# NYC Central Park Riders



## acasey

Hey everyone, first post on here. Recently started getting into road biking (it's quickly becoming an obsession) in order to get into shape because I can't take the monotony of running any more. Since the weather hasn't been too cooperative lately, I am usually doing my riding in the Central Park loop during the week with a longer ride on the weekend (20-30 miles). I was curious to know what other riders strive for as far as lap time for the full 6.1 mile loop?

My personal best for 1 lap is 26:45. Just curious as to how that stacks up against others. Thanks!


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## AlanE

18:45


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## r_mutt

if you can do 18's, you are going pretty good. some top club racers can do low 15's- that's really an outstanding time. you should be shooting for a 20 flat or better. 

26:45 is driving miss daisy.


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## acasey

I'll get there....hopefully 

Thanks guys


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## magicant

Going to be there next weekend and never ridden through the park. Are there any recommendations on places to rent a bike? Are rental places scattered around or is there a particular location to go? I'm staying in Times Square if that helps narrow things down.

Appreciate any advice.


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## P.D.E.

acasey said:


> Hey everyone, first post on here. Recently started getting into road biking (it's quickly becoming an obsession) in order to get into shape because I can't take the monotony of running any more. Since the weather hasn't been too cooperative lately, I am usually doing my riding in the Central Park loop during the week with a longer ride on the weekend (20-30 miles). I was curious to know what other riders strive for as far as lap time for the full 6.1 mile loop?
> 
> My personal best for 1 lap is 26:45. Just curious as to how that stacks up against others. Thanks!


Welcome to the forum. 26:45 (13.7 mph) is a very relaxed pace but after you get a few months of training under your belt your speeds will go up a LOT. 

If you want to ride with others of similar ability I would suggest exploring some of the local clubs like the New York Cycle Club (nycc.org, see the "C" rides), The Weekday Cyclists (www.WeekdayCyclists.org), etc.


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## Uprwstsdr

when I was living in the city my best for a 3 lap time trial was 1 hr. (18mph avg.). I don't know what my best single lap time was. If you can do a lap in 20 mins. your going as fast as you'll ever need unless you are racing. Those times are now just a distant memory to me, I am much slower than i used to be.


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## jamesnord

I just got my bike a few weeks ago and saw this thread and was interested to see what I could do. Last night was my first time around timing myself and I did 16:28. Does anyone think with some training I could do some local racing? I am 24 and currently training for a marathon on thanksgiving, but I am looking to concentrate more on cycling once that is over.

Any input would be great.

Thanks!
James


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## r_mutt

awesome time. do 4 laps and come back and tell us what your times are for all 4 laps. 

http://www.crca.net/


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## P.D.E.

jamesnord said:


> I just got my bike a few weeks ago and saw this thread and was interested to see what I could do. Last night was my first time around timing myself and I did 16:28. Does anyone think with some training I could do some local racing? I am 24 and currently training for a marathon on thanksgiving, but I am looking to concentrate more on cycling once that is over.
> 
> Any input would be great.
> 
> Thanks!
> James


It sounds like with some dedicated cycling training you could be very competitive racing. If you can keep a fairly regular training program going through the winter you'll have a big head start over a lot of guys who slack off as soon as it gets cold.

Another way to gauge your progress is with River Road hill climbs. Safer (IMO) than doing fast laps in Central Park where you have to worry about ipod joggers, clueless pedestrians etc. This article summarizes the kinds of (approximate) times you need to be competitive at different racing levels.


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## jamesnord

Thanks,

I am going to do both of those and see where I stand.

Cheers,

James


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## r_mutt

if you get bored of central park, try having a go at prospect park. it's less crowded with tourists, cars, and the like. judging from your CP laps, you should be able to do a 9 min lap time.

IIRC, my best time at CP is 17:11. i think i can go pretty good, but certainly, i wasn't the fastest cat 5 racer (this past year was my first season) in the peleton- but more often than not, i was in the top 10 in my races. i'll think you'll go well if you decide to compete. just don't take it too hard if you don't start winning right away. racing in nyc is about the sprint finish. 

start your laps at the top of cat's paw hill- near 80th street. enter at 72nd, head north, and when you get to the top of the hill just past the boathouse, you'll see a crosswalk- that is the start/finish line for CRCA races. time yourself from there.


