Originally Posted by
topflightpro
As for the location of races, I also encourage you to go talk with your local community about what it would take for you to shut down the roads on a Sunday morning to put on crits. You can also go ask how much it would cost to use that parking lot you mention. I already know the figures.
Well, I'm not a seasoned racer. I would like to race more. And I'm here to spout off nonsense about why I don't race more.
Any ignorance I show to how the system currently works is just icing on the cake to my non-participation. I'm trying to show some of the reasons I don't do more than I do.
I raced 4 timed events last year, only one was USAC. CMS TT, AOMM, CH road race, and the UGG. I also did some informal TT stuff. AOMM is a freaking haul of a drive, but, it was also a whole day event.
I have no idea how much the PNC parking lot costs. I'd assume too much for a road race at 200 people at $30 each or something like that. I'd assume north of $1k and south of $20k. I do know that the "Rock and Ride" fundraiser was there for a half day the past two years and raised somewhere around $20k.
Folks like me seem to ask questions that don't make sense or make comments that seem stupid or like complaints. But it's the folks like me that could participate a little more depending on how stuff goes. And those silly questions are borne out of the desire to do more without being able.
It seems you're into the local scene near me. If you want to PM me or anything, I'd feel free to share my limited experiences so far locally. But can pretty much sum it up as the shortest thing I've driven to ride in was a tie between a DPTT and the Chapel Hill RR. For road. Ace Speedway is 85min for me according to Google. Wake County speedway is only 25min. The old Falls Lake RR course is only 25min or so. I've got kids. The 3 hours of driving on top of the event kind of kills it unless it is a "whole day" fondo event.
That's not anyone's fault but my own.
I'm just saying, bring the racing closer and I'll probably be there.
Most likely, I'm going to bite it and learn to have some balance/dexterity and take up CX. I own the bike. At least then I can go to nearly 1/2 dozen events within bike riding distance of my house between Dix and the one at Jaycee park? Or some other park. I'm just a bit clumsy with practicing the mounting stuff still, but this fall I'll likely do it.
I thought about riding to UGG from my house. Shoot, UGG is so close I signed up for that
without even owning a bike I could use in there.
Originally Posted by
furiousferret
Cyclocross is killing it in participation because they have races were everyone can actually compete.
For me, they're also really close by. I'm sure holding events in parks is easier than roads or renting tracks/lots, but there's something to it.
If I do a map of all the CX, gravel, and MTB races less than an hour drive to me it's over a dozen. There's probably even a dozen of those I could ride my bike to the race from my house, race, and ride home. The Berger CX summer series was like 3 races at Dix, they hold a fall series race there, UGG, Crabtree mtb races, etc......
If I do a map for crit, RR, TT.......it's not even a fair comparison if considering "proximity".
I need to man-up and start riding CX at DIX for practice. Heck, the kids are old enough now that BHB even has a series to include them. I can't really do that with road events.