Bethel Spring Series

There are a bunch of helmet cam clips of the Bethel Spring Series. You can check them out to get an idea of what the course is like.

Criterium de Bethel Pro123 from 2011

The sprint from the sidelines of that same race (by M Ginghina)

The Ronde de Bethel in 2010 as viewed by slowroadie, and the finish line view by Debby, uploaded by SOC.

Helmet cam of Francis J Clarke Cat 3-4 from 2010, and the sprint as viewed from the sidelines, also by Debby, uploaded by SOC)

Another slowroadie clip (btw he helped me set up my cam), Cat 4 from 2010

2011 Ronde de Bethel, Cat 3-4, in the rain, by local racer ecyclesports.

There are more but I wanted to get a few in there so everyone can see what the course is like. And, of course, to get everyone psyched for the races at Bethel!

The time is rapidly approaching for the 2012 Bethel Spring Series. There are a few major changes for the racers.

1. For Cat 5s, the clinic before the Cat 5 race will be mandatory for all Cat 5s.

Numbers for the race will be handed out until 7:45 AM. After that, any unclaimed numbers will be handed out to those on the wait list.

Once the clinic starts the Cat 5 race is effectively on – you will not be able to get your number, nor will you get a refund or credit for your missed race.

We’re doing this because the first two weeks of 2011 had two crashes in the Cat 5 race, both caused by riders doing specific things they shouldn’t have done, things that were covered in the clinics just beforehand. We want to make this a safe race, with safe riders, so we’re making the clinic mandatory.

At this point there is no upgrade credit to the clinic other than the fact that you have to do the clinic to do the race.

Riders doing the race for the first time in later weeks will be put into a “first time at the clinic” group. The rest will get new and hopefully interesting subject matter in the second through sixth clinic.

2. Navone Studios now has a bakery in it, Panificio Navona.

This is a  bakery/coffee shop, with seating and all that. We’ll figure out how to do things but the main thing is that I don’t want the racers and staff to interfere with the business.

3. Three races get increased race distances.

The Women get a few extra laps, same with the Cat 3-4s, and the P123 goes to 46 laps.

4. New finish line camera setup.

We should be able to place most/all finishers using the new system (still in test phase). With the new requirements for Cat 5 upgrades (if you don’t know you should go to USAC and read the rulebook)

Register online here at BikeReg.

Info here.

Flyer

Register online here at BikeReg.

Info here.

Flyer

Register online here at BikeReg.

Info here.

Flyer

Results have gone up but reports will be slow to follow. Please email me if you have any reports and such.

Cat 5s

Cat 4s

Women

It’s hard to come up with accolades week after week, year after year, but Ann Marie Miller (CRCA/ Houlihan Lokey Sanchez) once again dominated the women’s race. She launched attack after attack, chased the primes, and controlled any rider brash enough to attack. At the end she won the race clear of the field, getting a big gap in the sprint. Behind her Amanda Braverman (Stage 1/fusionTHINK) once again took second. Raquel Miller (CRCA) finished third, with a recently-returned-to-cycling Darcey Ramsey (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump) taking fourth. Her teammate Nancy Ford finished fifth, and Rebecca Hicks (CRCA/Comedy Central) rounded out the top six.

M45+

Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump showed their strength today. Even with overall leader (and three in a row winner) Carle Reglar missing from the line up, they still attacked like mad. The tall and powerful Matt Armstrong ended up in a three man break with the eternal John Funk (Cycle Fitness) and another long time Series racer Stephen Gray (Berlin Bikes/Best Cleaners).

With three strong riders, all capable of winning the race solo (and I think all have in the past), the field had no chance. In the end an inspired Funk took the win, with Gray taking second in his first race here this year. Armstrong finished third as he eased in the sprint.

Behind a wild and wooly field sprint saw a very unusual sight – a crash. To the left of the crash and unaffected by it, Joe Regan (Berlin Bikes/Best Cleaners) took the field sprint, with Morgan Stebbins (Bethel Cycle) a touch off in fifth. A resurgent Brian Wolf (Team Rockstar Games/Signature Cycles) took the last points place in sixth.

Cat 3-4

It seemed that two teams showed up intent on keeping the race together for a field sprint. With a few riders on each squad, both Berlin Bikes/Best Cleaners and Expo/Superior Energy had the numbers to mark all the moves. Berlin Bikes obviously had an interest in keeping it together for overall leader Bryan Haas – he’s been undefeated in field sprints this year.

With that kind of suffocation, the field had no chance. Particularly active in trying to break the field were Bethel Cycle, their strong man Johan Koserius once again escaping the field and gaining substantial time. But with no one for company this week, the other teams had no reason to hold back, so after a tough chase led by Berlin Bike’s Jeff Murray, the field came back together.

