On the chance that at least one of you would find it interesting ... below is the email I sent to the Sunapee/S&W Racing Team (the road cycling racing team I manage). If any of you are ever interested in gaining some road racing experience, I highly encourage heading to New Hampshire International Speedway on Thursday nights. Sprints occur every 3rd lap on the 1.6 mile course (which includes two short hills). Another option is the Claremont Points Race Series on Tuesday nights, which is a slightly different format. Forward any questions you have about either to me and I will do my best to convince you that they are both way safer than trying to avoid rocks, stumps, roots, and trees in the Newport Town Forest!

+++++
+++++

Dear Sunapee/S&W Racing Team,

Tonight was another successful outing at New Hampshire International Speedway, with the Sunapee/S&W Racing Team capping off the points series by securing the top 3 places on the podium and 8 of the top 10 spots in the A-Race.

The plan was to keep the field together and set-up Brian Lavigne for points on the first two (of six) sprints in order to ensure he had a sufficient cushion early in race to keep the 4th and 5th place racers in the points series at bay. This job was made slightly easier by the fact that Ben Zawacki (4th place on points coming into the race tonight and 5 points behind Brian) has already left for college. Eric Lindberg (5th place on points coming into the race tonight and 6 points behind Brian) was at the race and accordingly became the focal point for a number of the *men in blue and yellow* who were at the race. Our plan worked to perfection, with Brian finishing 1st, 3rd, and 2nd on the first 3 sprints, for a total of 8 points. This was enough points to guarantee a third place finish for the series, so during the second half of the race the *men in blue and yellow* were free to earn points for themselves and help teammates other than Brian. On two of the sprints in the second half of the race, Sunapee/S&W Racing Team Members went 1/2/3 ? collecting all of the points for these sprints. The standings for the night were as follows (with S/S&W indicating Sunapee/S&W Racing Team Members):
1st ? Steve Stockwell (S/S&W)
2nd ? Brian Lavigne (S/S&W)
3rd (tie) ? Charlie Bedard (S/S&W) and Ben Carbonetti
5th (tie)? Chris Naimie (S/S&W) and Brad Tanner (S/S&W)
7th (tie) ? Jim Pammer (S/S&W) and Eric Lindberg

For the season long series, the top 10 were as follows (with S/S&W indicating Sunapee/S&W Racing Team Members):
1st ? Patrick Ruane (S/S&W)
2nd ? Steve Stockwell (S/S&W)
3rd ? Brian Lavigne (S/S&W)
4th ? Ryan Kelly (S/S&W)
5th (tie) ? Ben Zawacki and Eric Lindberg
7th ? Charlie Bedard (S/S&W)
8th ? Chris Naimie (S/S&W)
9th (tie) ? Keith Ford (S/S&W) and Craig Harrison (S/S&W)

Prizes for the series were awarded to the top 3 in the A-Race:
1st place ? Bontrager Race X-Lite Wheels ($799 Retail Value)
2nd place ? Atomic World Cup Skis ($412 Retail Value)
3rd place ? S&W Sports Gift Certificate ($300 Retail Value)

In short, we won prizes with a total retail value of $1511!

This has been a very satisfying season at NHIS. We have worked diligently to keep the racing dynamic and productive for the 16 weeks of racing in the points series. Over the length of the series, 25 or our 27 teammates have participated in at least one event. On any given night, approximately 16 Sunapee/S&W Racing Team Members reported on the line. Sometimes all you would see at the front of the field is a sea of blue (and flames ? of course). My conservative estimation is that 60-70 racers competed in at least one of the weekly races ? so our team constituted approximately 1/3 of the field!

There are still 4 more weeks of racing at NHIS. Check out the NHCC website (www.nhcyclingclub.com) for details.

Cheers,
Chris

That's simply amazing Chris. Congratulations to S/S&W for a great season!

Ryan

Congratulations to you and the team. Two years ago one night I did the Claremont track and was not comfortable with the closness of the racers. Is it the same at the bigger track? Do you think it is any more dangerous than racing on mountain goat paths?

Dan, don't do it, don't go. You'll have to shave your legs.

