A Guide to Racing at Floyd Bennett Field

FLOYD IS HERE!

Three years after the last edition, the beloved weeknight series at an abandoned air strip in a far flung part of Brooklyn is finally back! The weather looks great for tonight, and the reg list looks like the perfect balance of healthy interest and not sold out, so anyone on the fence should still ride out and present their cash at the reg table, like it was in Ye Olden Times (the 2010s).

If you’ve never been, or it’s been so long you’ve forgotten, here are 5 Things to Know about the city’s best race series:

1. Getting there is the hardest part. It’s harrowing, we won’t lie. However, if you head down Flatbush in Brooklyn anytime between, say, 4:45 and 6pm you’re going to see other people heading to the race. Be careful of the dollar vans, they don’t care where you are and they’re going to pull over once every 2-3 blocks, especially in the section between Prospect Park and the big Target. Once you get past Brooklyn College-ish, though, traffic tends to lighten up and things are a little easier. Cars are going fast, but this also means you’re getting a decent draft off of them and you’ll eventually notice you’re absolutely flying.

   If you really don’t like the idea of riding down Flatbush, you have a couple of options (which we may get into in more detail in a future post). You can take Bedford, which has a bike lane, down to where it hits Flatbush and make that left turn. OR, if you are really not about the big wide street AND you have some extra time, you can ride Bedford all the way to the water, make a left, and hop on the bike path that meanders along the Belt Parkway until you hit Flatbush (where you’ll cross and take a right onto the bike path that leads to FBF).

2. Be mindful of your total ride time and bring water and snacks accordingly. It’s about an hour of racing, but people that are coming from Manhattan are looking at 3-4 hours of total riding, and the worst is having to ride home completely bonked. It sucks and it is unsafe. Bring more food than you think you need!

3. Remember the sprints! In previous years, except in the cat 5 race, there have been two intermediate sprints during the race. Each of these sprints award points 3 deep toward the series-long Green Jersey competition. The final sprint awards points 10 deep toward the season-long Yellow Jersey competition.

4. There are some monster pot holes. The road is what we would call “rough.” It’s a real urban race. You should try to ride a lap of the course at least once before the race starts, as there’s a particular part on the back stretch where if you are not paying attention you could crash or flat or both. Heads up! Don’t do that. BUT ALSO—the road is rough and to a certain extent you just have to deal with it and ride over potholes and weeds coming out through the cracks in the pavement. Don’t unexpectedly swerve off your line just because you want smoother road! If you do that you’re going to cause a crash and it will absolutely be your fault.

5. Do you hear that? Yeah, that’s the wind. It’s going to be blowing. It’s going to be a factor in your race. Do you know where it’s coming from? Are you prepared to use it to your advantage? The wind is the best and the worst of Floyd, learn to love it or live with it. That’s the key to having a good time.

See you there!

Floyd Bennett Field Entries on the To Be Determined Journal