The Water Cooler, Scuttlebutt, Chit Chat Thread
#2551
Cat 2
Alex Dowsett has been posting his power data on Strava from the races he's been doing. If you want to be impressed, go take a look. Then remember he is "just" playing domestique at this race...
#2552
out walking the earth
How is that different than a crit?
Are there any examples of any road Cat 1s getting on the track and causing any crashes?
I would not expect them to just go out, ride up and down. I'd expect them to ask, watch, learn and then go when they are ready. No upgrade would be needed.
USA Cycling is a roughly $15M revenue company with ~60K members. It has a real problem in getting racers out there, particularly on the track. Velodromes are not so full. Carson is much funded by '84 money. Others by riders, and if the riders aren't there, hard to justify the cost.
Junior's at Copper right now skiing with other road Cat 1s (no license required - also dangerous) rather than racing track. I don't think he cares, or his buddies care. If the barriers to entry were lower, they might not be skiing today.
Are there any examples of any road Cat 1s getting on the track and causing any crashes?
I would not expect them to just go out, ride up and down. I'd expect them to ask, watch, learn and then go when they are ready. No upgrade would be needed.
USA Cycling is a roughly $15M revenue company with ~60K members. It has a real problem in getting racers out there, particularly on the track. Velodromes are not so full. Carson is much funded by '84 money. Others by riders, and if the riders aren't there, hard to justify the cost.
Junior's at Copper right now skiing with other road Cat 1s (no license required - also dangerous) rather than racing track. I don't think he cares, or his buddies care. If the barriers to entry were lower, they might not be skiing today.
#2554
Not actually Tmonk
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 14,121
Bikes: road, track, mtb
Mentioned: 140 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2632 Post(s)
Liked 3,147 Times
in
1,656 Posts
nice find!
__________________
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
#2555
No matches
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647
Bikes: two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times
in
250 Posts
I'm sad the Olympics are over. I feel like I missed a ton of sports I would've liked to see, and watched way, way more of some other sports than I needed to see. As usual.
I think they just show what they think some hypothetical average person wants to see, and nobody ends up happy. They also focus on stuff Americans are in, which I don't care much about.
Didn't see much long track at all, very little short track, not much snowboarding or alpine skiing. Couple minutes only of sliding stuff.
So, so much curling and figure skating. I happen to like curling but it was still too much. Too much cross country skiing too.
I think they just show what they think some hypothetical average person wants to see, and nobody ends up happy. They also focus on stuff Americans are in, which I don't care much about.
Didn't see much long track at all, very little short track, not much snowboarding or alpine skiing. Couple minutes only of sliding stuff.
So, so much curling and figure skating. I happen to like curling but it was still too much. Too much cross country skiing too.
#2556
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
I think i'd be more in to both of those sports if they simply combined them. Make the skaters chuck those giant-ass stones in the middle of triple axles, make the brusher dudes have to dodge those stones and steer em towards the bullseye.
#2557
No matches
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647
Bikes: two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times
in
250 Posts
I just wish the judging made more sense in figure skating. From what I can tell you're better off attempting a very hard jump and failing instead of nailing an easier jump.
#2558
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
I can appreciate the athleticism, making that stuff look easy requires so much work. I hate the floofy pageantry around it though, seems a bit ridiculous to expect competitors to dress up like debutantes.
#2559
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Southern California, USA
Posts: 10,474
Bikes: 1979 Raleigh Team 753
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3374 Post(s)
Liked 371 Times
in
253 Posts
I'm at the bar at the United Club in LAX with the head of USA Hockey glowing about the women's Gold Medal win. Very cool. 75K members, grew from 20K just a short while ago.
#2560
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,444
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4232 Post(s)
Liked 2,947 Times
in
1,806 Posts
See, and I was thinking figure skating would be a lot better if you combined it with speed skating. The higher the difficulty the jump, you get a few points taken off your time. And make it a relay where you can only hand off after landing a jump so you have to do a jump every other lap, and, if you don't land it you can't do the exchange, so you have to take another lap and then try again.