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## markito200

Hello all, my fastest ever around the park was 18:09 I regularlly do it in the mid 18's. I started riding on the road back in may. Back then I was barely able to get there from the bronx where I live. Keep riding , be concistant.


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## Bob Ross

I haven't timed my solo laps in CP in over a year, but the fastest I recorded in 2007 was 16:32.

This past year I was doing a lot of group rides in the park, and with a 6-8 person paceline we were routinely doing 16:00 laps x3

...after which my legs would usually fall off.


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## sbshilag

Hi, I am new to this forum. I have always been a solo biker but love the company. Anyone from Jersey/hoboken? Just got my Cervelo P3C/zipp and the weather is killing me. Never timed myself on CP but I ride between 18-26 mph. CP is too crowded. I ride avg of 60miles. I love 9W route. Scenic and peaceful and hills .


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## Orbea_Carbon_Force

r_mutt said:


> if you can do 18's, you are going pretty good. some top club racers can do low 15's- that's really an outstanding time. you should be shooting for a 20 flat or better.
> 
> 26:45 is driving miss daisy.


Yeah, well, they are cat 3 and up racers..... Not exactly anyone can do and achieve.


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## editmire

*also in hoboken...*

Hoboken beginner here, just started mid-summer last year, usually do 20-35 mile weekend rides, unfortunately weekday riding is very tough with my work schedule, though I'm telling myself I'm finding time for one every week this year... Probably more of a 15 avg. than an 18 at this pace, but maybe by the end of the year (and with my zipps installed).

Had been riding mostly on a sunday ride out of LBS but it didn't make it through the winter, so looking for a new ride which is Cat-6.5 friendly!

My standard solo ride starts in hoboken, goes north up river road, and then goes over the g. washington bridge, I sometimes ride on to CP and do a few laps, and then head back to the bridge and back to hoboken, should be 35+ miles or so and takes me 2.5 hours or so with a few snack breaks.


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## editmire

Timed myself at 21:50 my first run... like I said before, I'm about half-year into cycling, definitely hope to improve, need to shave 10% off my time to hit that "solid" 20 minute pace... think even a good partner to pace me might get me most of the way there...


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## bikesarethenewblack

First let me say, considering it's new york freaking city - central park rocks. Seriously, I lived in DC for 12 years and rock creek park is incredible, but it's open to cars 24x7 on weekdays and there is no shoulder for a good amount and local cut-through drivers just tail you the whole time. It stinks. On the weekend its closed, but you still need to take it slow as people are roaming all over the place.

I rode central park once and did three laps and it took my just under 57 minutes. Highest my HR got was 157 on my last lap, but most of the time it was zone 3 and some zone 4 on the climbs. I l get to NYC with some frequency - can anyone tell me the hours of the park being close to auto traffic?

As for the park - let it also be known that central park is where a certain Mr. George Hincapie rose in the ranks. The kid raced it every week as a junior and lived in queens and his dad worked at JFK. Take that California!!!!!!


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## r_mutt

editmire said:


> Timed myself at 21:50 my first run... like I said before, I'm about half-year into cycling, definitely hope to improve, need to shave 10% off my time to hit that "solid" 20 minute pace... think even a good partner to pace me might get me most of the way there...


that's a good time, keep pushing! how many laps are you doing consecutively?


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## tonyride

*Newbie here*

Hello, newbie here and just started road riding after a 10+ year hiatus. I've been reading about the loop around central park and would be interested in doing it. I was wondering if there's a map of the loop or GPS coordinates of the path. Thanks.


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## r_mutt

google maps! 

<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=central+park&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=40.779567,-73.970003&spn=0.049916,0.099649&z=14&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=central+park&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=40.779567,-73.970003&spn=0.049916,0.099649&z=14&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>


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## Dumbod

It isn't a path, it's the road that circles the path. You don't need GPS coordinates. You follow these four steps.

1) Find Central Park
2) Enter Central Park
3) Turn right at the first road you come to.
4) Ride for approx. 6 miles

Ride around Central Park. Done.


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## tonyride

Dumbod said:


> It isn't a path, it's the road that circles the path. You don't need GPS coordinates. You follow these four steps.
> 
> 1) Find Central Park
> 2) Enter Central Park
> 3) Turn right at the first road you come to.
> 4) Ride for approx. 6 miles
> 
> Ride around Central Park. Done.


You mean up and down East Drive and West Drive?


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## r_mutt

yes! when in doubt, just bear left at any intersection.


