CRCA Lou Maltese Memorial Race Predictions

Another summer weekend, another big race, and time to dust off the Race Predictions for this weekend's Lou Maltese Memorial. Should be a gorgeous day for enough loops around Central Park to make you dizzy. We've crunched the numbers (or rather let the www.road-results.com computers do it), and added our own personal views to make for some predictions that are interesting, good, bad, and perhaps ugly.

WOMEN

Let's start with the women. The field isn't huge but there is some decent talent that will make things pretty interesting. The supercomputers, or you know, the Access database - I am dying to know! - is putting Colleen Gulick from Team EPS/CSS p/b Shebell & Shebell in first place, which is not unlikely given the fact that this New Jersey cyclist has been all over the country and the region, in big races, with decent results. Victoria Brumfield of CRCA/Radical Media, a hometown racer with a load of good results this year is predicted for second, and Caryl Gale of CRCA/Cloud Racing p/b Ride 2 Recovery is sitting in third. With a huge prize pool for the women, I wouldn't be surprised to see some last minute additions to the race roster, making this prediction meaningless, but we are going to choose BrittLee Bowman of CRCA: Stan's NoTubes p/b enduranceWERX for the win. The race predictor only has her in fifth, but in this field I can't imagine a big break getting away, and my pick for the sprint would be on Britt. I hope that for this prediction she includes me in the post-race muffin and coffee purchase!

M5

This field was added at the last minute and so far there are only three people signed up. Come on, Cat 5's, you've got to be kidding me! All you need to do for an upgrade is show up for 10 races, you might as well use this as an opportunity to get some points. At this point we will randomly select Philippe David as the winner, but I hope I'm wrong!

M4

I like the fact that the Men's 4's are keeping it interesting. With over 50 racers registered so far, this should be a good and lively race. I also like that an out of town racer is predicted for the win by Road Results! Let's see what these guys can do racing at 5:30 am, which is not for the faint of heart. Jesus Martinez of Triangle Cyclists/South Shore Bike Shop is predicted by the computers for the win, with the unattached Johnie Way in second, and Erick Fernandez of CRCA/Dave Jordan Racing predicted for third.  As much as we would like to pick Wouter Hoogenboom from CRCA/Dave Jordan Racing for the win, because his name is awesome, I have to say that I think it'll be his teammate, Erick Fernandez. He has been looking strong and has some decent results recently.

M3

The Cat 3 race should also be relatively active, interesting, and large with 54 racers signed up. David Taylor of CRCA/Eumaeus Asset Management - Fuoriclasse is predicted by Road Results to win, which is not unlikely. Rounding out  the top three predictions are Baris Aytan of CRCA/e2Value and Scott Gregoire of Deno's Wonder Wheel Cycling.

The field is pretty deep though - Noah Gellner of CRCA/W&D Racing - NYC Velo always has a decent sprint, and even though Corey Morenz of CRCA/SixCycle-RK&O has been off the bike recently, he did destroy me in the park doing some 'easy' loops so he may be pretty fit. All that being said, we are going to go off the reservation a little, and predict that it'll be Steve Magyera of CRCA/Foundation in a break.

TEAM INVITATIONAL

This is the money race. We have 80 entrants so far and I am told there may be a few more added to the roster over the next day. This is pretty exciting, and the list of teams is stacked - CRCA/Foundation, CRCA/Blue Ribbon-Pennell Venture Partners, Stan's NoTubes p/b Proferrin, CRCA/Weather Channel Cycling Team, CRCA/Lupus Racing Team, the list goes on. Can't wait to see how this plays out. With a minimum of four racers per team, I am hopeful that the team dynamics are interesting and will influence the outcome. The added element of Harlem Hill primes with a decent amount of prize money could also change the tactics used.

It is not surprising that Stalin Quiterio Cuello of CRCA/Dave Jordan Racing is predicted for the win, as he was second at the Harlem Crit following a legit German pro. That would not be a shocking outcome. Rodrigo Echeverri of HighGear/Trek/WW/Watchung Wheelman - that team name is a mouthful, my goodness - hasn't raced much in 2014 but apparently did well enough in 2013 to make him a factor, predicted by the computer to be in second. And Barry Miller of the Van Dessel Factory Team is predicted to finish in third.

There are a number of other contenders that will make things interesting, but considering how he was able to ride away from the field at Bear Mountain, our prediction for the big W goes to Michael Margarite of CRCA/Weather Channel Cycling Team. Considering the length of the race and the strength of his team, this probably isn't too far-fetched.

