Plenty of Rockstar riders in action and many races to cover!
Prospect Park, 7/7:
Aaron, Wilson and Laurent were in action in the Cat 4 race, which again had several KOM and Sprint points to be contested and Wilson gave everyone one of them a go! Race stayed together until last lap and strongman Aaron M was able to get a good line in the sprint and take 6th place.
Central Park race (CRCA and non-CRCA), 6/31:
A nice, long race in the park on Saturday that saw a group of Rockstar Cat-4s and a great showing in the women’s race. Mikael, Aaron, Wilson, Paul Y, Robert E, and Laurent lined up for the 7 lap Cat-4 race, which proved to be a nice, safe and fast Cat-4 ride! With sprints atop of Harlem hill every lap, the pace was high and opportunities to try a flyer abound!
HANOVER, NH – Signature Cycles sent a team up to the 2012 North East Rapha Gentlemen’s Race near Hanover, NH. For those not familiar with the RGR, it’s an unsanctioned and for the most part, unsupported ride, that is historically off the charts in terms of difficulty. The team that finishes with the fastest time wins the race, but it only counts if you finish with your full team. The ride, by nature, is a cooperative one – no one gets left behind. The winners go home with some nice Rapha gear and glory. There are teams of all men, all women, co-ed, tandems, and single speed. While we did not see any single speed teams at the start, we did see one guy involuntarily become his team’s token single speed rider due to his derailleur lying in pieces on the road.
Every year, the Century Road Club Association or CRCA – New York City’s largest bike racing club – offers a clinic specifically geared toward expanding the community of female racers. It is an event organized by women for women. This year, the Rockstar Games/Signature Cycles women’s racing team joined forces with the Radical Media racing team in running the event. There is an informational session component, where seasoned racers try to demystify the sport by speaking on topics ranging from nutrition to how to launch a successful attack. But, the biggest draw of the Clinic is the simulated race in Central Park. This is where participants, many of whom having never raced before, get a trial-by-fire introduction to the sport. It is an opportunity for novices to try racing in a semi-controlled and less intimidating environment. Many of our local female racers, myself included, caught the racing bug at the Clinic. Have you heard of Evelyn Stevens? If not, look her up. She’ll be competing in the London Olympics, and got her start at our Clinic!
HARLEM SKYSCRAPER CLASSIC – Marcus Garvey Park, NYC
We had a great weekend for racing with very favorable weather and a really nice turnout by our Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles team riders.
The Cat 4 team worked nicely with Stefan getting off the front on a couple occasions, as did Wilson, Mikael, and Peter. Aaron took an early prime, and while Mike N, Robert, and Laurent were all present at the front, we just couldn’t get past a late race crash to crack the top 10! Many of the races on Sunday saw their share of crashes, a couple of which either snagged one of our riders (like Stefan, late in the cat 4 race) or forced us out of the action (like major pile up on last corner which thankfully Mikael missed, but just barely).
Professional Race Awarded National Status for 2012
New York City – Rockstar Games is pleased to present the 39th annual Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic on Father’s Day, June 17 at Marcus Garvey Park in New York City (121st Street and Fifth Avenue). The historic community event provides a unique opportunity for cyclists from all levels and age groups to converge on the streets of Harlem in a day-long celebration of cycling filled with competitive, high-speed racing; music, food; and family entertainment.
Augusta Crits
After a few weeks of cancellations due to heavy rain and horse shows, the Augusta Crits resumed at the New Jersey State Fair grounds on a hot & humid Tuesday night. The Rockstar Games team pulled off an incredible feat in the Masters race by sweeping the podium for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd!!! Glenn Babikian and Joe Straub did a great job controlling the race on Team Skylands home turf with Team Rockstar taking all the prime laps and setting up Keith Hala for the win.
The category 1/2/3 race started immediately following the Masters in the ninety degree heat. Continue reading
NJBA Team Challenge and Tour of Syracuse
Saturday, 5/12 was the NJBA Team Challenge in Trenton which is a points race with sprint points on every 4th lap. The format is for five-man teams but Scott Hodder was the only entry for our team in the 35+ race and finished an impressive 4th place. Sunday was the Tour of Syracuse, and once again Scott Hodder brought home a solid placing at 5th in the combined 35/45+ masters race.
JerseyMan Duathlon
Mikael H did his first Du of the year (2m/20m/4m format) and was once again foiled by 2 very fast 20 something year old brothers from NJ (who have beat him for something like the 10th time over a 3yr span). He was 5th after the first run and moved up to 2nd on the bike (catching one of the brothers), but being nearly twice their age, he can’t quite seem to run those sub-6 minute miles on the 2nd run! Mikael finished 3rd overall.
NY Gran Fondo
Lucia D’s experience at the Gran Fondo: Continue reading
Are you new to racing and don’t have a ton of experience to draw from? No worries, step one to reading a race is as simple as using Google maps! Whether a cyclist or triathlete, know the course and all of its nuances is the first step in achieving success on race day. For the bike racer facing a new event and course, the first step is to ask your team mates who have done the event for their insight (like we did with the fabled Battenkill road race). First hand knowledge of what you can expect will help you be better prepared. Will you need different gearing for the route (as I did for Berkshire)? How are the road surfaces? Are your lightweight race wheels advisable? If a crit or circuit race, how many corners? Are any greater than 90 degrees? And how far is the finish line from the last corner? Continue reading
There were a lot of events in our area this past weekend … Team Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles had a solid presence at most of them!
Hunter Mountain Road Race
Jeffrey Lesser and Peter Nicolardi lined up for the Cat 5 race. The race consisted of two 39 mile laps with technical descending at speed over 50mph. A stiff tempo on the last big climb shattered what was left of the field. Two riders broke away on the last descent, leaving a group of three – including Jeffrey – to sprint for the remaining places. Jeffery came through in 4th, Peter in 15th.
Luci Olewinski took 3rd in the Women’s Cat 4 field at Hunter Mountain Road race this weekend.
Orchard Beach Criterium
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