Expo showed their hand with about three to go, lining up their a three man train at the front. After two laps of pulling though the riders faded. As everyone swarmed the front, Berlin Bike’s Joe Regan to drill it, with the absolutely dominant Haas on his wheel.

With a superb half lap leadout, Haas had no problem dominating the sprint, winning by a couple bike lengths. Bill Muzzio (Bethel Cycle) took an excellent second, with Ian Farrar (Vibrant Health) taking a mechanical-marked third place. Pawling Cycle’s Reid Evans took fourth, with the ageless John Morales (Cafeteros) taking fifth in probably his 15th or so year of the Series. Sam Dodge (Stage 1/fusionTHINK) rounded out the top six in an admittedly tightly bunched field sprint.

P123s

Although the temperatures were low, the P123 race was an absolute scorcher. With a big field and a lot of inspired riders, the race promised fireworks.

Bobby Sweeting (Kenda Pro Cycling) has been the marked man every week so far. When conditions forced the strongest riders to the top, he’s won. When conditions allowed others to sit in, he’d been neutralized. His obvious strength put a big bullseye on his back, and for this race he had a plan.

For 15 laps no one saw him unless they looked 10 feet past the back of the field. He rode there for about that long, patiently biding his time. A strong break actually got away, with Kyle Wolfe (unattached) attacking from the gun. Brett Cleaver (CRCA/Rapha Racing) also made the effort, along with teammate Chad Butts (riding borrowed shoes and pedals). Luciano Bezerra (Navone Studios) made a good move to go with them.

Benjamin George (CVC/Subaru of New England), went with, a Cat 3 in pretty statospheric company. But as the field closed in, he eased, thinking the break was finished. But with a minor gap, the front men drilled it, and suddenly the break started moving away again. Overall Leader Gabriel Acaba (Michelob Ultra Cycling) also made the junction, and the break looked to turn the overall upside down.

As Sweeting sat at the back, TargeTraining sent a few of their riders to the front to chase. ZCC-Zane’s Cycle also hit the front, riding for their overall contender Eric Merrill, and inspired by the thought of racing well for their teammate (unable to race today) Ron Fantano.

Then the sleeping Kenda woke up. His first attack, from the back, inadvertently aborted by a rider swinging off the front, Sweeting launched from the front the following lap. Against every rule in the tactical book he drilled it from the very front of the field, basically announcing his move to everyone in the field for a full lap. Warned for literally two minutes, racers went after him, scrambling desperately up the hill. With everyone going all out, Sweeting had only a few feet of daylight at the start/finish line.

But that’s when he did some of that pro stuff. He kept the needle in the red, drilling it around the first corner and down the main straight. With the field in full cry behind him, Sweeing stretched the gap to 50 meters, holding what had to be a high 30s mph pace, and by the headwind-pounded back stretch, he was out of sight, clearing the straight before the field even got there.

A little over two laps later he bridged the 30 or so second gap, and then proceeded to drag the break around to the back of the field.

Sweeting, Bezerra, and Merrill caught the field at the bottom of the hill, about 200 meters before the start/finish line, but they were at the front when they hit that line. Incredibly Sweeting launched straight away with Bezerra on his wheel, and although Merrill tried to stay with them, it was game over.

Shortly after the remnants of the break lapped the field. Up ahead, Sweeting and Bezerra stayed away to the finish. Although Bezerra launched a strong move at the bell, Sweeting handled it with the aplomb of the pro he is, rolling in well ahead of a totally spent Bezerra.

Behind, Merrill had managed to sneak away from the field (and the other racers who were a lap up) with three lapped riders. He sat up and let them sprint it out, but being a lap up, he took third.

Unbeknowst to some of the break members, a chase group had formed and actually lapped the field too. Ed Angeli (TargeTraining) got in there, and when the laps wound down, he launched with an irrepressible George, the Cat 3 from the first move. Angeli finished fourth, riding in just ahead of the lapped George.

Overall leader Acaba beat the rest of the leading lap racers for fifth, and Wolfe, one of the original protagonists, capped off a long day in sixth.

A big shout out to Angry Ron (ZCC Zane’s Cycle) who couldn’t make it to the race today. We all hope he’ll be back in action soon.

The day dawned clear and sunny, chilly, but an improvement over the insane wind the week prior or the torrential downpours of the first week. The Bethel Elves had done their magic during the week – we had to literally just dust off the course before it was good to go.

(Results)

Cat 5s

The racing started with the Cat 5s, with a delayed start due to the wait list numbers getting handed out a bit late. We apologize for that but we really wanted to give everyone a chance to race.