Should be a fun and interesting day in Central Park!

Thank you CityTechPartners

The CRCA thanks CityTechPartners for sponsoring our cloth bibs for 2014. CityTechPartners is New York's premier IT consulting firm. Email info@citytechpartners.com and get a free digital evaluation of your entire office digital infrastructure, which includes internet, emails, phones, workstations, printers, and could based services, when you mention the CRCA. Full Contact Information:

City Tech Partners
322 West 57street
New York, New York 10019
office phone: 646-369-3617
Direct Line: 917.604.8044
info@citytechpartners.com

Dave Jordan/White Plains Crit Omnium Details

Next weekend, in addition to crazy prize money totaling $12,500 at the Dave Jordan Central Park Classic, we will be running an Omnium with the White Plains Criterium. Details on eligibility and scoring can be found below. Eligibility:

DJC       WPC

M4          M4

M3          M3/4 (Mens 3 only @ WPC)

M1/2       M123 (Mens 1/2 only @ WPC)

W1234   W123 (Womens 123 @ DJC)

W1234   W4    (Women’s 4 only @ DJC)

Racers MUST compete in both races to be eligible for prizes in the Omnium. Points will go 15 deep.

 Prizes:

Elite Men: $500 3 places

Elite Women: $500 3 places

M3: $250 3 places

M4: $250 3 places

W4: $250 3 places

Sign up for Dave Jordan: Dave Jordan on BikeReg

Sign up for White Plains: White Plains Crit on BikeReg

A little more history on Dave Jordan

dave_jordan_snap

In light of the upcoming CRCA Dave Jordan Central Park Classic, we want to remember Dave Jordan and his tremendous legacy.

Dave Jordan was an accomplished rider who shared his knowledge of the sport, passion for the camaraderie, competition, and thrill of the race with hundreds of athletes. Dave was a competitive, driven cyclist who stood on more than 200 podiums, and coached many others to similar success over his 20 year career. He was dedicated to bringing out the best in his team and known for believing in the potential for everyone to find their next level. Dave Jordan Racing team continues on developing riders to their highest potential in honor of Dave, a true ambassador of cycling. He was dedicated to life, laughter, his family and a day on the bike. Dave passed away from complications of a brain tumor in July 2012.

Dave started racing bicycles when he 11 years old. He began competing on bicycle motocross (BMX) bikes back in 1979 and entered road racing and multisport events in 1987. In that year he joined Century Road Club Cycling Association (CRCA) where he steadily improved his racing skills, progressing from a Category 4 racer to a Category 1 road racer and Category 2 track racer within a few years. He eventually won eight New York State Championships. He was a diverse and an exceptional all-around rider winning in events such as the Team Time Trial (TTT), Individual Time Trial, and Road Race, as well as track events like Points, Pursuit and Team Sprint competitions.

Dave Jordan – The Early Years In 2000 and 2001, at the Masters National Championships, David was a three-time medalist in Criterium, Points, and Pursuit. During his competitive racing days, David raced on more than a dozen race teams in the US and Europe. He represented the US National Cycling Team in Panama (1994) and twice in the Dominican Republic (1991, 1995), providing support for teammates that won stages and the General Classification. He also raced for elite amateur cycling clubs in Brussels, Belgium (1989) and Chalons-sur-Marne, France (1991).

Dave was an expert in bike fitting, performance testing, and coaching programs. As a cycling coach, he worked with top road, track, mountain, and triathlon professionals. Dave coached riders to Masters World and National Championships, to Collegiate National Championships (Western Washington University), and he helped local and regional racers to many victories and category upgrades. He coached both men’s and women’s teams and developed junior riders into accomplished racers. He coached Jill Kinter in her pursuit for National, World Championships and Olympic bronze medals in 2005 and 2006. Dave also coached and further developed the New York University (NYU) Cycling Program in seasons 2006 and 2007. Dave was also President of CRCA, the largest cycling club in the US and was bike consultant, along with Nate Loyal, on the feature film “Premium Rush”.

Among all of his accomplishments in cycling, Dave is remembered foremost as an incredible family man, loving husband to his wife Aytul, dedicated father to his children Isabel and Magnus, and great friend. Dave’s coaching knowledge, style, leadership and passion for the sport lives on through the efforts of his team, Dave Jordan Racing.

