Thursday, October 19, 2006
Southington Cyclocross
This year marks my 6th time promoting a cross race in Southington, CT. The link to the flyer is over at the left. I've tinkered with the course over the years and I've settle in to a pretty tough lap with 2 beach runs and a staircase run. There is also a good hill that a few can ride but most have to run. The picuture is me and others at the top of said hill.
I pride myself in being able to put on a race with NO barriers but still plenty of running. I was sick of people complaining about the rule that allowed for 4 dismounts but only one can be the traditional 'cross barriers. The rule has been changed to allow 2 sets of barriers. Ask people who have done my race if they felt like it wasn't a cross race because there were no barriers. A good time to ask might be just after they ran the beach and then had to run the stairs.
Please come out and enjoy the race and the great venue. YMCA Camp Sloper has been a great host. I can't imagine there is a venue out there that has helped a promoter more than Mark P. and his staff at Camp Sloper have help me and my crew.
Wade
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It's good to know that someone understands that it is the running that is important. Too many races in the past used to be dismount/remount contests. Having barriers where you get off, run four steps, then get back on is lame. I like the barrier limit, but I'd rather see them allow a triple or even a quad so that we could have runs of more than a few meters without resorting to sand or a 40% grade.
Your race sounds good. I'd go but I'm burnt on travel, both physically and financially. Good luck with it!
Your race sounds good. I'd go but I'm burnt on travel, both physically and financially. Good luck with it!
The race was AWESOME Wade. The course that is.
Loved the hill (ridable it seemed by most this year), loved the woop-d-woop, sand runs kicked ass... ridable sand pit was nice switcharoo.
Really a fantastic course. Well worth the trip.
Maybe though can the official figure laps times so he's not pulling people who haven't and wouldn't be lapped with one to go just cause he wants to? Woman's race and the Master's race seemed to fall victim of his um... lack of ability to figure out how many laps to go... but because it was such a great course i can overlook the official's bit of whatever and say i had a bitching great time.
Loved the hill (ridable it seemed by most this year), loved the woop-d-woop, sand runs kicked ass... ridable sand pit was nice switcharoo.
Really a fantastic course. Well worth the trip.
Maybe though can the official figure laps times so he's not pulling people who haven't and wouldn't be lapped with one to go just cause he wants to? Woman's race and the Master's race seemed to fall victim of his um... lack of ability to figure out how many laps to go... but because it was such a great course i can overlook the official's bit of whatever and say i had a bitching great time.
I'm working on results they should be posted on bikereg this evening.
Officiating a cross race can be far more difficult than most racers think. I don't make it any easier by having a mixed 35, 45 and 55 field. We have never had the field sizes we had Sunday. It was discussed after the race that we should look into using a timing service next year.
Thanks for the comments about the course. I work at trying to find a course which I feel challenges the experienced racers but doesn't scare off the beginners.
Wade
Officiating a cross race can be far more difficult than most racers think. I don't make it any easier by having a mixed 35, 45 and 55 field. We have never had the field sizes we had Sunday. It was discussed after the race that we should look into using a timing service next year.
Thanks for the comments about the course. I work at trying to find a course which I feel challenges the experienced racers but doesn't scare off the beginners.
Wade
great race, great course, i had super fun, and you guys did a great job given the huge fields. a few nitpicky things though, hopefully you already thought of this stuff:
- the pre reg line was 30 people long in the morning because there was only 1 person doing pre reg and 3 people doing day of race. next time, split pre reg alphabetically into at least 2 lines (A-M,N-Z)
- as mentioned before there was some confusion about number of laps when multiple categories were running together, i think you just needed more people tracking that stuff. one thing i've seen at some races is different color numbers when categories are mixed so it's easier to tell them apart at a glance. also i think trying to do different finish laps for the categories (B women finished before C men even though the "leader" on course was C men) is probably more trouble than it's worth, just end the race when C men come through and then get everyone.
Anyway, great job, just taking advantage of the internet to throw my 2 cents out there.
- the pre reg line was 30 people long in the morning because there was only 1 person doing pre reg and 3 people doing day of race. next time, split pre reg alphabetically into at least 2 lines (A-M,N-Z)
- as mentioned before there was some confusion about number of laps when multiple categories were running together, i think you just needed more people tracking that stuff. one thing i've seen at some races is different color numbers when categories are mixed so it's easier to tell them apart at a glance. also i think trying to do different finish laps for the categories (B women finished before C men even though the "leader" on course was C men) is probably more trouble than it's worth, just end the race when C men come through and then get everyone.
Anyway, great job, just taking advantage of the internet to throw my 2 cents out there.
# posted by 
: 11:37 AM
: 11:37 AM
Do you have a link to any of the photographers'who were present website?
Thanks
Thanks
# posted by : 3:37 PM
: 3:37 PM
First and up-date on results. We are working on getting the complete results and should have them posted by Thursday. We experienced a huge increase in the number of riders this year and we should have had another official. Yet another reason why promoters like you to pre-reg. Lets us know what to expect and we can resond accordingly.
Matt Stuart was taking pictures. The other photographer I saw was from our local paper. Don't think he has a site. Also check the Easter Bloc forum, I saw a couple of club members snapping away. They may post a link.
http://www.mjstuart.com/index1.htm
http://www.easternbloc.net/forms/default.asp
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Matt Stuart was taking pictures. The other photographer I saw was from our local paper. Don't think he has a site. Also check the Easter Bloc forum, I saw a couple of club members snapping away. They may post a link.
http://www.mjstuart.com/index1.htm
http://www.easternbloc.net/forms/default.asp
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