The race stayed together with racers testing the racing scene. Unfortunately on the last lap a group of riders crashed. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.

Cat 4s

The first of the overall battles, and the tightest one for 2011, started off early. Bethel Cycle had Justin Tyberg at 10 points, but the leader was CRCA/teaNY’s Etsu Taniguchi. Bethel launched riders as soon as the race started, with riders off the front forcing CRCA/teaNY’s team to chase.

After a few punches and counter punches, the two teams reached an uneasy truce, with domestique riders taking the front seat. CRCA/teaNY strongman Dan Caridi spent a few laps off the front in his powerful IAB (invisible aero bar) position, finally drawing  out a chase from some individuals. After some inspired chasing by Bethel Cycle, including Tyberg, the group came back together.

Sam Morkal-Williams (CRCA Junior Development) rocketed out to a good lead next, this time drawing a few riders out of the field. Two CRCA/teaNY joined him, making this a potentially dangerous move. Tyberg himself tried to bridge, but in the end a rider dropped off the break while Rudy Bleakley (Navone Studios) rocketed by everyone  to latch onto the break.

With the three there already fatigued, Bleakley drove the break for the last few laps of the race, punching it at the bell to make a go for it solo. He almost made it, getting caught literally meters from the line.

Taniguchi repaid his team’s work by pulling off a fantastic half-wheel win, with Tyberg going second best, repaying his teams work. Bleakley hung on for a well deserved third.

Lorenzo Grippo (Team Danbury Audi / Pedal and Pump) took fourth, with teammates Lee Davis and Kenneth Reilly (Pawling Cycle) finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Women

Ann Marie Miller (CRCA/Houlihan-Lokey/Snahcez) put her stamp on the Series once again with a decisive win. She relentlessly controlled the field, winning all the primes and the race. Behind her Amanda Braverman (Stage 1 / fusionTHINK) took second, with Sarah Sauvayre (CRCA) in third. BrittLee Bowman (CRCA/NYVelocity Women’s Racing Team) finished fourth, with Donna McMahon (CRCA/Radical Media) in fifth. Rounding out the points placings was Beth Renner (CRCA/NYVelocity Women’s Racing Team).

Masters 45+

The strongest racers spent most of the race attacking each other, with the field almost disintegrating a few times. Finally the overall leader Carl Reglar (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump) launched what looked to be a desperate final lap attack. With a lead of only a few meters, it seemed a suicidal move. But when he came up the hill for the last time, he still had those precious meters in hand. He finished off an absolutely dominating first half of the Series with a third win in a row.

Behind him a resurgent Morgan Stebbins (Bethel Cycle) won the field sprint. No stranger to multiple Bethel wins himself, Stebbins seems to have found some of that form that launched him to so many victories here. Rick Spear (TARGETRAINING) took third, with Brian Wolf (Team RockStar Games/Signature Cycles) taking fourth. Rich Foley, also of TARGETRAINING, finished fifth, and Jim Escobar (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump) took the last point available in sixth.

Cat 3-4

With overall leader Bryan Haas (Berlin Bicycle/Best Cleaners) dominant in the field sprints with two wins, his opponents took a different direction this week. Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump sent off strongman Matt Armstrong on a mission to break the field. Joining him was Justin Harris (Team Bikeway.com), with Haas’s teammate Chad Dalles tagging along to keep an eye on things.

Bethel Cycle launched some furious chases, with one of their Jens Voight types (tall, powerful, and speaks with one of those cool Euro accents), Johan Koserius, bridging alone. With his extra horsepower and four strong teams unwilling to chase, the break rode away from the field.

Koserius finished off a great ride with a win, with team minder Dalles taking second. Harris took third for Bikeway.com and Armstrong, the initial protagonist, took fourth.

The field sprint could prove important with two points places up for grabs. Haas slayed all in winning it once again. Ian Farrar (Vibrant Health Cycling Team) took sixth, just behind Haas, repeating his sprint from last week.

P123

With the ever feared Bobby Sweeting (Kenda Pro Cycling Team) in the field, all eyes looked to him. Tethered by this attention, he couldn’t break free and romp away from the field on his own terms. Using this major distraction, two riders slipped away while the field had strung out, gaps appearing everywhere. Greg Olson (CRCA/Jonathan Adler Racing) made one of his numerous attacks stick, and he had the irrepressible Carl Reglar (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump) for company.

With two motivated riders ahead and a field intent on marking just one rider behind, the pair stretched the elastic until it snapped. The two rode clear, with Olson taking the win ahead of Reglar.

