Whither Wednesdays?
Back in The Day (tm) there was a TT series Wednesday nights in Ravensdale. After it went away no new wednesday night *road* race emerged to fill the gap. Why not? Where is our Wednesday night series?
posted by P-Dog @ 8:35 AM
17 comments
17 Comments:
Nobody's going to PR anymore - do we need another option?
well i do. I can't go cause Mrs. PDog has yoga tuesdays. It appears that just because I have spent the last 15+ years racing my bike she expects me to let her do something too.
Back in The Day, when traffic wasn't so bad, it was still often impossible to GET to Ravensdale for said TT unless you took a half-day off from work. Maybe you should promote a Wednesday nighter at Magnuson Park? CycleU might even sponsor it.
a birdie told me that the locals no likey the cycle racing in the park.
Boo-frickety-hoo! The park is there for everyone to use. Yes, I realize that the road is needed and controls have to be put in place. But, really how many of these haters really use the park? We have an equal right to the parks use like everyone else. Ok, my spouting is done.
The locals don't like tent city either. Or lights on the tennis courts. What, would they rather it went back to being a naval air station with, you know, noisy ol' airplanes and debauched sailors and what have you?
Ahh, the sounds and smells navel aircraft and jet fuel in the morning...
It just amazes me how selfish people can be.
Ohh! Stoked, it is my understanding that you knit a killer hat. Do you sell? (Previous comment has no relationship)
Sorry, P-Dog for using your blog for potential commerce.
People no longer go to PR because it is now $15 a week, run poorly and if you win the season you might get a few free entries next year and a water bottle.
I get the gripe with $15, but how is it run poorly? It's always on time, they have a closed, varied course, and they rarely have any questions with results (which are usually posted the same night!). Run poorly? Serious?
Cripes, people. Be lucky we have weekday racing. This is a great race to use for training. Work on a skill during the race such as spinning on the flat course and power climbing on the hill course.
If you don't like the $15 a pop charge then don't go every week.
And if you do win the series and get a free entry, all the better.
My only complaint about PR is that some race's finish seems to get mixed up with anothers once a month or so. And it seems to me that this could usually be avoided by staggering the finishes more.
But overall, yah it's just a training race. I love it, and I'd do it if it didn't conflict with my fatherly duties. The $35 in gas doesn't help; but that's not Rory's fault.
Back to the point of this post, has anyone seriously looked into a series at Magnuson or Discovery?
anon: If you're in bike racing for the prize money, well, there must not be very many races that meet your standards/expectations.
mt: I make warm and fuzzy hats, not killers! :) Sure, I sell. I'd be happy to make money on the long drive to a bike race. PruDog will give you my email address or find me thru the BARR pts contact on the WSBA website.
I am all for the sale of Stoked Hats as long as no actual killing takes place.
Oh boy, did you guys really want to get me going on race promoting here in the NW? Really?
Yes Andrew, Tuesdays are run poorly. Yes the courses are fun, much better than Seward in my opinion but they are not run well.
All of these have happened more than once:
1. Lap cards not being accurate. I was in a 2 man break last year for the majority of the race with a 1-3 field that was small. They gave us 1 to go 2 laps in a row. How hard is it to keep track of 2 guys? Again, the lap card mix up happened more than once.
2. The promoter telling us to keep track of how we finished to help with results. If I was paying $5 for the privelage of using the track, I am ok with that. Since I am paying you ($13 last year, $15 this year) that is your job. Use a camera, get it right.
3. The promoter frequently rings the bell for primes when it is obvious that 2 different fields are coming together on that lap. It happened again last Tuesday. He is not figuring out the re-entry trajectory of the space shuttle, just when would be a good time to ring a prime bell and not contribute to the confusion of one field catching another.
4. The promoter doesn't even take the time to get to know his customers. I know a rider who got 3rd overall in the series a few years ago. The promoter still does not know the rider's name.
5. Finally, and really this is the least of the transgressions: he gives little to nothing back in terms of some pay-back. Thursday night races cost the same amount, and on just about every Thursday there is the opportunity of winning at least most of your entry back for the night. The above mentioned rider who got 3rd overall in the series that one year, got a multi-tool.
Bottom line:
Once you reach a certain level of entry fee, along with that comes a certain level of expectation. Charging $15 every week for a training race reaches that level.
There is a training series that has been going on in LA at the Rose Bowl for over 40 years. Itis every Tuesday and Thursday night. There is no entry fee, no prizes, just a start time that everyone knows and a finish line. Sometimes this race has had over 150 riders in it and every time it is contested like the World Championships. That is what training races are all about. If there is a fee to use the course (Seward, SIR) then charge just enough to cover those expenses.
Joe says:
3. The promoter frequently rings the bell for primes when it is obvious that 2 different fields are coming together on that lap. It happened again last Tuesday. He is not figuring out the re-entry trajectory of the space shuttle, just when would be a good time to ring a prime bell and not contribute to the confusion of one field catching another.
This is the one that gets me. It really isn't that hard. And it happens in finishes too... I believe USACycling even prints a guide that gives tips to avoid this.
You'd think. But when the idea came up while the parks department was looking at it's strategic planning 4 or 5 years ago no one showed up to advocate for that except me.
Post a Comment
<< Home