Snowshoe race series review(imo)
- Thread starter RepoDemoRider
- Start date
Very well said!
I've tried to tell people that, but they get deffensive and cry that they are too old. Yet, I bet they only get on their DH bikes once or twice a month. So instead of training more they just want to complain and water down the competition.
SDH, I disagree. Europe does have more of a bike cutlure than we do. But look at South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. They have a different attitude than Americans and it shows in their abilities. Having age bracket categories is a US thing.
Those countries also have bigger bike cultures than we do. Of course they have different attitudes than us but then why does it not show in other sports? US usually dominates in sports that are more culturely(sp) accepted. Just look at the Olympics.........Plus there are plenty of there sports at the world level (that we are highly competitive in) that run age brackets.
As far as getting on a DH rig once or twice a month..........yep you are entirely right. I would love to train more! But unless you are lucky enough to live very close to a DH spot, most peeps over 35 have too much responsibility at home to have the time to drive the distances required and the time outlay to DH every weekend. Granted there are exceptions, however I am willing to bet (and I am not usually a betting man) that most people (35 and over) fall into the ride once twice a month category and do not live by a mountain. I think what you are hearing is the majority of people that fall into the above group would like to compete against each other to see how you stack up to the next guy in a similiar situation.
One thing I think Snowshoe needs to work on is weeding out grossly apparent sandbaggers. Especially in intro. If you are intro and you post a time that is mid pack or better in AM then you a)selected the wrong category (it happens) or b) you did not know better (or your ability)but now you do then you need to race AM. Keep intro just that intro.
haha scuba steve going on a tear!
I stayed in a Holiday in express last night...................
steve, call me i have your tires...
We have different view on why the US doesn't excel in the WC scene and I'm sure we're both wrong and maybe a little right.
But...
If you go to Snowshoe to win prizes or you get bent out of shape because some sandbagger took your free tire or pair of sunglasses, then move up to the pro class. I think this goes to the heart of my contention. If you only wanted to compete against guys in your age and responsibility bracket, then you could just look through the times and figure it out for yourselves. But really want you want is someone else to make you feel good about riding your DH bike once or twice a month by giving you a place on a podium and something for free. Thats the problem as I see it. When I compete, I know right away if I did good or not. I don't need to wait on the results. Plus I always loose, so it really doesn't matter.
Heck, I got beat by the AM winner at every race I did and I think I did pretty well in the pro class. But that doesn't make me mad, it makes me excited that there is a young guy out there who has a place to race and who is going to make me train harder over the off season.
But...
I think Snowshoe has NO obligation to weedout sandbaggers. They are not a regulatory or sanctioning body. They provide a race series with some cash and prizes. They need to run a lift, provide a course and do timing.
If you go to Snowshoe to win prizes or you get bent out of shape because some sandbagger took your free tire or pair of sunglasses, then move up to the pro class. I think this goes to the heart of my contention. If you only wanted to compete against guys in your age and responsibility bracket, then you could just look through the times and figure it out for yourselves. But really want you want is someone else to make you feel good about riding your DH bike once or twice a month by giving you a place on a podium and something for free. Thats the problem as I see it. When I compete, I know right away if I did good or not. I don't need to wait on the results. Plus I always loose, so it really doesn't matter.
Heck, I got beat by the AM winner at every race I did and I think I did pretty well in the pro class. But that doesn't make me mad, it makes me excited that there is a young guy out there who has a place to race and who is going to make me train harder over the off season.
dee dee dee
methinks the am winner beat 90% of all riders every damn race. not much of a comparo. that adam kid is as fast as he is nice... and sandy :biggrin:Heck, I got beat by the AM winner at every race I did and I think I did pretty well in the pro class. But that doesn't make me mad, it makes me excited that there is a young guy out there who has a place to race and who is going to make me train harder over the off season.
He also kind of blows away the theory of needing to ride on a real mountain on a regular basis. He wins even though he rides on a 400 foot sand dune at most once a week. He has confidence to pin it with pro level speed and a ton of fitness. I couldn't accelerate with him coming into the step down before the whoops at the last race when I was wide open and he was at 75%. That tells me I need to do some sprints for next year.
But I would think they have an obiligation to run a fair race. I believe that is why they set the rules for the categories before the race series, why set rules if you do not intend to enforce them. And I am only speaking for the intro division b/c that is what it is for intro. To bring people in and enjoy the sport and grow it not for lame peeps that could sit in the category and crush at will. May be the sandbaggers need to be policed/heckled while on the podium (like in the old days). It does not take much to see the person crushed by 40+seconds. As for me, I am in AM class, and I really could careless about prizes etc, I just offer a perspective that I think the majority of the people have. Most people do not see it all gnarcore "we have to beat the russians attitude" wrt racing but more as a weekend away from responsibility and a chance to mix it up peeps in similiar situations.We have different view on why the US doesn't excel in the WC scene and I'm sure we're both wrong and maybe a little right.
But...
I think Snowshoe has NO obligation to weedout sandbaggers. They are not a regulatory or sanctioning body. They provide a race series with some cash and prizes. They need to run a lift, provide a course and do timing.
