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CycleVision2018
Dear German recumbent cyclists,
We were delighted to see many of you at Cycle Vision 2017. We are now evaluating the event and would like to receive your feedback. From those who participated in the races we received a lot of praise. However, we need to attract about twice as many participants to sustain the event. Don’t worry, there will be another CycleVision next year, but we want to improve it so that it will be fun for all to watch and participate in.
The strategy for this year, in which preparations started very late due to last-minute changes in the organizing team, was to attract casual riders by offering camping, interesting lectures/demos and a recreational ride. This part needs improvement. Next year we plan to offer social events and distractions between races, but not during the races: the races themselves are the entertainment.
An important choice that we face is whether we stay at the current track in Amsterdam. Advantage there: fast track with 60 km/hr laps for the fastest velomobiles. Good collaboration with the track-owners. Indoor track for a change of scene. Disadvantages: you only see participants once per 3 to 5 minutes, hard to organize an obstacle race, no good spot to try out bikes or have children go around.
As an alternative, we are considering a track with a double loop near Utrecht. It is a fun track with 18m climbing per double round of 2300m. The double round means twice as many curves. Combined with the climbing, lap speed for a DF velomobile is reduced to just over 50, quite similar to what a lightweight partially faired bike can achieve there. There is a separate 333m oval for trying out recumbents and children’s racing or skating. Furthermore you can ride the track such that each lap has several 180 degree turns, to simulate city traffic.
The way we would organize the races, is to start with a knockout competition, as a safe way to measure the lap speed of all participants. In the races that follow, riders are grouped by speed. Distinctions between men/women, faired/unfaired etc. will be registered but are otherwise completely ignored. Prizes are given to winners per speed category.
We think that such a racing scheme will entice the ‘lesser gods’ to participate in the races. The big question is: will it still be attractive for the ‘uppergods’ if they have to do climbing and cornering that reduces speeds from 60 to 50. We may be able to add a sprint race on a long straight road, where the fully faired bikes will dominate. We can also choose to implement this new approach at the existing location in Amsterdam, but there only some aspects can be implemented.
Please give us feedback, as we try to come up with a plan that is both feasible and in the best interest of recumbent racing. We are also having this discussion in Dutch, here (scroll down):
https://mooigeelisnietlelijk.blogspot.nl/2017/06/cycle-vision-2018.html
See you all next year, but first head out to 'A Race in The Park'!
Rembrandt
We were delighted to see many of you at Cycle Vision 2017. We are now evaluating the event and would like to receive your feedback. From those who participated in the races we received a lot of praise. However, we need to attract about twice as many participants to sustain the event. Don’t worry, there will be another CycleVision next year, but we want to improve it so that it will be fun for all to watch and participate in.
The strategy for this year, in which preparations started very late due to last-minute changes in the organizing team, was to attract casual riders by offering camping, interesting lectures/demos and a recreational ride. This part needs improvement. Next year we plan to offer social events and distractions between races, but not during the races: the races themselves are the entertainment.
An important choice that we face is whether we stay at the current track in Amsterdam. Advantage there: fast track with 60 km/hr laps for the fastest velomobiles. Good collaboration with the track-owners. Indoor track for a change of scene. Disadvantages: you only see participants once per 3 to 5 minutes, hard to organize an obstacle race, no good spot to try out bikes or have children go around.
As an alternative, we are considering a track with a double loop near Utrecht. It is a fun track with 18m climbing per double round of 2300m. The double round means twice as many curves. Combined with the climbing, lap speed for a DF velomobile is reduced to just over 50, quite similar to what a lightweight partially faired bike can achieve there. There is a separate 333m oval for trying out recumbents and children’s racing or skating. Furthermore you can ride the track such that each lap has several 180 degree turns, to simulate city traffic.
The way we would organize the races, is to start with a knockout competition, as a safe way to measure the lap speed of all participants. In the races that follow, riders are grouped by speed. Distinctions between men/women, faired/unfaired etc. will be registered but are otherwise completely ignored. Prizes are given to winners per speed category.
We think that such a racing scheme will entice the ‘lesser gods’ to participate in the races. The big question is: will it still be attractive for the ‘uppergods’ if they have to do climbing and cornering that reduces speeds from 60 to 50. We may be able to add a sprint race on a long straight road, where the fully faired bikes will dominate. We can also choose to implement this new approach at the existing location in Amsterdam, but there only some aspects can be implemented.
Please give us feedback, as we try to come up with a plan that is both feasible and in the best interest of recumbent racing. We are also having this discussion in Dutch, here (scroll down):
https://mooigeelisnietlelijk.blogspot.nl/2017/06/cycle-vision-2018.html
See you all next year, but first head out to 'A Race in The Park'!
Rembrandt
