I just completed an online survey for USA Cycling, and I had some opinions that I'd like to hear your thoughts on. I hope to generate some good ideas -- it's hard to deny that cycling in the US needs help. Here's what I wrote:
Competitive cycling in the US is dysfunctional. Cycling events feel exclusive and somewhat elitist. This is not the fault of the organization, but I see a simple solution.
This weekend I attended a race, but there was no room for a cat 5 racer... nor for the other 30 people who were put on a wait list. Why do we always race cat 4/5? What's the point of having a fifth category if we rarely use it? If every newbie gets creamed in their first race, how many do you expect to return for a second race? Separate the cat 4s even if it means the cat 5 race will have a very small field.
The second thing that needs to be done is to force upgrades to cat 4. If a cat 5 racer places in the top ten of three races, force them to upgrade.
The final thing that would need to be done is to force race organizers to use the fifth category. If they are organizing a cat 4/5 event and the wait list grows 20% greater than the field limit, organizers should be obligated to separate the 4s and 5s into their own events.
Want more women to compete? Encourage the organizers to keep the course open until the last racer crosses the line. When my wife completed 10 out of 14 laps this weekend, she was forced off the course because the first woman in her category was done. Take a clue from the triathlon organizations -- in a mass start event, there's still a clock. The low end amateurs feel like they're racing the clock while the high end amateurs race each other. Everybody wins.
This isn't Europe. Competitive cycling in the US is supported by the amateurs who buy expensive gear, not by sponsors. Who's advertising in bicycling magazines? Vendors -- not sponsors.
These are my thoughts after ten years of riding and one year of racing. I've brought twelve people to this sport, and all of them entered their first race because of me. None of them have returned for a second race.
Competitive cycling in the US is dysfunctional. Cycling events feel exclusive and somewhat elitist. This is not the fault of the organization, but I see a simple solution.
This weekend I attended a race, but there was no room for a cat 5 racer... nor for the other 30 people who were put on a wait list. Why do we always race cat 4/5? What's the point of having a fifth category if we rarely use it? If every newbie gets creamed in their first race, how many do you expect to return for a second race? Separate the cat 4s even if it means the cat 5 race will have a very small field.
The second thing that needs to be done is to force upgrades to cat 4. If a cat 5 racer places in the top ten of three races, force them to upgrade.
The final thing that would need to be done is to force race organizers to use the fifth category. If they are organizing a cat 4/5 event and the wait list grows 20% greater than the field limit, organizers should be obligated to separate the 4s and 5s into their own events.
Want more women to compete? Encourage the organizers to keep the course open until the last racer crosses the line. When my wife completed 10 out of 14 laps this weekend, she was forced off the course because the first woman in her category was done. Take a clue from the triathlon organizations -- in a mass start event, there's still a clock. The low end amateurs feel like they're racing the clock while the high end amateurs race each other. Everybody wins.
This isn't Europe. Competitive cycling in the US is supported by the amateurs who buy expensive gear, not by sponsors. Who's advertising in bicycling magazines? Vendors -- not sponsors.
These are my thoughts after ten years of riding and one year of racing. I've brought twelve people to this sport, and all of them entered their first race because of me. None of them have returned for a second race.
