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Please write to NORBA, Help me solve the US National Championships puzzle

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blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Motionboy2 said:
The problem isn't whether an organizer will step up, from what I understand the problem is that USA cycling holds the power. If an event organizer steps up they can have a national series, it would probably be fantastic, but since USA cycling is the governing body, they could choose not to recognize it and therefore the new national series would mean nothing to the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, again, from what I understand, you can't just start a race series and petition the UCI to become the official national series, you have to go to USA cycling and somehow retain the rights. When you retain the rights then you would be able to award points, and have the power to send riders to world competition.

That is why this is such a difficult process.
If USAC doesn't give a damn at all about DH, why don't they let someone else take over as the DH governing body? Can't the UCI "revoke" USACs authority and award it to someone else (ie, ABA)?

I think no one showing up to Sonoma would send a strong and clear message to USAC. Won't happen, but...
 

Motionboy2

Calendar Dominator
Apr 23, 2002
1,800
0
Broomfield, Colorado
blue said:
If USAC doesn't give a damn at all about DH, why don't they let someone else take over as the DH governing body? Can't the UCI "revoke" USACs authority and award it to someone else (ie, ABA)?

I think no one showing up to Sonoma would send a strong and clear message to USAC. Won't happen, but...
I don't know what it takes to become the governing body, I don't know if it is something that they have bought into, or if it is something that can be awarded to another series. All I know is that USA cycling holds the right and power to send riders to international competition. Apparently there would be some finesse needed to take this power away from them.
 

heikkihall

Monkey
Dec 14, 2001
882
0
Durango, CO
We are all making a big deal out of having a good Downhill race at the Sonoma venue when the real problem is the venue itself. The only reason they scheduled a Norba National there the last time was because it was near a major metropolitan area and they were hoping to attract people to the venue. The end result was an event that was the biggest flop in Norba history. The venue may be suitable for XC but the race is going to absolutely suck for XC riders and DH riders.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
Dante's letter about UCI course guidelines doesn't hold water, as many recent WC courses have been shorter than regulation (Calgary if it had been dry, MSA when it was the shortest, Grouse).

As I keep saying, DH does not matter to USAC, as it will never conceivably be an Olympic event. All on USAC's non-member funding is legally tied to the Olympics, and almost all USACDF funds and membership fees support olympic-related events and administrative overhead. It is irresponsable of them as an organisation to put money into a sport that doesn't matter, and does not bring in funds.

Gravity mtb no longer belongs in the USAC framework. It is a very viable sport on it's own, and needs to develop it's own non-uci related sanctioning body. Other national federations are chartered differently, and are able to fund DH (Aussies, French, Brits), and those federations link DH into Olympic disciplines, and not at all conincidentally those feds are far less top heavy with administration...

I'm rambling, but I guess my message is that DH is F#cked with USAC.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Even if the DH Nat Championship gets moved to a different venue, it's still one event. NORBA still won't give a damn about DH. I think people shouldn't bother racing it or caring about it so a new, better organizing body will arise.
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
SuspectDevice said:
Dante's letter about UCI course guidelines doesn't hold water, as many recent WC courses have been shorter than regulation (Calgary if it had been dry, MSA when it was the shortest, Grouse).
While true (3-5 minute), the UCI makes exceptions, as outlined in the rules. Ste Anne was "grandfathered" in as a classic venue. Not sure why, as it was an all new course, but I digress. The UCI has said theyw ill make exceptions for courses that offer something along the lines of superior technical riding or some such nonsense (Grouse and Ste Anne). Thanks fully, the old, brutal, make you cry Ste Anne course is back in action.

No idea how Calgary made it in as it sucked, but my guess is that it was scheduled before the rule was drafted as the races are planned a year in advance, and the rule was a January ammendment.
 

vitox

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
2,936
1
Santiago du Chili
i have some reading for you guys, i think its very relevant to how this issue should be dealt with.

outside magazine, june 2006 issue, page 86 and onward.

RATM has a song that explains why this is a must-read
 

heikkihall

Monkey
Dec 14, 2001
882
0
Durango, CO
Steve Johnson
CEO of USA Cycling

Jim Ochowicz
Chairman of the Board

Dear Steve Johnson and Jim Ochowicz,

I am writing this to protest the recent choice of Infinion Raceway as the choice for the US MTB National Championships. I understand that due to circumstances beyond NORBA’s control an alternate venue had to be chosen. However, I feel that the decision that you have gone with was done hastily. I realize that events of this magnitude have to be given proper time for planning and organization but the area around Sonoma is just not suitable for an event such as the US MTB National Championships. It is my understanding that Infinion Raceway is a perfectly suitable venue for Cross Country and Mountain Cross racing but unfortunately the venue lacks the technical features, terrain, and vertical drop necessary to test professional athletes' skills and fitness. Furthermore the venue has proven to be a great place to hold smaller, local level events but the last time a NORBA National Series event was held there it was largely considered to be a flop. There were hardly any spectators and many of the racers left the event incredibly unsatisfied.

