2020 Masters Nationals are Sept 1-6
 

https://www.usacycling.org/article/2020-national-championship-update-may-29th

I should probably cut the steerer tube on my track bike, figure out the BB, see what bars to put on, and all that kind of stuff. If I can even race there.

What's the age range for masters?
My daughter was supposed to do the amateur road in FL, she was all excited since she was going to get to fly solo(age 9) and her grandparents would pick her up. Looks like the new date will coincide with school break for a Jewish religious observance so she won't miss more then a day of school in Sept. With virus concerns around flying one of us will probably drive her instead or send her with the team if there's room in their van.

Russ Roth Masters Nats is for geezers only :D

(35-39 is the youngest group)

I guess still at T-town? Not the most informative press release.

I'm optimistic, but still wary of large events. For those that have been in the past, how difficult is it to get lodging "last minute'ish?"

You should be fine finding a hotel room late. You might be a bit farther out but it shouldn't be a real problem.

I too am going to wait until late to decided what to do. It's still not guaranteed to happen.

As difficult as it is for me to say this, I think that you all should simply consider the 2020 season a non-starter and work on 2021.

Yes, there is a chance that the turnout for 2020 Masters will be low and lower competition for medals and jerseys. But, that low turnout will also keep USA Cycling from hosting the event in the first place.

It's my understanding that hosting a national championship is expensive. Elite Nationals is run at a loss and it's Masters and Junior Nationals that are the money-makers (the profits of which cover the losses of Elites). So, if there is a hint that there will be ultra low turnout for Masters and Junior Nationals, they it stands to reason that they might bag all of the National Championships.


...and host them via Strava Roller Races :D

EDIT:

Also, who will want to officiate? Athletes are generally a very health-conscious group. I recently went to a running shop and it was run more cleanly than many clinics I've visited.

How many people will want to officiate when there is a deadly airborne virus active in the area and have athletes breathing all heavy on them for 5 days? ...for near minimum wage...for the love of the sport.

Further, what happens if, after contact tracing, it's revealed that someone was actively contagious during the event?

In light of all of that, and adding the fact that Track has never been a priority for USA Cycling anyway, I can't see it happening. Seriously.

Well, it looks like we will know by July 1 whether this is actually happening.

It doesn't look great at the moment... I'm inclined to agree with carleton 's assessment. Even a trip to Rock Hill or Atlanta seems up in the air for me in 2020 :(

Maybe my joke wasn't far from the truth after all: https://usacycling.org/virtual-race-league-zwift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qeQtdWL5q0

(In my joke above, I wrote "Strava" when I meant to write Zwift, the online group cycling app.)

You should look into getting a job as a writer for the Simpsons.

...and rightly so.

I'm waiting to hear if state track championships will take place in Colorado.

The CO State road TT is scheduled in two weeks - this event will have no holders and riders will start with one foot on the ground.

Agreed. Current trends show the US doesn't really have a grasp on controlling this yet, and very tough to divine what will happen months in the future.

Unfortunate, but the right call imo.

I agree that it shouldn't happen.

This situation is real and dire. I know of a handful that have been taken under by this disease, one of whom I knew first-hand.

Even though the mortality rate is "low" at under 1%, there are others that still suffer serious ongoing issues, not to mention the crazy medical bills if you are hospitalized.

Here is one athletic woman's story: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/o...ng-people.html

So, yes, she survived it. But, she's not the same.

I agree that the cancellations were the right call.

The local track races are still on, as scheduled. I'm not sure whether I want to participate. Over the last couple years, turnout hasn't been that great, so there should be plenty of room to spread out and avoid people. But, it's also in a part of the country where the number keep growing.

I may skip next weeks race and re-evaluate for August and September.

IMHO, it's not worth it. Unless you can wear a mask 100% of the time, I wouldn't.

This is a purely elective hobby. The risk may not be worth the reward.

It's crazy how different areas are responding to this. In the ATL metro area, I can see 90% of people in a grocery store wearing masks, but in rural GA, masks are far and few between and the off-the-charts per-capita infection rates are the result (I analyze this data for my company).

Zwift needs to get better about standardization, sandbaggers and cheaters first.

Yeah, I wondered about that. It can't be too hard to game that system.

meh... zwift "can" do better. But Zwift is about getting the most $15/mo as possible, not having the strictest testing for races.

lol

If/when it becomes a big enough problem, it will run the core players away. I've watched it happen in gaming circles when the cheats/exploits become rampant and the core player base abandons the game because the core thrill (player vs player) is tainted.

Yeah, and for what it's worth, races that *are* important (some of the pro triathlon and cycling things) have stepped up measures to work against cheating. They aren't perfect, but neither is "real life."

But from the business standpoint you have to run the numbers... are you going to piss off/alienate more people a.) not having the strictest policy in who can enter one of the 50+ races that happen every day on zwift... or b.) having linked weigh in's, linked accounts to rl rides, require hr monitors and calibrated power meters, etc.
My guess is if you want the most people logging in, you have lax'ish requirements...(pretend you're doing something) - the guys that care will just look on zwiftpower.com, and the people that don't care will keep living in the fantasy that they could be on a pro tour team if they wanted to.

True enough for those of use out riding recreationally or for workouts and/or participated in meaningless races, but, if you're going to try to have championships on Zwift, you need to do better than that. Require some standardized equipment. Require it to be calibrated. Require all riders to weigh in on a webcam pre-ride and keep the webcam on them during the race. Something like that. I wouldn't be surprised if the TdF on Zwift is doing something similar to that (haven't bothered to check).