Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Not to mention what a nightmare of logistics this would be for the ride 
manager!

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Weary DC" <bweary@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 1:22 PM
Subject: [RC] New incentive to enter 100's


>   I really hate to be a killjoy about this idea, but it is fraught with 
> problems. I'm sure folks will come up with more, but consider these:
>  1) If a rider tries a 100 miler, but he only goes, say 82 miles, how much 
> time does he get to complete his ride? AERC completion allowance times are 
> based on 4.167 mph. Does he get the whole 24 hours to finish the 82 miles? 
> What if he pulls somewhere out on the trail, with no timer to determine if 
> he is within the time allowance for his mileage?
>  2)  A rider could  conceivably garner enough  mileage without actually 
> completing the total distance, and do so on several occasions, and thereby 
> possibly  outperform other riders whose mileage was all obtained by  fully 
> completing the rides. Imagine a regional or national mileage champion who 
> didn't always get to the finish line. This could affect many awards, 
> including Husband and Wife, Family, Pioneer, and  mileage chevrons, to 
> name a few.
>  3)  Does the rider only get the miles if he pulls before the vet tells 
> him to? Can the vet say, "If you pull now, you can have your miles, but 
> you can't go on." ?
>  4)  How is the rider's completion percentage to be figured in AERC 
> statistics if he doesn't get to the finish line, but is deemed to have
> "successfully" completed some miles? Would it be counted as a completion?
>
>  The long and short of it is that this is a sport, like many others, where 
> only so much can be done to make it inviting to the participants. It's 
> part of the game. I can't go to Vegas and ask that the casinos  change the 
> odds in my favor, because though I enjoy gambling, and I'm happy to take 
> home any winnings, I would really rather not lose any money, when it comes 
> right down to it.  We can't go to unreasonable lengths to assure "success" 
> or eliminate "losses" (ride fees, gas money, completions rates) for the 
> participants. In addition, rider's ought not, IMO, "take a wild swing" at 
> a 100 mile ride. The horse and rider should be adequately prepared to take 
> on a 100 miler, and have confidence that the horse is old enough, 
> experienced enough, and conditioned enough to attempt one, and that the 
> rider knows how to pace and care for the horse over 100 miles properly, so 
> that a positive outcome is more likely. Then, still, there are those few 
> riders who just might figure, "I'll go for the front and  run him until he 
> can't go any more, and take whatever miles I can get."
>   Julie Suhr tells me that you can often tell what your horse thinks of 
> you when you look in his eyes. I shudder to think what his opinion would 
> be of me if running him until he can barely get a completion for 
> fractional miles were my strategy.    Bruce Weary
>
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Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

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