Being hyper focused on results rather than having fun and getting better is a pretty good way to teach kids how to not enjoy riding/racing as well. Losing a race is not the end of the world. If it is for you as a parent or your kid, then you/they aren’t going to be in the sport long anyway. There’s always someone faster out there.
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My child doesn’t ride but if they did I would want to ride with them, so I think you’re assuming nefarious things out of kids riding with a fast parent. I also think the idea of racing gravel is pretty dumb except for a handful of elite people, so there’s that perspective too
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Yeah, and there is nothing for road/gravel (at least around here). On the MTB side, it’s definitely not football, but it’s exploded. Not all school related, but NICA mtb racing has gotten so big here that it’s outgrown the race venues. They had to split it into multiple groups so that not everyone is racing on the same days because the fields had gotten too big.
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If the teammate is racing their own pace to win the race, that is great. Draft all day long. That is racing.
I am talking about fathers who are only their to go a little faster than their kid can (but faster than other kids), but much slower than they could otherwise ride if they wanted to race the race for themselves. Fathers who have trained this technique with their daughters.
It isn’t an issue with breaking a rule. It doesn’t break a rule! It is a sportsmanship issue.
There are a ton of organizations trying to get more girls racing bikes. A ton of money is spent on it. Kate Courtney just launched a new initiative this week to get more girls on bikes! These dads kill any momentum to getting more girls racing bikes.
I was just about to post similar. As the father of two teenage daughters I would love if they rode bikes, and would 100% love to do an event with them. And if as fast as they’re able is what they wanted to do, that’s what I would do. If that got them a place, so be it. I also would have zero problems with people sitting on their wheel, and them sprinting it out either.
If father and daughter racing together isn’t the spirit of gravel, what is?
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What rock you been under “bro”? Ever heard of NICA? Utah state high school mountain bike championships is the largest high school sporting event.
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2021/10/23/ggg-spo-largest-high-school-sporting-event-in-america-held-at-desert-canyons-mountain-bike-trails/
Having fun and fighting for the win are not mutually exclusive. For some folks, they actually go hand in hand. Everyone is wired differently. That doesn’t mean having a crappy attitude when you don’t get on the podium, but nothing wrong with striving for that. I do think “how you win” is important and being paced by a parent feels like a bad way to win (and a bad example for the kid) in my opinion. I’m not a fan of “anything within the rules”, certainly not at this level.
Ok I’m gonna touch a rail here, but the thought occurred to me, why isn’t there a concern (or at least less of a concern) regarding competitiveness and fairness in boys fields? It see a lot of arguments regarding the participation of girls in sports being couched in terms of competitiveness and the possibility of winning. Why the eff aren’t we just encouraging girls to just participate for the sake of being active and not with some sort of perverse expectation of winning as a condition of participation? This is a mentality we need to get rid of in all sports and among all genders
After a couple of races and hearing the banter here, I am coming to the same conclusion. Racing gravel is dumb (and expensive).
My point is that it’s not a really a bike race in the first place unless the girls are racing head to head. Getting ranked first finisher in a certain age bracket means just that. It doesn’t mean that you raced head to head with your competition and beat them.
Gravel racing isn’t sanctioned racing divided by sex/age categories. It’s a big fun run for 99% of participants.
I could feel the same about “racing” in my old geezer age bracket but then again, I wouldn’t even know who I’m racing because the divisions are not made until after the race is done.
If you want your girls to go head to head with other girls then you’ll have to find a USA Cycling venue.
I understand the frustration. On the surface it stinks. Pro women do it and it looks stinky. Lance Armstrong brought domestiques to Leadville back in the day and that stunk because nobody else had pacers breaking the wind for them or giving them their wheel.
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I don’t think you understand team racing. Not everyone is always going for the win. If I want a teammate to have a good result in a gravel race, I can make him the protected rider, close gaps for him, keep things steady for him when the group is surging, etc. Maybe break away from the pack with him and bury myself getting a gap while he sits it. Probably not that different from what the parent is pdoing for his kid. I’m not going for the win and I may not even make it to the finish with him, I’m basically his pacer. Nobody is gonna has an issue with this if I’m in the same age/category, but that’s not how mixed fields work and people do seem to care more when it’s a man pulling a women for some reason. As an age grouper, I’ve been proudly pulled around by pro women, I honestly don’t understand the difference (both of us are optimizing our race result by latching on to a stronger rider).
But we’re making the assumption that for that family/ families, it was all about winning. Rather than consequential.
Moderator hat on: Please dial it back. There’s no need to use that tone when someone may well be unaware of something due to their particular area and/or exposure.
Comment with respect per the forum guidelines, please.
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Or the mens/masters fields. I did the Tour of Gila fondo a few years ago. After the fact I saw that I got 20th in my age bracket. If I hadn’t stopped at so many aid stations I may have got a podium. But since it was a fondo, I had no idea who I was racing in my age group. It just becomes a long time trial with the lucky assistance of the right group that makes or break your placing. That isn’t a proper bike race.
My daughter does race mountain bike for her high school. She finishes strong, the girls are supportive, fields are huge, and atmosphere is unmatched.
The Jr racing community thinks the behavior is appalling and the teams that are guilty of this and the fathers who escort them are known and spoken of by name. No one blames the girls, as they are likely doing what they are told by a father who wants his ego stroked.
- It is/was at the race in question (2023 USAC Gravel Nationals), at least in results even if it was a ‘mass start’ event.
- 2023 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships, 09/09/2023 : : my.race|result
- 2023 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships Results at road-results.com
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That wasn’t really my point and I don’t care about fondo podiums, honestly, my point is participation should be its own reward and not everything needs to be framed around the possibility of winning
I guess I’m surprised then that nationals is mass start and I’m doubly surprised one can win a national title with a coach motor pacing you around.
I don’t care either but my point is how can it even be a “race” if you don’t even know who you are racing with. It’s a race for the elites and these age groupings, after the fact, are just some information.
This attitude kills female sports. Boys are there to compete, and girls are there to “be active.” It is 2023 bro.
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