Originally Posted by
dunderhi
I think it is less of an implicit assumption and more of a desirable state. I think the implicit assumption is that the riders are at nearly the same speed, but being that the sprint is on, somebody is likely trying to overtake. Our scenario has the lead rider up to final sprint speed, he just wasn't as fast as the second rider on the track. Maybe I'm picturing this sprint differently from other folks, but with a 2-3' gap, I'm not sure why the second rider backed off vice moving up track to overtake without incident.
If #2 is on the black line moving faster than #1 and then #1 comes down a couple feet in front of him, closing the door, #2 has limited options, depending on the speed difference and how fast #1 is moving down track. Because #1 is already above and to the right of #2 (he's 2-3 feet ahead and at the red line), he's already in the line that #2 would need to go around without backing off. So #2 can keep going forward at speed and either get chopped and land on the deck (I've seen this happen), slide under and hipcheck #1 (also seen this happen, possibly risking relegation depending on where the officials are watching and what they notice), or back out and go around. If he's that much faster, which he apparently was, he can take option 3 and win and not have to protest, but rider #1 should get talked to after the race.
The problem with taking option 2 is that officials often notice the reaction (the pass under and hip check), not the initial infraction (sprinters lane infringement) that caused the rider to have to react and go under, so the second rider might get relegated if the officials weren't in a position to see well and don't have a camera on it.
Okay, if that is how your riders are instructed, but I think the risk to the entire field passing a single rider on the bottom of the track is higher than if that rider got out of the way and jumped back into the back of the field. I also think it's rare that a lapped rider can accelerate and integrate into the front part of the field from the bottom of the track.
It's always safer if the rider being passed holds their line and just gets passed. Trying to get out of the way, especially on a shorter track, leads to the possibility of getting into the way of someone else. If the race is going full bore, or is already broken into a couple pieces, you might head up track just as an attack is taking off and the attack will come up on you going half their speed. The overtaking riders are usually committed to their line before the rider being overtaken even knows they're about to get passed - trying to get out of the way usually leads to a lot of yelling and sometimes some contact.
I've been on both sides of trying to move up out of the way as breaks take off, and once you've been on the passing side of it rather than the being passed, it's clear why it's better to hold your line at the bottom of the track.
If they didn't get out of the way in time, then we tell them to stay on the bottom and hope the 20 or so racers in the field are paying attention to the slower traffic at the bottom.
If the 20 or so riders aren't paying attention enough to pass a slower rider safely, they have no business racing. The racers' eyes are in front, and the eyes of the rider being passed are also in front (unless the rider is a duck, in which case they do have binocular vision in back, too), so it's safer to make the passing riders be responsible for the safe pass.