Tour of Bright - Victim of Its Own Success?

September 04, 2012

Without a doubt the Tour of Bright is one of the best competitive events on the Victorian road racing calendar. Cyclists from all over the country come to race in some of the most stunning terrain in Australia. It's got it all; real mountains, a time trial, a beautiful little town, summer weather, and a social atmosphere like no other. The Alpine Cycling Club does such a remarkable job at running this event that it's become a victim of it's own success.

Last year entries sold out in about a month. The Alpine Cycling Club would have never expected that most categories were sold out in half an hour yesterday. It was worse than trying to get tickets to that Lady GaGa concert you’ve been so wanting to see. If you weren’t at your computer at 12 noon, you probably missed out. The race can only accomodate 550 riders due to time constraints with running the time trial on Saturday afternoon.

One of the things that makes the Tour of Bright so special is that it’s organised by riders (i.e. the Alpine Cycling Club) for riders. It’s not a race promoter with commercial interests looking at the bottom line. I found it disappointing to read a comment yesterday saying, “At $142 a pop let’s hope we get two KitKats in the showbag this year!” (it gets my blood boiling when I hear stuff like this). If these guys wanted to make money out of this race (remember, it’s actually 3 races) then they’d scrap the time trial and put on a massive crit around a primary school. Everyone loves the TT, so I’m happy they’ve stuck to their guns and are not changing it. Traffic management, police, ambulances, sanctioning, etc present huge costs for the Alpine Cycling Club and I can assure you than nobody is lining their pockets. The race is run by volunteers from the Alpine Cycling Club which is has only 100 people strong. These people are also cyclists and most of them obviously want to ride in their own race.

A few possible solutions that have been looked into by the Alpine Cycling Club to help get more competitors in, but nothing has proven to be workable for this year.

- Have a qualification system. Perhaps the top 20 in each grade gets an option to enter for the next year, and the rest of the entries goes to a lottery system. This is a good option because it will give incentive to riders to race hard which will increase the competition. It will also give the race a huge amount of prestige for winning. However, if I don’t make the cut, this isn’t such a good idea…

- Look at running two TT starters ramps, alternating starters every 10 seconds. (eg 20 sec gap on each ramp so 1 ramp goes, then the other 10 secs later). Doing so would mean a field of 1000 could be started in under 3 hours. Time from first starter to last finisher in this size group would be about 3 hrs 15 mins. Unfortunately the commisaires didn’t like this idea (presumably because of the difficulties of timing, possibilities of drafting, and the course being too congested).

- Look at running the event over three days staring with a Friday Time Trial. I like this idea because I always find it a shame to leave after only two days of being in Bright. It would also allow for more people to compete and stay in the town which would hopefully be beneficial. Again however, the event is run by volunteers and for them to take an extra day off work can be a big ask.

The Tour of Bright is only a one weekend race, but it’s much more than that to the competitors. It’s a goal which gives you something to train for and helps motivate you through the Spring. It’s one or two “training camps” in Bright a few weeks before. It fuels the coffee shop banter and lifts the competitive spirit. It’s the best weekend of the year for aspiring and competitive racers and I feel like I’ve won the lottery by getting an entry!

As a final note, I was speaking to the ToB race organiser today and he mentioned that they are looking for sponsors (cash and prizes). If any potential sponsors are reading this, please email [email protected] to enquire.

Click here for more information on the history of the Tour of Bright.

tags: tour of bright

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http://twitter.com/Ross_MacP Ross MacPherson

I’d rather do ToB stuck in 53-11 gear than go to Lady GaGa concert!
http://twitter.com/PelotonCafe Peloton Cafe

As someone who heads up to photograph the race every year, call it selfish but i’m happy there’s only 550 people in the field, the Saturday afternoon ITT is a monster of a stage to shoot when it’s your second stage of the day ;-) Happy for someone to join me as an assistant this year though!
http://twitter.com/ammassare Cameron Senese

Good thoughts CT..

I’m not sure about prioritising entry on any given year based on last year’s results. It’s a “barrier” to entry for those that may not have, or could not race the previous year. It does however serve to ensure that strong riders will be present - and that’s important for sure..

It would be interesting if it become an event for which you need to qualify to be eligible to enter - based on racing results (handful of select open events) during that particular calendar year. This may liven up racing during the year a little also.. (Lot of effort and planning. Not to mention risk… might turn everyone off?)

