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If you look at Mike Murray's' numbers you will see
that the mean age of all OBRA members is 37, 36 for
cat 2's and 33 for cat 1's. I would think that the
point of being a masters is that one has reached an
age where you are older by at least a few years than
most other members. I think being a master is not a
specific age but rather a relative age. If you line
up in a cat 1/2 race and most people are your age than
are you a master?
In any ability category there will always be some
young gun who kicks ass before moving on. That is the
way the system works. If you take away half the pack
of a cat 1/2 race because they are now masters who
does this help. Being a cat 1/2 would then suck and
so would the race quality, team tactics would fall
apart. I think OBRA would not be well served and the
young racers who can make it to the pro ranks will not
get as good an experience. I wish I could race cat
1/2 just to help the young racers on my team. As it
is now I try to help the juniors win in a cat 3/4
race. Maybe that is my problem, I see OBRA as much as
a development program as a place for me to race.
This is a team sport, when I'm just pack fill and know
it, I put my efforts toward helping a team mate who
can win. Often I DNF because I have spent all my
energy covering moves off the front or pulling in a
break away so team mates won't spend their energy
until it counts, or I may do a lead out which leaves
me with nothing for myself but 40th place. For me
that is a hell of a lot of fun, and when my team mate
does win, I feel I had a part in it, even if I didn't,
I still get satisfaction and I know I wasn't just pack
fill.
As for being pack fill, remember this is bike racing.
Most people are pack fill in a bike race. 50 guys
line up to race, in that race only about 10 guys are
going to make the race, the rest are pack fill.
For myself I only have 8-10 hours a week to train, I
am the sole financial support for my wife and kids and
I work a night shift. This makes me pack fill in just
about any race, be it cat 4 or a masters. The point
of all this for me is to improve myself. I get no
special consideration, no handicap and I certainly do
not get a cateGregory (see my earlier post). So boo
fu@king hoo cry me a river, now you know why I have no
sympathy for a 37 year old cat 1/2 who feels like pack
fill.
Just wait a few more years. At 40 you will be one of
the strongest guys around. Then you can relegate me
all you want. When that happens I will have a new
goal to train for. I will push myself a little
harder, and squeeze a little more out of my training
time just so I can fill your pack.
Greg
--- Gordon Cumming wrote:
> Their seems to be an interesting undertone to much
> of this conversation. It
> seems that some feel that if your not 40 but between
> 35 and 40 and
> previously raced, or still race as a 1/2 the only
> reason you want to lower
> the master age to 35+ is so you can sand bag and
> take all the glory. That
> assumes you took all the glory and as a 1/2
> possibly. Some of you may know
> some of you may not, that winning a 1/2 race is hard
> enough, winning
> multiple 1/2 races is a true feet. Some, many,
> etc., 35+ 1/2 races are just
> plain pack fill not because they are old, but
> because life does not allow
> them to train to actually race as a 1/2, just
> participate. For some this
> does not appear to be the case, but I do not think
> that is the case for the
> majority of them. I'm not speaking for them, just
> my simple opinion.
>
> I don't know of any 1/2 that will downgrade to 3.
> It is not ego it is a
> matter of personal safety, race distance, racing
> tactics (they simply have
> not learned the subtle nuances of racing yet, but
> they will), and race
> intensity. As Mike has indicated the numbers seem
> to support a good number
> of 35+ 1/2/3 masters fields. I do agree that a
> simple open masters might
> not be the best idea for those just getting into
> cycling and would present a
> logistical effort to score separately.
>
> There is nothing special about 35 or 40, they are
> somewhat arbitrary.
>
> This can certainly be and should be discussed at the
> banquet.
>
> Gordon
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rick C Johnson
> [mailto:RCJohnson1@attglobal.net]
> Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2006 9:21 PM
> To: tioflaco@comcast.net
> Cc: gschreckchat@comcast.net; 'David Hart';
> obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Masters 35 Plus?
>
> The same question could be asked of 35...
>
> Gordon Cumming wrote:
>
> > What is so special about 40?
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > *From:* obra-bounces@list.obra.org
> [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org]
> > *On Behalf Of *gschreckchat@comcast.net
> > *Sent:* Saturday, December 30, 2006 5:40 PM
> > *To:* David Hart; obra@list.obra.org
> > *Subject:* Re: [OBRA Chat] Masters 35 Plus?
> >
> >
> >
> > This is essentially a problem that takes care of
> itself. Everyone get
> > older and eventually can race masters. We changed
> the rules last year
> > and it seemdd to work well. The masters fields
> were fairly large and
> > will get larger as OBRA ages. There is little
> reason to
> > accelerate it. What is so special about 35. Just
> race your category
> > until you are 40. In running, you are not
> considered a Masters until
> > you are 40, and no one seems to whine about it.
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > George Schreck
> > gschreckchat@comcast.net
> > (503) 502-0425
> >
> >
> >
> > -------------- Original message --------------
> > From: "David Hart"
> >
> > Hmm, that MAY be worth trying (can't please
> everyone as proven by
> > the length of this thread). I would rather
> race 35+ 2/3. This
> > would leave the 4's to race w/5's(they are
> more 4's & 5's lately).
> > I plan on being at the banquet, you just have
> to bring it up for
> > discussion, get a vote and go from there OR
> just convince
> > organizers to have this field. However this
> doesn't mirror other
> > races like Hood or Elkhorn or Cascade & so
> forth in categories. I
> > basically race the OBRA calendar with an
> Elkhorn or Hood thrown in
> > there so here is what I think.
> >
> >
> >
> > The number of OBRA members could support the
> following:
> >
> >
> >
> > Pro 1/2
> >
> > 2/3 masters 35+
> >
> > 3's
> >
> > 4/5
> >
> > Masters 4/5
> >
> > 1/2/3 women
> >
> > masters women open
> >
> > JR's
> >
> > single speed or tandem or HPV or whatever
> minority that you are...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 12/30/06, *Gordon Cumming*
>
> > > wrote:
> >
> > Mike,
> >
> > If that is the case, why not have a 35+ 2/3
> category, it could
> > even be 30-39
> > 1/2/3 and then 40+.
> >
> > Seems like the numbers are their.
> >
> > Gordie
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org
> > [mailto:
> > obra-bounces@list.obra.org
> ] On
> > Behalf Of Mike Murray
> > Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 7:08 PM
> > To: obra@list.obra.org
>
> > Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Masters 35 Plus?
> >
> > There are often references to the mythic 18 yo
> bike
> > racer. Frankly there
> > are not many of them. Most are slower
> category. From the end of
> > this year
> > the age distribution of road members was:
> >
> >
> > 2 0to24 133
> > 25to29 264
> > 30to34 398
> > 35to39 466
> > 40to44 371
> > 45to49 266
> > 50to54 148
> > 55to59 74
> > 60to64 34
> > 65+ 24
> >
> > Here are the mean ages by road category:
> >
> > 1 33
> > 2 36
>
=== message truncated ===
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