It’s been a strange year for bike racing in New York City. Four months ago we weren’t even sure there was going to be a race season. But racing did belatedly get underway in May and in the weeks that followed we eased ourselves into racing for the first time in 18 months.

Fast forward a few months and this abbreviated road season is already starting to wind down. Sure, there is still GMSR to come. And a few road races sprinkled on the calendar post-Labor Day. But some of the team is already shifting focus toward the upcoming cyclocross season, making these late August races a last gasp of sorts for our 2021 road season.

For this past weekend’s Lucarelli & Castaldi Prospect Park series finale we once again had a big crew out, racing across multiple fields. However, like so much of the 2021 season the race featured the unexpected, including losing Leah to an early mechanical and a very angry cyclist who memorably (and frighteningly) parked his Citibike in the middle of the road directly in front of an oncoming field, even putting his kickstand down in the process.

In honor of GMSR’s approach, we’ll offer the full recap in similar fashion to 2019 GMSR, via TBD Slack race report. This time from Cullen:

This was my first 1,2,3 race. Was way more nervous before it started than i have been in a long time. It was a huge week of rides and so my legs and body are very tired. Had some wine last night too.

The race started pretty chill, until the first hill. Then the second hill, then the third. "9 laps to go" after the third one wrecked me a little.

But the field was incredibly easy to predict and to float around in. I would coast up towards the front and be able to stay there easily through the flats and little riser, and then I would just sag climb the hill and then do it all over every lap.

5 laps to go we were gunning it on the flats though and so I couldn't easily sag climb. It also happened to be the fastest time up the hill. I dangled off the back for a moment at the top and heard VDV say "come on Cullen don’t fall off". He was last in the bunch and I wasn’t planning on quitting just yet but it was helpful nonetheless. I put one more dig in and by the time we hit the start/finish the group had settled down and I was able to coast back up to the front-ish part of the field.

There were a couple sketchy moments but I was able to see them happening before they got sketchy. That 5 laps to go hill effort was my last lap effort and so at that point i was just trying to hang on. I did try my best throughout to just follow Scott Savory around which was pretty easy, why don’t more people do that? Last time on the downhill he just coasted right to the front group and stayed there for the rest of the race.

I was with the group when we hit the hill on the last lap but knew I had no more go go in my legs and so I just hung on mostly because I was curious how quick the last time up the hill would be. I coasted across the line not dead last to the cheers and screams of my adoring fans (Yosef, Leah, Keith, Clem, and the entire Kruis cx team).

It might have been slower than a normal 1,2,3 race but I was amazed that I was able to finish where I did with the little amount of fitness I have. An awesome way to end the road season and a great experience to remotivate me to train more.

Gallery by Matt and Shane