Originally Posted by
Psimet2001
As for payouts I have personally worked for years to eliminate payouts for every field except the top men's and women's fields in races. I have been successful in that. We eliminated all payouts except for the top ones about 2-3 years ago for all of our races. I have been trying to convince Schuler to kill payouts for Intelligentsia and Tour of America's Dairyland. This season we finally killed the payouts except top ones in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup series (huge series with 500-1000 racers every weekend from August-December).
It's funny because in New England there are guys working for the exact opposite. Masters threaten boycotts of races without payouts. For me, I've given up mass start stuff and am focusing on racing that costs more, and gives out tee shirts and on a good day medals. I'm tired of worrying some jerk off with 100 pounds on my is going to hook me in a sprint for the $40 check. I've had way too many surgeries.
As for the doping, a couple years back a guy missed at test at a NJ crit. It was the state championships, but he was doing a non championship masters race. He (claims) to have flatted, and as it was a corporate park he took the shortest route to his car and split. I have heard of promoters / folks trying to get him before he drove off. He got two years. He was back this year, raced TTs (primarily Eddy class) where he routinely beat me. He did one funny bike bike (state TT) where he won the 40 or 45+ (I forget which bracket he races). When it happened I was on the side of things where it seemed it could be an honest mistake. Racing against him regularly I now think he was probably dirty. Funny the way the mind works.
I needed a lecture from a statistician for me to understand at what point the results become relevant. I'm happy when guys I've raced against get popped, but there is so little of it (hell they did they even test at masters track nationals this year?) the evidence all seems anecdotal.