Sprint racing.

[wyzowl]

Cycling should start a new type of sprint race to really find the greatest sprinter. It might work like this: Establish a course of five kilometers with a broad straight finish. Let one hundred proven wannabees enter, no teams. Through a series of elimination races find the ten best. They will race against each other together in a series of ten races, points given 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Two winners will be determined. The one that wins the most sprints and the one with the most points.

 

[TheBean]

Cycling has events to determine who the best sprinter is.

The racing is done on a track called a velodrome. The sport is hugely popular in some countries - not as much in others.

On the velodrome, there are many different events. One is called the "match sprint". It is an elimitation-style bracket where the winner of a contest advances and the loser is eliminated - kind of like the way a tennis bracket works. Eventually, the field is narrowed to two contestants who face off one-on-one to determine the best.

There are other events on the track that highlight a riders sprinting ability. The points race, miss and out, etc.

 

[wyzowl]

Sprint title.

As a five time state champion I am well aware of the various configurations of cycle racing.
Track racing is a whole different sport than road racing. Just as mountain biking, or cyclocross is. Road racing sprints are a contest of teams, trains and crowded roads. Many times the FASTEST rider does not win. It is very boring to watch racers ride for a hundred or so miles just to contest a last kilometer race to the finish. I believe that my suggestion would be popular and would truly prove who the faster man in cycling is.

 

[Jancouver]

Cycling should start a new type of sprint race to really find the greatest sprinter. It might work like this: Establish a course of five kilometers with a broad straight finish. Let one hundred proven wannabees enter, no teams. Through a series of elimination races find the ten best. They will race against each other together in a series of ten races, points given 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Two winners will be determined. The one that wins the most sprints and the one with the most points.

Just look at any crit racing. In my case I can enter up to five crits in one day. We get points etc. Pretty much what you are describing above. Gotta love SoCal

 

[TheBean]

It is very boring to watch racers ride for a hundred or so miles just to contest a last kilometer race to the finish.

Then don't watch. If you would rather watch a different sport, go for it.

 

[TANK91]

Then don't watch. If you would rather watch a different sport, go for it.

I no lol he now has made 2 diff threads about best MNT rider and best sprinter, why would we want to watch a 5 km race and how does that tell us who the best sprinter is? We know who the best sprinter is since 2008, what will these races prove lol.

 

[TANK91]

As a five time state champion I am well aware of the various configurations of cycle racing.
Track racing is a whole different sport than road racing. Just as mountain biking, or cyclocross is. Road racing sprints are a contest of teams, trains and crowded roads. Many times the FASTEST rider does not win. It is very boring to watch racers ride for a hundred or so miles just to contest a last kilometer race to the finish. I believe that my suggestion would be popular and would truly prove who the faster man in cycling is.

Why are you on this forum if RR is boring you, look at the TDF Greipel has beaten Cav at every Intermediate sprint, does that mean Greipel is faster? probably not.

 

[Kingsley A]

I already know who the fastest sprinter is as Jason Kenny won the Olympic sprint. Before him it was Chris Hoy with Gregory Bourge, Maximilian Levy and several others deserving honourable mentions over the intervening years.

However, I'd like to see how fast any of them can sprint after hitting the Poggio with around 290 km in their legs as well as several earlier climbs.

Their are several different discipline in cycling that all test different qualities. One of the key qualities that Road Racing tests is teamwork. If you don't like teamwork perhaps you should just focus on individual disciplines.

Chapeau to Cannondale today for superb teamwork; and even that may have been undone had Degenkolb started his sprint a little later.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

As a five time state champion I am well aware of the various configurations of cycle racing.
Track racing is a whole different sport than road racing. Just as mountain biking, or cyclocross is. Road racing sprints are a contest of teams, trains and crowded roads. Many times the FASTEST rider does not win. It is very boring to watch racers ride for a hundred or so miles just to contest a last kilometer race to the finish. I believe that my suggestion would be popular and would truly prove who the faster man in cycling is.

There already is an event to prove who the fastest man in cycling is. It's the kilo TT on the track. They have occasionally had similar in road racing - the 1km flat-out straight time trial in the Giro for example.

I hate sprint stages and fully agree with you on the worthlessness of many stages where they race for hundreds of kilometres just for the last 200m to be the only ones of importance, as many long-term users of the forum would be able to attest. However, the point is that tactics can mean a weaker rider wins. That is the beauty of road racing - a game of tactics, skill and ingenuity AS WELL AS brute strength. If we knew who the fastest man was, and because of the format of the race the others did not have a chance of beating them, then well, what then?

 

[Avionic]

At the same time as the Canadian WT races they have held the "challenge sprint pro" and there are full videos of it on the internet. It is an interesting concept that is somewhat like what you described but I doubt it could be turned into a year round success.