He Crashed Twice in the Same Race

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[@jimmynickelz]

I thought you forgot about me Jeff. Thank you. All the skin grew back. The 1st crash had so many crashes that I ended up looking at the guy i hit while looking for my escape route...if that makes sense

[@NorCalCycling]

Thank you for sharing! wrong place wrong time my dude, glad you're (mostly) ok.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Your wattage was too low. 600w and you would have ridden right through it

[@marcfarrelly5944]

The skin rash, I feel your pain

[@markmildorf2873]

Thank you for sharing your vid!

[@williamrhardin]

Those were both pretty rough situations! Glad you made it out of them in one piece!

[@eliwoodard42]

"His best option would have been a bunny hop attempt". Gotta love Will's optimism and confidence in this guy

[@gmen1305]

I agree with Will - having raced this course a number of times back in the 90's when the buildings in turn 1 were still gutted out with trees growing inside them, it was always a race that had many donating skin to the asphalt Gods .....

[@CRBenham20]

Crashing in a race like this is such a weird experience. Time seems to pass so much slower and faster all at the same instant. Your brain realizes that you are likely going down, and in the blink of an eye you evaluate the situation, if the crash can potentially be avoided, moving your hands to the brakes, adjusting your body position on the bike, swerving to avoid other riders who have not even hit the ground yet. So many micro decisions and movements made in such a short time. And then once you hit the ground you realize it all happened in less than a second even though it may have felt like so much longer in the moment. This was the experience i had at intelligentsia this year when i smoked a mailbox at 25mph in the cat 3 race. Although this has always been how ive felt during these kinds of situations my whole life, weather its been crashing on my bike, on a dirtbike, in a car, or any other various "extreme" sports ive tried hahaha.

[@leoturgenov7440]

Glad to see you bringing Will back on the channel! Really appreciate his insights and positive attitude

[@Ih8GoogleandApple]

Great commentary on returning to a race after a crash. I learned from this

[@M3Atelier-Initiative]

I've done this race a few times when I raced with CRCA Skyline & CRCA Sids NYC. I found it super easy to move up because some riders brake into the corners and take bad lines. You can move up with momentum going into a corner and get to the front - no problem. Its staying at the front thats hard because there's so many laps. I never crashed. When I raced it, it was called the Harlem Skyscraper Classic. Its affectionately nicknamed "The Skinscaper Classic". I think Bahati and the Williams bros. won here. You guys should cover the CRCA Central Park Races. If I lived there today I would do a channel on just those races alone. CPK has everything (hills, rollers, flat straights, sweeping descents. It was a lotta fun racing there. The only bummer is that the races start @ 6am.

[@johndef5075]

I dont think most people realize how hilly CP is. Would be a fun race to watch.

[@thhorwitz1]

Hills in CP are the easiest hills of any circuit race. Harlem hill is so short that you can easily spin or power up it with the Peleton. The other hills are so small they're hard to notice. There are some basic rules to winning in CP. 1, never bother attacking on lap 1 because it never sticks. 2, the guys who attack on harlem hill almost never win because guys with major power make it up it easily and are good to chase or bridge. @@johndef5075

[@jonyu2913]

I've raced in the 3-4 race. 6yrs ago. Crashes almost every couple laps. Avoided them all and got 4th. Was a break of 2guys. Was my second race of day. Master was right before.

[@rivingtonandstanton]

Harlem Skyscraper (aka Skinscraper) has always been a crash fest regardless of category.

[@356z]

"It's figuring out how you want to crash". Just in group rides I have so much anxiety of people close to me

[@santiagobenites]

It looks like the kind of race that you'd want to ride your old bike, and wear some of your old kit.

[@mr.techie8565]

Or just not do, if you're me

[@MazingerZX]

And some pad protection, and spikes, oil slicks, green and red turtles, and… 😅

[@swites]

I've ridden over a bike crashed in front of me at speed. Thought I could easily get around it as guy crashed a reasonable in front of me, but it kept skidding like on ice. Didn't bunnyhop it as had seen failed bunnyhop attempts which made crashes worse on old races I'd watched, so kind of froze and didn't even lift up my front wheel. Anyway as my back wheel went over guys chainstay it compressed and then snapped and like a spring it sent my back wheel up with momentum and suddenly I was riding at over 50kph on my front wheel so no chance to brake, and then vertical and so I pile-drived into the asphalt. Many broken bones punctured lung and 4days in hospital. Was 18months until I got my old level back :(

[@Zen.416]

This region is not used to criterium racing, that’s why the field is so twitchy. They mainly do circuit type races…. Central Park, Prospect Park, Floyd Bennett…..

