Sunday, June 26, 2011

Early Birds North - nice day, good ride, big group

Py did the Early Birds ride today -- a nice day after all that rain, just still little high humidity in the air. Getting up and out early, leaving 6:30am -- some fog is moving in and up and away shortly later.

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No wind at all, moving at good pace, arriving early in Manorville -- a few riders were already there unloading bikes... The usual's, few new faces, Nick took a long drive out East to join us -- good seeing you!, the RP-cycle guys, 3 GABs Mike, Chris -- good to see you on the bike again! -- and Py and many more riders-- counted nearly 40 riders!

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Rolling out at steady good pace -- easy sitting some where in the field, soon moving more up to a good spot to have more control to things. Nothing happening, just cruising along at some 40km/h.... Let's see how it develops at the tanks. Turning into Penny's -- little slow down by high traffic volume on Sound.

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RP riders ahead for a while... Brian, Mike one more (??) and Py picking it up on the lil hill, Py up 1st at the tanks top then flying over the rollers and some speed and crancing it back up to Sound Ave. Thing developed in a small front group on Sound and the pace hit some 50km/h average until the parking lot reassembly -- great move. Then cruising out more East along side the wineries and flying South and around to Cutchogue Deli for Coffee :-)

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Steady return and good work on 51 driving the pace in a quick fly around rotation...

Here is the ride:

Saturday, June 25, 2011

RP2IPBP - back to the old with new powers and riders

Skipped a couple of those rides in favor of racing. Not today, Py posted it beginning of the week and obviously a few riders figured it out and a few new faces as well, including a guest rider from Bethel Cycle. Interesting new mix -- going to be fun? It was a very humid and foggy morning with still partially wet roads and as usual a lot of sand washed all over...

11 Riders started today!
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Moving out east with the usual warm up rollers -- good pace and looked like it worked out pretty good. Gregg and one other rider took a few shorts... to hook up at IPBP again -- good deal!

Returning from the beach stop...

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Seamed on Mill a 2nd group formed just little behind today -- but all worked out just fine.

Quote of the day -- some one (who was it?) to Sahra "close the gap" as Tim went a little up ahead on this last roller on Mill -- S: "this is not a race...???". [Note: both are Triathletes]

-*- at least not USAC sanctioned -- may be a like? ...little race like training 4 sure at times. -*-

Ride average w/o parking lot rolling around was 21.4mph. Good job everyone today!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Fri Night race alternative: Prison Loop -- canceled race

Getting to the Friday Night race, chatting with a few other early arrived riders, Rob, Myles, Sarah and few more.... -- some thing is not quite right -- 5:30 passed and no officials and no so many riders -- weird. Well, Myles found out the race got canceled for today due to weather. Hmm -- was not epecting this and not checking either, weather was not really bad at all. However -- once there and in this kit with the bike -- let's ride. Myles got the idea to ride the "historic" Prison Loop used for races (TT and RR at the games back in the years Py was not even riding or racing nor on LI). Sarah also joined and the tree took of for a ride on this loop. 1st out of the school and down the hill on 51, turn around and up all the way again, then keeping left all the time on 111, Halse Manor, Mill, 94, 51. Up the hill the 2nd time. Going for one more repeat of the hill. Thinking about a 4th time, but heading back as all sudden some thick fog moved in. Good ride race alternative:

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Housatonic Hills Road Race -- HHRR 2011 CAT4-40+

4am Sunday morning Py's little old world radio receiver turned on by the pre programmed timer. This seams to be situation normal if you have to travel to a race in a few hours driving distance. It could have been pretty easy one hour drive if only there would be a ferry to CT leaving early, but this is not going on Sundays. Only option the long way around -- however, Py hooked up with Paul and Carol again to car pool and thus he only had a 45min drive himself and 2 more hours going with Paul. Not too bad -- big thanks to Paul for driving! Leaving Rocky Point at about 4:55 getting to Paul by 5:45, moving the bike and gear over and off they went to Southbury, CT -- getting there in good time by about 7:45.