Limited resource, high demand.. someone’s always going to miss out.
Notso Swift

Too hard for me anyway!
- Notso Swift
  
  Back to the older comments TT?
  - http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
    
    yeah, I like the new comments format but people with IE were complaining that it didn’t work
    - Guest
      
      My earlier comment in this topic vanished..
    - Echidna_sg
      
      there are people using IE? ;-)
      
      anyway - on topic, if people only knew the real cost of closing roads, hiring barriers, audio gear, timing gear, medical support etc etc etc and combine this with a limited field size, I personally think its cheap… really cheap. You cannot go comparing the entry costs of running events verses cycling events (a common misconception) as the infrastructure maybe similar, but both the course length and the field size are dramatically different.
      
      for comparison, IM Melbourne was sold out in 4-5 minutes and costs about A$800 per participant with a field of 1500 or so… and its over in a single day! quite simply, either you pay or you don’t get in….
      - http://twitter.com/mat_ashton Mat Ashton
        
        compared to some MTB events, where road closures are not required and marshals are nearly non existent, it is remarkably cheap.
    - lefthandside
      
      Cyclingtipsblog - also a victim of its own success so that now you are beholden to the voices of the angry mob massing in the comments section! ;)
      
      I got a spot - I am extremely pleased as this is, as you say, a terrific training goal for the next 3 months.
      
      With the high demand for places, I just hope that those who do not intend to compete will scratch in time to allow others to fill the spots. Sometimes a DNS is unavoidable I’m sure but it’s a shame when so many would like to take part.
Marthijs Heuperman

I too am one of those lucky ones to have been able to lock in a golden ticket and feel very privileged indeed. As an aspiring racer very new to the world of road cycling (coming from MTB) I feel like I am maybe taking a spot from someone more deserved but then last year I helped as a volunteer (also an ACC member) and saw how good it was from the sidelines and thought that this is something worth aiming for.

There has has been amazing interest from the local riders in this event in the leadup with plenty of banter on the bunch rides and I know plenty of them got in which is fantastic! Looking forward to lining up with the rest of the ACC riders this year and will be proudly wearing my club jersey.
anon

Another alternative is to run a Gran Fondo type event following the race. Day 1 Rosewhite and finish at the top of falls. Day 2 Bright to Hotham. I think there a lot of first timers that do this event as a challenge ride. This way the race can remain a race.
Rasmussen

I still like the idea of qualifying based upon participation at other events. It could be tied in with that state-wide grading system we really need.
I’ve been to a lot of races in country Victoria and frozen my backside off waiting for some 100km handicap to start in the middle of winter. I’m a 60kg climber, so flat races (nearly all of the calender) dont suit me, but I do it to support clubs that bother to put the effort in to organising races because I know just how much of a chore it is to put a 1 day race on. So it annoys me when a good 400 of those 550 entrants for Bright clearly dont bother racing the rest of the season. Real racers also miss out on having a go ( I was lucky to enter at 12.01pm yesterday, but have missed out in previous years) and consequently a lot of grades are made up of pack fodder when there could be more quality riders.
For example, just take a look at how many entries there are in C grade mens. On the bright side, it means there will be a lot hubbards to crush on hotham. The down side though is that winning B or C grade would be a bit like winning Round the Bay.
Rapha

the obvious solution is that someone else needs to take on the initiative and start another alpine style stage race at this time of year. the ToB is insanely popular and another event would explode too if done right and in cooperation with the ToB organisers so no toes are stepped on.
Bobsurunkle

Make all other CSV events during the year ‘qualifying’ events. Going to other state opens throughout the year and entrys are lacking. Fields of 20-30 per grade at most races. If the people that support these events are looked after when it comes to TOB entry then it’s better for the sport, as more people will show up, the fields will be bigger, raising the competition and level of the sport.
There is people entered that this is there only CSV race all year whilst others that race 80% of the races that CSV puts on all through winter have missed out on there favourite event. Currently we have former A grade Mt Hotham stage winners scrapping around trying to find an entry……… (yes they have tried to get in anyway they can but are being refused!!) This is also quite redicolous.
Lisstuharrington

I have been racing TOB since the Buffalo and crit days including top 10 GC. While I missed out fair and square I feel like I have a right to compete. It is the end of year trip for all the lads in the club. Maybe clubs should apply for an allocation of spots in a variety of grades.
Rasmussen

I still like the idea of qualifying for Bright based upon participation at other events. It could be tied in with that state-wide grading system we really need (and stop all of the sandbaggers in B grade that race NRS).

There has been many an occasion that I have showed up to some dead flat 100km handicap in country victoria on a freezing winters morning. Not because I’m good at these races (im only 60kg), but because I know how much hard work it is to put these races on and wish to support the clubs that make en effort.What really annoys me is that a good 400 of those 550 entrants clearly dont bother to race throughout the season. Consquently, a lot of the field is just made of pack fodder. Just look at C grade mens for example. If there werent so many people “taking part”, there would be a better quality field. The bright side is that there are lots of hubbards to dominate on Hotham. The down side is that winning B or C grade would be a bit like winning Round the Bay.I have also thought that perhaps the big issue that ToB’s success raises is the type of racing we do. I think this race (and crits) demonstrates that rider like to race road in summer and like to have climbs. Yet not many races reflect this on the calender.
http://twitter.com/peaks_71 Al B

