Gerry's 2012 Red Hook Crit Race Report...

Well, it started with me missing my pedal and basically nutting myself on the front row. I barely hung in the main group the entire race, mostly last wheel. On lap two ( I think) someone went down ahead of me and a cone went flying almost into my front wheel, I thought I was done. Luckily I missed it, but I was pretty much terrified the rest of the race. Mike M watched the crash happen, I didn't really understand where the cone came from. I went to the front and put in as big a pull as I could for about 9/10 of a lap, then went straight to the back, and I barely hung on. I ended up 16th out of 28 finishers. I'm not sure sure if it was just a matter of me not having the legs this year or that the pace was that much faster, but it was was certainly tough to hang on. I was wrecked and once the bell lap hit, I drifted off the back of the main chase. Good times! Now I'll wait another year to pick up a track bike again. Maybe...

More exploration and the 2012 debut of the litespeed

Yesterday the weather was incredible and I had just put my litespeed road bike together.  Going out for a hill ride by myself to work out the kinks in the build I decided to make use of the lack of foliage and check out some old ruins just off the beaten path.

 This could be our new team clubhouse (we can sleep in the hole in the wall at the back right)

Its what real estate brokers call "cozy"

 Some more old stuff

and a hobbit hut

Gerald Adasavage a Featured Competitor at the 2012 RedHook Crit...

Can you say dark horse?

http://redhookcrit.com/competitor/gerald-adasavage/

Adasavage is a rider who excels at cyclocross making him a dangerous competitor in the RHC. Last year, racing the crit for the first time, he rode perhaps the most aggressive race in the field. With more tactics built into his relentless attacking nature Adasavage will be at the front of the field.

Great weekends include Phlyer, Party, Karaoke, Mtbing, and exploration.

This last weekend was the Philly Phlyer.  Someone else might have some good input on this and some pictures to upload.  In short, we had a pretty good showing but the best the team could do was a 7th place finish for Mikey, after a group of 3 got off the front. The race was the slowest Phlyer I have ever done, mostly because team BT changed their tactics this year and weren't attacking the whole time.  Oh well good first race of the year out of the way.  

Saurday night was Brendan's and Gerry's combined birthday party which ended with us all successfully being reunited with our old friend the Karaoke Cop over at Brown st. pub.  It also happened to be a st. Patty's day celebration and we were all witness to at least 2 fights and numerous people puking. 

Sunday came and Brendan, Jack and myself went into the woods riding our funny looking fat tired bikes.   Jack had to turn out early and Brendan and I went to exploring the abandoned reservoir over by the Mann music center.  We found some creepy things in them there woods.  First off, there were a lot of old shoes all over the place, this one was my favorite.

Then we found a weird little area that had bottles on the end of all the branches.  

There was also about 5 of these Giant rusty steel boxes, that upon closer inspection seem to be old heavy-duty safes, taken into the woods and broken open.  Pretty wild stuff

All in all, This weekend was a great showcase for all that Philly has to offer, from beautiful bike racing to drunk people in green to creepy bottle tree / satanic worship woods.

Catch Team BT at the Philly Phlyer this Weekend!

The eyes of the cycling world will be focused squarely on two monuments of spring racing this Saturday: Milan-San Remo in Italy and the Philly Phlyer in Fairmount Park.

While the Phyler may lack the prestige, distance and rich history of Milan-San Remo, it's the unofficial start to the season for the men of Team BT and always promises an afternoon of exciting racing.

While the race is short (only ~25 miles), it offers a little something for everyone...a flat drag race on West River Drive, a climb up Greenland Ave with a fast descent down Ford Road, ending with a few technical turns leading into the finish at Memorial Hall.



Gone are the days of snowy MTB rides, snotsicles and weeks in the little ring...spring is here and it's time to sharpen the knives and get down to business.

The men's 3/4 race goes off at 2:15 and we hope to see you there!

Some thoughts on T-shirt design

So Far This Year

We are just over ankle deep in the year so far and the team, like always, is alive with energy about the prospects of the upcoming bicycle seasons. New coaches have been hired, others dismissed, and luckily no one has been electrocuted by the watts surging through their power meters.
The team has been on a striking amount of both road and dirt in the past few months given the non-winter we seem to be in the midst of. Strava probably had to buy more data storage space just to keep tabs on the team.
Nathalie and I have just returned from a week long getaway in Gainesville, FL where we indulged in MTB Fantasy Camp 2012. We were able to get some long days in the hot weather, which even as mild as it's been around Philly lately, 80+ degrees is no joke and can leave you pretty light headed after 4 hours or so. Thanks to the shop for becoming an Osprey Packs dealer just in time.
As a self respecting, lycra wearing cyclist, it's not easy to strap a water backpack on aesthetically. Like a straight edge kid holding onto a bong, it can be uncomfortable and all that water sloshing around can be a bad spill. The packs from Osprey are awesome though, given that they're easy on the eyes in colors and have nice profiles complimentary to minimal dress. They were a must for a couple of snowbirds like us for sure.


We love Melitta coffee, but this is magic for a cup or two of pour over.

With all the quality time the team has been putting in on the MTB's, I can't help but get excited to do more racing of that sort this year.
It seems that excitement is everywhere right now as all the roadie sightings on the trail indicate. You can surmise they're roadies because they point out sticks and roots on the trail to the people riding behind them.

Also, let's put in a good word for all the rad sportives popping up in the area. The PCS folks are hosting the Bucks county/ Lambertville rides again this year. These super fun kermesse-style rides traverse pavement and gravel over hill and dale along the Delaware river starting with the Hell of Hunterdon. Ride fast and try to punish yourself and all others around you, or have a nice time and enjoy the ride and company, everyone gets beer in the end. Isn't that what really matters?