#2561
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 10,978
Bikes: aggressive agreement is what I ride.
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 967 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
you all are 1 step away from making facebook posts with the word "sportsball" in them.
#2562
Senior Member
See, and I was thinking figure skating would be a lot better if you combined it with speed skating. The higher the difficulty the jump, you get a few points taken off your time. And make it a relay where you can only hand off after landing a jump so you have to do a jump every other lap, and, if you don't land it you can't do the exchange, so you have to take another lap and then try again.
I'm bummed that normal channels didn't carry the Olympics. We couldn't put it on at work.
__________________
"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
#2563
Cat 2
I'm picturing a rally cross kind of ice skating track, with jumps and stuff. Maybe a figure 8 course, where you have to jump over the crossing track. Combine that with lobbing massive stones at some target (perimeter curling, where the stones bounce off bumpers around the track?) you could eventually have all the Olympics in one venue, a mad one or three rink circus with every possible winter sport all combined together.
I'm bummed that normal channels didn't carry the Olympics. We couldn't put it on at work.
I'm bummed that normal channels didn't carry the Olympics. We couldn't put it on at work.
#2564
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,449
Mentioned: 64 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
It isn't. However, you responded to my post which said that while a Cat 1 road license transfers to MTB, I do not feel a Cat 1 MTB license (/skills) transfer to the road (or track).
I've never researched it, but it sounds like since road Cat 1 licenses do not freely transfer to the track, the answer is, by definition, no -- there are no examples of that. They would have had to go through some progression from what I understand.
Well, one man's "expect" is another man's "hope." Hope isn't much of a strategy.
I get that you are arguing that if they showed they could drive a sedan (road) they can also drive a coupe (track).
Sounds like some folks think road is like a sedan and track is a motorcycle, i.e. different enough to require other skills.
I don't know.
Like MTB and CX, if you go out skiing you are far more likely to hurt yourself than someone else. (Of course I can cite several friends who are injured *right now* due to being hit by other skiers, but that's a small portion of overall injuries.)
In other words... have at it!
Most people would say that skiing has a ton of barriers: you need snow and colder temps (getting less common!), specialized equipment, possibly lessons, lots of money (for most people this is a multi-day trip due to where they live), etc.
I'd also argue that skiing lift-served terrain/inbounds is a neutered experience and not so dangerous. Much of the real danger has been mitigated (summer grooming of terrain, mitigation of avalanche hazard, etc.). So, it's by and large fitness and technique.
Now, if we were talking *real* skiing in the mountains...
It comes back to this: if you're in a discipline where a mistake is LIKELY to take other people out (road and track), one needs to prove their skill. Further, due to the nature of the racing and equipment (fixed gear), the powers-that-be feel that track is sufficiently different from road to require one to prove it.
You disagree.
Maybe they feel that if someone displays such little interest to clear those hurdles that they are not likely to remain on the track, and if that person causes ONE bad crash they can take out people who are actually big fans of the disciple. I.e., perhaps it's a conscious choice that the revenue from some folks who may jump in a race or 2 when convenient is not worth the risk of the cash cows.
I don't know. Seems doubtful they thought things through that way, though it is possible.
My perspective as a road rider -- which would be similar if I was serious about the track -- is that I am actually GLAD that a governing body is attempting to protect the safety of riders. When we travel to a new region (/RR or track) it is nice to have some assurance that the other riders in the P12 race have demonstrated similar skills. It's an imperfect system.
I get that you are arguing that if they showed they could drive a sedan (road) they can also drive a coupe (track).
Sounds like some folks think road is like a sedan and track is a motorcycle, i.e. different enough to require other skills.
I don't know.
In other words... have at it!
Most people would say that skiing has a ton of barriers: you need snow and colder temps (getting less common!), specialized equipment, possibly lessons, lots of money (for most people this is a multi-day trip due to where they live), etc.
I'd also argue that skiing lift-served terrain/inbounds is a neutered experience and not so dangerous. Much of the real danger has been mitigated (summer grooming of terrain, mitigation of avalanche hazard, etc.). So, it's by and large fitness and technique.
