At least for the Hurkey Creek; I love the new catagories with the 12 hour racers. Just one catagory is missing ... SingleSpeed. I'm amazed how big Singlespeeding is catching on here in CA. Heck, look and see which is the 2nd busiest forum on this site! They just broke out the SingleSpeed into Expert and Sport in the CA state series races because of it. Most of us don't have them as rigids, so GrannyGear isn't of interest.

Race Category Price (USD) Status
Solo $305.00 Open
2 - Person $410.00 Open
4 - Person $575.00 Open
5 - Person (Co-ed) $575.00 Open
5 - Person (Female) $575.00 Females Only
5 - Person (Open Age)
Subcategories will be determined automatically
Under 100 combined ages
100-149 combined ages
150-199 combined ages
200+ combined ages $575.00 Open

Corporate 6 - 10 Person Team $1,000.00 Open
12 Hour Solo $205.00 Open
12 Hour 4 - 5 Person Team $400.00 Open

Good god that's expensive. The twelve hours of Reddick is $50. The 24 hours at Old Pueblo and Gunnison are cheaper for 24 hour solos. I don't understand how they can charge as much money as they do, people flock to their races, eat the crappy spaghetti with the canned sauce at the end and they still go bankrupt. Oh but after going bankrupt they still have enough money to buy back the assets of the company.

As for ss categories, I think it's a bit bogus to have a separate category for ss. I occasionally will do an ss race for fun (at some of the bigger races in the SE), but if I'm going to race I want to test myself against the gearies. But that's just me.

jimbo

Bogus for a SS catagory at a 24 hour race? I beg to differ. You must not have enough guys in Florida entering your SS races. If that is the case, then it would be bogus. And if you only race a SS occasionally (on flat land like in Gainsville FL), I can see why you can't fully appreciate what a SS can do.

Most SSers I know will beat a 'geary' up any hill. (1 mile 12% grade is a HILL; some of the hills are 8 miles long at 10-12% here in CA) Why? Because they only have ONE speed and if they don't maintain it, they're walking. That one speed, however, is usually WAY faster than the geary can spin up the hill seated in the saddle.

SS IS BIKING IN ITS PURIST FORM! I'd like to see more race promoters embrase it. NORBA does.

What's with the pricing, or is that prize money or something?

Trevor!

Thanks for making my point. If SS's are so fast, then why do we need our own category. Can't we compete directly with the gearies? By the way, the SS races are not in Florida. I have ridden my ss in Pisgah (plenty of long climbs) as well as Colorado, Oregon, Montana, Vermont, etc. I know exactly what it can do.

So tell me again why the ss'ers need their own category, because what you wrote is actually an argument against it.

jimbo

ps the roundy round races have much more justification becuase there is more camaraderie amongst the racers in a particular category, at the start, during the race and at the finish line. That's why I'll do ss class from time to time in a big race. The ss racers are just more fun. In a 24, the classes are just out there racing, you don't interact as much with the other racers in your own class.

Bogus for a SS catagory at a 24 hour race? I beg to differ. You must not have enough guys in Florida entering your SS races. If that is the case, then it would be bogus. And if you only race a SS occasionally (on flat land like in Gainsville FL), I can see why you can't fully appreciate what a SS can do.

Most SSers I know will beat a 'geary' up any hill. (1 mile 12% grade is a HILL; some of the hills are 8 miles long at 10-12% here in CA) Why? Because they only have ONE speed and if they don't maintain it, they're walking. That one speed, however, is usually WAY faster than the geary can spin up the hill seated in the saddle.

SS IS BIKING IN ITS PURIST FORM! I'd like to see more race promoters embrase it. NORBA does.

At least the races here in CA, we don't only race UP hills but also some flat and downhill sections. That is where a 'geary' will make up their time. I just like the idea of the challenge of a 24 hour SS and I know for a fact; I'm not the ONLY one.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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I've done 3 24 hour races and our team has interacted with a lot of other teams. That's where most of the fun is. We've lent equipment, lights, wrenching, etc. when anyone asked regardless of whether or not they were in our race category. What's the point of beating your competition if they had the misfortune of an equipment failure? What pride or sense of accomplishment is there in that? At least for the teams I've been on, our goals have been safety, fun and camaraderie between our team and OTHER teams. With that, we still took 2nd place out of 35 teams. We might have taken 1st but would have had to sacrifice one of other three goals. That would NOT have been worth it.

A single speed catagoy would only put everyone in that class on the same playing field for CLIMBING, DOWNHILL, and FLATS!

Why such a strong resistance towards one SS catagory? Its only ONE category. ONE!