Another option is to run a Gran Fondo over two days day one - rosewhite to the top of falls and day 2 bright to hotham. A lot of people ride this event as a challenge ride and a gran fondo would allow them to do this without the racing, then the race can still be a race. I know several people that race the event just to finish it which is great but with numbers increasing the racing is becoming more of a ride.
- Giovanni
  
  There are plenty of other options for riders who just want to finish e.g. 3 Peaks, Alpine Classic, Audax Alpine Delight
- Pete Knight
  
  This event has already become a gran fondo, that’s the problem with it. As CT said make it 3 days with a prologue on Friday arvo/evening to the Wandi Pub. Saturday there’s no need to start at stupid o’clock and every grade has a race leader. Saturday afternoon is free to enjoy Bright and then Sunday Mt Hotham with a twist. I’d add a loop before the climb and send the riders to the Mt Buffalo toll gates and back through town before finishing at the top of Hotham. And a big yes to riders requiring some sort of qualification to get a start. I know a few people who decided to do the tour last year as their first ever bike race.
  - Al B
    
    That was my point Pete. Keep the race as it’s the best on the calendar but at the same time satisfy those that just wanted to ride.
justanotheropinion

Why not send offers to Clubs that X amount of riders are invited to ride in the ToB and let the clubs decide who they will send and in what grade.
GlennR

Maybe only A & B grade get the ITT and lower grades get a two stage event?
Tim Rowe

Option C) Leave the entries exactly the way they are. At a certain point, events become saturated and too many competitors destroys an event.
Other events should take a look at why it’s popular, and capitalise on that, because clearly there’s a market for it.
- Rasmussen
  
  Spot on Tim.
  On the other hand…… I help out with the race committee at my club. We put on a couple of really good 1 day races that taken in excellent climbs. Our races are also close to melbourne. We get ok turnouts, enough to make it worthwhile holding them, but not 550 people. So maybe what we are missing is a two day event? I know a tour is good fn compared to a 1 day race, but its also really difficult to get enough volunteers for that. We run a junior tour, and it takes pretty much every available member of the club to do it. So putting on more Tours of Bright isnt exactly easy.
  I think there could be a role for Cycling Victoria to help out in facilitating this sort of development perhaps? The hardest part for volunteers is getting things like traffic managements plans done and dealing with all the requirement from the local council.
  If that little barrier could be broken down, it would be a lot easier to get more races like this.
  
  Or maybe Bright is just popular because its in summer and we need to invert the calender?
  - http://twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis Nick Squillari
    
    “Or maybe Bright is just popular because its in summer and we need to invert the calendar?”
    
    DING! DING! DING! We have a winner! 3 Kit Kats for you! But, as we know, will fall of deaf ears.
    
    (Bright being a lovely place to ride notwithstanding of course)
    - http://twitter.com/callumdwyer Callum Dwyer
      
      How would inverting calendar work? Track and crits in the winter?
      - Rasmussen
        
        Well with an indoor track you can race all year. So the lines become blurred between one season and another. I would just say bugger the seasons and put whatever races on when you like. I dont see why we should restrict ourselves to racing road in winter only.
        
        Or maybe the calender could be a bit more rigid (like the rest of the world). Road racing and crits in summer (yes, keep crits, but spice things up with a road race once a fortnight), then track and CX in winter. Or even better, build a long track ice rink for speed skating so we can be totally euro in the off season. Or just go XC skiing.
        
        http://www.facebook.com/rohan.christmas Rohan Christmas
        
        1. Only those in the big smoke have indoor velodromes
        
        2. Heat is a big issue. It’s hard enough organising a race in the cooler months, but having to worry about the Extreme Weather Policy as well would be a nightmare.
        
        http://www.facebook.com/rohan.christmas Rohan Christmas
        
        1. Only those in the big smoke have indoor velodromes
        
        2. Heat is a big issue. It’s hard enough organising a race in the cooler months, but having to worry about the Extreme Weather Policy as well would be a nightmare.
        
        Rasmussen
        
        I think you may be quite right there. Country clubs would have track season suffer. But then, who actually races track nowdays anyway?
        Heat probably isnt that much of an issue. We race crits in warm weather all the time. It rarely gets hot enough to think of cancelling an event due to extreme weather. It would happen, but at least I dont think it would get to those temperatures in summer more often than rain causes the cancellation of a road race in winter.
        
        But the points you raise are the reason I would prefer an open season. People can just race what they like, when they like. In such a scenario I can imagine road racing becoming quite popular from September through to April with maybe a lull in February when it is usually hottest.
        
        AJ Williams
        
        I do understand the idea behind inverting the calendar, however for Queenslanders and those in SA it is just too tough to race anymore than 60mins in our summer sun. Racing where I Live (Hervey Bay) its tough enough doing a crit a 4pm with afternoon seas breeze after its been 35deg that day. Often it’s still 30+ at 6pm and 30odd at 6am.
        Have a look at the carnage during the Mass participation ride during TDU. I did it in 07 and the amount of people coming in with severe heat stress requiring medical treatment was phenomenal.
        