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## tonyride

r_mutt said:


> yes! when in doubt, just bear left at any intersection.


Oh, I see. That loop is all one-way traffic. Thanks.


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## r_mutt

i mean right! :blush2: bear right when you don't know which road to take and it splits- unless you see that it leads out of the park...

left will take you across the park to the other side.


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## CAAD9R5

Wow I suck. 22 mins.


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## tonyride

r_mutt said:


> i mean right! :blush2: bear right when you don't know which road to take and it splits- unless you see that it leads out of the park...
> 
> left will take you across the park to the other side.


OK, thanks.:thumbsup:


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## wsrobert

21mph average on three laps for 17.4 minutes per lap...not sure what my fastest single lap time would be since i havent tried to go all out for one lap.


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## r_mutt

good times wsrobert.

i was marshaling a race a month ago, and i was timing the 1,2,3's. they were doing 13:XX laps 4-6 times consecutively! awesome.


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## Christine

I can do 23 on my fat-tired hardtail mtb. When I'm riding consistently, anyway. Have yet to ride a road bike in Central Park.


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## jkmacman

*central park times*

'Sup RBR Peeps?

Last time I went through Central Park. I ran down from morningside heights, riverside park, central park

https://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7873546

back in the day they had a 24 hour bike ride around central park, i participated in.

imho: < 20 minutes is awesome for 6.1 mile central park loop. It's a little hilly









if you biked th 6.1 loop you probably didn't see the boat house


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## jpdigital

My best timed-laps are this: 

Central Park: 17'17" (effort was _maybe_ 85%, felt if I dug a little deeper I could've gone under 17mph)
Avg. Spd. approx 21.18mph/34.01km/h

Prospect Park: 9'08".
Avg. Spd. approx 22.34mph/35.95km/h

Funny, I actually felt like I'm not that strong. Perhaps I'm a little stronger than previously thought (?). Based on these #'s, think I can enter a time-trial (as a "beginner", of course)??


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## jkmacman

*nice stats*

your numbers look good to me, l bike in the morning on henry hudson drive aka river road around 6 am on tuesdays rest of the summer, 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/10612573


they have a time trial here, but its all uphill about 1.5 miles, some folks can do it under 6 minutes, my best time was like 7 and a half

last week end there was a time trial at long meadow

under 40 minutes for 14.5 miles is what most folks did, i think it would take me at least 45


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## stoked

jpdigital said:


> My best timed-laps are this:
> 
> Central Park: 17'17" (effort was _maybe_ 85%, felt if I dug a little deeper I could've gone under 17mph)
> Avg. Spd. approx 21.18mph/34.01km/h
> 
> Prospect Park: 9'08".
> Avg. Spd. approx 22.34mph/35.95km/h
> 
> Funny, I actually felt like I'm not that strong. Perhaps I'm a little stronger than previously thought (?). Based on these #'s, think I can enter a time-trial (as a "beginner", of course)??


good numbers. How many laps do you usually do and is each lap close to those numbers?


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## jpdigital

As far as Central Park: I live in Brooklyn so going there is kind of a treat for me. Usually I'll have the time to get at least 4 laps in the park before heading home. Having to cross the Brooklyn Bridge & play in traffic thru Manhattan, _usually_ the first lap is "recovery". The time I timed myself I actually wasn't feeling too strong, and kinda did as a spur-of-the-moment thing. If I had to guess, my laps are comfortably around 18'30" at least there.

As for Prospect Park: it's 2 miles from my doorstep, so of course I'm out there more often. My average "cruising" speed is a little over 19mph, so I'd say a typical lap is around 10'45". The course there is so short compared to CP, I can reasonably get 8-10 laps in @ that pace solo.

I've never competed at any level, and have been thinking of entering TT's. It's pretty cool seing other peoples' personal-bests as well, as the numbers don't mean your better than the next person, as each person has to suffer (in a good way) to get their own number.


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## jpdigital

Did you make it under 20:00 yet??


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## jpdigital

Where is this 1.5 mile climb you speak of?? I may cross the GW into New Jersey for the first time this weekend. If I go, I may want to give that hill a go!! 

I don't consider myself a climber (yet), but I can get up the "sprinter's climbs" just fine. Half-mile climbs @ 7% were typical where I moved from. I'm actually a lot more comfortable taking a 6-10% climb than the 4% climbs that seem to be the norm out here.


