You haven't raced bicycles until you have accidentally chase down your teammate, and also had your teammates chase you down 😎, and this may or may not have all been in the same race 😀😃😄.
Would love to know what the thirsty bear teammates were doing on the last two laps. Thirsty3: “should we go reinforce Jerome?” Thirsty2:”Jeff said not to chase our teammate.” Thirsty3:”You are rite, he is always giving us shot on his videos. we’ll just sit in.” Jerome:”where are those two? I could use a counter attack rite now...”
I reckon I know the Alviso course just as good as half the guys who ride there on a weekly basis. That's how much I've watched these videos! 😂😂😂 Good to see they've fixed the gigantic pot hole on the left hand turn! That was so dangerous
Hey Jeff, just want to thank you for all the great videos! I'm just getting into cycling this year, knew nothing about race tactics (or power #s.. or pacing... drafting.. like actually nothing), but from watching your content I am learning how to be an effective sprinter & WINNING zwift races against men :) Can't wait to see what will happen in real races...
Really looking forward to some race videos & commentary from Brian if he's game - it'd be really cool to learn about dynamics and strategy in paracycling! Good luck, cheering for you!
Dude I haven't ridden a bike since an old ten-speed I had in high school. But I geek out on your videos for hours. You make tactics really interesting. I now understand why team bike racing is fun to watch.
Hey, do you wear contacts when wearing your sunnies or do you have special cycling glasses with prescription lenses/prescription inlays? If so, which ones?
I usually wear a pair of sunglasses that have swappable lenses (black, glacier, orange, clear) with a lense carrier that I can take out. Looks a bit weird from the outside when you technically are wearing2 pairs of glasses. They’re an old pair of Revision Sawfly I had laying around from the army. I prefer a lense carrier so I can just swap it if I need a new one when my vision worsens. For me that is cheaper that getting a prescription brand lense. When rowing I wear contacts and a cheaper pair of sunglasses (that can float, learned that the hard way) so if I ever capsize again and lose them I still can see everything. It just takes a bit longer than putting on my normal glasses in the morning so that is why I don’t use contacts on a daily basis. If you’re good with contacts and don’t get bothered by them, I would probably advise using those, so you don’t have to carry a second pair of glasses for when it gets dark. If you prefer glasses I would probably look into sports sunglasses with a carrier for your prescription lenses. If I remember correctly Adidas made a pair for hiking/mountaineering.
I've been learning a lot about bike racing thanks to this wonderful channel. I keep thinking I could try this and see how much fun it is, but alas my name is not Brian, Bryan, Berhiann, or Bryhan
I just want you to know that my addiction to watching your videos led me to create my own workout on Zwift (using a free ride on the map). I'm always amazed at the power you all do chasing breakaways so my workout is: Sprint to 120 RPM - since a sprint generally starts around 90-95 RPM it's roughly 5 seconds Hold a pull for 15 seconds (I'll probably extend this to 30 seconds at some point) So for me my goal was to at least break 1000 watts on the sprint, then hold 500-600 watts for 15 seconds. So for me my 1 minute power is 500 watts, so I though each interval was going to really dig deep, but the biggest surprise was how much easier it was to hold 500-600 watts for the 15 seconds than I expected. I think it's because you're dropping down in RPM from the sprint and then holding around 110 RPM, if I was building up to 110 RPM @ 500 watts I think it might feel harder. I got 7 intervals in about 35 minutes (not including warmup and cool down). The main difference is I get a break after each interval where you all have to keep pushing.
First Crit race of the season (2nd ever!) for me today. Think I got 10th on a 1 mile loop with 10 90 degree corners and concrete slabs/gravel/giant potholes/mud etc. Add to that lapped riders (field of 30, I was the back of the main group) and was not certainly European style racing!
Great performance Jeff I feel like this was a true 50/50 strategy / skill win in equal parts The fact that Jerome sat behind you for so long towards the end of the race and still couldn’t overtake you Beast mode u r
This was a great example of it being a good idea to chase your teammates. No idea what Thirsty Bear was doing behind you, but it’s completely reasonable to chase a teammate if the breakaway comp isn’t good. If they think Jerome had a 20% chance of winning in a two-up sprint, and they could increase that win probability by catching the lead group, then chasing their teammate would definitely be worthwhile.
I had a race today, in which the wind progressively got stronger and stronger per lap. My final lap, I was pushing 250 watts and going 10 mph into the headwind. Made me feel so weak.
Jeff, I'm no expert, but was wondering if it would have been possible to put in an effort and ride that last rider off your wheel to finish solo with about a lap to go. Could you have done that and tested his legs? Is it true that keeping him on your wheel for nearly two whole laps could have allowed him to recover for the final sprint? Granted, you had the shoulder which was the sheltered line
@@NorCalCycling noted. Thanks for responding. I’m learning the tactics from your videos while building fitness. As a larger rider, I need to work on staying sheltered.
