Here are some reasons why the VA BAR is the biggest joke in cycling. See the end of the post for a solution:
1. The payouts are downright disgraceful. Ok, so everyone already knows about a recent race with an entry fee of up to $40 paid out in merchandise. The fact that on the flier/website it wasn’t clear that the prizes were completely up to the promoters discretion didn’t help. You cannot bring in an elite field (or at least not again) without a payout that will at least cover the top guys’ expenses for the race. This is just one example. There’s another BAR race coming up with a $300 1/2/3 purse.
2. It promotes dumb racing tactics. So you’re trying to win the team bar. Is that an excuse to chase down the strongest guy on your team when he’s in a break just to try to pack the top 15 with your guys. You know who I’m talking about.
3. It promotes dumb races. If you let any race become a BAR race, then there’s no incentive to put on a worthwhile event. I think everyone’s had enough Sportsplex.
4. It kills late races. In the spring everyone thinks they have a shot at the BAR, so every early race in the freezing cold is full. By the time June hits the competition is decided down to a handful of contenders so there’s no reason for the no-hopes to keep showing up. Promoters know this so they go for the early dates first to get the most entry fees paid. This leaves August with only re-schedules and series races. Maybe spread the calendar out a little so guys don’t get burned out.
5. The best rider never wins. the best riders in their categories always do some VA races but try the tougher competition in bigger regional races.
6. It’s time trial heavy. TT’s are easy to put on and you’re guaranteed a decent field because of all of the crossover tri people and rec riders who desperately want to call themselves racers but are afraid of a pack. The bad thing is that putting such an importance on tt’s can alienate new racers who can’t afford the ridiculous gear that you see at PLT races. Plus time trials are just dumb. Bike racing is about tactics, not beating your pr.
7. The team BAR competition reduces the number of races. Who wins the team BAR? Big teams. Big teams that have to put on the same number of races (1) as little teams. You want to win the BAR - make the biggest team with all categories covered and still only put on one race.
8. The team BAR competition dissuades mentoring. A team wants to win the BAR, and all race results are awarded the same points no matter the category. I don’t think Cat 1/2 guys should be given everything, but it’s good to have them around to teach the new guys how to race. Give these big clubs a reason to keep good riders around. Most of the best riders in the state ride on small teams or even one from out of state.
Okey, so it’s easy to point out problems. It’s easy to fix this one, too. The BAR should be weighted, and not the way it is now with state championships getting double points. Texas has been running a system for years that works great. It’s kind of like UCI ratings. The easiest way to measure is by payout, which is the way USA Cycling rates races. Bigger payouts generally mean more of an effort has been put into the race so you know everything is taken care of. We should have other standards, too, like having neutral service at higher level races. We could even assign points to training races.
Another thing is to get rid of the one club, one race rule. If you’re a club the size of, say, Nature’s Path, it’s not fair to other clubs to only have to promote a single event. We have 5 guys and put on a three day event. Altius is only about 15 strong and they handle 16 Tuesday night races. Carytown is the same way. It should be a minimum of one race per a determined number of members, and only teams of under 8 would be allowed to co-promote.
Well, that’s my rant. Don’t think I’m negative about bike racing. I’m really excited about the Roanoke weekend coming up. It looks like three awesome events, and I’m keen to do well in what looks like is going to be my new home.
sd