If you go to Snowshoe to win prizes or you get bent out of shape because some sandbagger took your free tire or pair of sunglasses, then move up to the pro class. I think this goes to the heart of my contention. If you only wanted to compete against guys in your age and responsibility bracket, then you could just look through the times and figure it out for yourselves. But really want you want is someone else to make you feel good about riding your DH bike once or twice a month by giving you a place on a podium and something for free. Thats the problem as I see it. When I compete, I know right away if I did good or not. I don't need to wait on the results. Plus I always loose, so it really doesn't matter.
Heck, I got beat by the AM winner at every race I did and I think I did pretty well in the pro class. But that doesn't make me mad, it makes me excited that there is a young guy out there who has a place to race and who is going to make me train harder over the off season.
As for the dude Adam, yup, he is fast, b/c he rides moto but he should have moved up immediately after his first race when he crushed. That would have been the honorable/fair thing to do.
chris.
adam is an exception to the rule.
but for the majority of racers and riders out there, you have to feel just as comfortable and confident on a downhill bike as you do standing on your own two feet.
and that comes from being on the bike alot.
and riding terrain that challenges your skills.
and that's the benefit of living in the mts.
there's no way i'd even think of owning a d.h. bike if i lived more than an hour or so from a decent riding destination.
i used to say all the time back in my x-c and roadie days, "i ride a lot, so i can ride a lot."
that's even more true for downhilling.
and this mindset of "there's too many people in my group, so i'm not racing anymore." just boggles my mind.
that's when you find out who's soul is in the sport and who's just in it for the right to hang out at the watercooler on monday and spew.
and sandbaggers should be under so much peer scrutiny, that they can't run a lower category than they have the skills for.
call the guys out yourself.
that'll do more to shuffle them up the ladder than anything else.
you start making too many demands on race organizers nowadays.
and they'll just cease to put on events.
races like the four we just have had, go a long way towards getting us out from under the wretched norba/usa cycling umbrella.
we desparately need more like this.
don't mess with a good thing.
adam is an exception to the rule.
but for the majority of racers and riders out there, you have to feel just as comfortable and confident on a downhill bike as you do standing on your own two feet.
and that comes from being on the bike alot.
and riding terrain that challenges your skills.
and that's the benefit of living in the mts.
there's no way i'd even think of owning a d.h. bike if i lived more than an hour or so from a decent riding destination.
i used to say all the time back in my x-c and roadie days, "i ride a lot, so i can ride a lot."
that's even more true for downhilling.
and this mindset of "there's too many people in my group, so i'm not racing anymore." just boggles my mind.
that's when you find out who's soul is in the sport and who's just in it for the right to hang out at the watercooler on monday and spew.
and sandbaggers should be under so much peer scrutiny, that they can't run a lower category than they have the skills for.
call the guys out yourself.
that'll do more to shuffle them up the ladder than anything else.
you start making too many demands on race organizers nowadays.
and they'll just cease to put on events.
races like the four we just have had, go a long way towards getting us out from under the wretched norba/usa cycling umbrella.
we desparately need more like this.
don't mess with a good thing.
Heyheyhey, don't blow my excuse out of the water or I'll have to get creative and come up with a new one :biggrin:
I thought your excuse was that Brady kept you up all night in his trailer.
OK, I agree with pretty much with all you said but this line right here. While your location offers you to postulate this opinion, it does not stand true for 85% to, I dare say 90% of the people who ride DH...
That statement is certainly biased. I do respect your view, but I do disagree with it.
That being said, this is not a sport for the indigent or week hearted. Part of the fun is the camaraderie, the planning, the food, the view, and the sheer pleasure of the ride. There is NO bike there under 1000.00 (msrp) and the time and investment all of us put into the bike far exceeds that amount.
We are each blessed that we can have the opportunity to ride and to be able to afford it.
BTW, I look forward to riding down your way, and yes it is more than 1 hour away!
Laugh it up. We're gonna train and take Top Flatlander awards over you guys next year.I thought your excuse was that Brady kept you up all night in his trailer.
Those weren't rules. Snowshoe doesn't belong to a sanctioning body, nor do they run one. A true Pro/Am format doesn't have rules. If you think you can race pro, then race it. If not then race Am. I don't know why they threw in the Intro class, but I guess it was because to not alienate some of the lower Ams.
whoa.OK, I agree with pretty much with all you said but this line right here. While your location offers you to postulate this opinion, it does not stand true for 85% to, I dare say 90% of the people who ride DH...
That statement is certainly biased. I do respect your view, but I do disagree with it.
That being said, this is not a sport for the indigent or week hearted. Part of the fun is the camaraderie, the planning, the food, the view, and the sheer pleasure of the ride. There is NO bike there under 1000.00 (msrp) and the time and investment all of us put into the bike far exceeds that amount.
We are each blessed that we can have the opportunity to ride and to be able to afford it.
BTW, I look forward to riding down your way, and yes it is more than 1 hour away!
back up just a bit.
i admire all the folks who come down and spend many many hours on the road to get here and other venues.
i was talking about my desires and mine only.
i've been riding and racing since 1985.
and it wasn't until i moved to east tennessee at the base of the cumberland plateau that i began to consider spending the thousands of dollars it takes to sport a downhill specific bike.
a bike that's good for nothing else but descending.
that takes more $$$ than i could rightly justify spending if i didn't live as close as i do to our trailsystem.
(that also wouldn't be here, if i wasn't so situated.)
either way get yer @$$ down here this fall and rip.