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## ping771

jpdigital said:


> Where is this 1.5 mile climb you speak of?? I may cross the GW into New Jersey for the first time this weekend. If I go, I may want to give that hill a go!!
> 
> I don't consider myself a climber (yet), but I can get up the "sprinter's climbs" just fine. Half-mile climbs @ 7% were typical where I moved from. I'm actually a lot more comfortable taking a 6-10% climb than the 4% climbs that seem to be the norm out here.


The entrance to the bike path is here (the intersection of River Road & Annett Ave):

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourcei...vfIC&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

To get once you cross the bridge, turn left down hudson terrace (the road technically becomes River Road (or the extension of Main St) in Fort Lee once you go south of the bridge)) but for your purposes it's the same road. Be careful as the road gets extremely steep downhll and there are cars merging from Main Street onto River Road, You can easily miss the entrance, which is on your left side in the middle of the hill (click on photo streetview of google maps link I attached so you can recognize it). Have your brakes ready, and cross into oncoming traffic going up the hill into the park. Then merge left into literally another world. You will be riding parallel to 9W but because you are literally riding on a cliffside, a hundred-200 ft down from the 9W. Cyclists call this path River Road and you if check the nycc.org message boards, there will be postings listing the condition of the road. There are occasionally rocks and branches on the road since there are trees everywhere and rocks do fall or roll down the cliff face onto the path, You will go north until you reach the "police station" (Palisade Parkway Police Dept. station). The police station does not appear on google maps but the intersection of 9W and Alpine Approach Road, Alpine, NJ does): 

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourcei...wOoC&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

Move the map down to Alpine Approach Road, and you will see it goes north/south. That road is the long uphill. Oh yeah, cars are allowed on the hill since it goes down to the boat basin, so be careful. You'll get the occasional Porsche speeding. 

The hill you're probably referring to is the mile hill that goes up to the police station. Once you reach the police station (which is on Alpine Approach Road, Alpine, NJ), you travel a 1/4 mile more past the station, turn left (the only way you can turn and you will see 9W. From there you can continue your ride north into Piermont which is still another 7 miles. 

Hope this helps.


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## jkmacman

*henry hudson drive on motion based*

here's henry hudson drive on motion based

https://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8669468

the elevation numbers are off as the forreunner 405 has a shoddy antena

check out some pics from yesterday, although they say they cleaned it up since then (the debris)

dbjjk.com/1/2009/08/08-06-09/08-06-09web/08-06-09.htm










i bike there every tuesday morning around 6 am in aug & sept. post bak or pm, if you want to hook up


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## team_sheepshead

jpdigital said:


> My best timed-laps are this:
> 
> Central Park: 17'17" (effort was _maybe_ 85%, felt if I dug a little deeper I could've gone under 17mph)
> Avg. Spd. approx 21.18mph/34.01km/h
> 
> Prospect Park: 9'08".
> Avg. Spd. approx 22.34mph/35.95km/h
> 
> Funny, I actually felt like I'm not that strong. Perhaps I'm a little stronger than previously thought (?). Based on these #'s, think I can enter a time-trial (as a "beginner", of course)??


Some perspective: Even IF you could duplicate this effort and ride 17:17 for two laps, that's 34:34. Back in the July 17, 2005 CRCA Central Park time trial (2 laps), that would have put you in 52nd place overall (fourth from last), 11th place (third from last) among the C group (Cat. 5s).

Now go out and try to ride two laps. I'll be nice and add 30 seconds to your time. That's 35:04. You still would have finished fourth from last overall and third from last among Cat. 5s.\

Oh, and by the way, at 35:04, you would have finished second to last among the women (no offense to women).

Racing = hard. Keep training.


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## jpdigital

*That's the input I was looking for.*

Thanks for the input. That gives me some kind of idea as to where I am vs. others. The timed lap I did wasn't an all-out effort, I held back quite a bit in hindsight. Can't wait to head back out to CP and do two laps. When I do, I'll post some updated numbers. I'm looking forward to it...


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## andyny

I just got my first road bike (caad9-5) yesterday and rode it for the first time this morning at central park. Only had time to do two laps and averaged 21 mins flat per lap. I think maybe I can hit 20 min/lap since I was playing around with shifting. damn some of those guys this morning passed me like i was standing still..

Looks like i have quite a bit of work to do!!


