The great thing about Cap City, is the built in anti-sandbagging measures. You don't make any money by racing B's or C's. That's right, no money unless you race with the best.
This race was held at Big Run park. A very nice park with lots of off camber muddy sections and showed who was the best at riding their bike. Cold and rainy most of the day but cyclocross racers are the most BADASS hard core cyclists right?
Now onto the sandbagging commentary:
Tony, Tony, Tony... You raced the C race and just ran away with it. No one was close. You could have stopped by the Trek Store tent, grabbed some Frites, and still won the race. With that performance, you would still have been top ten in the B race. Good thing all you probably won was a water bottle. Second place was not too far back either and should also have raced B's. But Tony at least you attempted the B race, but results show a DNF. Not sure what happened there.
Now in the B race, it was a two man show off the front. I guess the B race is also the Masters race, but also just shows as Cat 3/4, broken up into 35+/45+ for overalls. I hate to really put Rudy in the sandbagger category and I won't. He's been there and done that and a phenomenal rider (I guess I didn't eat my crushed glass, nails and brewed cat piss this morning)
As we head into the weekend, we look forward to the great UCI3 CX Festival. Three days of UCI racing on tap, show casing the best. One of the few chances you all get to see Katie Compton too so don't miss out.
Just a reminder about upgrading procedures. TWO WINS IS AN AUTOMATIC UPGRADE! So all of you racing Cat 3's in OVCX, you can't really win out the series. Well that is if your upgrade guy is being proactive.
I guess there isn't any provision for an automatic upgrade by points like in road. The only way to get an auto upgrade seems to be by winning two races. So the sandbaggers can just ride away from the field, wait at the finish line, and come across second to avoid the dreaded auto upgrade.
Points awarded for Cyclocross Races
Number of Starters | ||||
Placing | 5-10 | 11-20 | 21-50 | 50+ |
1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
5 | 1 | 2 | ||
6 | 1 |
Requirements for upgrading via points:
4-3: Experience in 10 races or 10 points in 12 months3-2: 10 points in 12 months (two wins is an automatic upgrade)
2-1: 20 points in 12 months (two wins is an automatic upgrade)
Ohio Sandbagger Modified points structure
4-3: Experience in 10 races or 10 points in 12 months (15 points is an automatic upgrade)
3-2: 10 points in 12 months (two wins or 20 points is an automatic upgrade)
2-1: 20 points in 12 months (two wins or 30 points is an automatic upgrade)
OSB Your so-called "upgrade point" rules, confuse and anger me. The whole thing smells of fowl play. Under these "rules" how is one to win every B race they enter and take the series overall? Further more it means that ever person who has won the B overall was infact in need of an up grade not a little plastic trophy. No OSB I refuse to except your reality. I continue to plead with you to stop killing our sport!
ReplyDeleteYou technically can't win any series other than the Elites by your own performance. Its a crap shoot that you hope all the guys better than you get auto upgraded and you somehow land on the top step.
ReplyDeleteUntil the promoters or upgraders get their shit together and either upgrade these sandbaggers, or at registration say "Registering for Cat3, nope you are doing the Elite Race today", we need someone like me to point the finger.
And while I continue to get hundreds of hits a day, I see no point in quitting this blog.
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ReplyDeleteDon't worry I'll be moving up.
ReplyDeleteHitting f5 doesn't constitute a 'hit'.
ReplyDeleteDude. I'll shake your hand (but for some reason I feel I might have already???). I think you're doing good for the sport. Sandbagging for many years has destroyed road racing and turned it into an elitist jerk off. I'd hate to see the best form of bike racing be destroyed by middle aged type A tools that need bragging rights for their win while measuring their schlongs at the water cooler. They have killed road racing, I hope they don't kill cross also.
ReplyDeleteYour above post is spot on. UPGRADE! I'd rather be pack fill in the A race than a B 'stud'. It's not about winning it's about pushing yourself and battling your compatriots in a hard fought race. Leaving it all on the course...
Again, keep up the great work! Two thumbs way up!
- Andy Johnson
Cap City Cross Beard Champion 2009
Thanks for being a supporter Andy. I appreciate it!
ReplyDeletedon't you dare quit this blog. i love this shit. you are spot on, people need to be called out. hundreds of hits for now. im gonna link your shit on drunkcyclst.com. we get 8K a day.
ReplyDeleteI won't quit till I'm dead and I'll find a way to post postmortem
ReplyDelete