Why such a strong resistance towards one SS catagory? Its only ONE category. ONE!

You chose your bike. Does it have a disadvantage on the flats and smoother downhills? Why yes it does, but you CHOSE your bike. Why do the race organizers now have to cater to your choice? If they choose to do so that's fine, but I think plenty of ss'ers are entering those races anyways.

I have CHOSEN singlepeed as well, but I don't use a suspension fork. Maybe they need to have a special category for fully rigid ss'ers and another for those with front suspension. Speaking of which those riders who have a full suspension bike shouldn't have to race those on hardtails.

Run what ya brung and don't feel you need to a special category to validate your existence.

As for the camaraderie, I agree about the helping other racers, etc, but that's not what I'm talking about. I was talking about (and made it very clear) the fact that in the 24 hour races that categories don't define who you interact with. How many of those people that you helped were ss'ers? Having an ss category in a 24 doesn't really promote interaction between the ss'ers because you don't start, finish, or camp next to people based on category. That was my point.

The fun in any race is the camaraderie. This is especially true in an endurance event. SS'ers are, in general, more easy going, laid back, and less agro than your average sport class rider. This is why it's fun to line up with them, duke it out with them and finish with them, things that happen in a roundy-round, but not in an endurance event.

jimbo

I gotta side with jimbo here...

It's a race - if you're not faster on your SS, don't ride your SS. That seems pretty
straightforward. If you're slower on your SS and ride it anyway, that's your
problem.

Hey jimbo - the Two Circles bit the weenie this weekend at Oak Mt.... broken
chainstay on the downhill after Blood Rock. I've got a custom steel rig from
Tom Teesedale in the works, should be here in about 6 weeks. Bummed
about losing my baby, but the new one should be super-swell. Good luck at
the OC next weekend. I've got a 24 hour in Greenville, NC going on at the same
time, so I'll be thinking about ya'll.

ZB

If you just can't stomach the thought of adding 1 (ONE) category even if the number of willing participants warrant it, why would you think having ANY categories is a good thing. Why do we separate the MEN from the WOMEN? Why have age brackets?

Dude,
do you even read my posts? People don't CHOOSE their gender. People don't CHOOSE their age. These are things that are beyond their control. We get older, we get slower, sad but a fact. Women do not compete on a level playing field with men in most physical pursuits, due to genetics, not CHOICE.

Plus, I can perfectly stomach the thought of another category, but I can't stomach the thought of people thinking they DESERVE one for a CHOICE they have made. Don't fool yourself. The only reason categories get added to big races is so that more people will register and the promoter will make more money. Period.

Honestly I still think it's kind of silly. It makes ss'ers look whiny, asking for their own category. As I mentioned, hard tails, fs'ers, etc, don't ask for their own category when racing, why should we. If the promoters offer, that's great, but I have waaaaay more respect for the dudes and dudettes who duke it out against the gearies.

Case in point, I raced at Bump and Grind in Alabama (AMBC race). There was a singlespeed class, and roughly 20 folks did it. The dude I gave props to raced master expert on his ss and finished first out of about 40-50 guys. He would have been in a sprint for third in senior expert and he's 38.

jimbo

If you just can't stomach the thought of adding 1 (ONE) category even if the number of willing participants warrant it, why would you think having ANY categories is a good thing. Why do we separate the MEN from the WOMEN? Why have age brackets?

The only reason categories get added to big races is so that more people will register and the promoter will make more money. Period.

Can't you read? I'VE BEEN SAYING JUST THAT...REREAD MY POSTS ALL THE WAY FROM THE BEGINNING! Your posts seem to not want the category dispite that fact! Finally, we agree!

I'm wondering where your posts say that? I did reread them. Woohoo! There's a boatload of ss'ers riding in races in Cali. You seem to want the category to make a level playing field for a choice you have made. You know what? That's just plain sally. I'm sorry but if you're not willing to race against the gearies, then that's what it is.

My point is, that with few exceptions, ss'ers should be willing to race head-to-head with the gearies, and if they aren't then they're being pretty wimpy in my book.

When I ride my ss I'm riding a mtb. I don't need to ride with other ss'ers, or against other ss'ers. I didn't choose it because it's different, I chose it because I enjoy the challenge, including the challenge of racing the gearies (on occassion, I don't race much)

jimbo

Can't you read? I'VE BEEN SAYING JUST THAT...REREAD MY POSTS ALL THE WAY FROM THE BEGINNING! Your posts seem to not want the category dispite that fact! Finally, we agree!

Jimbo, I like your argument here. Hats of to you SS'rs.

<i>from a geared, FS ridin' weenie.</i>

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