Shabby said:
Carl Brewer said:
I was at a Blackburn coaching meeting two weeks ago, and
we (BBN) are proposing an alternative that can still
provide CSV with revinue but not kill off the smaller
clubs in Victoria - that's the rough idea anyway, so "yes"
The revenue argument is [censored] though. Unless you're racing B grade
club/combine you're going to get caned in an Open. So by restricting
the places you can race in the early years gives you less opportunity
to learn the sport and its complexities. And less riders means less
people at Opens in the long run. Less clubs at each club race means
that you get crappy racing, with less than 10 people in a grade, or C&D
and A&B combined races, which once again is no fun and deters people
from the sport. (I don't mind not winning, but if you're dropped 50km
from the end, winter road racing is a [censored] sport.
Exactly. It also kills off the smaller clubs who don't have
the numbers to be worth inviting if you can only invite 10
clubs.
Quoted message said:The other factor is that anyone who's out of town (ie. country people
in Melb, Melb people in country for work) can;t get a race in. Whereas
I've raced at Echuca one season, Latrobe Valley another, all becuase
that was where the work took me. It's only a small thing, but it kept
me racing, which these new rules won't.
Yep.
Quoted message said:I'm not sure what they're trying to achieve, perhaps there was some
insurance reason for it?
I received the following, I don't think it's confidental, they (CSV)
said they were going to post it on their website :
Club and Combine Racing Winter 2005
May 2005
The Board of CycleSport Victoria have received several emails and
letters concerning the memo released last month in relation to club
and combine racing. We thankyou for your feedback and present this
note to help clarify some points, hopefully to answer some of the
consistent questions which have been raised over the past couple of
weeks.
These regulations have been developed for the Winter road season of
2005 and indeed there will be some alterations made when the focus is
shifted towards the 2005/06 summer season. The ‘club’ criterium format
here in Melbourne as it exists at present needs to be addressed and
the Board will begin to look at this situation over the next couple of
months. In the meantime it welcomes any feedback and suggestions from
clubs and riders on the regulations being put in place and how they
are applied to the summer season, in particular to criterium racing.
We encourage our clubs and members to look at the broader picture and
keep in mind that the sport of cycling, as in the case of any sport,
cannot function without a state body.
Whilst the reasons for implementing this racing policy are not purely
financial and take into account a number of factors, a major income
stream for this organisation is open racing. Victorian Cycling will
this road season witness its best road season for many years with
increased prizemoney, bigger, better tours and an increased number of
opens. The Victorian Road Championship has needed a boost for some
time and in 2005 will now attract $10,000 in prizemoney. CycleSport
Victoria is a self funded, not for profit organisation which runs to a
tight budget. If open racing and the promoters of open racing are not
supported by the clubs and riders then these events are placed in
jeopardy, the end result being that these events would disappear from
our calendar and CSV close its doors.
The limit of ten affiliated clubs does not extend to interstate
riders. Riders from interstate are permitted to ride events here in
Victoria provided that the hosting club has approved their
participation in the event. This would also apply to riders registered
in the ADF (Australian Defence Force) club, because it is affiliated
directly with Cycling Australia.
For the majority of clubs and cyclists this policy will result in very
little change. The Board would encourage clubs hosting combine events
to invite clubs based in their geographic region, not to exclude a
club based on their size. The Board would encourage those clubs to
then pool their resources and manpower. CSV will continue to monitor
the policy and the implementation of it and if there are particular
clubs being greatly inconvenienced, then there will be steps made to
rectify that issue. If a member feels that their racing situation
warrants particular consideration by the Board then they can put their
case forward in writing with each to be addressed on its merits.
CycleSport Victoria Board of Management
