Conquer The Mountain: Harding TT Race

I'm wondering the same thing. I sent an email to the contact provided on the Harding TT website. And 4 corners would quickly get crowded with 300 riders hanging out. :beer:

 

This is retarded. Why bother calling it a mountain bike event if a road bike would be faster than a mountain bike on this course.

 

Here's the response I received from the organizer about returning to Cooks' Corner:

IMPORTANT:
after you cross the finish at four corners all participants must make sure they have checked in with a race official, the race official will release you to the descent staging area, we have some basic rules that we ask all participants to follow, if you are a participant and you do not follow the descent rules you may be disqualified, the following rules for descending down Harding Truck Trail are designed to help with safety for all:

• All participants must wait for a race official to release them to descend down Harding Truck Trail back to the T.W. Sanctuary (you may descend on another trail if you desire)

• All participants will be released in pairs (2 at a time) every 30 seconds

• All participants must descend single file no side by side riding

• All participants must descend at a safe speed (not to exceed 20 mph ever!)

• All participants must yield the right of way to all ascending (climbing) riders

• All participants descending must slow down and give the preferred line to the climbing rider even if that means the descending rider has to stop

• Any participant observed racing or dangerously descending will be disqualified

• If a pair of descending riders catch another pair you must decide witch pair of riders will lead and separate from the other pair by at least 50 ft or 15 bike lengths

• If you feel the need to race downhill or that these rules are unreasonable or that you cannot follow them for any reason we ask that you descend on another trial like Joplin, or Maple Springs rd/truck trail (you are responsible to get yourself back to Cook’s Corner)

 

It is a mountain bike event because participants will be riding mountain bikes....Now WHO's retarded here? :?:

 

I hope this ends well but this sounds like a cluster #%% in the making. I'd hate to be the last guy trying to climb with 300 hundred riders "following the rules" descending.

 

I love the idea of it but why not make it like a 3 stage race. Up Harding, Up Maple Springs and up Coal Canyon or Black star. Thats a true KOM right there. if you punish the field why shouldnt you be fast on all 3 or 4 of the climbs....

 

Or turn it into a TT series like the roadies got in the canyon?

More stages = logistical hassles with permits and stuff?

If you could get 3-4 different TT dates put together I'd bet climbers would be on board with that.

 

yeah thats really the problem with the series permits and logistics. Maybe limit it to 150 riders or 175... like the WS does. Who knows. It's really cool how much racing goes on now in the OC. I race at the national level and all the races are so far so it makes it nice to see new people out there hammering and some familar faces.

 

Uhhh? yeah! I would not try this on my Trek Madone Carbon road bike though I do wish my Santa Cruz Tallboy carbon MTB weighed only 15-lbs as does my road bike.

 

I don't think that'll be an issue as I'd be surprised if even 100 show up.

 

I wouldn't. If I did it I'd be riding my 16lb Cyclocross bike.

 

Great comment!

There is so much time and energy spent on doing these events and with the cost of permits, timing, t-shirts and other stuff, there even if they got 400 riders at 55.00 each, there wouldn't be much profit. I don't believe every event has to ba a charity event so I don't care where the money for this particular event goes. If its successful and profitable and it leads to more and better events by this race organizer, then...awesome! I look forward to challenging myself and then looking forward to the 2013 event to beat my time!!

 

I wish the organizers well.

However this sounds like a cluster*uck.

People don't follow directions......many believe they don't pertain to them.

I still get the same dumb questions from participants at VQ/CC even though they have done the event multiple times. Or the guys at OTH that ask the same question every week, or the guys that keep stopping in front of the timing table every week to make sure you get their bin number, even the though you have told them each of the past 7 weeks not to stop.

People are just gonna do what they want.....rules or no rules.

 

Overall, I think it's a great idea, but the remote staging seems less than ideal. Too bad they couldn't have used the parking lot at the corner of Modjeska and Santiago Canyon Road. At least that would eliminate the climb back over Modjeska Grade to get back to Cooks.

Seems like a burden on the local residents, too, who don't really gain anything from it. Maybe Black Star would make more sense, though Harding is a great climb.

The concept of an orderly descent sounds unrealistic, too, since it's such a fun trail to fly down. On the other hand, didn't the Rwanda ride use this as their original first leg? I don't remember any problems with that--other than the difficulty of the climb itself.

Anyway, hope it goes well and look forward to seeing how it all plays out.

 

Yes Rwanda used it the first year.....but they didn't have the restrictions on the descent.....and it wasn't a race. That seems to change the mentality.

 

I may be wrong here, but isn't a time trial different than an actual race? Everyone will be leaving the trailhead at different times. I won't plan on focusing on how many people I pass (which may not be much) - just trying to get the fastest time for myself and seeing where it falls.

If I do have an opportunity to pass another climber, I definitely won't be a happy camper trying pass folks - only to be met head on by a bunch of folks heading down the same road every 15 seconds. #-o

After finishing, I'm thinking of heading down Maple springs and taking my chances going back to Cook's with cars speeding by me on Santiago Canyon Road...unless things are really going smoothly up Harding.

It will be interesting to ride from Cooks to the Harding TT trailhead with a huge mass of people. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible for everyone and I'm looking forward to it! :bang:

 

Yes, usually it's 'all out' from start to finish, and a cruise back to the cars.

 

If I was racing, this would be the perfect excuse to try out a cross bike...can't race cross 'cuz the knee won't tolerate the dismounts, but it'd be perfect for this...nothing like a 17lb climbing rocket.

 

^^ Maybe they'll have a CX category..? The descent rules certainly make it a good choice. Either way, no Motorway-type penalty for ultralight wheels and tires so they should be out in force.

 

FireCross 45s on Velocity Deep V rims.