Friday, April 11, 2014
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Crit Racers PSA - Free Lap Rule Scenarios
From your favorite Ducati riding motor ref...
I've worked a few pits the past couple of seasons and even I get a stumper. That's not good, but what i have noticed is that it's the same questions all the time even on the ones I do know. The following info is direct from the May 2010 USA Cycling Officials Newsletter and I thought (with permission from USA Cycling) I would share it with you all.
Free lap or No Free Lap?
1. Rider drops a chain.
[1A13] No free lap. Failure of an essential component? Only if it’s come off due to a bent chain ring, missing teeth on the cogs, or caused by some other failure of an essential component (broken derailleur, for example) then it is a recognized mishap. Furthermore, can you imagine what would happen if a dropped chain were a mishap? Is there a rider anywhere who could not throw his chain off any time he wants?
2. Rider gets a flat tire.
[1A13] Free lap, unless it’s a flat due to inadequate gluing or some sort of fraud. If you suspect fraud, you should ask the mechanics in the pit to pump up the tire. If it holds air, then the rider who took a free lap should be put down a lap.
3. Rider hits a pothole that causes his saddle to tilt towards the ground.
[1A13] No Free lap. Adjustment or insufficient tightening of a component does not get the rider a free lap.
4. Same as 3 but you note the seatpost bolt is broken.
[1A13] Free Lap. A seatpost bolt is an essential piece of equipment.
5. Rider breaks the cleat on his shoe.
[1A13] Free lap. A cleat is an essential piece of equipment
6. Rider crashes and breaks his frame. He runs to the pit for a new bike without carrying the broken bike with him.
[1A13] [3D5(a)(b)][1Q9] No free lap. A frame is an “essential component.” But the question is further complicated by coming to the pit without a bike. Bicycle inspection and repairs must be made in an official repair pit. The pit official is responsible to make the determination. No bike, no ability to inspect, no free lap. Furthermore, a rider may make no progress unaccompanied by his bicycle. This includes getting to the pit. Again, no bicycle = no free lap.
7. Rider enters the pit with a trashed bike and gets a new one from the neutral support company. After taking the free lap he gets back in without incident. Five laps later, the rider comes back into the pit saying he wants a free lap so that he can switch back to his normal bike that was fixed by the mechanics.
[1A13] No Free Lap. For the second entrance to the pit, there was no mishap. The mishap rule does not recognize the rider’s preference to ride a particular bike compared to another.
Keep the rubber side down and stay out of the pits if you can!
Cheers,
FGR
I've worked a few pits the past couple of seasons and even I get a stumper. That's not good, but what i have noticed is that it's the same questions all the time even on the ones I do know. The following info is direct from the May 2010 USA Cycling Officials Newsletter and I thought (with permission from USA Cycling) I would share it with you all.
Free lap or No Free Lap?
1. Rider drops a chain.
[1A13] No free lap. Failure of an essential component? Only if it’s come off due to a bent chain ring, missing teeth on the cogs, or caused by some other failure of an essential component (broken derailleur, for example) then it is a recognized mishap. Furthermore, can you imagine what would happen if a dropped chain were a mishap? Is there a rider anywhere who could not throw his chain off any time he wants?
2. Rider gets a flat tire.
[1A13] Free lap, unless it’s a flat due to inadequate gluing or some sort of fraud. If you suspect fraud, you should ask the mechanics in the pit to pump up the tire. If it holds air, then the rider who took a free lap should be put down a lap.
3. Rider hits a pothole that causes his saddle to tilt towards the ground.
[1A13] No Free lap. Adjustment or insufficient tightening of a component does not get the rider a free lap.
4. Same as 3 but you note the seatpost bolt is broken.
[1A13] Free Lap. A seatpost bolt is an essential piece of equipment.
5. Rider breaks the cleat on his shoe.
[1A13] Free lap. A cleat is an essential piece of equipment
6. Rider crashes and breaks his frame. He runs to the pit for a new bike without carrying the broken bike with him.
[1A13] [3D5(a)(b)][1Q9] No free lap. A frame is an “essential component.” But the question is further complicated by coming to the pit without a bike. Bicycle inspection and repairs must be made in an official repair pit. The pit official is responsible to make the determination. No bike, no ability to inspect, no free lap. Furthermore, a rider may make no progress unaccompanied by his bicycle. This includes getting to the pit. Again, no bicycle = no free lap.
7. Rider enters the pit with a trashed bike and gets a new one from the neutral support company. After taking the free lap he gets back in without incident. Five laps later, the rider comes back into the pit saying he wants a free lap so that he can switch back to his normal bike that was fixed by the mechanics.
[1A13] No Free Lap. For the second entrance to the pit, there was no mishap. The mishap rule does not recognize the rider’s preference to ride a particular bike compared to another.
Keep the rubber side down and stay out of the pits if you can!
Cheers,
FGR
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
You can dress him up (Clarendon Cup Edition)...
...but you still cant take him anywhere.
