Posts
89
Joined
8/4/2009
Location
Golden, CO
US
Edited Date/Time
8/18/2014 9:58am
Now I'm not hating on this just to hate. I want to get a few things out of the way before I go off on a rant. Just so you know who this is coming from, I race pro DH and slalom, had an awesome run today and ended up in the middle of the pack. No regrets, I tried my ass off and I'm happy with my effort.
I think the Sea Otter DH is an awesome test of fitness and a riders ability to carry speed on a course. The jumps are challenging to do quickly and the few corners that there are seem cool to me.
Now for the bad.
The downhill is a joke because I paid (yes, I paid, not my team) for a race that I was training for and wanted to have an accurate gauge of where I was at coming into the season. If you look through the photo gallery in the Sea Otter DH finals feature you can see the timing girl, who looked like she would have been happier updating her facebook account than timing the gals or dudes crossing the line.
The event cost me $90 to enter, by far the most expensive single race run event I have ever attended, world cups included.
To charge this much for a course that has not changed much in years with what could be the most inaccurate form of timing is ridiculous. Aside from the cost, it should be embarrassing for the event to have such lax timing at what they call one of the premier races in the world.
Now, aside from the timing, the course could use some updates. The damn thing is tired, and old, and it is just the same. This is minimal effort at its worst. An event as important as the Sea Otter should strive to be progressive and fun. The event is just 'good enough' for people to keep coming back and that is a sad attitude to have. There are lines to ride the course so long I can't even imagine waiting in them in the amateur categories.
Everyone is racing the same damn course, I know, and the racing is always good. But it could be better. A lot better. I hope some of the organizers start to take note, and it could be better for everyone in the end. It might be hypocritical when I say I will probably go next year, but rest assured, it is more for the $8 of fried squid in nick-nack village than for the dh course.
I think the Sea Otter DH is an awesome test of fitness and a riders ability to carry speed on a course. The jumps are challenging to do quickly and the few corners that there are seem cool to me.
Now for the bad.
The downhill is a joke because I paid (yes, I paid, not my team) for a race that I was training for and wanted to have an accurate gauge of where I was at coming into the season. If you look through the photo gallery in the Sea Otter DH finals feature you can see the timing girl, who looked like she would have been happier updating her facebook account than timing the gals or dudes crossing the line.
The event cost me $90 to enter, by far the most expensive single race run event I have ever attended, world cups included.
To charge this much for a course that has not changed much in years with what could be the most inaccurate form of timing is ridiculous. Aside from the cost, it should be embarrassing for the event to have such lax timing at what they call one of the premier races in the world.
Now, aside from the timing, the course could use some updates. The damn thing is tired, and old, and it is just the same. This is minimal effort at its worst. An event as important as the Sea Otter should strive to be progressive and fun. The event is just 'good enough' for people to keep coming back and that is a sad attitude to have. There are lines to ride the course so long I can't even imagine waiting in them in the amateur categories.
Everyone is racing the same damn course, I know, and the racing is always good. But it could be better. A lot better. I hope some of the organizers start to take note, and it could be better for everyone in the end. It might be hypocritical when I say I will probably go next year, but rest assured, it is more for the $8 of fried squid in nick-nack village than for the dh course.
THANKS FOR SQUANDERING YOUR REPUTATION AS A WORLD CLASS EVENT. YOU'VE DROPPED WHAT USED TO BE A HUGELY POPULAR TRIALS EVENT.
YOU'VE RUN DUAL STUNT AT THE SAME TIME AS DOWNHILL FINALS FOR YEARS, COMPLETELY SCREWING UP PUBLICATIONS' ABILITY TO COVER BOTH EVENTS ADEQUATELY.
YOU RUN DIRT JUMP EVENTS IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN IT GETS WINDY LITERALLY EVERY DAY, EVERY YEAR.
YOU'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HIRE EVEN A HALF DECENT TIMING SYSTEM FOR A TIMED EVENT THIS YEAR.
YOU'VE SOMEHOW FOUND A WAY TO LAZILY REMOVE TURNS FROM AN ALREADY STRAIGHT DH COURSE.
YOU'VE NOT HAD AN ORIGINAL IDEA FOR DUAL TRACKS IN GOD KNOWS HOW LONG.
YOU'VE WASTED GOOD MONEY ON A HATED PUMPTRACK.
BASICALLY YOU'VE TURNED INTO A LAUGHING STOCK OF MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING. IF NOT FOR THE EARLY SEASON SCHEDULING, NO ONE WOULD BOTHER WITH YOUR JOKE OF AN EVENT.
SINCERELY,
EVERYONE.
I completely agree with you on all fronts...except for the hating on the pump tracks. If anyone hated the pump tracks it was because they didn't have the skills necessary to enjoy them. They were my favorite thing at the race, and I was just happy to have something to keep me entertained.
BUT GLAD TO HEAR YOU HAD FUN. SADLY, SEA OTTER STILL GOT PAID.
it's not about the races..... who gives dang about the race
it's about Sea Otter. it's about chillin with yo homies and 50,000 other people that are doin the same exact thing you are. It's about having a good time.
Screw complaining.... that's gayer than aids.
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