The Weis Cup 2020

Race 1 of The Weis Cup was a bit of an unknown. We didn’t know how many people were going to show up, and how Prospect Park was going to work for 6 hard laps with some of the fastest riders in NYC. There was always a chance the cops would show up and shut it down, or that 5 people would show up and we’d have ourselves a ‘group ride.’

Meetup was set for 9PM and the race at 9:30. Around 8PM people started showing up, and we had our hands full signing people in and taking race fees. By the time 9:00 rolled around we already had 30 racers signed up and even more people spectating. We knew this was going to be a big one. By the time the race started there were 43 people out there to win it.

At the start, people took off. The next time we saw them, there was a defined group A and B. David Ramirez took the first lap prime with style and grace and Group A fought him and Vince’s attacks throughout the entire race. 

Jen Bezrutczyk raced with vigor and fought hard for the entirety of the 6 laps against an all mens field, she was the only women who raced and put the hurt on the rest of the group. 

The race came down to a healthy break from David that he held through the finish. Group A wasn’t far behind with Vince Rhino (2) and Jimmy Loi (3). Jen came in 1st for the W/T/F field and roughed it out solo between groups for a good part of the race. 

The crowds made for a healthy finish for all the racers, people kept it loud and spicy and we made sure to cheer on the citibikers as they came by. 

Location: Prospect Park Half-Loop | Distance: 20 miles

It had been 2 long weeks since Race 1 of the Weis Cup and everyone was itching to get back on the bike. For Race 2 we decided we wanted something faster, and a bit more punchy for the racers. Prospect Park’s half loop does away with the big climb and a little over a mile of course. The scene was set for a fast-paced and hard-hitting night.

With a solid 42-racer turnout, we started with a neutral lap to get everybody acquainted with the new course. At the end of the lap, as the racers crossed the Peristyle, people jumped into a full-on sprint. People pushed hard for the first lap prime and the reigning Weis Cup leader David Ramirez took it with grace. On the WTF field Dazie Holt pushed to the front of the pack for her prime win. This wouldn’t be the only victory of the night for either of these shredders. 

The next prime was on the 5th lap, so the racers let up the pace for laps 2, 3 and 4. Lap 5 was a toasty one, and once again David and Dazie took their respective primes. The lead pack and group 2 kept tyte as people took turns pulling; the pace quickened. By the final lap, racers were flying through the course, cutting over 30 seconds off their previous lap time. But as history had shown, Dazie and David had the legs to sprint. They both pulled off 1st place finishes with top male contenders Jimmy Loi (2) and Anthony (3) just behind, and female contenders Jen Bezrutczyk (2) and Eliza Brine (3) just bike lengths away. It was a fast finish, and the fastest lap of the night!

While the racers took a breath and grabbed a beer, we ran over to sort prize money and winnings. Our co-organizer Dan Spellman took a break from racing while recovering from a MTB crash, to play the role of MC for the night. He made sure credit was given where it was due during the awards ceremony, where racers split a pot of over $400 and got prizes from Ocean Infinite, God & Famous, Affinity and yours truly, Weis Manufacturing. 

A solid night indeed! Stay tuned for the final race of the Weis Cup, Race 3!

 

NIGHT THREE

Location: Prospect Park Half-Loop | Distance: 16 miles

Race 3 was the final - and spiciest - race of The Weis Cup. It was all about intensity; the lap count was reduced from 10 to 8, and then coupled with primes for every lap (!) so riders had a shot at winning prizes every single time they crossed the line.

By this point, people knew the drill; 8:30pm meetup, 9:30pm race. By 9:30, we had 48 racers signed in and ready to finish the series strong. We started with a neutral lap so everyone could get acquainted with the course. The energy was high as riders came across the start line and broke into a sprint, prepared to fight for at least 1 of the 7 primes, if not the podium. It was a fast-paced sprint for the line every time the racers came around. This resulted in the lead group completing some laps almost 30 seconds faster than in Race 2. 

On the W,T,F field Jen Bezrutczyk was unstoppable; she did a full sweep of all primes and even took the win! Needless to say, her hands were full of prizes by the end of the night. The men’s field was a battle till the end, with a variety of racers taking primes. There didn’t seem to be a clear leader in the field - a different tone than Race 2 when David Ramirez did a clean sweep of all primes and the win. The lead group was competitive, and people were hungry. When the lead group came around for the final lap, Justo Zamorano put on a blistering sprint for the win, with a (cop) cars-length lead on Chris Salucci and David Ramirez, with close 2nd and 3rd place finishes respectively. This was a big win for Justo, which also put him up on the leaderboard for the series— great job! 

When all was said and done, the racers split over $450 in cash and a TON of prizes from Affinity, God and Famous, Ocean Infinite, Honey Wheel Co., Horse Cycles, and Ontheblockwithsoho. Big thanks to all the sponsors for giving everyone a little more incentive to pedal hard.

BIG BIG THANKS to all who contributed to this race series - volunteers, sponsors, spectators and racers ya’ll are the best! 

NYC is alive and well <3