Racing at Floyd Bennett Field is back! After a long hiatus, the team was excited to make the trek down to south Brooklyn and race around our favorite windy parking lot. We had a full squad out for both the Women’s Open and Men’s 3/4 fields and executed our team tactics to perfection, with Scott and Leah taking the wins in their respective races. Below are a few perspectives from a great night of racing with the team:

Women’s Race

Barb

It was super fun and awesome! I personally finally felt fit yet also felt really rusty when it comes to actually doing things in bike races. We all did a good job of not doing idiotic work but doing work when trying to deliver Shane for an intermediate sprint and at the end. There was one sort of break at one point that Emily did an amazing job pulling back (I helped a bit at the beginning and the end but she did the most). In the last lap Veselka had a huge lead out train which I was stuck near so I just tried to mess them up a little. Lucia and Shane did a masterful lead out for Leah who, two days after a crazy hard weekend of riding, sprinted awesomely. All in all it was a fun time and I loved racing with this amazing squad. I hope to do more and figure out how to use my energy for more strategic purposes!

Lucia

I wanted to go in being conservative with my efforts and see who was doing what so I could use my matches selectively. Shane reminded us to pay attention to the wind, so I observed wind direction (and pothole concentration) during warm-up laps. I wasn’t expecting too many attacks for the first race. Shane went for both sprints and I tried but ultimately failed to recruit some riders to go with after the first sprint. Leah got a gap after the 2nd sprint, and I countered, but it was into the headwind section and though I had some separation, I saw that the field was chasing and didn’t commit. Later in the race, a couple of riders got up the road. There were a few attempts to chase, but it wasn’t until our Emily got on the front that she really began to reel them in nice and steadily. I could hear the JAWS theme song in my head and knew we’d be alright. At some point, I checked in with Leah and suggested she should conserve & go for the final. On the last lap, coming into turn 2, I made my way up the left side and Shane made her way on my wheel and Leah on hers. Heading to the last turn I think I got a little too excited when I saw the Veselka train forming that I tried to match them and lost Shane for a bit, but luckily I turned back to check and dialed it back to try to get us all together again. After we took the last turn, Shane came around me to take Leah closer, and then Leah just punched it for what seemed like forever. So stoked on how everyone on the team raced. For the first big team turnout, it could not have gone better!

Leah

The beginning of the race was pretty chill, so I just sat in and waited to see if something would happen. The pace picked up on the first sprint lap and I knew Shane wanted to go for the sprint points so I followed her and then just kept going after the line. I didn't stay away for very long but it was fun to try something! Once we were all together again, Lucia counter attacked, but it didn't stick. Towards the end of the race, two riders got a small gap on the field, but Emily motored on the front and heroically chased it down and then Barb finished it off. With a couple laps to go, Shane and Lucia came over to me and made a plan to lead me out at the end. It was very cool to not worry about positioning at all — I just sat on Shane's wheel for the last lap as we moved from the back and ended up in the perfect spot on the left side coming into the last turn. I saw a few other riders starting to sprint, but didn't want to go too early. I waited another few seconds then sprinted for what felt like a very long time, with Diane behind me sweeping. As I crossed the line, I saw a Veselka rider next to me and then wasn't sure if I finished first or second, but my teammates confirmed that I’d won. I had so much fun racing with everyone — it really felt like a team sport and I’m so glad I pulled off the win after everyone’s hard work!

Shane

At some point I decided that I was going to yell at people to do things for me? Maybe “mentor,” maybe “bossy,” but I dunno I think we did great. Literally everyone on the team did multiple things during the race to contribute to both me putting points on the board for the sprint competition (not to be confused with “winning” the sprint competition…), to keeping it together until the final lap, and to Leah’s win. Overall, I feel like we communicated and worked together way beyond what I was imagining would happen given how little road racing the group of us have done together.

Men’s race 3/4

Scott

I did sweet fa all race but tried to stay around no further than 20th wheel. The team did well patrolling and making sure no breaks got away. Got a little sketchy when we absorbed 1/2/3 men’s riders that got dropped with 3 to go, but such is life. On the 2nd to last lap, Rod dragged me around making sure we maintained wheels, after corner one we got a little swamped so I surfed until I found Cully. Cullen dragged me to Alex on the section with all the grass. Alex took me through the last corner, some real Jedi shit. We went through so hard that everyone was kind of shocked, I told him to go and he ripped it until maybe 400m to go and I came off the wheel and held it the whole way. Was a long sprint, but so stoked. Alex held the lead out for 4th for his first race on the road since he was a cat 5 in 2017. Then I was dizzy after and nearly rode into a tree but absolutely stoked for my first win on the road in 6 years!

Alex

I also did fa the whole race, which was great. Every now and then someone would try something off the front and Rod would come up to the front ride hard, get it together and then fall back through the pack. And then a couple laps later something would move and again I'd see Rod moving up the side of the pack to the front as if he was on duty. So regular it made me smile. Second half of the race Mitchell and Cullen both did the same, each shutting down nascent moves. I began to actively stay near the front on the second to last lap and as we came through for the bell lap the whole field (I think it was about 80) was probably still together and where I was we were stretched out in a single line through the finishing straight. I was in about 8th or 9th wheel. I stayed hovering near that position for the final lap and as it picked up on the second to last straight I picked what seemed like fast wheels and began looking for Scott. As we got close to the final corner I quickly glanced behind me to look for Scott and heard Cullen yell “we're here.” I went into the final turn around 12-15th but everyone took their own line through the corner and it opened up slightly. There was a little opening that I had to weave my way through in the turn past a few different riders, I heard Scott yell at me to “go” and I just gave it everything. There were two riders who tried escaping on the last lap that we passed and when Scott came off my wheel I didn't fully realize that we had complete open road. I coasted/soft-pedaled across the line and pumped my fist (hand off the bars like a real cat 5) only to get yelled at by the field that were sprinting up from behind. Kind of shocking to realize that I coasted to 4th. I don't really think of myself as having short sprinter power like that so I really chalk this up to the fact that we just really had a clear and very specific plan going into the final lap and no one else was quick enough to react when we went as a team from so far out. People either hesitated or didn't have teammates to get them close to the line. I'm stoked that we pulled that off. And h/t to Scott for getting it done!

Cullen

Road racing rocks.

Photos by Cullen & Lucia