Cyclocross Magazine

Cyclocross Community, Forums, Classifieds, Photos and Videos

This is the basic tenet of cross. Time +1!!!

For some reason no race runs like this anymore in NE. This week at Bedford my 40 minute 45+ race had winning time of 37:10, not 40 minutes PLUS 1 LAP!

We are now racing by laps where the refs time the first 2 laps and set the laps to fit UNDER the time limit.

Is this happening everywhere?

Views: 104

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I was thinking about the same thing today when I was out practicing. Every race I've done does the two lap timing thing. I think it's a tragedy and it's making everyone soft. 30 minutes should be 30 +1. LETS BRING +1 BACK!! These races aren't long enough as it is!
Things have changed. Suck it up and ride harder for shorter.
I do find it funny when people complain races are too short as if there isn't a 45 or 60 min race they could be doing. (or double up)

That said "things have changed" is pretty flip. Is it for the better? Was there a good reason things changed?
What? Suck it up? Ride Shorter? Weird.

Already racing for 60 and doubling up. Still not enough. +1!
I'm pretty much content with a "60" minute race.

If you want more pain, do the 45 min B race then double up and do the A race or another race you qualify for.
Whoa! I am not complaining about races being too short. Nor am I waxing nostalgic for my glory days in the early 90's. I suck and am toast well before I see the line.

I was just wondering if this was now prevelant or it just a NE thing. Think things have changed in Belguim?

That said, it was one of the things that made cross unique and it's a shame to lose it.
Yes, actually things have changed in Belgium. If you follow the Super prestige or GVA races they go almost spot on 60 minutes to the leaders, unless it is very muddy. They do not generally go 60 min + 1 anymore. Example, the first 2 Belgian pro mens races this year went 57:45 min. and 60:03 min. If they were going +1 lap most pro races would run 65-68 minutes. They're just not going that amount of time unless the course is really slow.
It's just a function of more racers and thus more cats to squeeze into a day. For a 45+1 lap, half the field is going to take over an hour to finish. Not feasible if you need to start a race every hour. The only races that are 60 mins are the elites at the end of the day.

Plus, most people are relieved when their race mercifully ends.
I miss the +1 aspect of the old days...

but back then, esp where i was racing courses were shorter so you had more laps to play with and adding a 4-5 minute lap after 45 minutes wasn't a big deal, adding one lap to a 6-8 minute lap time is a big deal, esp for those at the back of the pack riding a bit slower.

often the officials under judge the race time - or err on the side of shorter rather than longer, and choosing to have Bold/Hines/Boivin race for 41-42 minutes or 47-48 isn't an easy one, but when you consider the field is spread out (just looking at the 35s) over 5-6 minutes, well it simplifies the choice.

I'm glad I got a chance to race like that. I remember the count down (or up) race clock at the start finish. And knowing how much more time you had before the final lap was pretty cool. Esp when they don't show you lap numbers until 3 to go, or even tougher mentally showing you 8 or 12 to go.

RSS

Sold something in our classifieds? Find this site valuable?

Consider a donation to the cause. We're cheaper than eBay fees, and it helps us here at CXM keep the lights on!

Enter any amount below, and click on the cow for some good karma. Thanks!

Amount:



Badge

Loading…

© 2024   Created by Cyclocross Magazine.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service