        Good Luck to TOB try having a look at what many of the big Tri’s (Noosa etc) to for entry requirements might be some good ideas there. Great to see a bunch of riders putting on events for riders.
        
        http://www.facebook.com/rohan.christmas Rohan Christmas
        
        The track is still very popular in North East Victoria and Southern NSW, especially amongst juniors as the track environment is much safer and less confronting than road cycling. Ignore track cycling and a few years later road cycling will soon pay the cost in the form of fewer cyclists.
        
        Heat is a big issue. In January for instance Albury typically experiences 19 days over 30 degrees Celsius, and 7 days over 35 degrees Celsius. I sure wouldn’t want to be racing for longer than about 30 minutes in those conditions.
        
        We are blessed with plenty of scratch races in the Riverina come Spring, but it would be nice if there were a few more on the Open calender.
Rowena Scott

$142.00 that’s cheap, I wouldn’t except anything for that, I did pay over $300.00 for Ironman Mandurah 70.3 and it’s a one day race in the one location
hardcheese

If you take the kit kat statement literally then yes its very annoying. However, I think it was tongue in cheek. The point being made was the price rise over last year. I know the local police have been difficult in the past so maybe they have jacked up the costs???
Tricky Dicky

How about running the road stages first and then only the top 50% or whatever get to do the TT on the final day? That way, larger groups (perhaps even two pelotons per grade) could compete. Sure, not everyone gets a chance to ride the TT but it leaves it to the strongest competitors and I’d think people would sacrifice that for the chance to compete. I hear a stage winner last year dodn’t even get in - plainly wrong. No arguments on the costs side - sounds like value for money, frankly, especially if they are doing it for love.
- Rasmussen
  
  I think once the entries per grade are above 100 it starts to get a bit silly in the peleton. Its a bunch of amateurs riding individually, not a bunch of pros riding in teams. I think I’m firmly with the maximum number of entries. It would just be good to have real racers taking up those 80 spots per grade.
Anonymous

Maybe they could cap individual grades instead of 550 overall which would actually give A graders a chance to enter! The fact that it wasn’t open to individuals in A aswell is a joke because most riders wouldn’t know who they are riding for in 2013 yet!
Online Entry World Champeon

Getting an entry to most road races has become an event in itself this year. I suspect it’s mostly Cadel’s fault. Hopefully by next year everyone will have ebayd their Dogma2s and gone back to Golf.
http://twitter.com/mat_ashton Mat Ashton

Is there a way to make it work by giving various clubs around the country a certain number of entries and allowing the clubs to determine who gets to go? Surely you can’t just keep making the event bigger and bigger.
A fairly vague idea I know, but a way to get clubs, rather than just individuals, supporting racing.
TeeJay

What about two time trial courses? The current one and another from Porepunkah towards Mt Buffalo or Buckland Valley Road. Part
Anonymous

I think there’s been arguments on here before about people treating ToB as their only race of the year and that kind of stuff. Is the big underlying problem that it’s the only race that happens in a spot where you’d WANT to ride, ergo it gets mad over-subscribed? I hontestly don’t know how you get around that one. The AGF have done OK for Amy’s Gran Fondo but I’d imagine they carry a bit more political clout - and let’s face it, cash - to be able to sort out permits and stuff than any cycling club.

Someone needs to put together a study of ToB’s positive impact on the local economy and start toting it around to local councils that might be able to grease the wheels of power and help with the hard stuff.
- Robert Merkel
  
  There are other races in scenic spots on tough terrain, if that’s what you mean.
  
  I’ll put in a plug for the Stratford-Dargo Classic, for instance. Amazing scenery, which you never get to properly appreciate because it’s so friggin’ hard to to ride!
koogz

To steal a line from Mi Sex’s song “People”… the idea of awarding say the top 20 finishers “both appeals & fascinates me”.
Just hope you don’t cop a mechanical or you will be in the ballot for the following year, imagine one of the best A graders missing the cut and punching it out in a ballot with us minnows
shaninadelaide

Ah, I remember the days…… 120km RR with a moutain pass and deadly decent, 20km ITT complete with starting ramp, 75km Mountain stage with a HTF and a super tight 20 min Crit - all for $60 entry. How did they do it! The TOB is firmly in my memory as the closest thing that will ever make me feel like Im a pro doing a stage race. I feel sorry for people doing it now (if they can get in!)
Rossco

C grade is a joke in this race, it’s definitely B grade plus. So many sandbaggers, there needs to be a better way to qualify to be able to actually race it. I’ve done it once, awesome event and make the time trial on Friday, then you can have more riders (as the time trial could go over the entire day)…
- http://twitter.com/Dub_No_Bass D Bass
  
  Re: C Grade, couldn’t agree more. A few years back, you were likely to see the same names dominating that grade several years in a row. Grading in this country = broken.
  - Rod
    
