Blog: Patrick listening in and thinking out loud

Latest offering from Patrick Salt who is listening in and thinking out loud about silly BC rules affecting 1st cat races and more…

I’ve been to quite a few races in the last couple of weeks – courtesy of scattered meetings for work – and been having a good look and listen. Most instructive!

First thing was a discussion involving a few riders, who after all are what the sport is about. The chat was about how races are categorized today and the points system. What was interesting was that several were saying that as a first cat, you are always were riding against elite riders and they missed being the “top riders” in a few races. Looking back at past years, there were a few races for 1/2/3, but these seem to have gone. The rule book apparently says that these races are not allowed.

Who made that decision?

The organisers? Who knows, but I was also told of a couple of organisers who simply don’t run perfectly good races any more because of the rule and “someone at HQ (?)” stopping the events. Can this be true or is it just rider gossip? If it is true, then surely when the sport is beginning to grow, we need all the races we can get, and a bit of flexibility should be shown?

A week or so later, at the other end of the country, categories were the subject. The conversation was around the large number of points on offer, and the equally large number (over 100?) “elite” riders. Surely Elite should be something granted to only the top 30 – 50 riders? It seems daft that a decent, but not top class, rider, can grab so many points at simple circuit races which rarely see a large field or a hill? I’m told that there are races in the evening of just over 50km that are “National B”, and carry points down to 15th place. This again can’t be right.

Maybe the whole system needs a shake up, and perhaps even the “elite” category should be dumped?

Working abroad for a few months a couple of years ago, “Elite” was any rider not a master and not under 23, so it was just an age group, and within that there were some categories. All I remember is the racing was very hard, and in Belgium elite-without-contract was tough, but not as tough as elite-with, where you found the good class pros. Perhaps some of the riders I was hearing talk should go along to their regions and ask for things to change?

I did manage to get to Wales last Friday and Abergavenny was not too far to go, so on Friday night, instead of plodding north to home early, I had a look at the races. There must have been at least 100 kids in different races, a nightmare for the judges but brilliant for the future! Terrific work by the organisers, a town closed down on a Friday night, pubs on the circuit (which was technical and challenging), a great crowd, but a bit flat on the commentary.

The TV were there as well, recording the event for Sky(?), if the vehicles were a guide. But when is it on? Perhaps BC could publish the times on their website – which is still a bit mazy and the search isn’t very good (no it’s not, it’s poor and stuff is so hard to find!!) – so that we at least have a chance to see if all the fuss that goes with TV ends up as a decent programme.

In the main race, it was good to see one of my favourite riders, Dean Downing, can still produce the goods. A great ride, already well reported. Long may it continue, the aggressive racing was just what the public needs to see. But the commentator didn’t seem to get the crowd behind him so much as they do at the Tour Series, no board banging and high tension. An opportunity missed?

Lots has been written about the National Road Race, I missed the women’s event but the men’s race was always going to be a win for one of the “real” professionals, and Bradley did the job perfectly. It showed the gap between the home based riders who live on a diet of criteriums and road races which are really too short to give them a base for the championship. Races do seem to be getting quite short, 100-120km is seen as a normal distance, and even the Premiers are only about 160 – Lincoln was only 135! The home riders will never get the base unless we have Premier races, and other major races, nearer the 200km which should be normal for any rider who aspires to a full career and to call themselves “elite”.

Which brings me back to the earlier subject…

One day I’ll get a holiday, probably go off and see some races, though she-who-must-be-considered may have other ideas!

Patrick

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Reactions:

One of the country’s hardest working officials, Stuart Benstead had this reply to Patrick’s musings … re Patrick Salt’s blog: “I was also told of a couple of organisers who simply don’t run perfectly good races any more because of the rule and ‘someone at HQ (?)’ stopping the events. Can this be true or is it just rider gossip? If it is true, then surely when the sport is beginning to grow, we need all the races we can get, and a bit of flexibility should be shown?”

It is not just gossip, it is true. ‘Someone’ at HQ effectively stopped the events as the organisers refused to be ordered as to what categories they should cater for. So some very experienced organisers
over very many years decided to cease organising. These events had been run for many decades.

Quote: “It was like swimming against a current that swept you backwards however hard you struggled, and then suddenly deciding to turn round and go with the current instead of opposing it. Nothing had changed except your own attitude; the predestined thing happened in any case.” Part 3, Chapter 4, pg. 280 from George Orwell’s 1984.

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