Friday, November 28, 2008

Course Map - Platte Ridge Park

All,

Here's a map of the parcours for Sunday. It may vary in actuality. We're going out in the AM to set up, and we're wont to changes. Forecast for Saturday is rain. Snow flurries on Sunday. Bitchin.

Platte Ridge Park BC02 Course 3

3 comments:

JB said...

Jeremy/Joe et al

That was the SHIT! I loved that course! To demonstrate how good a course is, you want to race it in any type of conditions...and that's the way this one was.

Anonymous said...

Bullcrap!...I thought I was going to get to ride by bike at the "bike race". I didn't know I was showing up for a muddy 10K run with a bike on my shoulder. You proved your point by making it "slow" and "technical" but according to USAC rules,"5A2. The course shall be rideable in all conditions, regardless
of the weather. Clay or easily flooded areas, such as fields,
should be avoided. and 5A3. The course shall form a closed circuit of a minimum
length of 2.5 km and maximum 3.5 km, of which at least
90% shall be rideable (exceptions to this rule may be
requested through the executive director or his designee)." now how about giving us a bike race next time!!

Jeremy said...

WOW...

I guess I should check comments more often, because I would have loved to see these posts earlier. First, JB, thanks for the love. Secondly, Anonymous (Anon for short), I'm sorry you're bummed.

Of course, the type of cross courses that people like are subjective, so I can't argue with you if Platte Ridge wasn't your cup of tea. Maybe you dug Tiffany Springs... not much running there, eh?

However, I will dispute your interpretation of the USAC rules. First, the course was rideable. Shitloads of people proved it. There were absolutely no places on the course that were susceptible to flooding, and as a geologist, I would even say there is a large silt content in the soil at Platte Ridge that would make it not a clay, though there is a large percentage of clay-sized particles... It's no peat bog, I'll concede. I guess the definition of field could be debated, but I'll stick with park land... or meadow. Secondly, yeah, there were certainly places where you needed to run or carry your bike, but, by and large the course was ridable. Lots of people rode lots of the course, even the sections where you were probably running... We could even quantify that, if you'd like. Let's go out with a measuring wheel and you can tell me where you had to run. I guess you could discuss who can ride or who has to run each section, and what type of rider the USAC rules were written for and all that subjective crap, but that goes in to bike handling skills and all of that stuff, maybe tire choices, access to pit bikes... you know stuff that makes cyclocross cool and technical.

I would say that most people who attended, signed in and lined up thought of the event as a bike race, and that all of the people who won were worthy victors, and all of the people who raced are tough as nails. Please don't diminish the performance of the guys who showed up to race by complaining that you slipped in the mud and had to run more than you wanted to. Ok, Anonymous?