    Cycling Victoria has a survey at the moment asking for improvements. My main suggestion was to have a state database of results so each event can be graded accurately according to form, depending on whether they race open or combine events. Saves the sandbaggers from getting into the $$ each race when they could be improving their own form and making it fairer for everyone by going up a grade/handicap.
brycerider

I agree that some sort of qualification system is needed. Look at the Melbourne to Warnambool - its turned into a psuedo Gran Fondo.
Aaron DC

I think your sense of humour is broken, CT.
ACC Secretary

Thanks for the kind words. As one of the volunteers that had worked on the race for over twenty years, it’s nice to see people recognize how much goes into the organisation of it.
The running of the TOB over three days would increase costs a huge amount, something we have considered, but is not feasible for this year.
As one of the bunnies doing the pushing on the TT, suggestion of running two starting ramps - wash your mouth out young man!
Anyway, best of luck to all the entrants, and remember, we are all volunteers - no one gets paid for giving up days/weeks to help out on the Tour - if you get a chance, a smile or a few kind words to the closest volunteer keeps them coming back next year.
Rasmussen

CT, have you ever considered doing a post or two about the amount of work that goes in to running a race like Bright? Or even just a 1 day club race?
I dont mean that as a way of showing armchair critics that they should shut up. Rather that there may be a lot of riders who wouldnt mind putting in a bit of time on their own but dont know where to start.
- http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
  
  It’s probably a good idea Rasmussen. Even a club crit on a Sunday is an extraordinary amount of work to set up and tear down.
Slowdave

For those who missed out and want to climb a mountain, the Stratford to Dargo race would provide a challenge for all its two weeks beforehand (17th Nov) and i will even race you in a tt if your really keen.
- Judith Cahill
  
  Seriously the Stratford to Dargo is TOUGH….super TOUGH and anyone who completes it deserves a huge pat on the back
http://twitter.com/fabiovelo Mathew Marques

Seeing how the limiting factor for entries in the ITT, then why not consider either running the ITT on the day before or removing it altogether and replacing it with a criterium. Sure it wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste, but you could then conceivably run more grades with fewer entrants per grade, and increase the overall numbers. Obviously not popular with ITT specialists, but I think there are enough ITTs throughout the year to keep that breed happy.
- http://twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis Nick Squillari
  
  Compared to the amount of crits? Even including the TT’s where you’re not actually allowed to use your TT bike, it’s even close.
- slowdave
  
  i think options for ITT is just about non existant, Even for stage races there is only a short 5km or so ITT. Leave the format as it is, its obviously working well.
Trent

Run a separate masters and non-masters race on different weekends. If the volunteers who already do such a great job were happy to do it two weekends in a row, it would allow double the number of entrants. Plus there can be an elite D grade, to even out the ability levels a bit.
- Aaron DC
  
  As long as I can enter twice. :-D
  - Trent
    
    No…that’s against the point!
http://twitter.com/ankush83 Ankush Agarwal

ooh, some changes in the comments format I see here.
Shane Miller

Surely your blog can do better than quote some long term unemployed Masters hack rider such as myself. Attempting to spin it into me implying they’re trying to make a profit or “line their pockets”? Whhheeeyyy no. It was just an eyebrow raise at the $22 increase after years of $10 increases. Nothing more. People who know me, or read my blog know I throw in (mostly poor) attempts at humour with a dash of wtf every now and then.

I’m a huge fan of the ToB showbag. Bugger it, I’ll tell it like it is, I hope there are three KitKats in it this year!

Apologies to Alpine CC, the vol’s, and readers of CT if you’ve been led down the wrong path.
- MATT M
  
  Nice failed attempt to come across as the victim. Can’t believe you’ve gone the “just an eyebrow raise” as some sort of defence - say it how you want…… you’ve plain & simple had a whinge about the price…….so everything CT has said is spot on.
  - Shane Miller
    
    I don’t deny having a whinge. I said it how I wanted in the first place, and that was not accusing TOB race organisers of “lining their pockets”. Spot on? Not in my books.
    - MATT M
      
      So let me get this right - you “don’t deny having a whinge” about the price which is set by the “TOB race organisers”…..yet you say your not having a go at the “TOB race organisers”. So who are you having a whinge about then? Your chasing your tail…..& making yourself look more of a goose in the process.
    - http://twitter.com/james_foran James Foran
      
      This is heaps better than the SRAM vs Campag vs Shimano post! Great work!
  - Shane Miller
    
    I don’t deny having a whinge. I said it how I wanted in the first place, and that was not accusing TOB race organisers of “lining their pockets”. Spot on? Not in my books.
  - Aaron DC
    
    I’m not a fan of Shane Miller but what’s with the unconstitutional witch-hunt dude? Shane’s blog has had over 500 page views in the past 14 years and not failed once. Admit it, you’re just jealous and bitter and can’t stand the success Shane has enjoyed in his racing. I can guarantee you he trains harder than you do.
    