And I'm not talking about Stefan.
Look at that mess! Tie on backwards, button missing on blazer (it popped off just before I got there!), wires dangling everywhere.
You can tell I stayed at the hotel by myself. If my wife Dana had seen this, she would have killed me.
Lou Strader had to have this picture taken of me an Stefan. He said no one would ever believe that moto refs wear ties.
My family follows this blog, so here's some proof for them too.
Just an aside, I'm starting to look pretty good! I better keep on that bike.
The Air Force Classic.
Since no picture exists, lemme just say that it is possible to eat a Chipolte Burrito and pilot a motorcycle at the same time. I had to do this at the Air Force Classic since I didn't know where the food for the crew was and I had to get a hand up from Greg Hoffman at the feed zone. It was a good burrito.
Some other observations...
I think I got spoiled working as a Moto Marshall for the Air Force Classic. The speed of the caravan was incredible. Up to that point, I had thought our own P123 races moved at a pretty good clip. The Pro caravan is a thing of speed and beauty. It's just like it is on TV. I never bogged anywhere that I can remember. The whole ride was smooth and steady. Even when I was behind the breakaway that got caught with 2 laps to go.
I hope I get to do this again next year.
Oh wait...I get to do this next week in Philly. From behind the wheel of the Team Latitude/ABRT Elite Women's team car. with long time ABRT cornerstone and all round good guy Arch McKown as Director Sportif.
So I'll be in the caravan. Sweet!
Cheers,
FGR
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Diagnosing the Problem
In my last post I recanted how much I was disappointed at not doing well at RFK. A personal favorite course for me, and not just because of all the great memories I had of the 3 day all access VIP passes I enjoyed at the ALMS/Speed World Challenge event, The Cadillac Gran Prix of DC back in 2002...
...that the place was built for. It's not often in life a gearhead like myself gets close enough to touch a Le Mans winning race car...
...or hang out near the podium or in the garages...
...or stand 5 feet behind William Shatner with his VPL showing thru his Sparco race suit...
...during the Celebrity Race (His female driving partner wrecked the car on lap 1, effectively canceling celebrity race. He was pissed).
But I digress...
In the two races at RFK I noticed sharp drop offs in performance. Like one moment everything is A-OK and then boom! Nothing. I am chalking this up to a lack of short intervals training. Being fat at RFK is a non-issue. The real issue was not being able to repeatedly go with the accelerations and recover from them.
Monday I took off the bike completely, even though the PPTC Memorial Day Metric from Southern High School was on. I wanted to rest. Tuesday I was one of 3 to show for the D'ville ride. The weather was perfect for a mudder like me. So I had a good z123 ride. I felt great when I was done.
I spent all day Wednesday debating about doing Greenbelt or doing easy laps around BWI airport and taking pictures of airplanes.
I waited and waited for the announcement of the impending cancellation of Greenbelt, but at 3:45, it was ON and I said what the hell. That started another internal debate about doing the B race and suffer or do the C race (which im not really supposed to do) and maybe suffer a little. I made up my mind in the parking lot and signed for the B like the big boy eternal Cat 4 I am.
I lined up with my teammates, pretty nervous about how quick I was gonna be shot out the back. The race started and off we go down the hill. I had a good start and quickly let gravity carry my fat arse from the back to the front of the pack before the corner.
An there I sat for the next 5 laps. Never far from the top 10. At that point I was feeling pretty confident that I had nothing to worry about. Then on lap 6, it all fell apart. As we hit the little steep pitch by the parking lot entrance, it all went away. I went out the back faster than creamed corn thru a goose. It was like someone turned off a light switch in my legs. I decided to not panic and jump back in the next time they came around. Well they came, but it was neutral since the A race caught the B race and I was on the wrong side of the road to jump in. I had to jump on after both races went by and chase like a mofo down the hill to catch the back. Well that's not a good way to start a new set of laps. And 2 laps later, OTB again, only this time I decided to just keep going since there were only 7 left to go. I got caught one more time by the A's at the top of the hill and let them pull me all the way around to the bottom of the hill. I got up the hill and rode till the B's showed up again and got in another lap or two. With two to go I was on the back of the B race and when they surged up the hill, my legs said "no way buddy" and started cramping. I rode the last 2 alone.
I finished 2 laps down, but I was much happier at the end of the race than I was on Sunday at RFK. I don't know why. I guess I didn't expect much at Greenbelt and wasn't as let down by my lack of performance. I went home happy with a renewed sense of purpose and a new set of objectives to remedy the problem.
Every week, just keep going until I cant go. Maybe by early July, I'll have it in the bag.
Cheers,
FGR
...that the place was built for. It's not often in life a gearhead like myself gets close enough to touch a Le Mans winning race car...
...or hang out near the podium or in the garages...
...or stand 5 feet behind William Shatner with his VPL showing thru his Sparco race suit...
...during the Celebrity Race (His female driving partner wrecked the car on lap 1, effectively canceling celebrity race. He was pissed).
