TWTW: Race Plans via Social Media Polls
There is plenty to dislike about racing bikes in New York City. The early season is miserably cold, the park races start at a brutal hour and many of the roads are shit. But we also have arguably the best race calendar anywhere in the country - with USAC races four to five days per week in the summer. And because New York City cyclists are masochists who are most eager during the cold early season, those weekends can be even busier - a fact that manifested itself in four different races to choose from on the TBD Race Calendar this past Saturday. With one of those races in Central Park and the other just across the Hudson in Newark it didn't take Ted long to start discussing the idea of racing three times in one day (this coming the weekend after his Prospect Park/Rockland Lake doubleheader). To help make the decision easier we decided to plan his day via an Instagram Stories poll.... obviously doing three races was the clear winner in the popular vote.
Race plans crafted by IG poll... pic.twitter.com/CmFTzMNJex
— ToBeDetermined.cc 🤪 (@TBDcycling) April 8, 2018
Ted's crazy race plans aside most of the lead into the weekend was spent nervously watching the weather thanks to an initial forecast for a Saturday morning snowstorm. Fortunately any hint of severe weather decided to skip New York altogether, allowing the CRCA Club Series to roll off the start line on a slightly chilly and quite dark but thankfully dry morning in Central Park. Ted was there for the first race of his busy day along with myself, Erwin, Corey, Colin and Clark. Despite a fast pace - the race was the fastest of the series so far - the pack was unwilling to let a serious break get up the road in the early laps. In fact it wasn't until two to go that a reasonably sized break finally formed. And of course it featured Ted "I want to race bikes all day" Teyber. While it proved to be the winning break the field kept the gap small and actually managed to catch the last stranglers of the break right on the finish line. Ted held on for eighth while in the B-field Clark scored a second place finish in a field sprint despite racing solo. Our friends from CityMD nabbed themselves a podium as well and then we all enjoyed excessive quantities of coffee together. (USAC Results)
From there the action headed across the Hudson for the Cherry Blossom Challenge in Newark where Ted took on his second race of the day with Corey. Tom also came out for the fifty miler 1/2/3 field though Ted bailed on that race as his possible third race of the day. Results were tough to come by at the Cherry Blossom but with some sketchy field sprints the team was happy to keep the rubber side down and walk away in one piece. (USAC Results)
Photo by Ron Short via Facebook
Meanwhile on the non-racing front Steve headed South from the city to take on Dan Chabanov's Hillier Than Thou crusher of a ride with a few friends:
The team closed out the weekend spread far and wide on Sunday. Some of us took a break from pretend bike racer life to sleep in and watch real bike racers tackle the cobbles of Roubaix while Clay and the #slowboiz had an early morning in Prospect Park where Clay somehow managed to pin two different race numbers (one of which didn't belong to him) to his yellow leader's jersey. Thankfully his very special pin job didn't slow him down and he walked away with his second consecutive second place in the Lucarelli & Castaldi Prospect Park Series. More on that later this week... (USAC Results)
READING, LINKS AND RANDOM FACTS
"If you need a reference for how poorly underrepresented minorities are in cycling media, visit the websites or social media of most bike brands, and play the representation game: a. How many clicks or images until you spot a POC? b. What’s the ratio of POC to white folks? c. Repeat a and b with WOC." Diversity Is Cycling's Most Urgent Problem—Here's How to Fix It (Bicycling Magazine)
"“It’s tricky,” he says. “We live in an age of tech and over-complication, where we like to look to things we haven’t invented yet as solutions.” But in doing so, “a lot of really good, already existing ideas get swept under the rug.” The bicycle is a prime example of that. While it may seem antithetical to the forward-looking ethos of our tech-dominated culture, Colville-Andersen is convinced that cycling is the mode of transit of the future. Getting there, though, will take some changes." How The Humble Bicycle Can Save Our Cities (Fast Company)
Want to see how women racers get screwed over?
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) April 6, 2018
Look at details for SoCal state road championship. Elite women pay same entry as elite men but get 37% less prize money—and Cat 3 guys and Cat 1-4 masters get a longer race.
What the hell will it take to fix this inequity?! pic.twitter.com/kvyOQcdG38
Parting Shots
"It is with great unimaginable sadness that we have to communicate the passing of our rider and friend Michael Goolaerts. He passed away Sunday evening at 22:40 in Lille hospital in the presence of his family members and loves ones, who we keep in our thoughts."
Photo from Michael Goolaerts' Instagram
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