The field sprint revealed the fastest of the rest. Luciano Bezerra (Navone Studios /Greenwood Floors) won the sprint, taking third in the race. Matthew Baldwin (TARGETRAINING) finished fourth after leading it out, with Leader Jersey Gabriel Acaba (Michelob Ultra Cycling) finishing fifth. Eric Merrill (ZCC Zane’s Cycling) rounded out the points earning spots in sixth.

Register online here on BikeReg.

Info here.

Flyer

FYI Cat 5s are full. If you’d like to be put on the wait list please click on “Contact Event Promoter” on the BikeReg page above and send an email with “Cat 5 Waitlist” in the subject. Right now there are a couple people (Thursday morning, March 17).

We will release numbers Sunday morning March 20 at 8:30AM SHARP. If you have not picked up your number by then, we will release your number.

Unless you have made prior arrangements with Aki, you will not receive a refund.

The wind was fierce, and so was the competition.  It was a good day of racing, despite a few early crashes.

Results here.

Cat 5s

It was an absolutely full field, started off the day with slightly damp and threatening conditions. The wind blew away the slight bit of rain/moisture to keep the rain away, but it also made for very gusty conditions. The racers felt it most at the bottom of the hill, with the wind hitting hard from the left.

Unfortunately a crash marred the finish, with a bunch of riders falling at the bottom of the hill. The left side got held up; the right side wasn’t affected and sprinted it out for the finish.

Cat 4s

The wind really picked up for the 4s, pummeling the field. This helped keep the field together as it was impossible to get a gap. The sprinted ended up a bit chaotic as the strong crosswind at the bottom of the hill gave way to a slight tailwind.

Women

Unlike last week the field stayed totally intact. Pummeled by the wind, the conditions subdued even the aggressive Ann Marie Miller (CRCA/Houlihan Lokey Sanchez). The field stayed together for the finish, with Fabiwnne Girard (Fouriclasse Racing) taking the field sprint ahead of Amanda Braverman (Stage One/FusionTHINK). Miller took third, with Amy Miner (Onion River Racing) fourth. Ashley Prine (Radical Media) finished fifth, and Robyn Passander (ZCC/Zanes) rounding out the top six.

M45+

If the wind seemed powerful before, the weather man dialed it up to 11 for the Masters. The wind ripped apart the field, with some of the stronger racers tossing buckets of hurt on everyone else.  Carl Reglar (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump) took the win in the Leader’s Jersey, showing an early season dominance with two wins. Tom Chimenti (Team Thule), back after a long break from racing, picked up where he left off with a second place. The ever present John Funk (Cycle Fitness) finished third, followed by another long time Series racer Matt Armstrong (Team Danbury Audi/Pedal and Pump). Joe Regan (Berlin Bike / Best Cleaners) took fifth, and Morgan Stebbins (Bethel Cycle) rounded out the top six.

Cat 3-4

One of the few fields to stay together, the field roared into the bottom of the hill. Bryan Haas (Berlin Bike / Best Cleaners) executed a picture perfect sprint, launching from pretty far back, getting to the front, and holding it all the way to the line. The rider on his wheel was Ian Farrar (Vibrant Health), just missing the win he’s been looking for here. Juan Pimentel (CRCA) took third, with Jacinto Pereira in fourth. Darius Shekari (teaNY) finished fifth, with the Stage One/fusionTHINK racer Anthony Santomassimo rounding out the top six.

P123

With the vicious wind still roaring across the roads, the P123 race ended up a great race for the strong men. A crosswind on the first straight with a gusting headwind on the backstretch meant that a strong rider could force a gap at the top of the hill, punch it, and get to the headwind stretch clear. Once a gap opened, the field would be more reluctant to chase. These conditions work for the breakaways and hinder the field sprinters.

Sure enough, Robert Sweeting (Kenda Pro Cycling) chased down an early solo attack, kept the hammer down, and drilled it. Three riders managed to go with him, and the four racers stayed clear. Sweeting appropriately took the win, able to take advantage of his incredible strength in the unfriendly conditions. Sean Smith (J.A.M. Studios/NCC), a rider who showed incredible potential here last year when he lapped the field solo as a 4, took second. Peter Hurst (BikeReg.com/Cannondale) finished a hard earned fourth, with the early solo rider Pascual Caputi (Cafeteros) taking fourth.

Behind them the field sorted it out, a lap down. Leader Jersey wearing Gabriel Acaba (Michelob Ultra Racing) took a critical fifth and the points accompanying it. Eric Merril (ZCC/Zane’s Cycle), last week’s second place racer, took the final point up for grabs in sixth.

Register online here on BikeReg.

Info here

Flyer

Results