    Everyone knows Kit kats make you fat and would be suicide food in a show bag where you climb HC bergs. Get your sense of humour fixed.
    - MATT M
      
      Ah…..I have zero knowledge of Shane & his cycling success, so your “jealous & bitter” tripe is complete rubbish. CT does a super job with this blog as do the TOB race organisers - neither need to be criticised in my opinion.
      - Aaron DC
        
        I rest my case ;-)
  - Rod
    
    Context- something a lot of people can’t comprehend these days….and you’re one of them. If you bothered to look up Shane’s blog where the comment was posted, it’s quite easy to see and realise that it was tongue in cheek, & that he’s a massive supporter of the event, it’s volunteers and the area. Surely you didn’t think he was implying that the $22 price rise was for an extra Kit Kat?
- jules
  
  aren’t you the guy with all those KoMs on strava? screw you buddy ;)
  - Shane Miller
    
    hahaha! I think you get it. This is exactly the humour I needed this morning! Cheers Jules. :)
Chadwick

2 kit kats why not a seat? http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/558311_398047303582438_1908977863_n.jpg
I was able to enter and im looking forward to the race.
Though i do feel their should be some selection period or invitations sent to those who have competed in a series of NRS or qulifying events. Before the general public, sand baggers and Freds get a chance to enter.
http://twitter.com/peaks_71 Al B

Agree but it’s the timing of the event. It’s a great end to the season / start to the season for others. The format of a 2 day gran fondo is a bit different to 3 peaks and audax, Plus you get to hang out with your racing counterparts.
http://twitter.com/peaks_71 Al B

Agree but it’s the timing of the event. It’s a great end to the season / start to the season for others. The format of a 2 day gran fondo is a bit different to 3 peaks and audax, Plus you get to hang out with your racing counterparts.
http://twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis Nick Squillari

CT, any chance of flipping the timeline of comments back? Little tricky reading “up” (so to speak)
http://twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis Nick Squillari

CT, any chance of flipping the timeline of comments back? Little tricky reading “up” (so to speak)
- http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
  
  Hey Nick, in the tab at the top of the comments called “Discussion” you can choose “best, newest, or oldest”. Hope that helps
  - http://twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis Nick Squillari
    
    Ahhh! Found it. Fantastic, ta mate.
Judith Cahill

The race is awesome and was always my favourite race of the whole year as it was about that inner strength…..whilst I agree about a different system that makes it fairer to enter as a lot of people missed out, maybe a system like other races where if you rode this year, you get first stakes on an entry for next year (similar to Alpine Classic), where you have until say Nov 1 to enter and if you don;t it becomes first in…….

PS - I dont race anymore and love just being in Bright at this time of year to support friends….great race great place.
Guest

Such a great race and the ACC do a great job
Guest

such a great race and the ACC do a great job
http://twitter.com/callumdwyer Callum Dwyer

Personally I think Tour of Bright big enough, maybe to big. I generally don’t race grade races with more 30 to 40 entries and handicaps with 100 + entries these days. I just find races bigger than that effort quality of the racing.
Judith Cahill

Hi Peleton Cafe…I was there photographing the Tour last year too…..www.actionpactpix.com . Saturday afternoon was a bit sunburned and 4 hours in the sun was a long afternoon……..after a huge morning…….lol it is a lot of fun though and it took me about a week to process all the pics.
Rad

I blame Wade for the free marketing.
Edmund Gralton

so getting everyone through the TT course during the afternoon timeslot is the constraint.
a possible solution to allow more grades/riders is to have some grades do the TT in the morning and then the gaps loop in the arvo. the remaining grades stick to the original format of gaps loop in the morning and tt in the arvo.
ok so this would mean tawonga gap is closed to traffic for two timeslots during the day instead of just the morning. also the roll out for the gaps loop would have to be altered due to the first 500m sharing the same route as the TT. more volunteers from the ACC would probably be required too.
ACC do a great job and the punters should be happy a race of this quality is on. Canberra Tour has been cancelled this year due to the requirement for police escorts for all grades making it too expensive.
next issue to resolve is the grading of masters.
Edmund Gralton

so getting everyone through the TT course during the afternoon timeslot is the constraint.
a possible solution to allow more grades/riders is to have some grades do the TT in the morning and then the gaps loop in the arvo. the remaining grades stick to the original format of gaps loop in the morning and tt in the arvo.
ok so this would mean tawonga gap is closed to traffic for two timeslots during the day instead of just the morning. also the roll out for the gaps loop would have to be altered due to the first 500m sharing the same route as the TT. more volunteers from the ACC would probably be required too.
ACC do a great job and the punters should be happy a race of this quality is on. Canberra Tour has been cancelled this year due to the requirement for police escorts for all grades making it too expensive.
next issue to resolve is the grading of masters.
- Guest
  
  “Canberra Tour has been cancelled this year due to the requirement for police escorts for all grades making it too expensive. ”
  -
  That is not true.
  - Edmund Gralton
    
    http://www.canberracyclingclub.org.au/event_details/index.asp?IntCatId=26&IntContId=841
    rolling road closures + police escorts = higher entry fee. if that is not the reason what is?
Koogz

This has been mentioned already, but the idea of a Grande Fondo is a great idea.