This year there is No Excuse Bring all you’re Pro Crit Riders to the Arlington Army forces apparently is the hardest crit ride in USA We are only for friends from Belgium Germany Netherlands and we are not Pro like you’re guys but for us is 100% all we need to race all you together.
Not that I mind watching you win every week, but isn't there anyone around there that can give you a run for your money? Where are the Williams brothers?
Permanent nerve damage to my right arm (particularly in my shoulder). Should be racing as a C5 para cyclist. Making lemonade! Hoping to get some footage to share with you all
If I'm Jerome here I'm partially thinking a lock on 2nd and teammates getting a free ride for the sprint for 3rd (not sure the dynamics behind) isn't so bad. Plus there's a chance you'll puncture, as well, or cramp, or whatever. So keep the break away, but given that, conserve as much as possible. Clearly you had more cards to play: not everyone is playing "win or nothing".
I’m new to racing and I’m trying to understand what type of racer I am. If I have an ftp of 230watts and a peak power of 1275watts, is that a sprinter profile?
It means you haven't done much training. It takes much more time to bring up your FTP than your sprint power. Also, you're good at what you do (not good at what you don't)
1275 peak on a 230 W FTP is definitely sprint-y. Remember that you need to have the legs to make it to the sprint though. Joey is right about FTP needing development. Jeff is dropping 1400+ W at the end of a race where he did a ton of work. That’s because he has an engine that allows him to sprint. My peak power is around 1100 W, but that’s fresh. I barely can top 800 W after working in a race. Might be worth racing or doing a hard workout and then seeing what your power is for a better comparison.
I'm not an expert but it seems to me as though Jerome's strategy was pretty poor. By not pushing the pace at all when it went down to two, he essentially let you dictate how the race would play out; slow to a crawl and then sprint at the end (your strength). Why not push the pace, use the crosswind and force you to put in a lot of work? Maybe even attack early on that last corner on 2nd to last lap and try to get a gap on you? I don't know what Jerome is good at but I would assume he's pretty good at some things other than out sprinting you at the finish!
One of the best strategy vids NorCal has done
NorCal: “i won the race by strategy and positioning”
The video: 1200 watts for 10s
Other rider should never have let it come to that. The race was won 2 turns prior.
just played it back... 12 seconds over 1000 watts...
@AlexSmith-hr8tw yes, both of these statements are true.
I'm sooo incredibly happy for Brian! It's obvious how much he loves the sport no matter what happens
I much prefer these 20min videos compared to the 10-12min ones. Another 10mins to learn not to chase teammates!
You haven't raced bicycles until you have accidentally chase down your teammate, and also had your teammates chase you down 😎, and this may or may not have all been in the same race 😀😃😄.
Would love to know what the thirsty bear teammates were doing on the last two laps.
Thirsty3: “should we go reinforce Jerome?”
Thirsty2:”Jeff said not to chase our teammate.”
Thirsty3:”You are rite, he is always giving us shot on his videos. we’ll just sit in.”
Jerome:”where are those two? I could use a counter attack rite now...”
So so so true 😂
You guys do realize Jerome is at least 10-15 years older then some of these guys like Jeff. Right. So.....stay thirsty
@@jmw1x no disrespect meant.
A true beast for sure!
@@jmw1x take a joke Jan.. Christ
I reckon I know the Alviso course just as good as half the guys who ride there on a weekly basis. That's how much I've watched these videos! 😂😂😂
Good to see they've fixed the gigantic pot hole on the left hand turn! That was so dangerous
I never raced, but i love these videos! KEEP IT UP!
me to
@norcal cycling - insane to me that you guys race on open roads like this. Especially in such a litigious culture like the US
Hey Jeff, just want to thank you for all the great videos! I'm just getting into cycling this year, knew nothing about race tactics (or power #s.. or pacing... drafting.. like actually nothing), but from watching your content I am learning how to be an effective sprinter & WINNING zwift races against men :) Can't wait to see what will happen in real races...
Thanks Diane, and congrats on the results!
'Jerome missing a pull' I don't think I've ever seen Jerome do a pull..
Praying and rooting for you Brian! 🎉👍😎
that last part is so amazing. nice one jeff!
Really looking forward to some race videos & commentary from Brian if he's game - it'd be really cool to learn about dynamics and strategy in paracycling! Good luck, cheering for you!
Hell yeah, Brian! Go get ‘em!!
Dude I haven't ridden a bike since an old ten-speed I had in high school. But I geek out on your videos for hours. You make tactics really interesting. I now understand why team bike racing is fun to watch.
Hey, do you wear contacts when wearing your sunnies or do you have special cycling glasses with prescription lenses/prescription inlays? If so, which ones?