TEAM HISTORY

• CRCA 1987-1990

• LADA, Brussels Belgium 1989

• TOGA1990-1992

• Credit Agricole  – Chalons-sur-Marne, France (1991)

• REMAX

• US NATIONAL TEAM

• RA CASATI

• SONY

• UNION SQUARE CAFE

• REVOLUTION (Seattle)

• DIE HARD -THINK RACING

• TEAM ZEPHYR-JORDAN

• RAPHAEL-JORDAN

• DAVE JORDAN COACHING

CRCA Orchard Beach Predictions

There's still time to sign up for the CRCA Orchard Beach Crit via Bikereg, but we've compiled the Road Results predictions along with our own thoughts here. As the biggest race CRCA has hosted in over five years we're excited to see how all of the action plays out.

Elite Men’s Championship

Last year it was Zach Koop out sprinting Neil Bezdek for the victory at the Orchard Beach crit but the Road-Results.com race predictor doesn’t give much credit to the defending champion who slots in at just 13th in this year’s expected results. Instead the win is predicted to go Stalin Quiterio Cuello who is coming off a recent win at the Spring Series, albeit it one with just 11 other finishers. That said this is going to be one of the toughest CRCA Open Race fields in recent memory - including Rodrigo Echeverri Conde, winner out of a stacked field at the 2013 CRCA Dave Jordan Central Park Classic, and Evan Murphy who is returning from Speedweek and will be leading a big Foundation team that includes Bezdek, Alejandro Guzman, Abraham Soler and Dan Chabanov. Perhaps this big Foundation squad was sufficient to scare off the Weather Channel Team who, despite their recent impressive form, is nowhere to be see in the Orchard Beach registration list. There are plenty of “underdogs” to choose from on the Road-Results.com rankings, but we’re going to go with Stephan Hoffman who has been on fearsome form as of late, but still slots in at just 11th in the expected results. We’re equally intrigued by 2012 Orchard Beach Crit champion Greg Olsen who is racing once again - he often needs a certain type of race to get the win, but has a good shot at taking home his second Orchard Beach title. Whoever comes out as the victor, with this stacked of a field it should be an exciting race to watch.

Men’s 2/3

Similar to Grant’s Tomb the Men’s 2/3 is once again one of the most popular fields of the day with the race predictor pointing to the CRCA President himself, Jayson Jacobs, as the victor on Sunday (no bias in the results at all!). Though with his best finish in 2014 a tenth place at the Tour of Battenkill (according to the Road-Results.com race predictor at least) it remains to be seen whether his crit form can deliver him the win following a more marginal 27th place finish at the CRCA Grant’s Tomb Crit. Expected second place finisher Roger Montes hasn’t raced much this year but did finish on the podium at the Rahway River Park Crit and so is as viable of a winner as anyone. Other expected top finishers include big Willie Payton and Roger Parmelee though our underdog pick is going to Robert Lattanzi who spends most of his days as a worker on a very strong Lupus team but we think might find a chance to shine on Sunday.

Men’s 3/4

The Men’s 3/4 field currently stands as the largest of the day with 91 racers registered. Out of this big peloton the Road-Results.com race predictor judges Samuel Frias as the likely victor which makes sense given Orchard Beach is a race that he is familiar with - having finished 9th in last year’s masters field. The predicted podium is rounded out by Higinio Rodrguez who enjoyed recent success at Bethel with a third place podium finish and Eutimio Quintero who finished 5th in last year’s Master’s field. For a likely crowd favorite, we’re going to go with non-other than Eben Weiss aka Bike Snob who is predicted to finish fourth in what the Road-Results.com race predictor judges to be his first race since the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill.

Men’s 4

Another large field featuring lots of CRCA racers, the supercomputers predict that Jacek Boral will outpace the M4 field to take home the win ahead of Kyle Herlihy and Julian Banks. A bit further down the list Colin Tanner is coming off a solo win at the Bethel Spring Series and is expected to finish 8th. For our underdog pick for the win however we’re going with two races - Mark Steffan who scored a 13th place in the M5 field at Grant’s Tomb and Richard Bravo who we think has more in the tank than his 70th place finish at Battenkill shows.

Elite Women's Championship

In last year's race a break led to a win by Laura Summers - although the defending champ is racing again this year, the Road-Results predictor has Lauren Dagostino on top. Interesting choice but my money would be on BrittLee Bowman or Aimee Layton, whom are predicted to come in second and third, respectively. With Kristin Lotito making a comeback this year, it's possible she could make things very interesting as well. Needless to say it is a stacked field and should be a lot of fun to watch.

