RP2IPBP w 2 -- Cedar

Saturday -- back to the good old RP2IPBP route. Today morning, Py was about to find out how his really long gone SR-C11 cassette would do with the new chain -- it saw two chains and got a total of 6715 miles on! Well, the climb out of his house revealed instantly a slipping chain on some middle cog -- the biggest three still worked find, also the fastest 4 were still usable w/o slips. Alright, that figured our quickly, still some gears left top work with for today.

Just a few today, one took off else where... Two riders and Py left to go. A good fast move out east with the help of some tail/cross winds.

A nice day -- the trees just about to turn red and orange -- not yet there. Only it got pretty hot all sudden again today!

The return asked for a bit more work, but we made a decent time including two extra stops for water -- one left his water bottles behind home...

Back home, swapping the EC90SL race wheel's cassette on hoping this one to be still in good shape as this only saw some 1000 miles so far! ...refreshing a bit -- it to up to 32C --, eating a banana and filling up water, grabbing the camera and heading out again for Cedar Beach for some scouting out. It got about 1pm -- heavy traffic, annoying traffic and a few care less and not watching out drivers. Obviously a good time NOT to get there and leave the 4-wheeled battle men & women in gas burning stinking steel boxes by them selfs. Py got really up set today about them today.

However, some scenery check.

:-)

Early Birds North -- always North...

Missing last Sunday's EBs ride in favor or the Bear Mountain race, this time again -- North.

The sun not yet really up as Py took for from home to the start at 6:32. About all the way to Manorville a slight chill though the whole system, not really getting warm -- no wind, that was good and comfy while stopped -- but at 20..22mph it felt cold. The first few low ray's of sun did not helped much -- but woke up the minds, it will get nice soon.

At Manorville some riders were already chatting and unloading bikes. A well sized group. Starting out right away with some decent pace. Feeln' alright, just taking it easy today. Few pulls, OK. And a little play and experimenting with "what's left in the tank" towards the end. Sorry guys, if I may caused some one hurt'n on 51... you can always just let me go -- you've been plenty of riders today.

RP 2 IPBP 2 Orient

Special ride out to Orient Point today. Early start at 7am, the sun just rising,

nice just comfortable warm morning for the very early fall season end summer season. A good number of ten total riders gathered at the usual meeting place behind Tildas.

Rolling out good on time at 7:01. A few snap shots of the ride out east on the RP2IPBP route -- just a little picture story:

The Tanks...

And further going east -- Soundview:

Orient -- History Downtown and back roads:

Returning from Orient Point, as far as you can go east on LI/North Fork.

Greenport Cafe stop.

The return -- with the help of an nice tail wind...

105 miles, 5h11 moving / 20.6mph average. A nice fun morning ride :-) Back by just noon:45.

And finally enjoy...

Bear Hill (Mtn) Race -- Nancy Morgenstern Memorial Fall Road Race

This Sunday Py went with his team, well, finally four instead of five Green Arm Bandits, to the Nancy Morgenstern Memorial -- also known as Bear Mountain -- Road Race.

image credits: http://nyvelocity.com/gallery/image/5116?page=19


image credits: http://nyvelocity.com/gallery/image/5116?page=28

Around 9:30 arrival at Lake Sebago, Bear Mountain. Plenty of time to get ready, have a sandwich and do a little warm up riding with the team mates Chris, Kris and Owen.

Getting the number 393 -- like it :-) And gathering with some big crowd at the staging area where two more fields were waiting to take off ahead. A slight delayed start around 12:10 for the CAT 4B field. Just a few minutes after the 4A... well, we will find out that this was not a sufficient time gap later.

The neutral start until first pass of finish line -- out of 4 laps -- went very easy and smooth, a nice and well behaved field, good control of speed before the U turn at end of downhill at up to 77km/h... Py stayed mostly all the time in top 5..10 either way.

A good steady climb, felt almost easy -- about the same effort 4 times, nothing went crazy. Also no issues with the bumpy road, again, Py stayed more or less in front and out of any troubles. A little speed on the rollers around the lake, the usual gaming, nobody wants really to work... at least a few pulls and share of work and then stalled sharing of work again...
At end of 1st lap we caught up on the 4A's (the younger kids kept it easy) -- they were made neutral as we passed this time.

Same game again 2nd lap.

Towards 3rd lap the 4A's came close to us this time, did not passed so -- but we were made neutral and forced to stop and wait 5..7 minutes to let all of them go by and far enough ahead... do not want that issue again on the final lap (every one disliked that, stragglers caught up... also the official was sorry and apologized -- but he did not had any options) -- the field started moving slowly again (good idea to prevent cramping -- like!).

Same games until last lap and climb, went fairly smooth up all the way, pushing at good fun pace over the rollers, Py helped pushing the pace over the bumpy part in very front and had fun...

A few more times in front and sharing work worked kind of OK on the rollers -- Py stayed almost all the way to the last turn into the short finish climb in top 3 spots :-)

At the final finish climb just a few passed up on Py (he got to the finish line in 15th place) on the finish climb, kind of not so super motivated putting in a not so big efford, do really know why -- may be because of the gray drizzly weather... GAB Chris was just behind me and made it up to the 11th I think -- nice job Chris!

Fun day and ride, well, race -- felt more like kind of nice good group ride ;-)

Results: http://www.crca.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010FallBear1.htm

Kevins HHH ride -- adding 66 miles

Kevins Holiday Harbor Hills ride on Labor Day. A brisk cool morning at 7am rolling out towards Stony Brook, arm warmers felt just good. But by the time of the ride start at 8am it got really nice. A fine group gathered for the hilly ride.

Moving just fine, good climbs, good work, nothing unusual.

Early Birds North - again - and some extra miles mission

Sunday -- the Early Birds day on the East End of LI. 6:39am ride to the start at good TT like pace. At the parking lot in Manorville a quite reasonable sized group gathered for the ride.

Due to Earl Dune Rd seamed to be flooded and they had to go North again. Rolling out...

Moving East taking advantage of some tail wind a good fast pace developed quickly, only the few section heading North needed little extra efforts but no big deal in the big field. A pretty impressive strong move up to the tanks by Joe -- brought us up there at some flying 30mph! Only issue this dump gravel field ending in some cut in pavement bump -- looks like it will never get done -- caused a flat on one rider. A few waited up and made sure it all went fine and helped the rider back to the shortly following reassembly point.

From there further flying East and back South to the Cutchogue Deli stop.

Return to Manorville on the South water front of the North Fork, a few nice views of the Great Peconic Bay:

... and a misshap of one rider -- Py and a few more did not saw this (previously on the road in the way, not seen in time) just run over, but one went down, however, he was fine finishing the ride.

Finishing up with the usual race on 51 /111... a strong group including Py finished together.

From there, Py proceeded South towards Westhampton to the GAB meeting... and rode all the way back home stopping by at the Camp for some LN2 refill. That's why this route looks a bit funny -- a total of 115 miles or 185 km.