Now, if we were talking *real* skiing in the mountains...
It comes back to this: if you're in a discipline where a mistake is LIKELY to take other people out (road and track), one needs to prove their skill. Further, due to the nature of the racing and equipment (fixed gear), the powers-that-be feel that track is sufficiently different from road to require one to prove it.
You disagree.
Maybe they feel that if someone displays such little interest to clear those hurdles that they are not likely to remain on the track, and if that person causes ONE bad crash they can take out people who are actually big fans of the disciple. I.e., perhaps it's a conscious choice that the revenue from some folks who may jump in a race or 2 when convenient is not worth the risk of the cash cows.
I don't know. Seems doubtful they thought things through that way, though it is possible.
My perspective as a road rider -- which would be similar if I was serious about the track -- is that I am actually GLAD that a governing body is attempting to protect the safety of riders. When we travel to a new region (/RR or track) it is nice to have some assurance that the other riders in the P12 race have demonstrated similar skills. It's an imperfect system.
#2565
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 10,978
Bikes: aggressive agreement is what I ride.
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 967 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
the above: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_wave
#2566
**** that
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: CALI
Posts: 15,402
Mentioned: 151 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
30 Posts
See, and I was thinking figure skating would be a lot better if you combined it with speed skating. The higher the difficulty the jump, you get a few points taken off your time. And make it a relay where you can only hand off after landing a jump so you have to do a jump every other lap, and, if you don't land it you can't do the exchange, so you have to take another lap and then try again.
They talked about "Nascar on ice" and even had some Nascar dude talking about the similarities: drafting, crashing, etc.
#2567
commu*ist spy
apparently you can get your cat 1 upgrade without the full 35 points now, and instead, petition to USAC, and they'll do it?? it's definitely not something i'd do, but I know of 3 guys who have done it?? one of these guys had like 6 points from crits, and couldn't even hang in a 60 mile road race as a cat 3 last year??? wtf**********
#2569
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,444
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4232 Post(s)
Liked 2,947 Times
in
1,806 Posts
I wanted to see that but missed it. In an earlier regular speed skating race they showed a dude (who at least at the time had the top time) who'd carved off a chunk of his calf due to a solo training accident. The thought of a pileup in mass start speed skating had me thinking of all the debate about disc brakes in racing. Blades aren't spinning, but they're a lot sharper leading to some potentially hazardous pileups.
#2570
out walking the earth
#2572
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,444
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4232 Post(s)
Liked 2,947 Times
in
1,806 Posts
For some reason, curling wasn't on whenever I turned on the Olympics. Had it been, I probably would have watched more of the olympics. Probably the fact that I'm somewhere on the spectrum, but the whole artistic thing doesn't do as much for me. I like events where there is a clearly measurable winner (and rules I can understand).
#2573
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
apparently you can get your cat 1 upgrade without the full 35 points now, and instead, petition to USAC, and they'll do it?? it's definitely not something i'd do, but I know of 3 guys who have done it?? one of these guys had like 6 points from crits, and couldn't even hang in a 60 mile road race as a cat 3 last year??? wtf**********
#2574
No matches
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647
Bikes: two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times
in
250 Posts
Once we have some free time (in 20 years or so) my wife and I want to try it out. It's something close to a sport, but we could do it together. Maybe we'll be in the 2050 Olympics mixed doubles (old people class).
#2575
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,444
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4232 Post(s)
Liked 2,947 Times
in
1,806 Posts
I'm feeling rather frustrated that because another child did something that grossed her out so that she threw up, my daughter had to come home early today and can't go back to school tomorrow. She has a really bad cold and had to stay home Friday because she had a fever (that's been done since Saturday), so extra rest isn't the worst for her, just makes for hard planning. Another child mashing up peas and potatoes and repeatedly spitting them out pretending to throw up leading to my daughter throwing up for real sounds to me more like a discipline issue for the other child rather than a health issue for my kid.