I usually wear a pair of sunglasses that have swappable lenses (black, glacier, orange, clear) with a lense carrier that I can take out. Looks a bit weird from the outside when you technically are wearing2 pairs of glasses. They’re an old pair of Revision Sawfly I had laying around from the army.
I prefer a lense carrier so I can just swap it if I need a new one when my vision worsens. For me that is cheaper that getting a prescription brand lense.
When rowing I wear contacts and a cheaper pair of sunglasses (that can float, learned that the hard way) so if I ever capsize again and lose them I still can see everything. It just takes a bit longer than putting on my normal glasses in the morning so that is why I don’t use contacts on a daily basis.
If you’re good with contacts and don’t get bothered by them, I would probably advise using those, so you don’t have to carry a second pair of glasses for when it gets dark. If you prefer glasses I would probably look into sports sunglasses with a carrier for your prescription lenses. If I remember correctly Adidas made a pair for hiking/mountaineering.
@@vfnt thanks for the write up. I'll consider contacts again and look up the adidas specs
Best of luck Brian!!!
Bring back the chest cam! We need to look at that filthy Specialized cockpit more
that final snap sprint was extremely impressive!!
I've been learning a lot about bike racing thanks to this wonderful channel. I keep thinking I could try this and see how much fun it is, but alas my name is not Brian, Bryan, Berhiann, or Bryhan
You should use the chest camera angle again. It is such a sick view!
Good luck, Brian. Give 'em hell!
What a beast! Good snap at the end
Not really a cyclist but these vids give me such an appreciation fod cycling, thanks
welcome back, Bryan!
God daaaamn, you controlled that situation with authority lol
Thanks
Perfect timing for the video as I get on the trainer indoors here in the Midwest on a cool Sunday morning.
I just want you to know that my addiction to watching your videos led me to create my own workout on Zwift (using a free ride on the map). I'm always amazed at the power you all do chasing breakaways so my workout is:
Sprint to 120 RPM - since a sprint generally starts around 90-95 RPM it's roughly 5 seconds
Hold a pull for 15 seconds (I'll probably extend this to 30 seconds at some point)
So for me my goal was to at least break 1000 watts on the sprint, then hold 500-600 watts for 15 seconds. So for me my 1 minute power is 500 watts, so I though each interval was going to really dig deep, but the biggest surprise was how much easier it was to hold 500-600 watts for the 15 seconds than I expected. I think it's because you're dropping down in RPM from the sprint and then holding around 110 RPM, if I was building up to 110 RPM @ 500 watts I think it might feel harder. I got 7 intervals in about 35 minutes (not including warmup and cool down).
The main difference is I get a break after each interval where you all have to keep pushing.
First Crit race of the season (2nd ever!) for me today. Think I got 10th on a 1 mile loop with 10 90 degree corners and concrete slabs/gravel/giant potholes/mud etc. Add to that lapped riders (field of 30, I was the back of the main group) and was not certainly European style racing!
I like the time stamps 👍
nice drag race at the end. your snap is just crazy.
LOVE for Frienemy Brian!!
Great video... love the break downs. (Of course American slang is don’t waste your bullets, rest of the world, don’t waste your matches😜)
Wow. Awesome strategy.
Let’s gooo new norcal video!!!
Claudio reference?
Does your cohost have channel or more info somewhere? Interested to learn more about para cycling!
Great performance Jeff
I feel like this was a true 50/50
strategy / skill win in equal parts
The fact that Jerome sat behind you for so long towards the end of the race and still couldn’t overtake you
Beast mode u r
Best editing and format so far! (its always been great so maybe I'm just happy to watch a new vid)!
One of the best ones good job
Will we have analysis of Brian's race? Does he go with your gopros there? Fantastic video, as always
Is there a way for us to watch any footage of Bryan's upcoming race?
I’ve been waiting for another video! NorCal video notifications are my favourite!
Your tactics are great!
Great breakdown!! Is Jerome hopping out of his saddle before his sprint in the last
Very strong. Holy moly that was tough. 🤙🤙🤙
What happened to the couch to Crit series? Is that still going on?
The way Jeff gapped Jerome at the end... wow... Bug watts!!!
This was a great example of it being a good idea to chase your teammates. No idea what Thirsty Bear was doing behind you, but it’s completely reasonable to chase a teammate if the breakaway comp isn’t good. If they think Jerome had a 20% chance of winning in a two-up sprint, and they could increase that win probability by catching the lead group, then chasing their teammate would definitely be worthwhile.
Nice tactics! And really strong sprint!!
Is the couch to Crit series over? I have been looking forward to those!
These are addicting
CCCCCROSSWIND CHAOSSSSS
Cc: Lanterne Rouge
Jeff you are just humble 😂
Great video! Good to hear Brian is back to racing.
How is Couch to Crit going? Haven't seen an update in a while.