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## labmonkey526

i've only timed myself once for 3 laps (~22 min each) out of 4 (don't ask got pulled over by the Po-po and had a friend lose a chain) when I first started riding again this past summer, so its great to see all this info from people riding there.

I like the idea of going sub 20 mins and sub 10 at prospect park. Something about round numbers! That would make me feel pretty good about getting back into shape. I putter up the hills (it is my kryponite) and have to say lots of folks fly right by me but I feel great being out on the bike again! 

That info on the 2 lap TT is awesome. Shows you how much you need to train! I'd also say one lap doesn't really show you what you can do- i mean it's only ~6 miles. I would say you should do at least 2-4. I was losing about 30 sec each lap and that is generous.

But then again if it's a one lap race, might as well kick it.


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## labmonkey526

acasey said:


> Hey everyone, first post on here. Recently started getting into road biking (it's quickly becoming an obsession) in order to get into shape because I can't take the monotony of running any more. Since the weather hasn't been too cooperative lately, I am usually doing my riding in the Central Park loop during the week with a longer ride on the weekend (20-30 miles). I was curious to know what other riders strive for as far as lap time for the full 6.1 mile loop?
> 
> My personal best for 1 lap is 26:45. Just curious as to how that stacks up against others. Thanks!


Just posted (and realize this is a year old) but wanted to shout out to the OP good job on riding man. keep training and you're time will start dropping like crazy. I just got back into riding and thought doing 50 miles was nuts and next thing you know my mates and I are routinely doing more then 50 miles on rides! Just focus on yourself and your personal goals. There will always be some who is faster than you-- don't mind them as they blow by you-- use them as motivation!


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## acasey

labmonkey526 said:


> Just posted (and realize this is a year old) but wanted to shout out to the OP good job on riding man. keep training and you're time will start dropping like crazy. I just got back into riding and thought doing 50 miles was nuts and next thing you know my mates and I are routinely doing more then 50 miles on rides! Just focus on yourself and your personal goals. There will always be some who is faster than you-- don't mind them as they blow by you-- use them as motivation!


Thanks man, appreciate it. I definitely got a lot better over the summer. Here's a link to my 3 lap time when my fitness had peaked in August. Been traveling for work lately so I haven't had as much time on the bike as I would like, and I find myself doing more of River Road & 9W than CP these days. Looking forward to more CP rides as the weather turns though.

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/10648345


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## r_mutt

nice improvement! 

enjoy this weather. it's gonna get cold soon


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## dominicisi

What categories do you all race?
I'm trying to find at least a weak correlation between CP lap times and racing achievements. I have read that article about the hill climb on river road and what are "standard" times for the various categories of racing.

I don't race because I'm a rower primarily but i did a 3 x CP lap workout with 3 minutes rest in between and I went 
16:31.1
16:24.7
16:26.5

Just trying to see how I stack up.
Thanks


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## FeedTheJoe

Dude, you will be totally golden if you start racing. I too came from a rowing background, and I was worried that I would get crushed on the hills since I am a bigger guy compared to cyclists 6'4", 200lbs.

I did the CRCA race on 3/6 and I was fine. I am a Cat 5, so I was racing in the C Field. The pack did 4 laps in roughly 1:04 - something like 23 mph avg. I had no real difficulties staying in the action.

For what it's worth, I wore my HR monitor - 165 bpm average for the race (obiviously there are attacks and lulls) but that figure is only 10 bpm higher then what we would do long distance steady state ergs - 155 bpm.




dominicisi said:


> What categories do you all race?
> I'm trying to find at least a weak correlation between CP lap times and racing achievements. I have read that article about the hill climb on river road and what are "standard" times for the various categories of racing.
> 
> I don't race because I'm a rower primarily but i did a 3 x CP lap workout with 3 minutes rest in between and I went
> 16:31.1
> 16:24.7
> 16:26.5
> 
> Just trying to see how I stack up.
> Thanks


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## r_mutt

the 16's are good times, but why did you stop for 3 minutes in between each lap? lap times for races are usually anywhere from 13 -15 minutes- but that's in the pack. it's a bit easier to do that than a TT effort. depending on the category, you will have to do that anywhere from 5-9 times consecutively- with no 3 min rest  i think you'll be ok. 


joe, harlem hill is just a pimple of a climb. it's too short to get "dropped".


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## dominicisi

3x5k w/ 1/4 rest is a great workout for rowing and running and those are the only two things I know how to do.


