2016 Coronation Double Century

[Pure Savage]

Sure about that? 10 minutes in final stretch? Easy. I've seen guys lose minutes in final 800 metres.

 

True, but they normally hang of for about 10km, then wheel surf the back of passing trains to the finish. But if you blow massively then its not going to end well.

[LeoKnight]

Not sure if you guys read the following race report..

http://www.velotales.com/2016/11/double-century-2016.html?m=1

[Patchelicious]

Ok now that the dust has settled we can get to the nitty gritty.

 

How do you guys feel about teams wheel sucking each other.

Not dropped riders catching a little lift, but when team 225 catches 223 and 224 (as an example), and they then suck wheel for 50km, is this ok?

[pe3nguin]

Wheel sucking in what is essentially a team time trial?

Iffy as ****

[jcza]

Ok now that the dust has settled we can get to the nitty gritty.

 

How do you guys feel about teams wheel sucking each other.

Not dropped riders catching a little lift, but when team 225 catches 223 and 224 (as an example), and they then suck wheel for 50km, is this ok?

It's wrong and it's cheating and calling them out generally seems to end in a argument. Depends how much energy one wants to waste. Personally I prefer riding my own race. If you caught the team ahead you should drop them at some point.

[Wannabe]

Ok now that the dust has settled we can get to the nitty gritty.

 

How do you guys feel about teams wheel sucking each other.

Not dropped riders catching a little lift, but when team 225 catches 223 and 224 (as an example), and they then suck wheel for 50km, is this ok?

 

 

Are they going to win the race?

 

Nope.... therefore no harm, no foul.

If you don't like them wheel sucking you, either up the pace till it becomes uncomfortable for them, or drop the pace so much that they must come past (and then it is your turn to wheel suck them.    )

 

We had a few teams sitting on our wheels on the stretch from Robertson to the 2nd Stop. We just kept our pace, did not bother us at all, as long as they did not push into our grupetto. And then there were sections where we sat on other teams wheels. It is just the nature of the beast for us backmarkers.

['Dale]

Ok now that the dust has settled we can get to the nitty gritty.

 

How do you guys feel about teams wheel sucking each other.

Not dropped riders catching a little lift, but when team 225 catches 223 and 224 (as an example), and they then suck wheel for 50km, is this ok?

In amateur world, it's irritating

There is no enforcement

 

It's up to the team leadership to assert themselves and ask others to 'back up or pass'

 

I know you got upset, Patch'

Don't spoil your day ☝????️

[jcza]

Are they going to win the race?

 

Nope.... therefore no harm, no foul.

If you don't like them wheel sucking you, either up the pace till it becomes uncomfortable for them, or drop the pace so much that they must come past (and then it is your turn to wheel suck them.    )

 

We had a few teams sitting on our wheels on the stretch from Robertson to the 2nd Stop. We just kept our pace, did not bother us at all, as long as they did not push into our grupetto. And then there were sections where we sat on other teams wheels. It is just the nature of the beast for us backmarkers.

 

Slippery slope

 

Its cheating and breaking the rules. Which rules do you obey and which ones are optional?

[Patchelicious]

Are they going to win the race?

 

Nope.... therefore no harm, no foul.

If you don't like them wheel sucking you, either up the pace till it becomes uncomfortable for them, or drop the pace so much that they must come past (and then it is your turn to wheel suck them.    )

 

We had a few teams sitting on our wheels on the stretch from Robertson to the 2nd Stop. We just kept our pace, did not bother us at all, as long as they did not push into our grupetto. And then there were sections where we sat on other teams wheels. It is just the nature of the beast for us backmarkers.

See this is where I dont agree. If I must change my race/pace tactics because of somebody else breaking the rules it becomes a problem.

 

If people wheels suck thats one thing, if they interfere with your race, its another.

[Wannabe]

See this is where I dont agree. If I must change my race/pace tactics because of somebody else breaking the rules it becomes a problem.

 

If people wheels suck thats one thing, if they interfere with your race, its another.

 

 

Guess that's the difference between you okes racing for time, and us plonkers just riding to finish the thing within the alotted time....

[Tubehunter]

It's going to be different for you chaps racing for a placing. Once the team times go over 7 hours in ride time the focus is very different. Those teams are just riding the event to get the flavour of being a part of something unique that no other road race caters to in the same way.

 

To bring your argument back to where it matters at the pointy end of the field. It should be up to the teams to regulate this when you get out of the single digit placings. You can't expect the Marshals to be everywhere. Would it be worthwhile to suggest that video footage presented to the officials of teams drafting another team going for a placing would be sufficient to impose a time penalty against the guilty party? A proper penalty 15 minutes to the team time should provide enough incentive for the practise to be weened from the event over time!

[Patchelicious]

It's going to be different for you chaps racing for a placing. Once the team times go over 7 hours in ride time the focus is very different. Those teams are just riding the event to get the flavour of being a part of something unique that no other road race caters to in the same way.

 

To bring your argument back to where it matters at the pointy end of the field. It should be up to the teams to regulate this when you get out of the single digit placings. You can't expect the Marshals to be everywhere. Would it be worthwhile to suggest that video footage presented to the officials of teams drafting another team going for a placing would be sufficient to impose a time penalty against the guilty party? A proper penalty 15 minutes to the team time should provide enough incentive for the practise to be weened from the event over time!

Yeah you could do the whole video thing, but thats not really what I am wanting to do.

 

I more posed the question on a moral level, as several teams did draft and didn't seem to have problem with it.

 

So I just posed the question to gauge whether I was wrong for thinking that its wrong.

[pe3nguin]

 

 

So I just posed the question to gauge whether I was wrong for thinking that its wrong.

Are you an unscrupulous douchebag who ignores the rules? If yes- then you are wrong for your way of thinking.

 

If you have any sense of moral decency and social decorum - think you are fine.

['Dale]

Yeah you could do the whole video thing, but thats not really what I am wanting to do.

 

I more posed the question on a moral level, as several teams did draft and didn't seem to have problem with it.

 

So I just posed the question to gauge whether I was wrong for thinking that its wrong.

Teams bunching has become the norm.

Which, in turn, has become 'acceptable' or standard.

 

This runs against the spirit and the rule book of the DC.

 

????????????????????????????????

[pe3nguin]

There we go. "Spirit" of the event. Dale has nailed it. Drafting like that is not consistent with the spirit of the event and if you wanna behave like that, go take your team to the racing bunches at the host of other events on the road calendar.

[Skubarra]

With the large number of teams & riders and non-road closure the bunching up is almost impossible to avoid, especially the first half of the race. And like others said, the social teams usually don't particularly care about this technicality, they just want to survive till the finish.

 

Of course there will be faster teams who cynically abuse this, but with the current setup I don't see an easy solution to avoid this.