People who are interested in the event (Tob) and wanting to suss it out for the first time, or
wanting to spend the weekend away with their riding mates who are racing, past
participants who for various reasons are not at the level of racing the event, but
understand that this is a great cycling weekend away and want to attend could still fulfill there needs without encroaching on the race itself.

By
using the same roads the permit requirements would be satisfied and
would require maybe 3 additional vehicles and a slightly longer day/more vols to make this happen, It could follow the Saturday road
race to Tawonga Gap & the Sunday race to Hotham but eliminate the
Time Trial to satisfy the timing requirements, in the spirit of the Amy’s Fondo they could pay the top 10
finishers to create competitiveness and would still bring more people to
the town of Bright and relieve the numbers in the graded fields.

The recent Sam Miranda road race trialled this and it was a great success and it had all levels of riders participating in their Grande Fondo and the feedback was more than favorable.

That is the positive, unfortunately there is a negative.

Firstly
Elitism in cycling is appalling, and from some people posting on this
site I would ask the question of, if you were not given a chance to ride
in the lower grades before you turned “Pro” would have you been a
successful A grade racer as as you are now with all the sponsorships and
entitlements that come with it, or by been excluded and not
participating in events that the higher levels were involved in, looking
up to some of the A graders to aspire to would have you just given it
away?
I hope when you reach the twilight of your career and start
sliding back through the grades that you still get the chance to ride
with some of the upcoming stars and also mix it up with your past competitors, while giving the chance of the some younger racers to race against some of the past elite on their way up.

Now CT, I know that you are a
media commentator and require traffic on this site to to make money (?)
but I would have hoped your journalistic talents would have been able to
create a better segue into the price hike to enter the Tob, other than
to criticize another media commentator to do so, like you said in your
comments you let your emotion get in the way of good judgement here
(blood boiled), and instead of taking the comments as intended, or
contacting the the source of the comments to clarify their intention you
just ran with it knowing that by making a scapegoat (maybe scapeLlama)
of them it would divert attention away from the point you were trying to make by acknowledging the actual price increase without dragging the event & volunteers through the muddy waters.
The event and the volunteers who make it happen deserve better than this and maybe could have been a worthy post highlighting the popularity of this event without trying to sully it with you initial comments, I would hope that this is not true as your journalism has
been excellent in the past and I would hope it will continue to be in the future.

Keep up the good work
- http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
  
  Hi Koogz, thanks for the comment. Some good suggestions on how to make the event better and more accessible to everyone.
  
  With regards to your comments about my journalistic talents, it’s very flattering however it would be insult to real journalists for me to be categorised as one of them. I’m not familiar with journalistic techniques, standards or ethics and have no idea of what would make me a journalist. It’s just me simply posting my thoughts from my kitchen table that people might find interesting (I have a day job too). I don’t require a certain amount of traffic to make money, but I do rely on the support of advertisers to help pay for the costs of running this site.
- Rasmussen
  
  Koogz what do you refer to in terms of elitism? I would have though that riders with an elite lisence racing an elite race, as opposed to a Grand Fondo, would be allowed to expect elite competition. Rather than competing against people who are just there to finish it.
  B and C grade exist so that people who take their racing seriously, but cant put in 25 hour weeks on the bike can race, not so that they can just potter around the alps and have fun.
  Events such as the Alpine Classic exist so that people can challenge themselves on a good course.
  - Koogz
    
    Rasmussen, more so a reference to a theme that became prevalent through reading the comments to this post about B/C grade clogging the entry spots of ‘genuine” racing entrants.
    I may have interpreted these comments incorrectly but it seemed that a lot of people were bemoaning that fact that they missed out due to the high numbers in these grades, the fact remains that this is a popular race due to the time of year its held, location, organization of the event organizers and the social after race aspect that this race has due to its “event village” atmosphere.
    Please lets not forget that it is not a NRS race, and it is open to all types & levels of amateur bike riders.
    I think that you will find that a lot of participants also bring there family’s to this event as it is also a great getaway for the partners too and will attract that demographic of riders to this event, if you want a hardcore race then maybe the NRS series is more applicable.
    My main point was come up with a solution first before pointing out the elephant in the room.
  - Koogz
    
    Rasmussen, more so a reference to a theme that became prevalent through reading the comments to this post about B/C grade clogging the entry spots of ‘genuine” racing entrants.
    I may have interpreted these comments incorrectly but it seemed that a lot of people were bemoaning that fact that they missed out due to the high numbers in these grades, the fact remains that this is a popular race due to the time of year its held, location, organization of the event organizers and the social after race aspect that this race has due to its “event village” atmosphere.
    Please lets not forget that it is not a NRS race, and it is open to all types & levels of amateur bike riders.
    I think that you will find that a lot of participants also bring there family’s to this event as it is also a great getaway for the partners too and will attract that demographic of riders to this event, if you want a hardcore race then maybe the NRS series is more applicable.
    My main point was come up with a solution first before pointing out the elephant in the room.
    - jimbo
      
      Which Alpine mountain passes does the NRS go up?
      - Rasmussen
        
        No NRS races go up alpine passes.
        