But I digress...
In the two races at RFK I noticed sharp drop offs in performance. Like one moment everything is A-OK and then boom! Nothing. I am chalking this up to a lack of short intervals training. Being fat at RFK is a non-issue. The real issue was not being able to repeatedly go with the accelerations and recover from them.
Monday I took off the bike completely, even though the PPTC Memorial Day Metric from Southern High School was on. I wanted to rest. Tuesday I was one of 3 to show for the D'ville ride. The weather was perfect for a mudder like me. So I had a good z123 ride. I felt great when I was done.
I spent all day Wednesday debating about doing Greenbelt or doing easy laps around BWI airport and taking pictures of airplanes.
I waited and waited for the announcement of the impending cancellation of Greenbelt, but at 3:45, it was ON and I said what the hell. That started another internal debate about doing the B race and suffer or do the C race (which im not really supposed to do) and maybe suffer a little. I made up my mind in the parking lot and signed for the B like the big boy eternal Cat 4 I am.
I lined up with my teammates, pretty nervous about how quick I was gonna be shot out the back. The race started and off we go down the hill. I had a good start and quickly let gravity carry my fat arse from the back to the front of the pack before the corner.
An there I sat for the next 5 laps. Never far from the top 10. At that point I was feeling pretty confident that I had nothing to worry about. Then on lap 6, it all fell apart. As we hit the little steep pitch by the parking lot entrance, it all went away. I went out the back faster than creamed corn thru a goose. It was like someone turned off a light switch in my legs. I decided to not panic and jump back in the next time they came around. Well they came, but it was neutral since the A race caught the B race and I was on the wrong side of the road to jump in. I had to jump on after both races went by and chase like a mofo down the hill to catch the back. Well that's not a good way to start a new set of laps. And 2 laps later, OTB again, only this time I decided to just keep going since there were only 7 left to go. I got caught one more time by the A's at the top of the hill and let them pull me all the way around to the bottom of the hill. I got up the hill and rode till the B's showed up again and got in another lap or two. With two to go I was on the back of the B race and when they surged up the hill, my legs said "no way buddy" and started cramping. I rode the last 2 alone.
I finished 2 laps down, but I was much happier at the end of the race than I was on Sunday at RFK. I don't know why. I guess I didn't expect much at Greenbelt and wasn't as let down by my lack of performance. I went home happy with a renewed sense of purpose and a new set of objectives to remedy the problem.
Every week, just keep going until I cant go. Maybe by early July, I'll have it in the bag.
Cheers,
FGR
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Inspirational Photography II - The Evolution Of A Final Sprint - The RFK 3/4 Race Finaly
After I was OTB and out, I got a good spot for to take some photos. Something I havnt done at a bike race since I started officiating. As you can see, I'm a little rusty or I would have not backed off the zoom so hard mid way thru the sequence.
In this sequence Stephen Wahl, D.J. Brew and Jose Nunez duke it out for top honors. You can see Stephen leading it out ahead of DJ. Jose is hidden behind DJ until he pops out to the left. Stephen had the lead right up to about 10 meters to go, but DJ just barley nipped him at the line. Jose Nunez held on for 3rd.
Note how far back Stephen and Jose were before hitting the final bend.
Great job fellas.
Cheers,
FGR
Inspirational Photography - RFK Crit 2009
(photo-Amy Jones)
This one goes on the refrigerator door. I'm hoping it will inspire me to leave it shut and walk away.
I could spend an entire day whining about why I am the suck right now, but it's all there in one picture and whining would be a waste of time, serving no purpose. Look at that fat bastard! If it weren't me in the photo, I'd think this pour schmuck is ready to keel over and give birth to that baby he's carrying. Normally I have no problem making fun of myself, but it's starting to not be funny anymore.
My wife, being the voice of reason and brutal honesty she usually is, is probably right about one thing. I should either stop half-assing my commitment to dieting and training, or give it up racing altogether and just ride with the tourist. I really love this sport, so I think it's time to really put the other half of my ass into it.
The day wasn't a total wash. I turned 46 over the weekend and got to spend the day with my dad who was really great about hanging out all day. In spite of my ego bruising not once, but twice, I had a really fun day.
Thanks Dad!
(photo-Lance Lacy or Paul Bayer, using my camera. Those are Lance's wheels, so ask him about them. LOL!)
My next mass start race will probably be the Bowie Crit, since it's so close to home and 8 weeks away. Plenty of time to get some quality training in. In the meantime, the Greenbelt B race is gonna be for me. If I start now, maytbe buy the last one in August, I may make it thru an entire race without going OTB.
In a more positive note, watch out for the Ducati ST4s screaming around Crystal City in all it's dry clutch and carbon fiber exhaust glory during the Air Force Classic on Sunday. While my racing is going backwards, my officiating career is moving well forward. I got my B moto upgrade last week, so in the words of Navin Johnson...
"Things will start happening to me now!"
Cheers,
FGR
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
