Yet another TT fatality...

[KJ]

[Tom Butcher]

Perhaps it's time to give time trialling a category system. I know it's often criticised for road racing but it gives people who aren't in the hunt to win events something to aim for - and there's no doubt people do chase points.

If you had some kind of system whereby you could be a first cat tester, second cat etc you could reward rides on sporting courses and pb chasing might become points chasing. It's the pb chasing that is the problem after all - taking cycling even semi seriously is a big commitment and if you aren't up there in the top places you are going to need something to aim at - otherwise where is your motivation ?

I don't like the idea of an outright ban on dual carriageways - but at the same time I don't like the idea of riding on the A1 again either.

Having said all that I can't see things changing voluntarily. At our club AGM in 2011 I proposed we scrap the club BAR based on average speed and keep the one based on % of winners time because we didn't need two competitions and it was wrong to incentivise riding dual carriageways. After a rather spicy discussion I think the vote was me against everybody else - though someone did come up to me afterwards and say they had agreed with what I said!

[Megman]

[gazrichards]

[Zarate]

Exactly. From the few TTs I rode, I was generally top 20/30, and several times top 10. Yet all anyone wanted to ask was the time! Better to be 10th a minute behind a winner than 90th 5 minutes behind but with a "PB" because of fluke conditions and dodgy lorry assistance. Or am I wrong?
Because CTT and Cycling Weekly, who faithfully talk BBAR and "fast" times, seem to think I am, surely.
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Mexican underwater chili eating champion 1957
Now much nearer to Mexico than the old country.

[AlbertHerring]

All the proposed solutions seem to fail to address the strengths of the RTTC model which are why it has persisted this far despite how dull testing is - you need to come up with some way of replicating them in any alternative system. And by that I mean in particular the comparability (however flaky) of performances in different events which the standard distance, personal-best-oriented setup provides. It gives every rider, most of whom will be perfectly aware that they aren't going to be anywhere near the prize lists, something plausible to aim for. Nobody gives a damn about placings outside the top ten in anything - nobody's going to feel anything special about coming 82nd instead of 96th like last week regardless of whether they're riding a 25 or a road race. You want to know that (a) you went better than last Thursday and (b) you did a better ride than your mate in another similar event.

So, my suggestion would be to take the vast amount of recorded data on individual performances that we already have, along with the ready availability of computers and no great shortage of mathmos just waiting for the challenge, to work on some method for "handicapping" courses to make fair comparisons possible by adjusting times by some standard factor or formula. That would not only mean you could move from the A1 to the back lanes without disadvantaging riders, but also that you could remove the need for precise distance matching allowing courses and start and finish locations to be chosen on practical grounds - you could rule that a notional "10" time could be standardised from anything between, say, 8 and 12 miles. You could maybe express the outcome in points (as in the heptathlon/decathlon) rather than an adjusted time, which would simplify leagues and BARs and stuff like that. Would take a year or two to bring in and fine tune, obviously, but shouldn't be impossible or vastly expensive or require much more computing power than most of the riders will have on their phones anyway.

[Zarate]

Interesting, isn't it, that everyone more or less agrees on one thing - a change is needed.
Is it true that BC and the govt are working on a revised version of the regulations for racing on the road? In which case I wonder if the amount of KSI in time trials will prompt a change from "notification" to "permit". Try persuading your local police/safety group/highways dept that "racing" unprotected along a virtual motorway is in any way safe in modern conditions. You wouldn't run a road race along a major DC (example, A1), with all the protection and vehicles, so how is it safe to let anyone from 12 upwards alone and visible by use of a flourescent number and a few signs? Can't quite work that out.
Getting the message, CTT? YOU need to change things before much worse changes are FORCED on you.
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Mexican underwater chili eating champion 1957
Now much nearer to Mexico than the old country.

[TBK]

And another suspended sentence for as the Judge told Mr Bray he had been guilty of "an appalling loss of concentration" and had made "an appalling error".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17695954
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A positive mental attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

[mig]

would these riders use the A1 for commuting, training, enjoying going out for a ride etc? or avoid as it's too busy a route?
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tamp 'em up solid

[Scruffy Dog]

The clubs / organisers could take this into their own hands - just NOT 'book' these courses with their DCs. I would be frightened off promoting a time trial on any course like that.

I haven't promoted for years but co-ran a ten year series on Oulton Park instead of open road, road races. It was costly, but much safer and the only scare was running over a rabbit - and I don't think that ever happened.

[Zarate]

Meanwhile a lady lies in hospital with very serious injuries related to the natioanl 25, which even some top end testers are saying is dangerous. The responsibility has to lay with the administrators, and silly riders who believe time is everything, and not winning, placing high (or better than last time). CTT nationally could stop the poblems if they wanted, by simply refusing to insure events on courses they KNOW have accident rates which are more than average.
I know the A19 road and it's practically, as with many major roads, a motorway. Not a place for a bike race, you simply have to ask would you go there for any other reason, and if the answer is no for your own safety reasons, why race on it?
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Mexican underwater chili eating champion 1957
Now much nearer to Mexico than the old country.

[Svetty]

Someone from our club decided to pull out of the lady's 25 having recce'd the course and decided it was too risky. Prescient as it turned out. Get well soon Jane.
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Svetty

The Devil's Advocate

[tipper]

I can't believe some of the testers still don't wear proper helmets, even on all these dangerous courses!

[DenHaag]

[Chrissylaa]

[Dobby]

can we all stop having a go at others sports, i belive it is a free choice as to what you ride RR ,TT ,CX ,MTB and track all have risks so if you decide not to do one as you think its to dangerous dont have a go at those that do,
all you will do is drive a bigger wedge between the sport and we will all lose to the motorists and be off the roads.

[Des]

[Chrissylaa]

[Hans Datdodishes]

[Chrissylaa]