In a situation with a break, you sit up for a second and try and get things back in order.

Yeah, it's not against any written rules to attack in situations like this, but karma will do it's job.

In 05' at Masters District RR we had a break of 7 that was rolling fast. Hutch attacked at the bottom of the descent and two riders greased the corner in chase taking out Hernandez who was 3rd wheel and slightly on the outside of them.
Angerman, Hutch, and Hernandez were teammates. Angerman and I looked back and saw Hernandez getting up and back on the bike. I suggested we wait up and get the break back together. Hutch and my teammate were up the road.
I was rewarded by being dropped by Hernandez and Angerman, Micheal probably riding on pure adrenalin, and Jeff being the pure animal he is.

Karma returned my gesture and I ended up winning the field sprint for 6th. Most likely where I would have placed anyway.
Hutch got first place and bee sting in an unmentionable place.

Race with honor, you will feel better in the long run knowing you did the right thing, and you will gain the respect (I think) of the people you will be racing with for a long time.

Ron

I was sitting on the grass right at the corner. I noticed the kid running around all day. On the previous lap after the pack had gone by he ran across the street to go play with some other kids, his parents or maybe just his dad was at that inside corner watching the race. He ran back towards his dad just as the break was coming and it seemed that the riders who took the wide line avoided him pretty easily while the riders who were more towards the inside had to brake and scramble to avoid him. I dont blame those riders for neutralizing, it was the right thing to due and I guess i should not be commenting on it since i have a biased opinion by having a teammate in that break. What I remember most is that wide eyed deer in the headlights look the kid had, its probably a memory thats going to be burned into his brain.

BigB wrote:The kid was moving from the right to the left in the picture--your left to your right. That means he started on the corner across from the marshal. My wife, who was on the west side of the street, said it happend very quickly.

--Brian

I wish all of you would take a Saturday or Sunday in the future off from bike racing just to marshall a course. You may be surprised by your impressions. Random people, kids, dogs, run out onto courses all the time, and the course marshalls aren't omniscient, omnipotent. They do the best that they can. Standing outside watching wheels turn in circles for 8 hours is rather gruelling no matter how attentive you are to your job.

Whose fault was this? It was the parent's fault. It's not unlike allowing your kid just to run out into the middle of a busy highway and into auto traffic. That kid needs his hand held until the point comes when he's mastered looking both ways before crossing a street.

As for the wreck, I respectfully disagree... to a point. When you're in a break, your mission is in front of you. All of us are taught "DON'T LOOK BACK WHEN YOU HEAR A CRASH!" We don't look back because looking back tends to create even more crashing. We are told one thing. Keep your head forward, keep pedaling, the race is in front of you. This is in direct contrast to what you are recommending which turns out to be "When a crash (or even a potential crash) happens, slow down, look back, make sure everyone is ok, reintegrate, continue." That's not bike racing 101.

When you are anaerobic, in a crit, and fighting for your athletic life, you're generally not a "clear thinker". It's easy for any of us, after the fact, to say "Oh, it would have been classy to neutralize and reintegrate", but it doesn't make someone "classless" just because that wasn't their first thought in a circumstance like this.

Just my very humble opinion. I'm mostly just glad that everyone was ok.

The kid was moving from the right to the left in the picture--your left to your right. That means he started on the corner across from the marshal. My wife, who was on the west side of the street, said it happend very quickly.

--Brian

Wow. Amazing shot.

It tells me two things that I didn't realize. The kid came from our right. I'd thought he came from the left. I'm not certain there was a course marshal on that corner. The marshal I'd mentioned seeing napping was on the other corner.

Second, the kid was older than I saw in my snapshot memory. I must have equated him more with my daughter's age.

Thanks for the photos.

I just found out that my daughter snap off a couple of pics. I've posted them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26979521@N02/

There is about two seconds apart.

--Brian

Where were the parent's of this child...and what were they doing? They should hold the blame on this one.

Yeh, James. Sorry for the abrupt and ascerbic response.
I was angry all night about this. But now I've calmed down, mostly.
I appreciate the graciousness of your response.
I must say I keep having that frozen vision of a scared child in front of my wheel. I have a 2 year old myself who I love more than life, and I guess it really affected me.

As for the race, I'll tell you I was really suffering to help make that break work. It was my third race of the day, and I'll confess that I was hurting. But honestly, now I've forgotten why it was so important to win that 3/4 race. No clue. The look on that kid's face just threw all the cards up in the air ...

