David Auker

Interesting rule...I guess I can see the benefits, but it seems pretty
harsh making an 18 year old racing in Cat 3 to be handicapped. (I can
attest to what happens being under-geared: in a CA road race my chain
was not working on the small cog...I was already cutting it a bit close,
so this gave me something like 94" or less. In an extended high-speed
(big gear) section, having to pedal way faster than everyone else did me
in (that means dropped, Roger!).)

Anyway, shouldn't the following say:

"If the crank arms complete more than a full revolution in this distance, the bike fails." ??

instead of:
> The bike is rolled backwards straight towards the other mark until the crank arms have completed a full revolution. If the crank arms do not complete a full revolution in this distance, the bike fails.
>

I don't know...what do you think....are we lucky in OBRA land to not
have this, or should this be a rule? (In the OBRA Rules, I do a "find
word" for restriction and limit, but don't see that we levy this on our
Juniors) Maybe this should be a Master's rule, too? Another might be
to restrict the value of the bike to under $7500 or something...

David

Candi Murray wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dot .Comm [mailto:timeboard@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 10:17 AM
> To: nwcycling@topica.com
> Subject: NWCYCLING: New Rule Change 2007
> Importance: High
>
>
> There is a new rule change for 2007 that affects ALL riders who are in the
> Junior age bracket, whether they are racing in Junior races or not (e.g., an
>
> 18 year old racing in the Cat 3 race). The rule change, along with an
> explanation of how this will be handled by the officials, and the reason
> behind the rule is given below. Please read this in entirety, and inform any
>
> riders you know who fall into this age bracket of the change. You can expect
>
> this at every race in the country.
>
> Regards,
> Dot Abbott
>
> ********************RULE CHANGE*****************
> 1J6. Junior Gears. The maximum chaingear ratio for Junior riders is based on
>
> age and discipline. Blocked gears will be allowed, except in National
> Championships. All tests for compliance (road and track) shall be done using
>
> the "roll-out method." There is no restriction for cyclo-cross. For road and
>
> track the limits are:
> Road
> 17-18: 7.93 meters (26')(52x14)
> 15-16: "
> 13-14: "
> 10-12: "
> Track
> 17-18: Unrestricted
> 15-16: 6.78 meters (22'3")(48x15)
> 13-14: 6.36 meters (20'10.5")(48x16)
> 10-12: 6.00 meters (19'8")(48x17)
>
> ***********THE IMPORTANT PART TO NOTE****************
> The gear limit for a rider is determined by the age of the rider and the
> discipline, AND APPLIES IN ALL EVENTS IN THAT DISCIPLINE - EVEN WHEN OTHER
> ENTRANTS MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME (OR ANY) LIMIT.
>
> Note that the gear ratios listed are merely suggestions - the distance
> rolled out is the governing standard.
>
> ***********THE REASON FOR THE RULE********************
> No, it has nothing to do with "protecting the rider's knees". The gear
> restrictions are meant to assist in "leveling the playing field" when you
> have the massive differences in growth and development. This rule has been
> inserted as an executive decision because USA Cycling is concerned that our
> Juniors that reach the upper ranks don't know how to spin. It becomes
> difficult for them to identify the Juniors who can compete against their
> peers at the National and International level using the given gear
> restrictions. They want all the Juniors, no matter which category they are
> riding against, to be competing on these restricted gears so they know how
> to race on them no matter what the level of competition.
>
> ***********HOW THIS REGULATION WILL BE ENFORCED **************
> All races (other than Master races) will be required to have rollout for 18
> and under, regardless of the category. In general, rollout will be somewhere
>
> near the finish line, but a "courtesy rollout area" may be available
> elsewhere.
>
> Rollout will not be required before every race, but all 18 and under riders
> will be REQUIRED to go through the rollout IMMEDIATELY after the race. This
> means BEFORE going back to the car or leaving the finish line area. Leaving
> the area is equal to a FAIL.
>
> Exceptions: There are NONE. What this means is that the Junior aged riders
> will need to address this in one of two ways:
> 1) Use the correct gear ratio. The riders will need to provide their own set
>
> of wheels to the Neutral support, and become responsible to ensure the wheel
>
> they get meets the gearing requirement.
> 2) Block out the higher gear cogs that would cause them to fail rollout.
> Blocking gears would make it less of a risk in case of needing a wheel
> change.
>
> Consequences: The penality for failing rollout is disqualification. No
> placing, no prize money, no WSBA BAR points.
>
> How rollout is done:
> Two marks are put on the ground 26 feet apart.
> The bike is put in its highest gear and placed with the crank arms over the
> first mark in a vertical position. Tires must be fully inflated.
> The bike is rolled backwards straight towards the other mark until the crank
>
> arms have completed a full revolution.
> If the crank arms do not complete a full revolution in this distance, the
> bike fails.
>
>
>