Replacing Mammoth with Infineon Raceway has created quite a stir within the MTB Community especially among the downhill racers. Unfortunately, the natural terrain at Infinion does not constitute a downhill run according to the UCI or NORBA guidelines. This choice needs to be rectified immediately. NORBA is rapidly losing credibility with mountain bikers today, and the choice of venues for the Championships shows just how out of touch NORBA has become with racing over the years. Racers have felt for several years now that NORBA management is ignoring the needs of mountain bikers, and downhill racers in particular. This latest choice for the National Championships only enforces that belief. If you would like to discuss any of these matters with me personally I would be glad to talk with you about them as I believe that I may be able to provide some valuable input. Thank you for your time.


Regards,
Heikki Hall
NORBA Lic# 0117452
 

Threepointtwo

Monkey
Jun 21, 2002
632
0
SLC, UT
heikkihall said:
Steve Johnson
CEO of USA Cycling

Jim Ochowicz
Chairman of the Board

Dear Steve Johnson and Jim Ochowicz,

I am writing this to protest the recent choice of Infinion Raceway as the choice for the US MTB National Championships. I understand that due to circumstances beyond NORBA’s control an alternate venue had to be chosen. However, I feel that the decision that you have gone with was done hastily. I realize that events of this magnitude have to be given proper time for planning and organization but the area around Sonoma is just not suitable for an event such as the US MTB National Championships. It is my understanding that Infinion Raceway is a perfectly suitable venue for Cross Country and Mountain Cross racing but unfortunately the venue lacks the technical features, terrain, and vertical drop necessary to test professional athletes' skills and fitness. Furthermore the venue has proven to be a great place to hold smaller, local level events but the last time a NORBA National Series event was held there it was largely considered to be a flop. There were hardly any spectators and many of the racers left the event incredibly unsatisfied.

Replacing Mammoth with Infineon Raceway has created quite a stir within the MTB Community especially among the downhill racers. Unfortunately, the natural terrain at Infinion does not constitute a downhill run according to the UCI or NORBA guidelines. This choice needs to be rectified immediately. NORBA is rapidly losing credibility with mountain bikers today, and the choice of venues for the Championships shows just how out of touch NORBA has become with racing over the years. Racers have felt for several years now that NORBA management is ignoring the needs of mountain bikers, and downhill racers in particular. This latest choice for the National Championships only enforces that belief. If you would like to discuss any of these matters with me personally I would be glad to talk with you about them as I believe that I may be able to provide some valuable input. Thank you for your time.


Regards,
Heikki Hall
NORBA Lic# 0117452
Well done. The real question is why can't they just move it to Deer Valley. It is one week too early but Mammoth was one week too late and all they had to do was get a waiver. Why can' tthat be done again?
 

ska todd

Turbo Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
1,776
0
Sorry for not posting this sooner but, late yesterday Norba called me personally and said after much consideration and thought they have decided to stand behind their decision and keep Infineon as the venue for all of the National Championship events. This is their final decision.

-ska todd
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
ska todd said:
Sorry for not posting this sooner but, late yesterday Norba called me personally and said after much consideration and thought they have decided to stand behind their decision and keep Infineon as the venue for all of the National Championship events. This is their final decision.

-ska todd
Needs more cowbell....f*ck!!...:dead: :redhot:
 

blt2ride

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2005
2,333
0
Chatsworth
ska todd said:
Sorry for not posting this sooner but, late yesterday Norba called me personally and said after much consideration and thought they have decided to stand behind their decision and keep Infineon as the venue for all of the National Championship events. This is their final decision.

-ska todd
Thanks for the update. I’m actually amazed that someone from NORBA took the time to call you back. I know they don’t respond to their emails…
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
ska todd said:
Sorry for not posting this sooner but, late yesterday Norba called me personally and said after much consideration and thought they have decided to stand behind their decision and keep Infineon as the venue for all of the National Championship events. This is their final decision.

-ska todd
"Derrrrr, hey whaddaya think??"
"Ummm....hmmm....raceways are cool."
"Yeah....I like shiny things that go fast..."
"Huh huh huh huh..."
 