[@lexington476]

Episode idea, how about a video on clipping in at the start line of a crit? I've done hundreds of races and 75% of the time still can't clip in on the first try. Most of the time it's not a big deal, but sometimes I've lost 10 spots 😎. In practice I can sit in my driveway and clip in and out no problem, put me on the start line I'm like a cat 5 at his first three races.

[@elijg6104]

You just need to practice it more, and stay focussed at the start of the race

[@Astralkiller47]

​@elijg6104 Yeah not sure they'd have much to cover in that video other than focus and practice more. I'd assume anybody who's doing crits won't have problems clipping in.

[@paul_seiler]

@@Astralkiller47you assume … poorly 😅 I have seen some funny things at the starting line of some Cat 4/5 races 😂

[@john-tomlinson]

If you can do it right in training but not in racing, then you need to work on calming yourself. And practice doing it on group rides at stop signs, etc as fast as possible.

[@Astralkiller47]

@paul_seiler That's true, 4s and 5s are basically demolition derbys lmao

[@willhilsman1572]

The weather looks beautiful!

[@townegr]

Sub-P1/2 NYC crit scene has always been abysmal.

[@crack0n]

Man Audaxing is so nice 🤣

[@darrenstanleysmith5207]

Did Claudio Marquez cause that crash??

[@elijg6104]

Which?

[@russwright]

Cyclocross experience pays in situations like the last crash since you learn what you can and can't ride over and get lots of practice hopping over stuff. The problem here is that you don't know until the last seconds exactly what you are going to have to hop over. The rider? Just the front wheel (which seems to be the case)? Certainly worth a try to at least get your front wheel over the initial impact. Maybe you'll get lucky and the rear wheel will ride over the rest. If you don't then you're going to crash anyway. Speed will be a bit higher, though, since you have to get off the brakes to bunny hop. As someone mentioned, he's in the drops which makes it more difficult (for that matter, makes it more difficult to see in front of you). Certainly an argument for riding on top of bars if you are in middle of pack What you do depends on your experience and confidence. If you have decided you aren't going to crash then you bunny hop and look like Peter Sagan if you make it.

[@NorCalCycling]

I think I used the hop-over method once in all my road racing, but it saved my ass!!

[@russwright]

@@NorCalCycling Yeah, that one time you were Sagan! Definitely a good skill to have (even for training rides). Not saying it will always work, just a good skill to have but it only works if you practice it.

[@martyjobs]

NYC = Neurotic Youths Cycling

[@Natefarm12]

Yo just wondering what you use to mount your gopros when you race?

[@xaviertirado7516]

I live a block away from that location the pavement was just redone it was really bad before this year . I don't understand why they don't clean off the roads before any of the races on that location.

[@amranSK55]

Welcome to NYC crit racing where crashing is mandatory 😂 I love riding with all these dudes in prospect & central park but never gonna race 😂

[@thhorwitz1]

The reality is that NYC riders don't get to practice hardly any races with corners. So when a corner is in a race they ride terribly.

[@aaronwilson3952]

I understand the riders are racing and movement happens, but is it a thing for people to hold their lines? Or just watch the half wheeling?

[@charlieski]

that was really unlucky

[@MRDTBOSS]

What a mess for a CAT 3 race

[@jt.8144]

2:30. POOR GUY. LITERALLY GOT RAN OVER.

[@rafaeldegiacomoaraujo8778]

They need to narrow the road and add hairpins to split the racers. Otherwise you don't develop people skills and it becomes a race of engines.

[@tonylo6013]

not easy to bunny hop if you are in the drops.

[@joelx77]

Many times wet pavement may not just be water. I spent two weeks in the hospital after a crash due to hitting a wet spot that was human excrement...

[@jefuteerx0216]

The question here is how can we improve those skills in those moments because is more like a reaction than a decision making

[@Tyrion-ks6rp]

Than its experience or good intuition right?

[@notreally2406]

Have your fingers on both brakes AT ALL TIMES. In a crit, or road race, you need to be ready to brake INSTANTANEOUSLY AT ANY TIME. Also keep looking forward ALL THE TIME.

