Don Hanson
> Message: 28
> Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:43:10 -0700
> From: "Long, Steve"
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] race attendence
> To:
> Cc: obra@list.obra.org
> Message-ID:
>
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>
> I don't know for sure but maybe one of the reasons that the Firecracker
> TT was poorly attended was because the flyer was not ready for display
> until a week or two before the event date. Once the flyer was in place,
> the information on it was not complete such that people had to ask more
> questions about the event.
>
> ________________________________
Suggestion for race organizers looking for more race entries:
Try putting more races together that offer a class start or two for older
racers. Offering only a 35+ masters and (less often) 45+masters classes
leaves a lot of older racers right "out of it". We're here, entry money in
hand, us older cyclists, and we (still ) want to race. We just don't
enjoy always being shelled out of the pack so we don't enter many 45+
Masters races.
Other regions have well attended age-category races. Why not here?
There are very few races in the Northwest where age category classes are
included. I think just a couple in OBRA-land each summer. Yes, we have
some TTs and Hillclimbs where we're scored (sometimes) by age group, and a
few organizers even 'score' wheel to wheel races in ten year ages, but they
start everyone over 35 or 45 together....That means after you turn 45,
you'll (predictably) be racing at an age-disadvantage, if you continue (or
try) racing at all. If you've never raced and happen to be over
45....Well, Good Luck! Can you imagine starting a USA Cycling Masters race
as a newbie if you were, say, 55 or 60? Ya think you'd go back for a second
"lesson".?
Look at the demographics of a typical Northwest Century ride, a Randonee,
or any of the organized tours. Many (most?) of the participants are over
45. Thousands of them. Many of these riders will tell you "I 'won' that
X--Century ride, nobody passed me all day.." or something like that. Lots
of these riders are relative newbies to cycling.
There is huge interest in racing, but none is offered (around the
northwest) for an older rider of "normal" physical capabilities. None of
these newer cyclists wants to totally humiliated by, say, a 45-yr. old
former Cat. 2 or 3.. So they'll never race here. Unless they were offered
a reasonable class to race in against their peers. Then there would be many
many entries.. I see this in my travels as I go elsewhere to race..
In California, Arizona, Utah, and back east, you see age category races
with hundreds of entries (in all the classes combined). Some age group
racers are beginners, too. Worth thinking about, if you are looking to
tap into potential entries for future races..
Don Hanson