Women's 3/4

The race predictor has Masha Schneider of Zenberry coming out on top, which is interesting - she had a good couple of races at Orchard Beach last year, and certainly races enough to throw down some tactics. That said, Jen Nordhem, predicted in second, is an excellent strategist and also did well here last year. Rounding out the predicted podium is Victoria Brumfield, who has been sprinting well. If this race ends in a break it wouldn't be surprising to see Masha or Jen on top, but in a field sprint Victoria could certainly pull it off.

Women's 4

Isabelle Cote and Victoria Gochenour are both looking for their last few points before taking their chances on submitting upgrades, so their predicted finishes as second and third shouldn't be too controversial. The supercomputer has Marissa Acosta, a non-CRCA racer, on top, so we'll see how that goes for her! Hopefully neither of them will be as dumb as the author of this article, who rode off course in this race last year, but somehow got enough points to leave the 4's behind.

Battenkill Race Report from Cecilia Davis-Hayes

After this past weekend's stellar results from many of our racers, we asked for a race report from Cecilia Davis-Hayes of CRCA/Stan's No Tubes p/b enduranceWerx. See below for the story of how she procured her big bottle of chocolate milk:

My first Battenkill experience was a total thrill ride. I'd heard rumors of the sketchy dirt sections, gorgeous views of Meetinghouse Road, the covered bridges, and the tough competition, but I certainly had to see it to believe it. It's like nothing else!

The women's Pro/1/2 race started out tamely enough as we cruised along smooth paved roads and I admired the scenery- rolling hay fields and cows, with the occasional snow path hanging on for dear life. Then at mile 6, we hit the first dirt section and polite ladies turned in to swarming hornets as we all chased for the front, dodging pot holes, mushy sections and fallen riders who had not been able to avoid them. From here on out there was rarely a dull moment between dirt sections, punchy climbs and attacks. Some awesome efforts by my teammate BrittLee Bowman, who ended up winning the field sprint to take 4th. On some of the dirt sections the only rideable portions were the two parallel tire tracks, so we were forced into double file, praying that the girl 6 inches in front of your wheel didn't make any sudden movements.

The real action started after the second feed zone at about mile 42 when we hit the steepest climb of the day, Herrington Hill, followed by a brief plateau and a few more punch climbs. my plan was the stick to a Colvita rider's wheel since she was the strongest climber in the bunch, who sure enough, lead us into the climb. After a few minutes I looked back and only two of us had been able to stick it and we had quite a gap. Though pulling through was about the last thing I felt able to do, I gave a brief pull (still on rutty dirt) to show I was committed to the break. The third rider (Giles, from the military team) did likewise.

Screaming fans, including our hosts in Cambridge, owners of the Rice Mansion, and my dad and sister greeted us on the picturesque slopes of Meetinghouse road. The descent and flats that followed were the worst dirt sections of the course. I got caught a few times in deep sand and nearly tipped over but was more than pleased to be riding Stan's NoTubes wheels and Hutchinson Intensive tubeless tires to give me the extra confidence to make it through. We got a moto report that we only had 25 seconds on the field so we kept pushing. At one point on a long downhill section I must have been taking turns with a vengeance because I gapped them by 100m. I was loving the thrill ride. Totally in my element. I decided to wait up because we still had 10miles to go but I do wonder if making a solo break attempt to the end could have worked...but I suspect the two of them would have been stronger.

With 1k to go I pull off the front and take third wheel behind Giles, the bigger stronger girl of the two and Colvita leads in the final 90 degree turn leading into the 200m straightaway. Out of the turn, Giles (with me sucking her wheel) blows by Colvita as we're racing to the line. I knew I had to come around her if I wanted the win, but the question was when? 120m to go? 100m? I had no idea. Clearly I waited too long because when I finally did I gained on her steadily to the line but didn't have enough time to overtake. I came in 2nd by a wheel length. Very pleased with the result though!

3/4 Women's Omnium Results from 3/8

In the Omnium including the Women's 3/4 race in Central Park, and the 3/4 field at Grant's Tomb, Lisa Kennish from CityMD Racing dominates.