[@lobuk516]

SKYSCRAPER living up to it's name, unfortunately 🥺

[@NorCalCycling]

🤣

[@pssita]

Bunny hop would have worked!

[@rochtofenoldgen2494]

The right shifter is higher than the left one?

[@NorCalCycling]

i think just the camera position, wide angle does weird things in the corners

[@nomadtrails]

Wow what a course. And people wonder why crit races are declining in popularity while gravel explodes

[@oliverbabb9780]

First time seeing my own race on NorCal! No footage of me tho :/

[@ronskayakingandfishing414]

The second crash could not be avoided. But in the first crash, a rider AHEAD of him easily steered around the fallen rider while he never deviated an inch.... no bike handling skills at all.

[@smshing_lee]

Will is the man

[@patrickprouty4415]

Dude left a lot of himself on the pavement. Whiskey and ibuprofen tonight.

[@shepshape2585]

I can't say for sure of course because I'm not the guy on the bike, but it looks to me on the first crash like it was a case of "wherever you look, that's where you go". We all know that's the truth, and so maybe it was just a case of the wreck happening right in front of him, and instead of looking to the guy on the right who made it past and following that wheel, he just kept looking at the guy on the ground and rode straight into him.

[@john-tomlinson]

Good point. When there's a crash, look for open space. Look where you want to go.

[@shepshape2585]

@@john-tomlinson precisely. I learned this lesson during 35 years of riding motorcycles. You will go where you’re looking. Mountain bikers and cycle cross riders know this lesson well. Road cyclists not so much because we’re mostly just riding in a straight line.

[@jimmynickelz]

Accurate

[@shepshape2585]

@@jimmynickelz Thanks for confirming. It’s happened to all of us. Lesson learned, unfortunately the hard way. Keep your head up though, you’ve got good power and obviously some guts too. Best of luck on the next race.

[@jimmynickelz]

@shepshape2585 I was rapid-fire looking for escape routes. Made it past the primary one I was trying to avoid, but the other guy was right there on the ground in front of me and it was a wrap. 2nd time DNF in Harlem. 1st time my front brake cable snapped. I shall race this cat123 before I die..or paralyze myself

[@henkdebeer8555]

It probably wouldn't have saved him much skin in the second crash, but he didn't have a finger on either of the brake levers, so still had to first move his fingers to the levers before he could even start braking.

[@raulfrias9295]

Well he should be able to slide to the inside, because is the shortest, but he could also slide outside in the second crash.

[@Numeriwar]

It's the Jerome syndrome

[@johndef5075]

Non professional road racers are masochists. Massive crashes with 0 reward. I did learn what a snapping carbon frame sounds like though from the couple of races I did. Never again😅

[@Gixer750pilot]

Target fixation

[@airman8368]

they dont call it the Harlem Skinscraper Crit for nothing.

[@ProfeTa6]

American crits lack respect between riders. Everyone thinks they're the main character and that leads to nervous and stupid riding.

[@bitminerbob6731]

This is why I love Zwift racing these days lol.

[@raulfrias9295]

Well he should be able to slide to the inside, because is the shortest, but he could also slide outside in the second crash. 1

[@wennizhou4596]

Nice!

[@CYL347]

Can you really bunnyhop over a fallen bike??

[@accyclingfamily]

That was boring, please no more like it.

[@piyushsharma8482]

2nd

[@manny4486]

1st

[@mnmarcus4070]

I was going to say that

[@Djalmatec91]

Rim brakes...

[@quentendeclercq4792]

what about it

[@ericlanegen]

You can lock up rim brakes so that has nothing to do with it. Not enough time/distance to bleed off the speed.

[@flatman1986]

Famously we never ever stopped before disc brakes... Rim brake were just decorations... I have rim brake and disc brake bikes, both stop just fine when setup correctly especially when on a pan flat crit course in the dry

[@gefloigle]

Disc brakes will lock-up and if you hit the front one more than the rear, no more clavicle. In every group ride where someone went down it was because they instinctively grabbed a handful of brakes and those disc brakes aren’t forgiving. I’ll take rim brakes every day of the week.

[@Timtimzi]

So many twitchy movements in one race. yikes can't trust anyone around you.

[@tekesbur]

Pick another profession

[@jimmynickelz]

You have no idea how funny this is😂😂😂. If you only knew

[@Bad_Company666]

Time to find a new hobby Cowboy….

[@freddiebikes69]

HARLEM BBBBBB

[@Hi-ti1ig]

First