[NMCycling] 2024 Tour Of the Gila

Sat Mar 2 17:35:47 MST 2024

At approximately $4 a mile for the TT and $4 a mile for the crit, give me a road race.  That is more expensive than golf.  

I like that the Masters are scored in 4 age ranges- that keeps the field level, and we have a shot at a piece of pottery.  For twenty-five years and my first 12 ToGs, all the Masters raced 5 days, 1 crit, 1 TT and 3 road races.  Those were the years where we would max out a 125 rider Masters field.  That was one of the reasons the ToG split the Masters into two groups.  Registration would fill in 2 or 3 days.  ToG was a national level race that wasn’t really tailored for beginners.  There wasn’t even a Cat 5 category because of the challenging distances and terrain.  I have seen these participation troughs before, though not nearly this bad.  I guess those days may not come back. 

I haven’t spoke to anyone who likes this year’s format.  >From an organizer’s standpoint, the TT and crit days are the longest, and probably the hardest to organize.  If they were limited to the pros, the organizers’ days would be much easier, especially with sorting the timing on the TT.  Thursday evening pro crits should draw large crowds, especially after the amateurs come in on Thursday and get their hotel rooms.  They are likely to hang downtown for the crits.  Restaurants will boom.  Win-win.   

Randy Bradford

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505-977-2714

From: Scott H <hendricks.scott57 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Saturday, March 2, 2024 3:48 PM
To: biobiker at libero.it
Cc: 2013randallbradford at gmail.com; nmveloracer at gmail.com; nmveloracer--- via Bike-racers <bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com>; Bike-racers <bike-racers at swcp.com>; nmveloracer at gmail.com <SRS0+oIVy=KH=gmail.com=nmveloracer at swcp.com>
Subject: Re: [NMCycling] 2024 Tour Of the Gila

It works in Gran Fondos and gravel, especially gravel, because there no tactics involved. You’re making my point. 

On Saturday, March 2, 2024, <biobiker at libero.it <mailto:biobiker at libero.it> > wrote:

Although I am not a crit fan, people do like them and they like to watch them...

Speaking of "lump everyone together and sort 'em out later", although I can understand some perplexity for the older riders, it seems to be working very well in basically the rest of the world and in gravel races in the US.

Il 02/03/2024 14:21 MST Scott H <hendricks.scott57 at gmail.com <mailto:hendricks.scott57 at gmail.com> > ha scritto: 

Had to go back and double check, seems the info that had been disseminated was last year's.  Three road races in a row is gonna be hard for beginners as well as the older masters.  FWIW, I'm not a fan of the 'lump everyone together and sort 'em out later' approach.  The older you are relative to the youngest/strongest groups, it removes all tactics from the racing, becoming not much more than a challenge of who can hang on the longest. 

On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 1:52 PM Randy Bradford via Bike-racers <bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com <mailto:bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com> > wrote: 

Format for pros- First day is TT, as it was years ago.  2nd day- evening crit.  3rd-5th days, road races.

All other categories, 3rd-5th days, road races- no crit and no TT.  Amateur racers would be willing to travel and race.  

Randy Bradford

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505-977-2714

From: biobiker at libero.it <mailto:biobiker at libero.it>  <biobiker at libero.it <mailto:biobiker at libero.it> > 
Sent: Friday, March 1, 2024 1:37 PM
To: nmveloracer at gmail.com <mailto:nmveloracer at gmail.com> ; nmveloracer--- via Bike-racers <bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com <mailto:bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com> >; Bike-racers <bike-racers at swcp.com <mailto:bike-racers at swcp.com> >
Cc: nmveloracer at gmail.com <mailto:nmveloracer at gmail.com>  <SRS0+oIVy=KH=gmail.com <http://gmail.com> =nmveloracer at swcp.com <mailto:nmveloracer at swcp.com> >
Subject: Re: [NMCycling] 2024 Tour Of the Gila

Road racing was struggling in NM before COVID and the pandemic was just the nail in the coffin...but at least there was the Gila, now the new director of the race seems to be doing everything to kill the race as well. I understand that in the past few years the attendance was low and it was not sustainable to have 8 independent races (with all support etc. etc.) for amateurs, but I do not think that by eliminating categories and racing days the situation will improve. The Gila attracted racers for its challenges, 5 days for the top amateurs and 4 for the beginners, now who is going to drive across the country for a 3 day event, one TT on road bike (it's going to be awful and nobody will enjoy it), a crit and a road race? 

I suggested to combine 1-3 and 4-5, all ages and score them separately by age, but my suggestion was just dust in the wind...

I understand that the PRO race is the main event, but definitely it is not the event that bring money to the community. I am pretty sure that basically nobody will drive to Sliver City for watching a low level pro race. The amateurs have always been the big cash cow for the race, cutting racing days and cat1 racers and master A does not seem the solution

Il 01/03/2024 10:32 MST nmveloracer--- via Bike-racers <bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com <mailto:bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com> > ha scritto: 

Bike Racers: 

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Silvio Menezes
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