Chris Bright
I appreciate the kind words that have been posted regarding yesterday's time trial. The race went incredibly smoothly and I want to make sure that everyone who helped make this year's event a success gets credit (I'm just the guy who takes the registration forms). In particular, Joe Cipale identified the wonderful course and got the permits from the county (as well as showing up with Pat McBride at 6 am for course set up). So many people chipped in from Safeway/Saturn of Beaverton and from other teams to ensure a safe ride for all by working as corner marshals. Finally, thanks to the OBRA officials for getting up early and helping ensure a fair and orderly event.
We are hoping to make the St. Paul course the new "home" of the District TT since it is a beautiful setting with wide open roads and is a great test for racers. However, while it's fresh on everyone's mind, I wanted to solicit feedback on what we can do better next year. I have received the following ideas so far:
1. Better signs at 10K and 20K turnarounds
2. Place a clock at start area
3. More space between 20K masters and 40K tandems
4. Clearer direction in the race flyer to the course
Please send me additional thoughts directly (i.e. no need to start a huge discussion thread on the OBRA list) at cbri-@pixelworks.com <mailto:cbri-@pixelworks.com> .
Although this may open a can of worms (i.e. I don't want to start a public debate on the issue), I want to respond publicly to the few critics of the pre-registration-only policy of which I have been contacted directly by several and others contacted busy folks in the OBRA family to have this altered. Hopefully by sharing these thoughts it will help remind people next year why we ask for pre-registration.
First off, I believe it is a simple request to ask that a racer register in advance, especially for an important race such as a state time trial. Thanks to the 160+ racers who agreed with this premise and mailed or dropped off their entries. I understand that we all grow accustomed to being able to show up on race day and get in a race, but the trade-offs for this level of personal flexibility at a large time trial are unacceptable in terms of how it impacts the entire field of racers. Here are a few benefits of the pre-registration system that make the event run smoothly:
1. On-time starts -- By not having to handle same-day registrations, we are able to start the race as planned at 8 a.m. This predictability helps racers schedule their pre-race meals and warm ups without adding the stress of having to constantly check with the starter as to the race time.
2. Advanced start list -- Similar to the first point, we lower stress for the racers by being able to publish a start list two days in advance that does not change which helps with orderly race preparation. If we did allow same-day registrations, when racers who race the shorter distances of 10K or 20K enter the entire rest of the field slips a position. Add 10 or 20 juniors and master 55+ racers and the whole field slips by many minutes.
3. Rapid results - By being able to use computers we can post results in a very timely manner. It is not possible to make updates in a computer spreadsheet once the first rider is off because it is then put to use at the finish line, so same-day registrations all need to be entered ahead of time causing the race to slip and increasing exponentially the opportunities for mistakes. One of the most consistent comments I received yesterday was how impressed people were with our ability to post results quickly. As a promoter, it's great to be able to post results so racers can see how they measure up and we can have a meaningful awards ceremony before everyone has taken off.
4. Orderly groupings - Having all of the riders in a category race together ensures they race under the same weather conditions (wind, temp., precip.) as those around them which means the fairest possible outcome. Also, they can gauge themselves with their competitors directly on the road.
5. Minimum registration area - Racers don't have to wait in lines (we only needed to process OBRA single-day licenses) and we can channel our very limited volunteer resources to safety tasks rather than administrative tasks.
The pre-registration system is not intended to exclude anyone. In fact, the hardest part for me personally of organizing this time trial is having to tell racers that registration is closed because it is a totally preventable situation.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and we look forward to hosting another great event next year!
Regards,
Chris Bright