish, I thought the pace line would string out on the last lap, it stayed jammed up, I wound up sprinting from the last third and getting around as many guys as I could, probably was 15-20th out of 50 guys (I don't know how many were left at the end, less than that). But I was moving up. I just ran out of race course : ).

Overall, I had more surge at the end than I thought I would. I liked that race. I'll go back next summer (another club does a series there). But I'll put the Zipp tubulars on the Ibis so I'm less paranoid about crashing my good bike. I was happy I finished, felt comfortable, rode at the front a fair bit and didn't get hauled off in an ambulance.

I met mcjimbo and roadjorge there too. Rode a few miles with jorge up to Nyack, then back along the Hudson River (there's a cool cinder bike path right on the water) up to Rockland Lake, then back up into Harriman. Overall a great day. Fun to race @ Rockleigh again. Tricky turn one, other than that a very safe course.

I did get a look at the 1-2-3 race. Good grief those guys are fast. I can't ride that fast. I would have been shelled like a bad taco. I'm happy as an over the hill 4 who poses in the 35+ races. I was very comfortable with the 4's. That's my speed.

Velo Vol 

The end.

patentcad

Yeah, all my threads only go 2 posts.

mike868y

sounds safe.

Velo Vol 

You should be grateful I kept this one on the front page for a little while longer

patentcad

It's safe right up until some incredibly bonehead Cat 5 takes down 10 guys. Hey, it's dangerous enough when everybody knows what they're doing. In a 50 man field today, there were half a dozen guys who were sort of accidents waiting to happen. Some of them got shelled eventually, but it's not as safe as a Master's race.

mvnsnd

Nice report.

wanders

what one would that be?

Reynolds 

Looks like you had a good time!

ciocc_cat

I think that's WHY they added Cat V. When I raced Cat IV, we had those who knew what they were doing and those who you stayed away from because . . . ah, use your imagination. Some learn faster than others, and some simply have NO business racing anything but time trials.

tjspahr

Glad you had a good time. It's pretty cool that you have crits still going...most of the stuff around here wound down about 3-4 weeks ago, and cross is picking up...

NathanC

33.

patentcad

Yeah, but they lump 4/5's together a lot. It's not that much different than racing Cat 4 back in the day, but somehow the 5's do seem worse. Probably because there are more noobies in the sport these days. Every guy with a pricey race bike feels compelled to try racing. Me for example. But I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to make anybody crash.

patentcad

I can't go there. I'm too hated.

patentcad

I'd rather crash the Ibis than the CF bikes, because it's 15 years old, and because it's pretty indestructible. Flesh heals, CF doesn't.

coasting 

Racing sounds stupidly nutso. Just saying.

coasting 

What's the point of a ride where you can't stop for a bite to eat?

patentcad

correct

Velo Vol 

Time to mend the fences.

coasting 

Did you at least beat jorge and mcjimbo?

echappist

except with your 20+ years of racing, you are a safe rider (i recall you imparting the very important mantra of "always protect your front wheel"). The other schmoe probably doesn't even know to put the outside foot down when turning.

It was nice meeting you, too. Too bad i had to leave in order to meet my teammates. I'm planning on doing more races in Prospect Park & Central Park next year, and maybe i'll get to race alongside you. Apparently when i asked the organizers if you (using your real first name) has arrived, he responded, "oh, you mean the pcad?" Apparently, your legend reaches beyond the internet.

patentcad

The disdain of imbeciles is its own reward.

patentcad

It mostly extends into my own mind.

Velo Vol 

Somewhere I got the idea that mcjimbosandwich was on the Pcad's team.

gnome

well yes. but you are with other nutsos not just yourself.