Evan Plews
Just two cents (or maybe not even that), but it looks like the "changes" benefit no one--not even the promoter. No doubt there will be less revenue even if the fees increase. I feel for womens racing because we are facing the chicken/egg scenario again. Promoter says not enough entries yet how do we continue building the sport without racing and categories?
I must commend USAC for finally standing up for the riders (we are a riders association aren't we?) and separating the CAT2 field. Seems odd that NRC races (largest/bestest in the country) would combine three categories virtually degrading the so-called professionals back to amatures. Which of course is quite convenient sense the industry won't pay them... Makes me wonder why CAT2 even exists.
I found the following statement most amazing:
"Both the CAT 2/3 Men and the Masters 35+/45+ will be run in one field but scored separately and have separate prize lists."
I raced the CAT 3 last year and it was large and competitive field. For those who know 'Hood the roads seem a little narrow at times but it was a great race and I had fun. I do recollect a rather large masters field present as well. And then the CAT2s thrown in for icing on top? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Call me a crazy mountain biker (or anything else for that matter) but I can't wait to register just to witness this "event" first hand! (hopefully not from the asphalt side!)
What would the results mean anyway if we have CAT 2, CAT 3, Masters 35+ 1, 2, 3, and Masters 45+ 1, 2, 3 all together. I can't imagine trying to sort upgrade points out of that mess... Have fun Kenji!
Cheers,
EP
________________________________
From: mhcc@gorge.net
To: obra@list.obra.org
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:32:19 -0800
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Big Changes in Store for the 2008 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic'
Hello OBRA!
I know there are many a rumors floating around in regards to this years Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and I wanted to take time to get everyone up to speed with what we have planned for this years event. The staff and I are hard at work planning something very special for this years race and working diligently to get things finalized as quickly as possible.
I will start out with the bad news for 2008. I am afraid we will no longer be running a CAT 4 mens or a CAT 3-4 womens field at Mt. Hood. With both of these categories attracting smaller numbers and with volunteers so incredibly hard to come by the committee made the very tough decision to cut these two fields due to staffing and volunteer constraints. We are also eliminating the CAT 2 Men and CAT 3 Women from the Pro fields as has been mandated by USA Cycling to be eligible for NRC status.
Now the good news. We will be running the following categories, Pro-1 Men, Pro 1-2 Women, Masters 35+/45+ and CAT 2/3 Men. Both the CAT 2/3 Men and the Masters 35+/45+ will be run in one field but scored separately and have separate prize lists.
Even more exciting is the news that the womens race at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic will be the only UCI stage race in the entire U.S. for 2008. The valuable UCI points that are available will count towards selection for the Beijing Olympics! It is a distinction that Oregon can be very proud of. We have received commitments from nearly every major womens team in the U.S. and are looking forward to a great race. Since this is a UCI sanctioned event only teams in the women's competition will be eligible to compete. In order to get everyone in we will be setting up in March an adopt a rider program for women wanting to join a composite team or guest ride for an existing team. Keep a look out for info on our web site March 1st for more details. The men's race will not be UCI and individuals can enter as well as teams.
Registration for the 2008 event will open February 1st. There will be field limits for each category and we anticipate they will fill fast so be sure and register early if you want to guarantee your spot. Also be sure to book lodging early as it also fills up fast.
New for 2008 will be the inclusion of stages 1 and 2 in downtown Portland. Yes the time has come to take the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic to the big city. The prologue and stage 2 circuit race will both take place in Portland this year. We are working on finalizing the courses and details and look forward to posting the info by early February. We have big plans but need everyones help to get the word out and let the great city of Portlands city council know that this is a big deal and there is strong support for the event. We are working to assemble the most amazing venues and the city offices need to know that this is a positive for the community so get the word out! The OBRA categories will start on Thursday at the stage 3 Cooper Spur Circuit race and follow the same epic courses as last year including the most awe inspiring and amazingly tough Scenic Gorge Time Trial.
Finally we are happy to announce the inclusion of some new staff to the Mt. Hood Team that will help us elevate the event to the next level. The Crusader himself Brad Ross will be designing and running our courses for 2008 and Bill Warburton and Beverly Lucas will also be joining the team to add there expertise and talent to the event. We have some very talented folks in the OBRA family and we are super excited about the opportunity to include those talents to make the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic one of the best races in the nation.
Thanks to all of you for helping make this event such a tremendous success. We look forward to seeing you at the starting line on May 13th!
Sincerely,
Chad Sperry
Race Director
Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
www.mthoodcyclingclassic.com
541-980-2344
_________________________________________________________________
Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live.
http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008