From: kenwood@stsci.edu (Ken Anderson,S403,4758,ADD.11-25-91)
Subject: Re: Length of Races in the U.S.:  Too Short?
Reply-To: kenwood@stsci.edu
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore MD
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 18:05:47 GMT



Kurt F. Sauer writes:


>Item B31:  A set of alternatives to amend Bylaw J, Section 6:
>	[I will skip the part about the point system for upgrading,
>	although this is also worthy of discussion.]
>
>	Part 3.  Upgrading by Performance.
>	...
>	[Added] (b) A qualifying race for upgrading is one of the following
>	races that is not a handicap, club, collegiate, or training race
>	and that is open only to riders of the applicant's category or
>	higher.
>	(1)  Individual road races at least 100km long for men or
>	70km long for women and minimum field size of 60 men or 25 women.
>	(2)  Criteriums at least 40km long for men or 32 km for women with
>	minimum field size of 60 men or 25 women.
>	(3)  Stage races at least two days long.  Points can be earned
>	both in the qualifying stages and for overall placing at the end.
>
>	Submitted by Legislation Committee.
>	Comment:  "This provides upgrades based on a point system similar
>	to the National Ranking System."
>
>I believe that both of these items will cause races to become somewhat
>longer in length (that is, at least as long as needed to allow people to
>accumulate upgrade points).


I doubt that.  It is not my experience that race promoters have any interest
in whether their race can or cannot be used for upgrading.  Usually, they
haven't a clue as to the rules for upgrading. They leave that up to the 
commissaires. I don't think this legislation is very useful if it is not 
accompanied by a likewise increase in the number and length of road races. 
Even if promoters were aware or interested in having their race as a point
qualifier,  having a phrase like "Individual road races at least 100km " simply
means that that is what your going to get: road races which are 100km long.
On the east coast, it is next to impossible to find a proper length (90-100 miles)
road race on any given weekend.  In fact, a long road race here is 100 km.
Many district championships out here were ~70 miles,  why? Because they weren't
used as qualifiers for nationals so district reps got lazy (and really how 
difficult can it be to have the race go around a circuit for another couple
of laps?)

100km road races do not make anyone fit for international competition (where the average length is 160-200 km).  This is true just crossing the border into Canada
where all Sr1-2 races are >= 160 km.

I would opt for a rule which simply says that if you are going to have a 
road race, it MUST be n kilometers long (where my choice for n is 160 for
Sr 1-2, 80 for Women, etc.).  IE, a USCF permit will not be issued if this 
criterion in not met.  This could have one of two effects: the number of road 
races goes down because promoters can't bothered to run the longer races, or
the road races simply get longer.  On the east coast, the number of road 
races could not possibly get that much smaller (it is already miniscule).
I am just bored of 40 mile "road races", that's all.  
 

ken
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