So yesterday (Sunday, Sept. 10) was the Nancy Morgenstern Memorial Bear Mountain Fall Classic Road Race. They do this one twice a year, Spring and Fall. As if once wasn't enough...Its put on by Mike Green and the CRCA (
www.crca.net) and I have to say, it is one of the nicest courses I have ever raced on. Its a 14 mile loop with a nasty 50 mph downhill into a 180 degree turn in to an even nastier 2 mile-ish climb, followed by a section of rollers, a nice flat section...yep more rollers, feed zone...vomit...repeat. Its tough..brutal. I might have cried a little...somewhere on the third lap. I was in the 3's..we did 70 miles (5 laps) the P/1/2's do 6 laps. (poor bastards) The weather was the best...65-70 degrees, and sun. Bear Mountain notoriously has horrible weather. In the spring, it was 45 degrees with a nice British misty rain. I made it 2 laps in the Spring before curling into the fetal position and sucking my thumb in the feed zone.
This Sunday was a little different. I felt pretty good coming into it. I took an easy week of training, and Saturday had an awesome ride with my friend Angela...followed by lunch and coffee at the Hungarian Pastry Shop. Sweet.. I even had a beer on Saturday night. I mean screw it...its the last race of the season, and my goal was just to finish the damn thing. (It was a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA for those who care, and yes, I'm drinking one right now)
So, I ate, I warmed up, and rolled to the line. Craig Abrahms (CRCA/Jonathon Adler) and I were discussing our strategy at the start line...we both had the same idea: DON'T GET DROPPED. Off we went, and vefore you know it...I felt OK...breathing out of my eyeballs, but OK. In the peleton, I caught up with my friend Gabe..(CRCA/ReMAX) He just got back from
a month racing in Belgium, so it was good to catch up...while gasping for air. He took a flyer for a lap and a half, and when he came back...he said,"Its not this hilly in Belgium" (Chimay, Saison Dupont, Strange Ghost...Brilliant Belgian Beers..sorry...I have beer on the brain) Anyway...On we went. Some breaks got away, and we brought them back. We caught the last break about 5 miles from the finish...then we caught the P/1/2's...and passed them. Yes, it was fast. My teammate, Mike "Margeritaville" Margerite's girlfriend Audrey hooked me with an awesome feed..but my dumb ass didn't drink enough of it...with 2 miles to go, I was in the front group, and I got a crippling cramp in my hamstring. We were all together...I was in good position, but had to soft-pedal to try and work the cramp out...it let go, so I started making my way up for the sprint...when it went, I stood up, and that cramp grabbed me by the balls, and sat me right back down. I got 19'th...80 people started. I'm OK with that...especially since just a few months ago..I didn't finish the race. My boy Gabe got 5th...nice.
In the P/1/2...Navigators...yep a few of those knackers showed up to punish the boys. My teammates did Great....Lee Rosenthal got 8th, and Margeritaville got 11th. Local hard man Will Riffelmacher (Westwood
Velo) got 6th. (Will was a Cat.4 at the begining of this season. Just so you know) He made a massive solo effort on the first lap only to be caught on the last lap, at one point putting 6 minutes on the field. Of course Bernard Van Ulden (Navigators) attacked and won...the Best quote was from race promotor Mike Green to Will....about him putting 6 minutes on the field he said, "Van Ulden raced Univest yesterday, and went clubbing all night in NYC, So, don't feel like you did anything out there today" I thought there were going to be fists a flyin'....Margeritaville, Audrey, Gabe, Will Riff, Will's girlie Sarah, and I went to this Diner.."The Ivy League of Diners" it said on the 20 page menu...and we ate...TONS...it was 3:30 PM. Mike had Pancakes, Will had a waffle with ice cream on top...and a milkshake...I had a Turkey club with a double order of fries, and yes I dipped them in mayonaise...
So, all in all...A great day. It was a good safe race. This is most everyone's last race of the season, and the mood in the peleton was...well...fun. All year long, we talk shit in the pack, but this race, was different...we won't see alot of these guys all winter...we've all spent hours in the hurt locker together...its a little sad. Like your last day of school..happy, but sad at the same time....I sound like a f'in woman... Aw Hell...the hard men race cross...they're the cool kids anyway...I'll see their asses all winter. Scratch all that sentimental shit.
