Why Cycle Wednesday:LOTSA Races!

One of the reasons to ride, is that you plan to race and don't want to get TOTALLY shelled.  It's always nice to at least make it to the finish, if not actually be in contention for the podium.

But which races do you want to do?  A good training plan divides the racing season into "A" races that you target and want to peak for, and "B" races that you'll train through just to get experience, hone skills, etc.  You can't target everything - you'll either burn out from overtraining or you'll just be packfodder for most of them.

I haven't decided yet which races will be which, and our current situation requires that I be a little choosy.  But fortunately, here in Southern New England, there are a LOT of races to choose from.

Here's a list of all the races within a 2hr drive:

• March 1 - April 5: Bethel Spring Series, Bethel, CT
• April 11: Chris Hinds Memorial Crit, Ninigret, RI
• April 18: Rick Newhouse Memorial Crit, Ninigret ,RI
• April 25: Monson Road Race, Monson, MA
• April 26: Quabbin Reservoir RR, Monson, MA
• May 9: Sterling Road RR, Sterling, MA (a stretch)
• May 16: Longmeadow Crit, Longmeadow, MA
• May 23: Cyclonauts Crit, Stafford Springs, CT (wedding - can't do)
• May 24: Hartford Crit, Hartford, CT (bad memory, may not want to do, may have to do)
• May 30 - 31: CT Stage Race (working that weekend)
• June 7: Connecticut Coast Crit, Bethel, CT
• June 13: CT Crit Championships, New Britain, CT
• June 14: Whaling City Cyclone Crit, New London, CT
• June 20: Mystic Velo Crit, Ninigret, RI
• June 21: Housatonic Hills RR (Father's Day - can't do)
• June 27: Downtown Boston Crit, Boston, MA (new this year, a stretch, but may have to do!)
• June 28: Keith Berger Memorial Crit, E. Hartford, CT (EVERYONE MUST DO)
• June 29: Thompson Speedway Crit (tentative)
• July 2 - 5: Longsjo Classic Stage Race, Fitchburg, MA (wedding - can't do)
• July 11: Attleboro Crit, Attleboro, MA
• July 12: New Britain Crit, New Britain, CT
• July 19: Donovan Ruhlman Naugatuck Crit, Naugatuck, CT
• July 25: Tour of the Hilltowns, Windsor, MA
• August 9: Tokeneke RR, Barkhamsted, CT
• August 12: Witches Cup Crit, Salem, MA (a stretch)
• August 16: Blount Seafoods Crit, Fall River, MA
• August 20: Legacy Banks Crit, Pittsfield, MA
• September 12 - 13: Bob Beal Masters Weekend Stage Race, Ninigret, RI
• September 20: Portsmouth Crit, Portsmouth, NH
• October 12: Jamestown Classic Road Race, Conanicut Island, RI

Now THAT'S a lot of races!  And, no, I don't plan on doing anywhere near this many - even if I had enough money for entry fees (and enough skin to spare for all those crits!)  But NEBRA and the promoters should be commended for putting together such a full calendar.  We're really spoiled to have so many races so close by.

So I have my work cut out for me in choosing which races to target - and those decisions in turn depend on what my team is doing.

Any of these particular favorites of yours or "must dos"?  Let us know - And if you're just getting into racing, pick a couple from the list and jump in!

Comments

[sarah]

It will be hard to narrow down that list! Hope you can do Jamestown this year. Also, you will have to defend or improve on your podium finish at Fall River...

[suitcaseofcourage]

Methinks Fall River and Jamestown must be TARGET races - provided we get to stay with certain someones (not to invite oneselves...) ;^)

[sarah]

Yay! 2 race weekends at our place =)

[Jeremy]

There's certainly no shortage of races in the area. From Boston, almost *all* of the NEBRA races are within 2.5 hours. It's a bit overwhelming trying to figure out a plan for the whole season, especially since there's a lot of missing data about what the fields are going to be for each and start times

[Mrs. Suitcase]

YAY for lots of car knitting time! And great, non-injury racing of course.