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Re: [RC] 100 Mile One Day Rides - Joe LongOn Thu, 21 Jul 2005 20:15:00 -0700, "Barbara McCrary" <bigcreekranch@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: If riders don't come to 100 mile rides and support them, how long do you think 100 mile rides will last? A ride manager works just as hard to put on a 100 miler for 25 people as he would to put it on for 250. We had a long discussion on Ridecamp not too long ago, and it seems fairly obvious that many riders nowadays prefer 50s or even LDs because they can get back to camp, take a shower and relax. And as Truman also pointed out, the shorter rides will nearly always have more entries than the longer rides. That's only natural. Not only do fewer horses have the native ability to do the longer rides, it takes more time and work to prepare them for it. It takes more time and work to prepare the RIDER for it. And the ride itself is more difficult than a shorter ride (this is true of any two different ride distances). So I expect we will usually see, at any multi-distance event, the shorter the distance the larger the number of entries, and the longer the distance the fewer the number of entries. One of my concerns is that some in the AERC are so obsessed with growth, that they want to move the focus of the AERC to the shorter rides, even "fun" rides (shorter than LD's). Like the many once-beautiful parts of our country suffering "urban sprawl," we should be careful what we wish for. I for one would rather see a smaller, leaner AERC keeping its focus on endurance, than a larger organization that has lost its way. But, I guess that's another issue. ... P.S. Given the two mileages on our event, there are consistently twice as many 75 mile riders as 100 mile riders. (They like finishing before dark.) Joe, I don't think you have ridden Swanton Pacific yet, have you????? Not yet, I hope to soon -- it's on my "Must Do" list. And you can bet when I get there I'll do the 100. -- Joe Long jlong@xxxxxxxx http://www.rnbw.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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