Heath Sherratt

Turbo Monkey
Jun 17, 2004
1,871
0
In a healthy tension
Actually the race venue is really good for everything but DH. And surprisingly the DH course was fun and technical for what they had to work with. It was cool because you could see most of the course from the finish line and it was a lot harder than it looked. I think if they really took their time and thought it out they could build a really fun course there. Don't get me wrong, I think there are better venues and they could have swapped Brainhead or Deervalley just as easily but it is what it is. H
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Heath Sherratt said:
Actually the race venue is really good for everything but DH. And surprisingly the DH course was fun and technical for what they had to work with. It was cool because you could see most of the course from the finish line and it was a lot harder than it looked. I think if they really took their time and thought it out they could build a really fun course there. Don't get me wrong, I think there are better venues and they could have swapped Brainhead or Deervalley just as easily but it is what it is. H
That's my new tag line. Whenever I see something happen that's skewed, that's what I'm going to say. My boss just started using it here at "the hell hole".....maybe it'll catch on.

I don't doubt that it's a fun course, it can be all the harder than it looks that it wants to be. The physical facts remain: 700 ft = teh suck.

On a related topic, I love complacency.
 

SPrider

Monkey
Feb 18, 2005
135
0
if you wanna see some sonoma footage from the cougar mtn. classic, go here hubtv and go to episode 2-part 2 of 6 and its like 20 seconds into the clip.
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
merrrrjig said:
Has anyone checked out practice times?? Its a complete joke, JrX gets 3.5 hours of DH and 1 hour of MTX, That is just sad.

Weak, not only is it 1 hr of MTX practice, it's a 1 hour with everyone sports and Beg.
 

coma13

Turbo Monkey
Feb 14, 2006
1,082
0
They're not going to respond to anything short of a complete unattendance of riders.

Don't go, don't race, talk to your sponsors about the situation, spread the word. No one person can do everything, but everybody can do something.
 

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
Jeremy R said:
After hearing this latest news,
I decided to write my own powerful, compelling letter.


Dear Sirs,
You are the teh suck!
I fart in your general direction.

Sincerely,
Jeremy R
They are sure to take us seriously now. Jeremy has spoken out of his butt!!!!!! I know that was a movie line, but can't remember the movie?
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
Quest for the holy grail. And in case you haven't noticed, NORBA doesn't care one iota about gravity riders. 3 hours of practice time at a crappy location, go NORBA!

So why does anyone even care anymore? There are plenty of other races...
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
Transcend said:
Quest for the holy grail. And in case you haven't noticed, NORBA doesn't care one iota about gravity riders. 3 hours of practice time at a crappy location, go NORBA!

So why does anyone even care anymore? There are plenty of other races...
I honestly don't care at all.
I live for races like at Diablo, Snowshoe, Massanutten etc....
Weekend races where I can get in a ton of riding on a fun course and a race run. That is all I ask and need.
But the people who I do feel sorry for are the top pros and young guns who are trying to make it to the world cup level.
With the national body not even giving enough of a damn than to hold the championships somewhere with no hill to race on.:dead:
If Norba is not going to do anything to further DH than give it to somebody who cares.
$hit or get off the pot.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
here's a letter to send NORBA:

"Dear NORBA,

Please remove your penis from my rectum already. All I want to do is have a nice race, not get raped in the ass.

Sincerely,
Downhill Mountain Biking"
 

Heath Sherratt

Turbo Monkey
Jun 17, 2004
1,871
0
In a healthy tension
:bomb: Sounds like the Same old Shi-poop. I have a great motto-"You can complain all you want, but it doesn't do much." ACTION speaks louder. Whining is whining. I don't care how many excuses you have to whine-you're still whining and whining is what people who don't do-do... You know-three types of peeps-those who do, those who watch and those who wish they did.
 

riverside73

Monkey
Nov 29, 2004
362
0
Heath Sherratt said:
ACTION speaks louder.
That is it right there.

Whine, complain, bitch...do whatever you want. But above all else, don't go to that race. That is what it will take to make the powers that be at NORBA/USAC to realize their mistake. Only a handful of riders show up, some kid on a Wal-mart bike takes the National Championship, USAC emabarassed, kid gets sponsered by Wal-mart and goes to UCI Worlds. GO USA!!!

Plain and simple. Boycott the race. Everyone.
 
L

luelling

Guest
I talked to my friend that races pro xc, he was 14th last year at the championship and he said he thought the Sonoma was so crummy that hes not going this year. I wonder if numbers are going to be down across the board? I was going to go, but now I'm going to go to Deer Valley instead
 
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