As we were rolling after the finish I just shouted as loud as I possibly could at the sky. I apologize to any of the riders in the field who must've thought I was just a foul-mouth poor sport. I also apologize if I castigated the winners of that race with my post. They rode hard and may have been the strongest three in any case. I was just unconsolably angry and frightened that it happened, and I needed to explode with blame in every direction.

Lets' just call it a past piece of Nor-Cal lore. See you guys tomorrow.

Jesster

And Thank You James, for your thoughtful followup. Moving onward and upward...

Zebra-

Point taken. The examples you site are a clear example of the polished, refined styles of riding demonstrated in the 1,2,3 masters vs the 3,4. The racers in the 123's have innumerably more experience than the 3,4's.

This was a subject of long a hardy discussion on our Sunday ride this morning. The consensus being, it may be a tough thing to do but the right thing is to neutralize and wait.

My own perspective on the incident was the front row of the pack. I have no idea how you guys missed the kid, but admired the grace and skill it took to do it.

Warren, thanks for your input.

jpplum001 wrote:As for the attack after the incident, maybe in a perfect world there would have been a neutralization and then get back to riding.

James, have you ever seen what the Euro pros do when an incident like this takes place, when far more is at stake than in a little race like the one you were in?

Since you seem to have no dispute with Jess's account of the incident, your demonstration of "that's bike racing" is what some people call "no class".

Glad to see no one went down or got run over. . . great reflexes by the riders in the break!! How much did the 180 degree turn effect the success of the break or the safety of the field?

Most riders should know that the criterium on Monday is a four corner, flat, and relatively wide circuit which DOES NOT favor a break attempt. Any such attempt will be futile, although you're bound to see many anyway.

jpplum001 wrote:But I don't think that any rider would have made another decision in their situation. As is frequently pointed out on this forum "That's bike racing".

All due respect, James, you are absolutely wrong. And I don't have to go any further than a week ago.

At the Modesto Road Race there was a monstrous crash in the 35+ 1/2/3 race with a lap to go. Nearly half the field piled up in the gravel. Almost immediately the entire field neutralized to ~ 10 mph. One rider rode ahead to inform the nearest course marshal. We watched the crash site for a few minutes to see if anyone would try to get back on. ALL agreed to wait. I was very proud of that field of riders. And it was a proud and significant chapter of the story of the race I told this week - even moreso than who won and how.

It is absolute doctrine in this sport that you wait for riders who are taken out by incidents of the sort that occurred today. I remember fences blowing onto the course, the inflatable arch incident at Merco, the wheelchair guy who took out the three-up break at Stockton. You wait! Remember Lance cutting across the field en route to Pau? Do you think the break wanted to let Vino get the yellow jersey that day? But they neutralized. Remember the musette bag? The front group waited.

But attacking riders who have just stopped to avoid injuring a child? I'm sorry, that is NOT "bike racing."
Taking advantage of riders who have been working just as hard as you for 20 minutes to get a cheap podium placing? That is NOT "bike racing."

Frankly, it's not even all that smart. Our seven motors would still likely have stayed away, since the three did. And then that podium placing wouldn't be soiled by the knowledge that they were not necessarily the fastest or most tactical -- only the most ... (to use your words) ... "highly stressed."

Just think how much more satisfying the win would be with the absolute confidence that they'd heroically avoided hurting the child, done the right thing by their camarades in the break, AND won fair and square. THAT, MY FRIEND, IS BIKE RACING.

Yep, that kinda sucked. When I saw that boy my heart sank. I locked up the brakes and thank god missed him. Even now it freaks me out.

All is good and we are safe and that little boy is ok. The break was tons of fun. Let's do it again at memorial day crit (not the child running in the street thing) That's bike racing!

I hope that the kid's parents understand how lucky they were today! The riders in the break did a GREAT job of avoiding what could have been a very bad situation.

--Brian

Zebra is absolutely right and wrong...

The course marshall was seriously negligent in his duties. Even at the end of a long day, that should have never happened.

As for the attack after the incident, maybe in a perfect world there would have been a neutralization and then get back to riding. But seriously, if the shoe was on the other foot, can you see yourself doing the same thing they did (right or wrong). That break rode on the brink of capture for six laps, it was a high stress situation.

All in all, the race was great. The incident with the child was seriously disturbing. But I don't think that any rider would have made another decision in their situation. As is frequently pointed out on this forum "That's bike racing".

James