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Missed starts at the Merco RR
Mon, 03/07/2011 - 12:23pm
I know that a dozen pro/1/2's missed the start at Merco, and that a dozen 45+ 1/2/3's did as well.
There is an issue there that needs resolving. I don't know if the clocks at the start were inaccurate, or if the long distances to the cars were a factor, or the bottleneck at the start line. What I do know is that there were a LOT of racers who drove a long way and paid lots of money to race who got _____'d.
Including one VERY unhappy Zebra. And that is not a good thing.
While some 45+ riders may have missed their starts, I don't think that we had a similar problem in the morning - I believe that one pro missed his start. There were 4 groups started in the morning. The Pro riders were the first group off - scheduled at 8:00am, started at 8:03:xx. I started the three groups after the pros, and one guy came up a couple of minutes late, asked if they had started, and chased. Perhaps somebody else missed his morning start, but I don't recall it.
The noon starts had more groups (but less vehicles), so there was a little more confusion. Still, the races started on time. It is congested around the start area - there is no easy solution for it in this location. Still, with all the telemetry that riders currently carry, I am surprised that (apparently) a number of people missed the start.
Tom Simonson (Tom@tsimonson.com)
USCF Board of Trustees, Legislative Chair
Zebraman,
Please note that there is no BAR/BAT competition this year. There is, however an NCNCA Point Series competition. That series includes points earned for the first fifteen places. Your inferences on what that highlights or results in may have some validity. I don't really want to argue those points.
Not every team is formatted nor shares the goals of Safeway. I am sure you think that is the RIGHT way to race but that is really your opinion or preference. Safeway is one club out of about 80 in NCNCA. I think there is plenty of room for clubs to have a different set of goals than yours.
Cheers,
Bill
Bill:
The Pro Tour and the sport of professional road racing would be a fairly good measure of what constitutes "best team work" in this sport. In professional racing, the measure of the success of a team is by the placement of its best finisher. Shall we aspire to follow the proud traditions of this great team sport, or shall we encourage the members to simply race as individuals in common kits??
I haven't authored this as a member of a team, nor to espouse the way my team does biz. I mentioned Echelon because they were BAT, and because they are an exceptional example of teamwork that deserves the appellation "Best Team."
Why reward a team for collecting the most racers rather than for team prowess?
So, some teams may aspire to be so Pro. Others just want to hang out with buddies in common kits and have fun. Some race with razor-sharp plans and tactics, others don't even know the names of the top pros. Does amateur racing have room for both? Of course it does. NCNCA supports both a general points series (NCNCA Point Series) and a more elite series (NCNCA Premier Series). One is not the other. They have different goals and focus. Maybe some teams want to be big. Maybe some struggle to attact and acquire the top racers or even sponsors. There are so many teams in so many different spots along a trajectory. I would really resist that there is ONE model for team philosophy, especially in amateur masters racing.
You have two competitions that you promote in conjunction with Cycles Gladiator that support narrow competitions, top finishers and aggressive racing. Commendable. Bravo. If someone else came up with an award for the top teammate or most improved racer I would be for that too. There is such wide diversity of goals and motivations. I use to be for the big production events. I thought all promoters should put on a Merco. I have since learned that some folks like to race the local, low-key, grass-roots events. We need to maintain a big tent so you would intuit my efforts and focus from that. I am speaking for myself here but I am sure some folks would like to know my philosophy.
Maybe Cycles Gladiator can define a competition that rewards the team that best exemplifies the Pro spirit. That would be cool but other teams might not even care. Listen. I get it. We all play dress-up to some extent. My team has plans to race as a team and emulate the pro spirit as well but I do not think that is the only worthwhile plan.
You may call it mediocrity, I call it diversity. Can you see the other side or is it black and white to you?
I certainly see both sides.... but a couple things...
First, I race the 35s... as a single rider, with no teammates... that said, I'm not afraid to give it everything and try for breaks..etc... but I don't have a team to help drive the pace at the end or anything.... and for that I feel a little bad...
Second, after spending years racing the 4s, and then 3s.... I hate racing 3s races... because for the most part, there is no teamwork, and it is MUCH LESS SAFE... A bunch of people riding for themselves who happen to be in matching stretchy pants/jerseys will ALL try to be at the front, ALL hiding in the draft, and next thing you know, quite often, riders are bunched up on top of each other, with nowhere to go, all up till the start of the last lap.
In the 35s, granted there is more fitness and more power, but there huge difference is willingness to work....
We (and most of the other junior teams I know also) coach our juniors to work AS a team as well... as best as possible, sure the newer/weaker riders have the goal of 'hang on' but we transition that to teamwork as soon as they are able.
I wont claim to know the statistics about crashes/mishaps in the 35s or Jrs relative to 3s or 4s... but I'd put money on the 35s and Jrs being significantly safer, with higher speeds, due to people being willing to put their noses in the wind. And sure some of it is bike handling skill, but a lot is due to how the teams ride as a team.
So, I for one would LOVE to see anything in the district (whether is series/points competitions/suggestions for new teams/whatever) that encourages the type of riding that Jess is talking about.
Afterall if we have rules that juniors have to have junior gears even in Elite races (even the 5s ?!?!, personally for new juniors I say, let them ride Elite 5s with whatever gears, get em into the sport, then if they are serious, move to 4s or start to race Jr races..etc.. then fix the gears, work on spin) for the sake of getting them to spin faster, be ready for international competition..etc... then why shouldn't we encourage all riders to try to emulate a more professional method of riding, especially if it makes it safer ?
I know some people like to hang out with their friends and just have fun.... that's why our juniors come to our team.. i see that day after day, year after year, but that doesn't stop them from trying to help each other... in fact, the better friends they are, the more willing they are to sacrafice for each other.
It broke my heart to watch rider after rider roll up to the start anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes after their assigned start time. No bueno. I was at the start for the early morning wave and was in the Comm 1 car. The race started on time. I was at the start when the whistle was blown for the 45+ 123 race at 12:00. I was there when two riders in question riders rolled up and asked if they started the race already. I immediately pulled out my phone and looked at the time, 12:01:30. My phone syncs automatically with time. They missed the on-time start by a little over a minute. The official announced when there was three minutes to go, two minutes to go and one minute to go.
Riders should show up at the start line early. Don't cut it close. Ask the starting official what time he has. Races can and should start on time.
Oops. I just can't figure out this new-fangled format.
Carrying over from the e-mail group....
Lets' take a case in point: Echelon Gran Fondo Masters Team.
They won the BAT last year in the 45+ 1/2/3's by virtue of a slew of top performances in the region. And rightfully so; they rode great.
But they only had four racers accruing all their points - really only two for the majority of the season, since Mike Pugh stopped racing early and Dirk Himley started late.
But I don't think anyone can legitimately contest that they earned the BAT.
Same results this season? They would be overwhelmed by mammoth teams like Davis, Webcor, San Jose, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley who have armies to fill the top 15. Is anyone really claiming that any of those teams was "better" last year in the 45's than Echelon?
Fine, give points to 10th or even 15th place if you must, as if finishing 10th to 15th means anything. But more heavily weight the podium placings and especially the winner.
Haven't the pros taught us anything? HTC is the best team out there. Because they ride for the team, and do it well. Winning the race and having your teammates finish last is the mark of the BEST bike racing team.
Otherwise, you are simply promoting groups of riders who race for themselves but wear a matching kit. (Which seems to be en vogue in this region, except in the P/1/2 and 35+ 1/2/3.) Is that really the goal? To create big teams? Instead of honoring teams like Echelon who race tactically with a few guys and get results?? Puhleeeeze...
Zebraman