| Subject: | Fwd: [OBRA CHAT] Series in Mid Valley |
| Date: | 04/23/2000 12:07 AM |
| From: | Candi Murray |
|
X-From_: schm-@engr.orst.edu Sun Apr 23 07:21:59 2000 Delivered-To: ob-@teleport.com Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2000 00:21:54 -0700 From: John M Schmidt <schm-@engr.orst.edu> Organization: Mechanical Engineering, Oregon State University X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (WinNT; I) To: ob-@teleport.com Subject: [OBRA CHAT] Series in Mid Valley Candi, I am sending this to you since I unsubscribed because I was already getting OBRA mail through the OSU cycling list. js. What would Willamette Valley riders think of a PIR type series in the Corvallis/Lebanon (sp?) area? I wasn't going to say anything but after talking on the phone with my brother in Ohio about his weekly club rides and remembering how fun those were, I have to add my two cents. I don't like the idea of a another weekly PIR series. But I would probably participate given no alternatives(and if I was in shape.. no sense in racing if I am going to get dropped). BUT the BIG question I pose is why aren't there alternatives ... let me explain. I am fairly new to Oregon, been here since early last fall. I was in Gresham for a couple of months before starting school in Corvallis. When I first got to Gresham I wanted to start riding with the local club... I asked around at bike shops, etc no one knew anything or anyone that did club rides(well except the touring club). This I thought especially strange since I am pretty sure Oregon has a higher percentage of cyclists. I think a PIR or circuit race on weekdays is great for big cities. When I was in Va Beach/Norfolk the only "safe" roads to ride on were four lane highways. So a circuit race on tues and thurs was great because at least it was somewhere you could ride and it was more convenient than trying to get out into the country. But conveniences and time usage equal, if I had a choice between doing a club ride out in the country like they do in Ohio or like I use to do in Mich, and between a "PIR", the club ride would win hands (and toes) down. Why? Mainly because its much better training (or at least equal if your a cat1/2). Our club rides were typically more intense than most road races and although maybe equal to the intensity of a crit, usually longer. Other advantages: no cost; usually close because its your club and so environmentally friendly (you didn't have to drive to get there); No race prep stress; It gives you an oppurtunity to test out those attacks on your buddies; Get to work on that 30 mph paceline; And its lots of fun. My brother says his heart rate usually stays above 165 and occassionaly hits 180-190 for two hours on his club ride. And if its not intense enough attack off the front see how long you can stay out... its not like you need to worry about saving yourself for a final race sprint. So anyway, I have been in Oregon now for 8 months. I have yet to ride on, hear about, hear gossip of any weekday club rides that go out on a specified route and HAMMER, with sprint points etc. My brother's club will "race" from town to town. They might regroup depending on how close everyone is. The slower riders will stick with for as long as they can and then either take shortcut and regroup (and get dropped again) or just ride back themselves. And yes, if everyone's hammering and you flat, you better be prepared to fix the flat and ride home alone (which is logical since its not a social ride its a training ride and who doesn't go out and ride by themselves anyway.) So why aren't clubs in Oregon doing this? ( Or are they? Are there secret club rides going on?) Every club in the midwest or east coast that I have ridden with or heard about does this... I can also understand why some/most? of Oregon mtn bikes think mtn biking is much more fun than riding on the road... without good road club rides their right. Many of the clubs in the midwest have many guys that are cat2/3 level that don't race but wouldn't miss a club ride simply because its much more fun. Its fun to get in the front and hammer, try to string everyone out, get a smooth paceline going with a couple others and try to stay away from the pack, hammer up that hill in front of everyone. Thats why these non-racer guys love these club rides.. they are not out there touring / looking at scenery. I can garruntee that when I was a junior I would never have started or continued racing if it weren't for the local club's tues and thurs hammer sessions. First they were fun (tell a typical teenager to go out and do intervals and see how long he keeps riding, or any beginner for that matter). Second, I couldn't believe how easy my first junior race('89) was compared with the club rides (and this was when junior fields were as large and faster than cat 3 fields) In other words I got properly prepped by other club members so no discouragement or surprises of getting dropped when I started racing. Third I got invaluable guidance on how to ride a bike, how to do a paceline, how ride with a group, etc, that you will NEVER get just racing.. I knew exactly what I was doing in the race. Plus how many people are going to attack off the front in a race if they have never practiced it on the club ride? How many are going to know how to get that breakaway paceline going if someone hasn't explained and shown them how its works? So in summary, this is not so much a NO to a Mid-Valley Series, as much as it is a YES for club rides.. I love racing. But I also think club rides are great and have their place. And my concern and the the premise for this email is that maybe we are trying to fix an inadequency of good club rides here in Oregon(or at least in the midvalley) with more races. And I would love to start something up myself but just don't have the time... (and I have already spent way too much time on this email) So anyway I guess that was more than two cents maybe more like two dollars. Please, its just my opinion / my view / my experience from east/midwest and based on what I have experience SO FAR in Oregon. And since I was the only voice against, please no one(and none of your lumberjack cousins) beat me up, run me into the ditch(although I am pretty good at doing that myself), throw a pump in my spokes, etc. ps. now a dirt road/ two track/ forest road -- road race with any-type of bike might be interesting (think, no cars)... John M. Schmidt Graduate TA Mechanical Engineering, Oregon State |