The Housatonic Hills Road Race by Bethel Cycle is a very nice hilly loop of about 22 miles, two laps for all but CAT5.

Registration/Sign-in started at 7:30, picking up there numbers, Py got "723". Big like: self adhesive sticky numbers -- no pins needed -- and yes, it worked and hold on even up to 55mph!!

A brief race report for the CAT4-40+:

Start 9:30am. GABs Owen, Mike, Py and former GAB Rob were part of the CAT4-40+ -- a field of about 120 riders!
Neutral 1st mile up Constitution Hill. Fast descending rolling ride to the next 10..12% grade for a slow down, followed by a short flat or little incline with slight increasing slope. Fast descent again on little bigger road. Proceeding towards the 3rd major and longest climb. So far -- not much happened from Py's point of view moving around in the top 20..40 riders, he was sitting in nicely as planned. GAB Mike and formed GAB Rob were around, behind or near Py as much as he can tell. All went fine and also proceeding via a fast descent to the last climb with the KOH he managed to stay in the group just fine. Even it was hard to say if eventually a small group or a solo rider managed to get a break going. Did not looked like yet. From the KOM it is a easy fast ride to the start and beginning of lap two. Climbing Constitution hill the 2nd time a little gap must have opened as Py did not realized in the strung out field climbing, but it was a quick chase back on -- good. Mike, Py, Rob were still around and tried to stay together. Little later with the 2nd climb a gap opened again and a few other racers, Mike and Py were chasing hard, but it turned out there were not doing hard enough and Py took off with full speed to catch up -- success, just merging back into the field before this gentle fast down hill left turn. Excellent and plenty of time to recover before the upcoming long climb -- the field picked up a decent speed on the approach of this hill -- already climbing some 5..8% -- he was reading some 300..350Watts for some time powering up. Managed to hold on and all the way over just fine, even working his way more up to the front -- happy with that. The 2nd time approaching the KOH - stringing out the field quite a bit again, few bunches of racers were ahead and to be caught -- he put in all he had on the chase and managed to bridge up, with just little help of a few other racers who mostly were just taking advantage of that. But what can you do if they do not do enough? It seamed the front field was kind of glued together with some 20 riders from now on with a big gap to the rest of the field. Py could not be sure if at all or how many riders may have escaped. On the final run he did part of the job pushing the pace with about two (?? sorry) riders. They were only slowed by marshals at a crash scene just shortly before the school but proceeded -- this unfortunately may have allowed more riders to hook up. Py was at 2nd position and unfortunately (not well planned move) on the right next to the curb while approaching the final 90 deg right turn into the school from the main road -- this with other riders to his left forced him on a very small turning radius and to kill almost all of his momentum -- letting most of the bunch behind him fly by to the final 200 meters sprint. To bad -- Py thinks he could have done a good number of placed better with these few seconds he lost and lost double while need to reaccelerate up hill...

Looking up the results -- he got in on Position 20 with a total time of 2:28:56 -- Place 3 was obviously the 1st of the group he was in with 2:28:43 -- Two riders seamed to have escaped and came in shortly before: Place 1 was 2:27.58 and Place 2 with 2:28:06. Pretty happy with his result either way. Never stop learning lessons!


Official Photo:

Sorry, no race photos by Py -- just this -- hoping for the official photographers to get some decent shots up soon!
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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Little Ride to Cedar Beach and little beyond

Just to get a bit moving -- easy pre race day ride. Thick warm early morning fog, waiting up a while until the sun got strong and moved it out of the way. A little spin -- nice and warm, just a bit on the humid side, still wet patches on minor the roads and lot of this sand as usual -- beach every where.

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Easy day, house clean ups, a mini ride...

... and later some good cooking.

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Houstonic Hills RR pre ride and training day

Sunday morning Py drove to Massapequa to car pool with Paul, Carol and Tori to Southbury Training School or the Housatonic Hills Road Race Course Start.