When did we go from burning matches to shooting bullets? What's next launching nukes?
They aleardy nuking through the gutter :D 16:35
According to my chart, the next logical unit of measurement will be number of pizzas baked.
First support from the Philippines 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Do those shades fit wide face?
Getting close to 100k, keep it up Jeff 🥳🥳
I think i watched like 10 of these races so far. One think I can bet on is Timmy always get dropped from the breakaway.
Awesome content as always 👊
Great video! Congrats!!!
Next up. A big see trough m4 magazine clip graphic emptying those 1000 watt bullets :D
Awesome work 👏
Ayeeeee
love ur vids man...
keep it up
I bet that Winnebago never moves.
huge fan of ur racing jeff, #teammikesbikes
Great video!
Congrats
Is the series with Logan over?
Hey Jeff, love the videos. What power meter are you using in all of these races?
Snap-a-licious!
I had a race today, in which the wind progressively got stronger and stronger per lap. My final lap, I was pushing 250 watts and going 10 mph into the headwind. Made me feel so weak.
Good job man
Nice video!
typically what is your normal power for one of these races if you don't mind me asking
Jeff, I'm no expert, but was wondering if it would have been possible to put in an effort and ride that last rider off your wheel to finish solo with about a lap to go. Could you have done that and tested his legs? Is it true that keeping him on your wheel for nearly two whole laps could have allowed him to recover for the final sprint? Granted, you had the shoulder which was the sheltered line
Could have been a good option coming through one to go in the crosswind. I trust my 200m more than my 4km
@@NorCalCycling noted. Thanks for responding. I’m learning the tactics from your videos while building fitness. As a larger rider, I need to work on staying sheltered.
This year there is No Excuse Bring all you’re Pro Crit Riders to the Arlington Army forces apparently is the hardest crit ride in USA We are only for friends from Belgium Germany Netherlands and we are not Pro like you’re guys but for us is 100% all we need to race all you together.
para must be so hard to divide into its classifications, kudos to those people
Does that traffic light ever become an issue during the race???
From Philippines
That was fun 👍
This makes me want to race so badly...
Not that I mind watching you win every week, but isn't there anyone around there that can give you a run for your money? Where are the Williams brothers?
1430 peak watts. That's a lot of snap.
Do u ever get tired of winning
Hope brian 1, brian 2, brian 3, brian 4 and brian 5 win
Is it normal having a high heartrate? im 15 thanks
All depends on the age, fitness of the person, and also the effort they are putting out. Think of it like taxes or accounting, it depends 🙂.
210 max at your age is pretty darn normal and fit
Given that your hr creeps up gradually, 225 max is no big deal too
Sick
Just realized that this is next to San Jose Top Golf.
Don' t wanna sound rude but what happend to brian is he disabled bc i remeber him racing in the same rac
es as jeff
He had a pretty bad crash, I know he was out for a while, I didn't realize there were permanent injuries.
Permanent nerve damage to my right arm (particularly in my shoulder). Should be racing as a C5 para cyclist. Making lemonade! Hoping to get some footage to share with you all
@@bryanlrsn7 oh man, sorry to hear about the extent. Glad to see you're keeping at it though!
If I'm Jerome here I'm partially thinking a lock on 2nd and teammates getting a free ride for the sprint for 3rd (not sure the dynamics behind) isn't so bad. Plus there's a chance you'll puncture, as well, or cramp, or whatever. So keep the break away, but given that, conserve as much as possible. Clearly you had more cards to play: not everyone is playing "win or nothing".
Wow
norcal keeps owning juicy bears
Jeff how tall are you
DONT CHASE TEAMMATES
I’m new to racing and I’m trying to understand what type of racer I am. If I have an ftp of 230watts and a peak power of 1275watts, is that a sprinter profile?
It means you haven't done much training. It takes much more time to bring up your FTP than your sprint power. Also, you're good at what you do (not good at what you don't)
1275 peak on a 230 W FTP is definitely sprint-y. Remember that you need to have the legs to make it to the sprint though. Joey is right about FTP needing development. Jeff is dropping 1400+ W at the end of a race where he did a ton of work. That’s because he has an engine that allows him to sprint. My peak power is around 1100 W, but that’s fresh. I barely can top 800 W after working in a race. Might be worth racing or doing a hard workout and then seeing what your power is for a better comparison.
From Scotland
I'm not an expert but it seems to me as though Jerome's strategy was pretty poor. By not pushing the pace at all when it went down to two, he essentially let you dictate how the race would play out; slow to a crawl and then sprint at the end (your strength). Why not push the pace, use the crosswind and force you to put in a lot of work? Maybe even attack early on that last corner on 2nd to last lap and try to get a gap on you? I don't know what Jerome is good at but I would assume he's pretty good at some things other than out sprinting you at the finish!
Jerome should have let a gap go and built the speed up to have some home