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## wai2fast

Just did the 3/4 race this past Sunday and we covered 4 laps just a shade over an hour. Yes, the cat. 5 field caught and passed us, but they were only doing two laps and we were just cruising those first two laps. 

I personally don't think it matters what kind of time one can put in during solo efforts in the park. Being able to navigate your way through a field of about 70+ is more important. Are you comfortable with brushing elbows in a tight pack?

Being able to respond to the countless surges in speed as the field makes its way over the rollers on the west side is important. Having enough left in the tank to get to the front AND staying there during the last lap is important. You can have all the speed in the world, but it won't mean much if you can't get around the 30 other guys in front of you.

Having said all that, I think you will be fine in a pack. The stuff I mentioned above will come along as you race more.

Oh, I think the Alpine Hill Climb time trials last year for all categories had winning times in the sub 5:10 mark.


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## r_mutt

it's impossible to know how you will 'stack up' in a race. those are good times, but in a race, there's no break. it goes without saying, it gets harder every lap. solo laptimes aren't helpful to compare with race times- especially when you consider that you took a break between each lap. having said that, a 16 min TT is a decent time. with proper training, i suppose you could do well. it's hard to say on the internets


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## trener1

Everyone has made some good points already.
But I'd like to point out that it might be harder to do 3 laps of a TT even with 3 minutes rest then a race, it really all depends on the race and where you are in the pack, if you sit in the middle of the pack all race and never "put your nose in the wind" then it's really not all that hard.
Of course like others have already mentioned, that while the overall pace of a race might not be that fast, it's the surges that will really hurt if you are not used to those and coming more from a TT type background.


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## f3rg

I'm visiting my sister and bro-in-law in 3 weeks, and they live over on West End Ave. I plan on riding the park, but now I have a lap time to strive for, too. :thumbsup:

Is the park mostly flat? I have a SS, and I'm wondering if I should keep my 48T ring or put on my 46T.

Edit: I've been told to stay off the 97St Transverse or risk being killed. Any truth to that?


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## r_mutt

i don't think you would want to be riding on that anyway- it's not a section that people ride their bikes on. just stay on east and west drives and it will be fine. it's only 6.1 miles- no reason to cut it short. there is one small hill in the north called harlem hill. it's short so i wouldn't worry about it too much. CP is mostly rolling.


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## ehb106

I am heading into the city this week for a couple of days and was wondering if it was worth my while to bring the bike along. I probably won't be able to ride until after 5 in central park. Just looking for a little advice

Thanks


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## easyridernyc

starting tomorrow the weather is going to be sunny and "mild," at least for this time of the year, and after the hell we've been through the past four (yes FOUR) days of chill, wind, and rain

just remember cars dont get out of the park on the north and east side, starting in around east 60th and all the way up to central park north, where they finnaly exit, until 7pm. its like the one part of riding in central that really sucks, i dont see the point AT ALL of allowing cars in, anytime. anyway, it mostly sucks where they come in, there's a merge there at 60th, and using the park as a shortcut, the taxis usually push it, sometimes recklessly. then there's a nice little roller where, again, you have to yield to the left, for some reason, cars just plain book it up that hill. when you get up "harlem hill"a mile and half later, and then back over to the west side, though, its all good again...

get out yer base layer, gonna be nice out there...enjoy the view....


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## getgadgets

My first post...

Now that we have an extra hour of daylight, I'd say bring it! My first summer here in NYC was last year, and when I took my first ride around CP I think "euphoria" was the emotion I felt as I rode around on my Trek 930. Later I put slicks on it and performed a few other modification to make the riding easier, but I just bought a Specialized Secteur Elite Comp last weekend which I hope to have tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be getting much better for the rest of the week. Enjoy!


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## Voytek

HAH I'm one of the cat 5's who passed you guys on the the 7th, sunday? 

Anyway we did our two laps in 29.52 minutes, which means we did a lap in under 15 minutes

quite impressive I'd say.

I'm doing laps there tomorrow so I will post my time!


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## iyeoh

All I can say is that, when time trailing in Central Park, keep your head up and eyes wide open. That's because crap happens and some pretty serious crap happenned to my friend. It was about 18 years ago.

He came off the 110th street Central Park West hill and was flying down the hill to make up time for the climb, which wasn't his strength. He's a big guy, and his weight and height made him go all the more faster. I don't know his speed by the bottom of the hill, but I would be surprised if it was less than 40 mph.

