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Race start order
Thanks for the opportunity to provide some feedback on this:
I would love to see KCIBR re-think the race start. 1, 2 and 4-person teams should be riding together,
at least the competitive ones should be. Right now 4-person teams are penalized by the separate
start and have a major disadvantage trying to win the overall.
I would like to see ALL of the best riders in the race competing for the win, regardless of category. I've
heard this issue raised by many of my fellow riders around town.
The first climb creates an immediate sorting-out and you wouldn't have to worry about riders being bunched
up or congestion at the checkpoints. The first stage is closed course so plenty of space and time for
things to sort out as they should. OTOH, having groups of faster riders passing through groups of slower riders
IS super sketchy. The lead groups of 1-2s are not happy trying to make their way through the 4-person teams
in the race.
- Forums:
I kind of agree with the organizers
I gotta say, I kind of agree with the organizers on this one. If you're in it for the competition you should be happy to compete against other teams in YOUR category. The way they have it set up now is safe and you have the opportunity to compete against others in your category. I mean come on, there are actually 4s on the forum here complaining because they aren't started against 1s for the "overall".....give me a break and try riding the whole 240km! As a solo rider, I don't find it that bad at all catching the 4 person team racers. They usually stay in the mix for a bit and then crack and fall away. Plus, it's nice to catch some 4s on the final legs and catch a little help.
hmm
As a rider capable of riding the enitre event solo and having competed in the KCIBR off and on over the years as my schedule permits I can say that seperating the field to make it "safer" or more "fair" within the categories doesn't work.
As a solo rider I don't mind starting with a four person team. In fact I enjoy it. I am capable of riding with the fastest four person teams as they switch off on their legs and I do my share of the work (if not more) The benefit of riding with the teams as a solo rider? Well for starters 240km is a long freaking way to ride on your own no matter how good the scenery is. Second of all there is the fact that when riding in a pack the actual workload is easier. Basically if you are riding 240km solo you should be able to handle it and if not there are always 8 person teams to ride with.
For Safety the event starts with a climb which works to thin things out. There haven't been any fewer accidents since this new format was put in place. Also the fact that the 2 person teams catch and ride through the 4 person teams makes for some sketchy situations.
Why not have the start area set up with start pens where the riders who feel they are fastest start at the front and riders who are less confident start at the back. Have the teams position themselves with start chutes based on what they estimate their TEAMS overall time will be and that will help sort out all the other issues.
Basically what this comes down to is that the organizers are not cyclist and have not ridden in other large events and those of you who are saying the KCIBR is not meant to be competitive are probably the biggest secret trainers out there.
Time to make a change
The 1, 2, and 4s should start on the same time, or should be divided based on time instead of team size. The first hill or the race does a more than adequate job in sorting competitors according to skill and speed, and with the length of the road closure, there is NEVER a problem in the first 25 km with riders. In fact, the accidents that I have seen in the race in the past 2 years were because 2 groups of different speed and skill level were suddenly found at the same spot in the race (thanks to different start times), which has led to mismatched pace groups.
The change in start order has made this race less fun for those cyclists who are serious about training during the year. It's made it more dangerous for everyone on the course. And it's made it less fun as a spectator because finish order means nothing.
Race Start Order Response from the Board
After reviewing comments on the forums page, and after additional rider feedback, the Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay Association Board met on March 14, 2011 to consider the issue of start order. I want to take a moment to let everyone know the outcome of these discussions.
The current start order has four person teams starting first, followed by solo and two person teams in a second group, and eight person teams starting in a third group. Each group is separated by fifteen minutes.
Safety is the primary reason that riders are separated into three waves. Our event is held on a two lane highway. For most of the course the highway is open to traffic. Each team typically has one or more support vehicles that share the road with cyclists. Our Race Coordinators, Checkpoint Marshalls and board members have continually reviewed safety and have designated the current start order to minimize these conflicts.
It has been suggested that having all riders start at once would make a more competitive event. I feel this is incorrect. The only way to have complete, fair competition is to have all entrants riding exactly the same course. We try to accomplish this goal by having teams compete against other teams in the same category.
Trying to rank teams and riders on the same scale, while requiring significantly different workloads is not fair competition. Solo riders have to ride 156 miles over the course of six to eight hours. Two person riders ride around 75 miles over 2.5-3 hours. Four person riders ride around 40 miles in about two hours. Eight person riders typically ride around 20 miles and less than. These vastly different workloads mean that no fair competition can be had between riders in different categories.
It is also important to realize that for the vast majority of entrants, the Kluane Relay is a fun event rather than a competitive one. I and the board realize competition is also a worthy aim of the event.
The board feels the current start order best balances the need for competition, enjoyment and most importantly safety. So for 2011 the start order will remain unchanged. That said, we do value everyone’s input. So feel free to post questions and comments on the forum. I and the board will review all comments and consider them as our event evolves.
Sincerely, Robert J. Welton, Board President
Somehow races in other parts
Somehow races in other parts of the world, with thousands of riders lined up to start, manage a mass start without issue. Yet somehow the much smaller KCIBR needs to do it in four waves.
The fact is, you couldn't ask for a better start to a race course. It's perfect. 20 km road closure with a big climb that immediately sorts out all the riders. In the first 10km riders are sorted. It is the safest possible situation from a rider perspective.
Not to mention the excitement and the electricity of everyone starting at once, climbing past the cheering crowds parked on the hill watching.
Instead, you end up with waves of faster riders trying to pass groups of slower riders. It creates more problems than a single start would create.
IIt also creates a completely unfair situation for people racing for the overall win. If you pick the wrong category, without enough strong riders to work together, you are doomed from the start.
Yes there will be congestion at Checkpoint 1. There would need to be a plan to deal with it, but I urge the KCIBR to focus on making the race a better experience for the riders rather than the (far too many) support vehicles.
A compromise would be to combine 1,2 and 4 riders. 8 person teams aren't riding to win. However, I think they are being cheated of some of the experience of starting with eveveryone else.
I'm in the same camp as
I'm in the same camp as everyone else. I don't see any good reason to separate the 1, 2 and 4's but there are many good reason's to send them off together!
Race Start Order
Agreed! Start the 1/s, 2's and 4's together or create a "competitive" category for anyone who wants to race the thing.
I agree with the majority
I agree with the majority sentiment. I would like all riders to start at the same time. If the starts must be separated then riders who start early should not be allowed to draft with those catching and the 1s/2s shouldn't be allowed to catch a draft off the 4s since they are in different races. The one year I rode solo a two person rider bridged up to a couple of 4s and they worked together to finish ahead of the pack. There was no way that the 2 person rider would have been able to stay away without the help from riders who were actually riding in a different race since they started 15 minutes before the group. I would like to see either all racers start at once (erhaps the competitive solo/teams start before the recreational riders) or if different classes are started at different times they shouldn't be allowed to catch a draft off anyone not in their start group.