Over an out,
RK
Full results here:
http://www.crca.net/races06/harrimanfall.htm
More pics, courtesy of Marco Quezeda here:
http://www.nyvelocity.com/content.php?section=2
So yesterday (Sunday, Sept. 10) was the Nancy Morgenstern Memorial Bear Mountain Fall Classic Road Race. They do this one twice a year, Spring and Fall. As if once wasn't enough...Its put on by Mike Green and the CRCA (www.crca.net) and I have to say, it is one of the nicest courses I have ever raced on. Its a 14 mile loop with a nasty 50 mph downhill into a 180 degree turn in to an even nastier 2 mile-ish climb, followed by a section of rollers, a nice flat section...yep more rollers, feed zone...vomit...repeat. Its tough..brutal. I might have cried a little...somewhere on the third lap. I was in the 3's..we did 70 miles (5 laps) the P/1/2's do 6 laps. (poor bastards) The weather was the best...65-70 degrees, and sun. Bear Mountain notoriously has horrible weather. In the spring, it was 45 degrees with a nice British misty rain. I made it 2 laps in the Spring before curling into the fetal position and sucking my thumb in the feed zone.
This Sunday was a little different. I felt pretty good coming into it. I took an easy week of training, and Saturday had an awesome ride with my friend Angela...followed by lunch and coffee at the Hungarian Pastry Shop. Sweet.. I even had a beer on Saturday night. I mean screw it...its the last race of the season, and my goal was just to finish the damn thing. (It was a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA for those who care, and yes, I'm drinking one right now)
So, I ate, I warmed up, and rolled to the line. Craig Abrahms (CRCA/Jonathon Adler) and I were discussing our strategy at the start line...we both had the same idea: DON'T GET DROPPED. Off we went, and vefore you know it...I felt OK...breathing out of my eyeballs, but OK. In the peleton, I caught up with my friend Gabe..(CRCA/ReMAX) He just got back from
a month racing in Belgium, so it was good to catch up...while gasping for air. He took a flyer for a lap and a half, and when he came back...he said,"Its not this hilly in Belgium" (Chimay, Saison Dupont, Strange Ghost...Brilliant Belgian Beers..sorry...I have beer on the brain) Anyway...On we went. Some breaks got away, and we brought them back. We caught the last break about 5 miles from the finish...then we caught the P/1/2's...and passed them. Yes, it was fast. My teammate, Mike "Margeritaville" Margerite's girlfriend Audrey hooked me with an awesome feed..but my dumb ass didn't drink enough of it...with 2 miles to go, I was in the front group, and I got a crippling cramp in my hamstring. We were all together...I was in good position, but had to soft-pedal to try and work the cramp out...it let go, so I started making my way up for the sprint...when it went, I stood up, and that cramp grabbed me by the balls, and sat me right back down. I got 19'th...80 people started. I'm OK with that...especially since just a few months ago..I didn't finish the race. My boy Gabe got 5th...nice.
In the P/1/2...Navigators...yep a few of those knackers showed up to punish the boys. My teammates did Great....Lee Rosenthal got 8th, and Margeritaville got 11th. Local hard man Will Riffelmacher (Westwood Velo) got 6th. (Will was a Cat.4 at the begining of this season. Just so you know) He made a massive solo effort on the first lap only to be caught on the last lap, at one point putting 6 minutes on the field. Of course Bernard Van Ulden (Navigators) attacked and won...the Best quote was from race promotor Mike Green to Will....about him putting 6 minutes on the field he said, "Van Ulden raced Univest yesterday, and went clubbing all night in NYC, So, don't feel like you did anything out there today" I thought there were going to be fists a flyin'....Margeritaville, Audrey, Gabe, Will Riff, Will's girlie Sarah, and I went to this Diner.."The Ivy League of Diners" it said on the 20 page menu...and we ate...TONS...it was 3:30 PM. Mike had Pancakes, Will had a waffle with ice cream on top...and a milkshake...I had a Turkey club with a double order of fries, and yes I dipped them in mayonaise...
So, all in all...A great day. It was a good safe race. This is most everyone's last race of the season, and the mood in the peleton was...well...fun. All year long, we talk shit in the pack, but this race, was different...we won't see alot of these guys all winter...we've all spent hours in the hurt locker together...its a little sad. Like your last day of school..happy, but sad at the same time....I sound like a f'in woman... Aw Hell...the hard men race cross...they're the cool kids anyway...I'll see their asses all winter. Scratch all that sentimental shit.
Over an out,
RK
Full results here: http://www.crca.net/races06/harrimanfall.htm
More pics, courtesy of Marco Quezeda here: http://www.nyvelocity.com/content.php?section=2
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