        And no, it is not an NRS race, it is an elite state open. STATE OPEN, not a grand fondo.
        I think the status of state open means it should be a race that you at least take seriously.
        Nearly everyone who races NRS is a full time rider i.e. no day job. This level of competition and that fact that it usually occurs mid week means it is unaccessible to most of the guys you will see at the crits or northern combine.
        State open racing that is graded exists so that people who still take their racing seriously (but have a mortgage, kids..whatever) can RACE COMPETITIVELY.
        I think that all the B and C graders who train 15 hours a week (probably more C graders) and regularly race are insulted to see riders turning up just for the fun of having a go and doing their only race of the year.
        
        You make a point that cycling is elitist. Yes it is. I think it is unfair that some people are unwelcoming of beginners, but go out and experience the bunch skills of riders doing Round the Bay and it will become apparent why we are insular and elitist. That very same reason applies to racing much more so than it does with a sunday morning spin in the dandenongs.
        
        Koogz
        
        @385a60f3b58994f42a695fff2ab13aca:disqus you are correct that it is an open event, consisting of various grades to cater for riders of varying ability/age group.
        We could sit here and pick holes in any argument, just like the blogger who asked if NRS go up mountain passes, this type of post is not constructive to finding a solution to the issue of overwhelming numbers in any one grade, as you have pointed out this is not a grande fondo & I don’t think anyone has marketed it as such, but your point of having once a year racers attending this event could be solved by such an event (GF) been held in conjunction with the race.
        I don’t have the answers but by offering suggestions it could go towards creating a solution for future events.
        Getting back to your initial query about my point on the elitism in our sport before we got side tracked, its probably based on a personal agenda.
        I was lucky as a junior I had an elder member of our club take me under his wing as he saw some ability, otherwise it was hard to crack into the group, now that I’m one of the senior guys I will take time out for anyone in this sport and make them feel welcome, but I still see groups and individual riders think that they are better than others and exclude them & not acknowledge there existence, mate it sux to be them as we are a group of people with one common interest, just different levels of ability.
wokman

Gents ( and ladies!!), Many good comments and possible future options coming from all of you. ( I personally like the Friday afternoon iTT AND the Gran Fondo ideas!). Costs are and will (more than likely) continue to rise as ACC strives to improve the safety of the event for riders and officials. Bigger bunches would be great, but would mean road closures ( either full or rolling) with a huge amount of manpower from VicPol. This would increase the cost once again. As I have read a few times, the tour is run by riders for riders, and ACC are always open to suggestions as to how to improve the event! ( And yes, I agree, the Sam Miranda Gran Fondo & event was very well run and organised!!)
Tim

Is it accurate to say “everyone loves the TT”?

I don’t think so.

I also think it’s fair if people question the cost. Not everyone is cognisant of the costs, so they’re within their rights to query a 15% increase. I’d query a 15% increase in Big Day Out tickets (note, no increase for 2013 IIRC) so why not a cycling event?

How about a different class of race?
Enter TOB ex TT, so you skip the TT and ride the mtns. I’d be keen on that.

What about a D grade (ex TT compulsarily).

The auto entry idea from one year to the next would probably only work for A grade (natural attrition etc) and managing not returners would be an admin issue.

Another idea is to combine a ballot system with premium entry.

I.e. you pay $300 and get guarantee entry, or pay $x and go into a ballot. If you’re not successful, you get your dosh back.

Here’s another thought - time for a for profit private promoter (I don’t have a problem with people making money if the event is kick butt) to run a similar event.

The idea below about running the race at another time has merit, but not in winter. That is a busy, hellish road in winter and is not a good idea. P’raps Autumn or Spring shoulders post ski season.

In terms of graduated entry - too elitist. But if you must: people MUST demonstrate a racing history - 1 season racing at C level or something. That shouldn’t be too hard for the ACC to verify.

Or just make the race harder to shake out the first timers. I personally don’t think we should be making judgement on who should ride - what about someone who has ridden for 5 years, trained their bums off and started racing (and who then wins).
EchiDna_sg

So given that it seems 9/10 races are run by vollies (many of whom would love to race themselves but can’t) and a number of the people below want to whinge about everything from costs to their inability to get into events due to restricted field sizes - what is to stop commercial companies developing more and more options (e.g. the netti challenge series etc) for aspiring masters stage racers given there is obviously a demand?

CYCLINGTIPS ON INSTAGRAM

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

Tour of Bright - Victim of Its Own Success?

September 04, 2012

CYCLINGTIPS ON INSTAGRAM

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

Tour of Bright - Victim of Its Own Success?

September 04, 2012

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