The larger track at NHIS rides much more like a road race than the small track at Claremont. There are both left and right-hand corners and many good lines to follow (unlike Claremont, where the best line is where the distance around the track is the shortest ... that is, the bottom of the track).

In my personal opinion, NHIS is a significantly better *learn to road race* format ... while Claremont is a better *work on your sprint* format.

Road Cyclists shave their legs like Mountain Bikers count Dabs. They think it is really important for many reasons (which they whole-heartedly believe in) ... but none of the reasons really make much sense to those who do not participate in the ritual!

I thought it was scabs that were counted not dabs. I must of not heard it correctly a few years ago. Been doing it wrong all this time.

Chris,

I am interested in trying out both Claremont and NHIS next year. Any tips/hints ect.. that you could give me would be great. I know its not till next year, but the sooner I can start preparing the better
 
"If you brake, you don't win." Racer Mario Cipollini

Ken,

Getting together for some sprint workouts would be a great way to get started preparing for next year. I could give you a pretty good sense of how you would do at Claremont and make suggestions regarding how to prepare over the winter for next year. Like most things, the best way to get better at sprinting is to practice sprinting. Not just at 2 or 3 town lines on a group ride ... but multiple times in a sprint workout.

Chris

P.S. Much to my delight, they continued to keep tabulating results at NHIS until the end of September ... and I ended up 4th for the season in the A race (behind 3 of my teammates).

Chris
I went to the site for information and can't see where it tells the breakdown of classes/ages etc. Also how many laps does a group make on the 1.6 mile course. If Ken and I went over could we be in the same group or is it broken up by age?
Dan

Dan,

There are 4 races at Loudon: A,B,C,D


Depending upon the time of sunset, the A and B races go 15 to 21 laps (for a total of 24 to 34 miles of racing). The fields are not split up by age. The A race typically has guys ranging in age from 16 to 55, with a couple of ladies in the mix. You and Ken would ride together (unless you chose otherwise :D )


I think that everyone from Team Pinnacle could ride with the A's and that what would take the most adjustment is riding in the pack and reading the race dynamics.

Racing begins at 6:00PM. Sunapee/S&W Racers meet at Sam's Club in Concord at 5:00PM and pedal to the track ... then race ... then pedal back to Sam's Club. The warm-up and cooldown adds about 20 miles to the night. You guys are welcome to join us!

Chris

Tthanks Chris, if the weather looks good I think you will see two new faces over there soon. I'll try it.

BTW where can I find the times from previous Sunapee Race events?

After finishing the A race at NHIS last night, I took advantage of the opportunity to watch the final sprint of the B race in order to give better advice regarding what field Team Pinnacle Members should try first. For the following reasons, I would suggest that you start in the B's:
1. The pace is slightly slower (about 2-3 mph I would guess, given that the A's lapped the B's in about 10 laps last night) which will provide more opportunity to get comfortable with the *close quarters* of road racing. FYI - the pace in the A race was 25-26 mph last night. I am not sure exactly what it was as I have not turned on my electronics yet this year.
2. The sprints are still quick and a number of A's from last year have dropped down to B's this year to focus on early season sprint work as opposed to just working to keep up ... so I think you will find it challenging.
3. The sprints are less tactical than the A's ... so there is more opportunity to be in the hunt for points on each points lap.
4. You will see the effects of your improved bike handling, tactics, and sprinting sooner in the B race ... and once you are ready, you can jump in with the A's.

I hope this helps,
Chris

Looks like I am the only new face. Dan wants to focus on the Sunapee course, but I will be seeing you Thursday night. My wife and son are coming, so I will probably just try to get to the track at 5:15 and warm up there.

-- Ken
 
"If you brake, you don't win." Racer Mario Cipollini

Sounds Good Ken ... I will look forward to seeing you there. You will probably see us traveling up 106 if you drive through concord to get to NHIS.

As an asside, here is a quote I remember from a poster that I used to have that showed a cycling peleton racing through the corner on what looked like a criterium course. It reminds me of what you are using as a signature file ... except that it does not place emphasis on comparing yourself to someone who might not care about competing:

The thrill is not just in winning, but having the courage to join the race.