Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

From: "Ranelle Rubin" <raneller@xxxxxxx>

> Kat, you don't know the facts. The route they
> chose had no other option unless they wanted
> the slow riders to encounter the fast riders coming
> downhill on a single track with a steep bank above
> and below. So, what good would spreading around
> the fact that I didn't like the route they chose
> except to decrease their entry?
The "good" that it would do is to enable even those non-local riders who
do not have an intimate knowledge of the trail system to make an
informed decision instead of having to do the ride once to find out that
they wouldn't have come if only they had known.

By not disclosing the fact that there was a questionable section of
trail in the ride, the uninitiated were, instead, blind-sided by a
section of trail that you (obviously because you refused to enter the
ride) refused to negotiate.

> That is not a generous thing to do.
Letting people be surprised by a section of trail that you considered to
be non-negotiable for yourself was NOT a generous thing to do.

When I managed my ride and laid out the trail for it I was very careful
to inform all riders about the specifics of the route and just how tough
it would be.  I encouraged them to talk with local riders who had been
on the trail; I had pre-rides that I invited people to so they could
know what they were letting themselves in for; and I referred them ot
websites with trail descriptions and pictures.  Did doing this decrease
the entries in my ride, possibly (in fact, I KNOW it decreased it by at
least one, since one of the people who had already entered and then came
out for a pre-ride, then cancelled his entry because he knew his horse
wasn't fit for it).  But I consider this much preferable to having
people at the ride who were unprepared.

It is always better for people to make informed decisions.  And if I as
a ride manager had gotten a call from a local rider telling me that she
wasn't coming to a ride because of the inclusion of a section of trail I
would make damned sure that I communicated that fact to as many people
as I could.  Something along the lines of "There is at least one local
rider here who thinks that this section of trail is bad enough that she
won't come to the ride because of it despite the fact that the ride is
only 10 minutes trailer ride."  I would describe the section of trail,
why I included it, how I felt about it, and then I would probably even
refer them to her so she could explain why she wouldn't come and they
could better decide for themselves if they want to "risk it."

And if enough people said, "Nope, not coming because of that section."
Then I would have changed it or if that weren't possible, then not had
the ride.  I don't want to depend on having people show up for my ride
because they don't know any better. And who wouldn't have come if only
they had known.

kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)





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