Tour of Whacko (a TOWC post)

The MABRA Google group is all afire at the moment about the Tour of Washington County (TOWC). The 2010 season was scheduled recently and I guess all the organizers are planning out their races. The issue at hand for the TOWC is whether or not they should make the race a single bike race; that is, to make riders race the time trial on road bikes. One of the main reasons for this debate is the idea that a one-bike stage race would level the playing field for those who can't afford a TT bike. It also would simplify travel arrangements by not requiring teams to bring two bikes for each rider. But it's hard to figure out where to draw the line. Should they allow clip-ons? Aero helmets? What about deep-dish wheels? What about deep-dish pizzas? I'm pretty much nay on all those options, especially the pizza because everyone knows the Italian Store pizza can never be beat.

Mmmmmm....
Pizza.....
*drool*

Back to the issue at hand, here's what I have to say:
It's a STAGE race.
It's not YOUR stage race.
It seems like a majority of people are saying something along the lines of "Yes. Good idea in theory. No. It won't affect whether or not I race this race." So from what I understand with my limited, albeit drunken, understanding of English, if there's a time trial in the race people are going to race it. If they've spent a shit-ton of money on a TT bike, they want to use it but generally understand why this issue is being raised. If they've spent a medium-shit's worth of money on their TT bike, they also would still like to use it and also understand the "level playing field" logic. If TT bikes conjure thoughts of a different type of bowel movement (poop, not cash) for some riders and they refuse to own a TT bike, they would rather not compete against their more aero cousins but will probably come race anyways. I think either way, racers want to justify their purchases (or lack thereof) and be able to use the equipment they've invested time and money on.


About a year ago, I had to make a decision about what my next bike was going to be. Yes. I am aware I make these decisions nearly every hour. In this particular case, I was choosing between a time trial bike and a cyclocross bike. It wasn't even a close decision. I chose the muddier, more fun of the two. I don't regret it. I was never going to use a TT bike anyways, but for a few occasions, and even then I don't think it would have mattered given the fact that I am ungodly slow no matter what bike I ride. I took to racing 'cross and I'm having a lot of fun doing it. The format is just how I like it, short and miserable, and there's beer at the end. As I line up at races, a quick glance at the other bikes reveals that not everyone has a 'cross bike. People have lined up with their hybrids, hardtails, single-speeds, full-sussers, and road bikes. I don't complain that they're mucking up my race, tainting the sport, or creating long lines between me and the beer tent. They don't worry about racing against faster guys or level playing fields or the crazy dude behind them in line that should have been cut off after his first beer. Everyone just wants to race. The TWOC organizers should not have posted this issue to the MABRA group, especially knowing the type of response they would get from such a roadie-dense area like D.C. Just set the race up and the racers will come. Let them figure out how to race it.

For what it's worth, I'm all for adding a challenging, huge ass climb into the TT.

Also:
If you want a level playing field, race in a velodrome. Track racing is about as standardized as you can get with regards to bike setup. The only thing to consider is that while the bike might be more uniform on the track, the riders are definitely not. So expect at some point to be racing against some big-legged muscle man, who looks like he spends his free time at the gym doing squats with Mini Coopers on his back. How are you going to level the playing field with this one?