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RE: [RC] Weight Divisions - heidi

My heavyweight butt sure doesn't fit your trend. 
 
I agree that the format with the set of rides was ludicrous--the only thing that tops it for incredulity is the assumption that a one-ride-winner-take-all is truly the AERC champion.  And we've had trouble filling the placings in the NCs we've had with the one-ride format, too.  Maybe you just haven't been around long enough.  The old system was abolished not because it was unpopular but because of a few squeaky wheels.  And the people intent on having a "new" format were so scared of it that they couldn't just add a new type of competition--they had to do away with the old one.  And the sport really lost something when that happened.
 
But there was no shortage of competition when it was a season-long points championship--in part because everyone was in the running, just riding like they normally ride.  If you rode a picked set of rides and rode competitively, you were in the running.  If you rode a whole lot of miles you were in the running.  If you rode multidays you were in the running.  If you rode 100s you were in the running.  If you rode 50s, you had to ride more of 'em, but you were in the running.  And that's what was so cool about it.  Although the champion generally had to ride in at least a couple of regions to pull it off, they didn't have to go clear across the country and put all their eggs in one basket--and I am living proof that you could place well in the standings without ever leaving your home state.  It was mistakenly called a trailer race--nothing could be further from the truth.
 
Personally, I'd rather spend what time I have to compete on the horse instead of behind the wheel of my truck driving across the continent--but hey, maybe that's just me.
 
Heidi


I think I see a trend here. Most of the complaining about the current NC
are lightweight down. Most that support it are middleweight up.

Think about it ever since I've been around there has been no format that
has been universally supported. The format in the early '90 with a set
of rides, a.k.a. the "great trailer race" only had a handfull of people
that ever bothered. Maybe the AERC should just not have a national
champion. That would save a lot of bitching, moaning and gnashing of
teeth. Oh wait - this is ridecamp, forget the last statement.

Truman

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