First	Lisa	Vandivort	CRCA/CityMD Racing
Second	Cassandra	Maximenko	CRCA: Stan's NoTubes p/b enduranceWERX
Third	Erica	Tricarico	CRCA: Stan's NoTubes p/b enduranceWERX
Fourth	Masha	Schneider	CRCA/Westwood Velo
Fifth	Jen	Nordhem	CRCA: Stan's NoTubes p/b enduranceWERX
Sixth	Stephanie	Kaplan	CRCA/CityMD Women's Racing Team
Seventh	Sara	Yancovitz	CRCA: Stan's NoTubes p/b enduranceWERX
Eighth	Krysten	Koehn	Rapha Racing
Ninth	Lucia	Deng	CRCA/Rockstar Games/Signature Cycles

Grant's Tomb Criterium: 2014/03/08

The CRCA Grant's Tomb Criterium took place under clear skies with unseasonably warm temperatures as nearly 500 racers treated spectators to a terrific season kick off all while helping raise money for the CRCA Junior Development Foundation. With a significantly expanded schedule there were ten fields of racing, so there are lots of results to go through.

In the Euris Vidal Memorial Elite Men's Championship race a four man break escaped relatively late and despite a strong chase by CRCA/Foundation, the gap held through the finish where Cole Archambault (Greenline Velo) took the win. Cole also won the Men's 3 field at last years Grant's Tomb Crit. Rounding out the breakaway were Glenn Ferreira (Metra), CRCA member Michael Margarite (CRCA/Weather Channel) and Will Dugan (CCB).

The Elite Women's Championship featured equal prize money and saw Amy Cutler (FCS) repeat her 2013 win, edging out a trio of CRCA racers, specifically Fabienne Gerard (CRCA/e2Value), Brittlee Bowman (CRCA/Stan's) and Rose Long (CRCA/CityMD), in a field sprint.

In the Men's 2/3 race a trio escaped early and despite CRCA member Stephan Hoffman (CRCA/Lupus) being outnumbered by two QCW racers in the break, he took the win ahead of Colton Valentine and Bill Ash. Cole Archambault proved to be the best of the riders behind, taking fourth in a prelude to his later victory in the Euris Vidal Memorial Elite Men's Championship.

The Men's 3/4 p/b MODSquad Cycles featured plenty of fast racing but the peloton stayed together through the finale where CRCA member Josh Rovner (CRCA/Sixcycle-RK&O) took the win just ahead of teammate Daniel Cleiman (CRCA/Sixcycle-RK&O). The all-CRCA podium was rounded out by Joe Grgic (CRCA/e2Value) who took time between directing the race to ride his bike.

The Women's 3/4 p/b Rockstar Games and Signature Cycles featured many racers who had already raced in Central Park as part of the CRCA Grant's Tomb Omnium. In the end this one came down to a field sprint with an all-CRCA podium featuring Shane Ferro (CRCA/Rockstar Games), Cassandra Maximenko (CRCA/Stan's) and Lisa Vandivort (CRCA/CityMD).

The Men's 4 p/b IRC Tires USA was the biggest field of the day and came down to a close field sprint and another all-CRCA podium of Ryan Fisher (CRCA), Matthew Moocarme (CRCA/Organic) and Alex Sanborne (CRCA/Foundation).

The Women's 4 p/b hatchMAP was won by Team Yacht Club's Kathryn Cumming, edging out Sara Yancovitz (CRCA/Stan's) and Hannah Todd (Pink Rhino Racing) in a field sprint.

The all new Juniors race was free to participants as part of CRCA's support of junior development. The race was won by Ian Keough (Hot Tubes Junior Development) who edged out CRCA Junior Development's Kaan Sarci ahead of another trio of CRCA Junior Development racers in Justin Strauss, Galen Xing and Abraham Latorre.

The Masters 40+ field featured a long three man breakaway that held a big gap over the peloton for much of the race, though it came down to just 14 seconds in the finale where Peter Vollers (Vermont Overland) beat out his CRCA breakaway compatriots, Erin Korff (CRCA/Axis) and Andrew McGee (CRCA/Rapha).

The Men's 5 p/b IRC Tires USA saw 55 racers in competition with the field sprint won by Alianksandr Kochatau ahead of Michael Lombardi (CRCA/Lucarelli & Castaldi) and Donovan Clarke (King Kong).

Overall it was a great day at the races and we'd like to thank everyone that came out, including all of the volunteers associated with the event. A special thank you goes to NYSBRA President Jeff Poulin who made the trip down to New York City to officiate the race and to PR Timing who once again did an excellent job with compiling results for each of the ten different fields of racing. Also thank you to  NYC Parks, the National Park Service, Riverside Church and the NYPD for helping make this non-profit community event possible. Also thank you to Dr. Alaia for providing medical support for the races.

Full Results

For the complete results from the 2014 CRCA Grant's Tomb Crit please visit our friends at PR Timing (link below). Complete results will be uploaded to USAC later this week.

http://results.prtiming.com/crca-grants-tomb-2014