Evan Plews
I don't have a clue as to the situation Sunday because that is up to the folks who were racing...
That being said I will let you know how things generally work since I have been in that spot a few times. On the road crashes often happen that take down riders who have nothing to to with the cause. They also happen because the is a whole bunch of people riding too close together and sometime from causes outside riders' control bottles, mussettes, dogs, cars, other junk on the road. That is why it is a shame to flee the scene if other contenders are caught up in it.
On the dirt it is quite a lot different because riding skill is often the difference between winning and losing. Stackage is often the result of poor skill and risky riding--just like flat tires. Now sometimes there are cases where riders get taken down by one another or lapped traffic in which case most of us will call a momentary truce and continue together in the spirit of fair play. Of course there is always the case of the major yardsale when the likelyhood of serious injury or death may be upon us in which case the racing no longer matters. Otherwise when dirt is the playing field crashing is a great way to lose a race and it happens all the time. If you wait for someone to get up and beat you of course that is just fine too!
Evan Plews
www.evanplews.com
503-949-4879
-----Original Message-----
From: Brooke Hoyer
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:08:28
Cc:
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] protocol
I think it has a lot to do with how you want to win. Do you want to win because of someone else's misfortune? Or are you more concerned with who is strongest and/or the most wily. For Molly, I think it was the latter. I can think of some scenarios where she doesn't wait though.
With respect to the anecdote about the masters racer and the junior ... I doubt that I would have stopped in that situation either. I have no medical/first aid training. There were other people better able to assist. I'd have been one more person standing around not doing anything. I might even have be a distraction. Again, there are circumstances where I stop. But this example probably wouldn't be one of them.
Brooke Hoyer
> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:38:58 -0800
> From: shane@wickedar.com
> To: tackyglueit@gmail.com
> CC: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] protocol
>
> tackyglueit wrote:
> > No disrespect intended here just wondering out loud....why did molly
> > wait for sean on the last lap this past Sunday? I can understand it in
> > a road race but not necessarily in a cross race.
>
> I've never done road racing, so I'm not sure why it would be
> understandable in a road race, and not a CX race ... but, I think that
> this only shows class. If someone goes down, it's only (decent) human
> nature to insure that person is okay. I know our society doesn't place
> much emphasis on this - indeed it seems to punish any good samaritan
> acts due to the litigious nature of our society...
>
> At the Willamette Valley races on the 7th, I watched a Cat B or Masters
> racer run into a 13 year old kid, who crashed, hard. The racer looked
> back, recognized the 13 year old had gone down - and just took off.
> Right in front of the kids parents. Yes, the kid drifted a little to
> the left (enthusiastically waving to his parents), but the Cat B/Masters
> rider bombed past the kid without any verbal warning he was there ("Hey!
> On your left..."). And worse, just took off, because, of course - his
> race was far more important than a broken wrist, road rash, or damage he
> may have caused from his neglect. I don't know who you are buddy - but
> I hope are burning in shame ...
>
> In any case - I think it only highlights a decent human being. I don't
> know Molly personally, but I have gained additional respect for her
> because of it; especially in light of the intensely competitive nature
> and field in the As race...
>
> v/r
> Shane
>
> --
> Wicked Cyclocross
> http://wicked.cx/
>
> "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature,
> nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding
> danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life
> is either a daring adventure or nothing." ** Helen Keller **
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