It was early in the morning. There was a woman by one side of the road yecking it up with another woman. Unfortunately, this talkative woman had a small toy white dog (no idea about breed, but it was definitely a toy breed). Anyway, Fifi was on one of those super long retractable leases and was on the other side of the road.

Naturally the Merlin Extralight with Campagnolo Record was toast. Fifi was flung far far away and was killed on impact. The woman just stood there unhurt and cried about her dog, and then threatened to sue. My friend spent the next five months in the hospital. Forget about the fractured everything in his body. He had internal organ damage and needed a liver transplant.

Anyway, not to steal your fun in Central Park, but please be warned.

There was once I had to lock up and screech my brakes (thankfully they were of pro quality) to brake about two feet away from a baby stroller. The mother just insisted on crossing the road at the last minute, totally discounting how fast a bicycle can travel.

Then there was another instance where this dumb NYPD on those motorized scooters chased me down to ticket me for traveling at 20 mph in a 15 mph zone.

Ex-CRCA myself, but my crazy days are long over.


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## FeedTheJoe

Anyone hitting up the CRCA race tomorrow? I will be there...


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## Schwannie

*Crca*

I'm headed over tomorrow morning too. 

However I am just noticing that the start for tomorrow is listed as "Met Finish'. Given I am a complete noob, I'm not 100% clear where that is. My assumption is I can enter at 79th on the east side and go north up the outer loop a bit and I will find it??

Any help is appreciated. 

FeedTheJoe I am #482 (yellow) if you want to say hi. Will be wearing a white Capo jacket riding a Specialized Tarmac.


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## FeedTheJoe

I might actually not be racing tomorrow, my friends are cajoling me into a night of debauchery and drinking... 


We'll see. Anyway the met finish is the far end of the stone wall behind the Met. It is where the wall gets close to the road. There are 2-3 trees on the right, next to the wall right by the line. 

The finish line is right after the slight downhill following the crest of Cat's Paw hill. I am #467 and I will be wearing Columbia bib-shorts and the yellow Century jersey if I get my act together and get to the race on time...

If I can't make it tomorrow, I might do prospect park on Sunday.

Oh to be 24, single in NYC, and a bike racer....Mutually exclusive terms...Damn

Regardless of where I am tomorrow at 6:30 Good Luck.


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## Voytek

Do FBF at 11 am! I prefer the open area to cp anytime

Did 15.45 last weekend... I'm a Cat 5 and still can't get the sprint down! I'm finishing like 5th-10th ugh. I'm much better of a climber. 

I think I can get it to a flat 15 min in a few months. 

Anyway, good luck to everyone racing tommorow and sunday


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## trener1

*Prospect*

I'll be racing out at Prospect on Saturday, anyone else planing on being there?.


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## FeedTheJoe

I need to get out to Prospect Park! Alas, I am hitting up the CRCA race in CP.


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## Pack Fodder

There is also a Spring Series race in CP on Sunday.


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## f3rg

I rode the loop yesterday at a good speed, but I didn't time it. Raced it much faster today, but there were too many pedestrians in the way to want to time it. Passed everyone I saw, even some dorked-out roadies dressed like human NASCARs. Y'all need to try a little harder to keep ahead of a Missouri boy.


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## r_mutt

f3rg said:


> Passed everyone I saw, even some dorked-out roadies dressed like human NASCARs. Y'all need to try a little harder to keep ahead of a Missouri boy.



maybe those dorked out roadies had just raced, and were in recovery mode. remember, it's not a race, unless everyone knows it's a race. passing people in the park while pretend racing is a walter mitty-type fantasy.


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## dominicisi

f3rg said:


> I rode the loop yesterday at a good speed, but I didn't time it. Raced it much faster today, but there were too many pedestrians in the way to want to time it. Passed everyone I saw, even some dorked-out roadies dressed like human NASCARs. Y'all need to try a little harder to keep ahead of a Missouri boy.


Let's race!
I'm hardly a "dorked-out roadie" but I'd be down. 
1 on 1 races are the best way to really put the hurt on someone. 
PM me!


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## f3rg

Ah, too late, back in boring Missouri already.  I'm pretty disappointed I never got an official lap time in, but between all the riding I did in the 6 days I had my bike there with me, I spent most of it on the streets.


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