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WebGirl
Posts:99
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| 06/16/2008 11:56 AM |
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It was a great weekend of racing. As a wide-eyed optimistic new racer, I am somewhat blind to any race glitches and am just happy to be out there. That said, I do know the event was not without its’ problems & glitches – I spoke with Sherry Cantrell (race promoter) on Saturday and she asked me to please pass along any feedback that I heard. They are very eager to improve this great event and would love to have some feedback.
I received this message from Cliff this morning and thought I’d pass it along: Our objective is to hold the very best event we can within the limits of our infrastructure. Now that we have the state on board, infrastructure might improve too.
The Gorge was an amazing place to ride and race, lets offer up some suggestions on how to make the event even better.
Thanks!
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WebGirl
Posts:99
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| 06/16/2008 12:13 PM |
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From Bob Bobrow:
First, thanks to everyone to helped put on the event. You worked hard and I appreciate that.
There were some glitches.
The crit course is too small and too tight. If you'd had a bigger t-out, it would have been a mess. As it was, even with the small fields, the racing was limited by the course.
The road race courses are beautiful. But I wonder whether it wouldn't be much simpler to control/marshal and better for the racers to have a 6-10 mile circuit race rather than single-loop RRs. I'd much rather race a circuit race than a single-loop race. The logistics are much simpler--feeding, watering, learning the course, and etc.
I'm stupid, so I try to KISS. I think a little KISS would help this race. We see the Euro races and think that we need to replicate them to have an "epic" race. I don't think we do. And it's very hard to do when you don't have lots of $$ to throw at it.
Thanks again.
RDB
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threelete
Posts:1
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| 06/16/2008 12:23 PM |
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Glad to see the event is growing and with that growth will come improvement. I was one of many victims that got lost on the TT course. When you are travelling at high speeds it's tough to see small arrows in the road. Especially when you're oxygen deprived people need to be at every turn or there needs to be a big SIGN (arrow, whatever) saying TT/bike race this way etc. It was also very dangerous that one of the 4-way intersections on the TT course was not being traffic controlled.  It was the intersection as you arrive back in town. Blazing through gas stations and terrifying gas pumpers didn't earn us too many points in the community. The younger kids definitely should not be sent out on a TT course without follow vehicles/riders/parents, etc. and people helping them at every turn.
I will personally make wooden arrow signs in as many colors as needed to direct TT/RR next year. I'll give them to Mike Hewitt as he will be able to use them for many events.
Thanks for everyone's efforts to make this event better. Hopefully so many other events won't fall on the calendar with this one next year.
Brian Baker
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TRRG
Posts:6
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| 06/16/2008 6:40 PM |
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Brian,
Thanks for your suggestions. There are several areas we are working on for next year. Some of them we would have put in this year but road construction and other technical problems delayed some of those. We will evaluating your and everyone who comments suggestions.
Thanks, and please ask other riders to comment pro and con.
Cliff Cantrell
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WebGirl
Posts:99
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| 06/19/2008 2:29 PM |
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From Rolf Eisinger:
Feel free to forward my comments on. I may be biased, but this was the best race course of the year. This is what bike racing is all about, where the course causes the selection. I thought the support was great, though I was one of the first ones through the feeds. I think that we need to continue supporting races such as this; otherwise we end up with lame circle races.
That being said, one thing that I did notice that could be modified is to better educate the police and other volunteers on their role. In my particular race, we had a police escort that was approximately a mile up the road from us, allowing cars to get in between us and the lead car. Perhaps they just didn’t realize that they needed to be in closer proximity to us.
If we had more races such as this one, people may learn how to respect and understand the importance of rationing your resources, etc.
A special thanks to all those sponsors, volunteers, and promoters and I hope to see more like it.
Thanks,
Rolf |
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Jeff Viniard
Posts:46
Registered Users
Murray/Crestwood, KY
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| 06/19/2008 6:03 PM |
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Brian, Organizers, et al.,
You all put on a nice race this weekend, and the mind-numbingly beautiful scenery sure helped make things pleasant. As a non-racer this weekend, I found the Dan Henry markings on the road adequate; past experiences remind me that these are woefully inadequate during a race situation. It's absolutely imperative that you furnish eye-level signage for the routes at the very least. It would be advisable that you not place each class' direction on it's own sign, as well: the less time racers spend looking to the roadside approaching a turn at high speed, the safer and happier they'll be through the turn. Color-coding the signs is nice, but not everybody pays enough attention at registration (unfortunately) to know that their directions are represented by blue-colored signs, for example. Put the actual class name on the signs, or at the very least state it explicitly to the racers during the start-line briefing which color is theirs.
A circuit course would be nice in many regards, and I'd end up getting much better photographs, but many people were very impressed with the near-epic scale of the race course, and it's challenging and varied terrain. It's a case of letting logistics and vision be your guide.
The single aspect of the weekend that left a downright sour taste in my mouth was the seeming neglect of the Saturday tour riders. While the registration information suggested that rides would begin at 8 AM on Saturday, I saw no staging area, no pre-ride briefing (not strictly necessary, though), and nobody to ride with as I was casting about the Powell Co. HS campus for fellow riders to ride with. On the course, the handling of Nada Tunnel was disappointing: I know the logistics of lighting the tunnel were difficult at best, but at least make an effort! Hoofing it 900 feet through a nearly-dark tunnel, with no frame of reference save for a point of light far in the distance, over damp, uneven pavement while wearing cycling shoes was an experience that ranged somewhere between terrifying and appalling.
Furthermore, the overall lack of support on-course for riders was quite disappointing. I saw no staffed rest stops for nearly the first 30 miles of the ride. The provisions at the rest stop at Pine Ridge were a little underwhelming as well. Unfortunately, an injured ankle prevented me from riding anything more than the 54 mile option, so perhaps the prospects were better on the longer rides.
Our group had a number of mechanical issues, which ended one person's ride and threatened a few others. Sag wagons are an expected presence on an organized ride, and not encountering them was an unpleasant surprise. Granted, the prudent rider will always bring supplies to fix a reasonable array of mechanical failures, but if I'm paying $25, I want to have the safety net. Another note on the subject of Sag wagons: I drove a racer back from outside of Pine Ridge on Sunday after he flatted out of the race. The wheel vehicle for his class stopped, asked him if he had a tire, and promptly drove off after he said no, without proffering any sort of assistance or sympathies. Lacking a tube is almost an excusable reason for a wheel wagon to turn down assistance, but not a tire, and not during a race.
The bottom line of my handful of gripes is that I felt as though I paid $25 to do something I could do for free any day of the week: ride a self-supported ride on a pleasant morning with a handful of acquaintances through some lovely terrain. Having promoted a few races, I know how hard it is to actually turn a profit on a race weekend, but you either charge enough in entry fees and secure enough in sponsorships to make it a worthwhile endeavor, or you don't charge anything and tell riders to fend for themselves. All this being said, I had a very positive experience this weekend, and offer these criticisms in a purely constructive sense in hopes that the event will be even better when I return next June.
Best Regards,
Jeff Viniard |
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