Here the 4 East End Riders ready to leave the parking area. From here about 3 miles to the official start where it begins right away with a serious climb. From then fast rolling winding roads -- very nice. Soon hitting the second 10..12% grade followed by a set of fast flying down hills, passing a little town or may be two before the grade picks up gently again and the slight keep right merging into a smaller road takes us to one of the key climbs -- it gradually picks up the grade, has a fake seaming end with a 90 deg turn and a few meters more climbing before reaching the summit with a great view -- last picture below. One more flying downhill ending at a T making a sharp left and beginning the final short climb at about 10% to the KOM / QOM. Py dislikes that, toooo short -- favors the big guys :-(

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After lap one done they took a brief stop for a snack and proceeded for one more lap. Tori was lucky (or unlucky) to break a spoke nipple with one mile to go to the car -- but could roll back OK with a little wobble. After stowing everything away and getting out of the bike outfit they took some time for a deserved sandwich picnic. A great day and in particular the weather turned out to be ideal, not hot at all in the mid 60ties, overcast, no rain and dry roads -- as there was a quite some rain in the area at night and some chances of rain left according to the forecast.



Map&Data

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday Night Race #1

The Kreb Cycle Friday Night Race Series just started this Friday with a pretty good participation of racers.

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Here a few riders at sign in. GABs Mike, Karl, Owen, Chris and Py started in the A field.

The race stared actually 6:30pm for 20 laps. The composition of the field with a good number of riders from several teams including Kissena, Setanta, CRCA, Axis, Wonder Wheels, Carl Hart, East End Womens, EECT, a few others and unassigned riders and us from EECT/Green Arm bandits represented tonight. The 1st lap was some slow go game... but from then the break away and chase and catch cat and mouse game started. A fairly early break developed around lap 2..3 and a few more riders managed to bridge up. GAB Chris also tried to take a chance to bridge up and about managed to hook up as a mechanical failure in the drive train took him down in a not so good crash and got away with a good dose of road rash... -- feel better Chris! The chase was a bit moderated by "us" having a rider up in front. However, still averaging mostly over 40km/h. Some where with 7..6 laps to go Jeff seamed to get bored with us and took of at with warp drive.... to catch up and I think finally win the game.


Sunday, June 05, 2011

Bike to BBB and Bike Back

bBBBbb today.

"b": A slight morning chill in the clear crisp morning air promising a magnificent day -- 5:55 start at Rocky Point, checking a Tildas for any takers -- none. Taking off on 25A the fast way out east. Quiet and low traffic that time -- wish it would be always a like :-)

6:10 hooking up with Johnny in Wading River on the fly and good on time keeping easy 18..20mph out East.

6:38 approaching Pennys and catching up the Indian Island Park group easing up the pace a little...

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... seconds later Py managed 1st time ever to drop his camera at some near 20mph while fiddling with it -- must have been the a little limited fine motoric of his fingers due to the chilly air taking the chill w/o arm warmers at barely 13C :-(
However, it only suffered a flying out battery what got a scratch and a dent in one corner of the stainless steel body o-[ Still works just normal so far :-)

BBB Sign in.

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Hooking up with more at the 2nd parking -- this is going to be a fun group again :-)

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Moving out right on time, nice field of riders -- some 20+!

Boat #1

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Fun ride over Shelter Island.

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Boat #2:

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Stop out most South-East, great ride on the so nice and less used roads far out on the South Fork and moving out of the last water stop:

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All over -- including the [slow!!] boats sections...


Navigated most the route via 2009 BBB GPS track [except a few minor changes] -- my invisible radar and way in advance turn prediction at high speeds -- but the road marking was alright as well ;-)



Great day, great ride good support and road marking this year :-)

Big thanks to all the SBRA >BBB crew< members running all the support and water/food stops. Well done!

Saturday, June 04, 2011

TTT on Floyd Bennett Field

TTT on Floyd Bennett Field this Saturday. About just for a fun and Team Time Trial training 4 GABs sigend up for the "Bear Mountain Spring Classics TTT" -- actually run on FBF this year due to road constructions at Bear.




This is how it looks like with a team of four riders... nice job of this womens team!

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However, only three (the minimum number needed to finish) of the GAB A team started as one was late..... and did the ITT later.

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FBF Panoramic view (click!):

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And some Data....