for the record

September 19th, 2008 | Posted by Smithers at 1:44 pm in Cycling |

Le Mans start in cyclocross race is the single lamest thing anyone every came up with in the history of the universe.

It should be banned in permanency and with extreme prejudice.

  1. 27 Responses to “for the record”

  2. By bloodline at 2:11 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    how dare you…

  3. By bloodline at 2:14 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    http://bloodlinefour.blogspot.com/2008/09/cyclocro ss-course-design.html

  4. By Smithers at 2:48 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    regarding your criteria:

    - technical sections -twisty/turny, unique barrier placement: YES

    - endurance sections - long climbs, sand pits, mud: YES

    - single track -this needs no explanation: NO, cross is a road event. No single track ever.

    - wide open sections - allows for passing: YES

    - a mixture of surfaces - grass, pavement, dirt/other surface: YES, 200% yes.

    - the famed le’mans start - drop your bikes 50-100 yards from start line and run to them and commence cyling: NO, 1000 times no. Not ever, totally lame without question. Horrible idea. Drop it now and forever. Let’s never speak of this again.

    - something interesting or unique - water bars, the ’spiral of death’…etc: ? NO CLOWN RACES, quit trying to make cyclocross a joke event.

    - weather- over which i have no control: The weather is what it is.

    - a final wide straight-away - for sprint finishes: YES, on the flats. No uphill finishes.

  5. By bloodline at 2:55 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    single track- 3 meters wide, as a sport in the US cyclocross must be both a mtb and road event…

  6. By a. kruse at 3:01 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    water bars

    What about oxygen bars on the course?

  7. By Smithers at 3:05 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @bloodline: and I would ask: why?

  8. By bloodline at 3:11 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @Smithers: to attract former mountain bike racers, and make them into all around bikers, complete the cycle and end the use of the ‘mountain bike’ as we know it…

  9. By dan i at 3:28 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    I’d agree with Smithers on all points except long climbs. The problem with them is that it turns a race solely into a hill climbing event because they are errr - long. Case in point was the Back to School CX at St. Olaf. The whole race was about going up the big hill. Not very technical, and honestly not very fun. Oh, it really didn’t help that they had that dumb singletrack section which only served to induce flat tires.

  10. By Smithers at 3:29 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @bloodline: So the lack of single track would turn off mountain bikers? Any evidence of that? I don’t think I buy that one.

    I think what would turn off mountain bikers is that it’s waaaaaay more intense for a shorter amount of time. Seems to be totally different than a MTB race.

    You MTB types can correct me on this if you want?

  11. By Smithers at 3:31 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @dan i: Yea well, I guess it depends upon what a “long climb” entails. I considered last Sunday’s practice race climb to be “long”.

  12. By bloodline at 3:32 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    st. olaf was the best race i attended in 2007

  13. By wah at 3:38 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    You will never see another le’mans start in MCF cyclocross….they went out in the 90s

  14. By dan i at 3:46 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    Not looking a gift horse in the mouth here… Back to School CX was still fun overall and well run. I liked it better zig-zagging up the hill rather than straight up like the year before. Just think they could done the course differently and at least not use the singletrack section. Oh well - it’s coming back so water under the bridge.

    I guess I come from the MTB side, and my take is that a lot of mountain-bikey people see CX as being “too roadie”, a.k.a. to super-serious-competitive and not fun. I don’t think it is myself, but unlike a lot of them I also dabble in road (and track just this year) racing.

  15. By dan i at 3:48 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    Oops! I meant to say Back to School CX is NOT coming back. :(

  16. By bloodline at 4:09 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @wah: i was there for the last one then..

  17. By Smithers at 4:11 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    lot of mountain-bikey people see CX as being “too roadie”

    It is, under UCI rules, a road event.

  18. By Bill Basso at 4:16 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    Damn straight it’s a road event. That’s the only reason people used to ride Nationals… because you could wear your stars and stripes jerseyand get free entry in all road events for a year.

    As for LeMans starts, I prefer the Yukon start where you start in your sleeping bag with your boots off.

  19. By T3 at 4:48 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    did someone say circus race?

  20. By Smithers at 4:56 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    Cyclocross miss and out race? dumb.

  21. By bloodline at 5:46 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @Smithers: @T3: fucking roadies, single minded ‘my way is the highway’… scumbags

  22. By dumbass 3rd party voter at 6:42 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    next year, lemans starts at the track…

  23. By Smithers at 7:05 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    @bloodline: Scumbags? WTF?

  24. By Ray at 7:55 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    I hate those right wing MFers!!

  25. By T3 at 8:07 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    i’m consistent — i hate miss and outs on the track too

  26. By bloodline at 11:21 pm on Sep 19, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    just kidding…i’m a roadie at heart

  27. By baba at 9:02 am on Sep 20, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    For the record; there might not have been ANY CX races in the mid-90’s if singletrack wasn’t used. Bassett Creek was THE course after Wirth was discontinued. There were plenty of sections to advance and pass if needed. I see nothing wrong with technical aspects being used. There was a backlash and some riders whined, so people started to put on races totally devoid of barriers, ups and downs, water crossings, sand, etc. They also were totally devoid of fun.

  28. By checkbook at 11:48 am on Sep 20, 2008 | ReplyReply directly to this specific comment

    my 2 lame-o cents:

    No singletrack. MTB’ers welcome but this is cyclocross, not MTB. I’m all for plenty of technical sections cause it lets me gain back some of the distance/pace I loose to everybody with better fitness but that doesn’t mean you need singletrack. Course designers should ask themselves: how would the Belgians do it?

    And please leave the XC bike at home (with potential exception for newbs trying cross for the first time or two).

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