Race Results

1/2/3 Race report:

The warmest race of the year ended up going at a hot pace as well. Overall leader John Idone (Remax) took the win after a strong leadout from his team. Strongman Ray Diaz (GAP) took second, with Bethel regular Charles Whalen (Sleepy Hollow) in third. Mark Miller (Sleepy Hollow) rounded out the break in fourth. Haig Marino (East End) led the field in for fifth, beating out sixth place Thomas Cromie (Unattached). Idone now has a huge 10 point lead in the overall standings.

Cat 3/4 Race Report:

With overall contender Brian Girard (Stage One Cycling) missing, the attitude of the race changed dramatically. Overall leader Jorge Ortiz (Tarrytown CC) tried to escape a few times but Girard's Stage One teammates shut down all the moves. They needed to either score points or get others to score in front of Ortiz, and they set about making the race too fast for Ortiz to escape. Thomas Cromie (Unattached) seemed everpresent at the front, defending his chances of winning the series overall. A strong break attempt with Alan Toorean (Tokeneke) and Hermean Walker (Moneygram) stayed away for several laps, but as the laps wound down, the pace picked up and they came back. It all came down to a massive field sprint, with three racers jumping clear of the field on the finishing hill. Vincent Cintron (Moneygram) out-kicked for a well earned victory, with Cromie and Ortiz only a bike throw behind for 2nd and 3rd. Aki Sato (Bethel Cycle) finished fourth, while Ian Ferrar (CRCA) placed fifth. An incredibly close bike throw determined sixth, with literally 12" separating the three racers. Garret Crooks (Moneygram) finished sixth even though he'd sat up in the sprint, thinking there were only 5 places. Stephen Gray (Bethel Cycle) finished seventh, on the other (left) side of the course, about 2 or 3 inches behind. Finally Crooks's teammate Walker placed eighth on the far right curb, even after his huge efforts in the last break.

Master 40+ Race Report:

The unusually warm weather contributed to one of the fastest Masters races ever (almost 26 mph). The usual characters led the play, with overall leader Morgan Stebbins (Bethel Cycle), Casey King (Yale), John Funk (Ridgefield Bank) escaping with Junior racer Matt Crane (Kissena). With the break well gone, the field settled in for a battle for the overall. An outnumbered Rich Foley (Laurel) and Greg Pelican (Bethel Cycle) marked each other closely. Surprisingly, Funk came off of the break, leaving only three ahead. Brian Wolf (Bethel Cycle) did an astonishing leadout (over 40 mph!) and launched his Bethel team up the finishing hill. Scott Boden (Bethel Cycle), with a good snap, won the field sprint. Pelican and Foley sprinted side by side, with Pelican finally edging out a disappointed Foley to take fourth. The stalwart Horacio Ahumada (Tarrytown CC) took the remaining point for sixth.

Women's Race Report:

The strong women of the Series, WebEvent.com's Laura Summers and Penny Buchar, took first and third in that order. Their spoiler was former local standout Brooke O'Connor (Northeast Bicycles), who took second in a chaotic sprint. Catlin McVarish (Kissena) took fourth, with Mary Ellen Callandrillo (NJ Rock N Road) fifth. Nancy Ford (Kissena) took sixth.

Junior Race Report:

Matt Crane (Kissena) continued his domination in the Junior race with an amazing ride. Not only did he help create the winning 2 Master and 1 Junior break, a freak slide in the first turn dumped him on the ground. Although it would seem natural for the two Masters to sit up and wait for the strong Junior, he nevertheless bridged up within a lap. Michael Babe (NECSA), trapped in the field, placed second, with regular Keith Jennings (Unattached) third. Taylor Tolleson (Trinity) placed fourth.

Cat 4 Race Report:

The Cat 4 race, with a small field, ended up in a field sprint. Antagonists included Christopher Pile (Tokeneke) who escaped twice, once to win a prime. However, the Bethel Cycle team, led by overall leader Ian Strever (Bethel Cycle) shut down all break attempts. In the end, an incredible Istran Benyei (Tarrytown CC) won the field sprint by a few bike lengths. Tom Bronson (Bethel Cycle), Bethel's best Cat 4 field sprinter, managed to hold off everyone else for second. The savy Paul Levine (Colavita) took third. Thomas Senf (Bethel Cycle) showed his face to take fourth, followed by Kevin Haley (NJ Rock N Road). Eric Bakken (Bethel Cycle) capped off a strong team performance by taking sixth.

Cat 5 Race Report:

This week, the Cat 5 race stayed together despite countless attacks by all the various protagonists. Among the racers active were overall contender Jon Loughrey (Don's Cycle), Matt Zavelich (Laurel), and Andrew Lobsenz (Bethel Cycle). The field would string out over the hill but come back together at the bottom of the hill. It came down to a field sprint and a new face popped up, Anthony Restuccia (Unattached), who won clear of the field. His win plopped him right into fourth overall. Another new face, Roy Mason (Stage One Cycling) took second in the sprint. Anthony Trojano (Unattached) took third, taking him to fifth overall. The active Zavelich took fourth in the field. Loughrey managed only fifth, but due to his consistent placings, this put him over the top and into the leader's jersey. Lobsenz took sixth as the final point-earner.