Why doesn't the US hold Olympic trials for ITT?

[robert_c]

It seems to me the easiest way to determine the fastest rider. Pick a course that resembles the Olympic course and the winner goes to the Olympics. Dave Z should have a chance at the spot. If Phinney beats him, then all's fair, but choosing Taylor because of his dad seems to go against the Olympic spirit.

Does your country hold trials for the ITT?

 

[screaming fist]

Zabriskie asked to not be considered.
End of story.

 

[robert_c]

End of Zabriskie story, sure, but that wasn't my question.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Nah, the thread is dead, let it go with dignity.

 

[orangerider]

Wouldn't work well in terms of planning and making a spectacle of it. Non-arena sport are costly and difficult to plan. Road race would require closing off roads, a huge pain and you wouldn't be able to make any real money off of it since nobody will pay to watch on the side of the road versus getting stadium tickets to a track event, as a comparison. Also, many proriders just wouldn't show up because of scheduling conflicts, so you wouldn't be sending the best to the games.

 

[maxmartin]

It seems to me the easiest way to determine the fastest rider. Pick a course that resembles the Olympic course and the winner goes to the Olympics. Dave Z should have a chance at the spot. If Phinney beats him, then all's fair, but choosing Taylor because of his dad seems to go against the Olympic spirit.

Does your country hold trials for the ITT?

also not many people are interested in competing in ITT, so it does not make sense to close the road for almost a day just for a few people.

 

[Ragerod]

Cost and difficulty planning are easily gotten around, they would simply use the national tt championships to decide it.

It's simply brutal. The Jamaicans have a first three past the post system for the 100m. In other words Usain Bolt still hasn't qualified for the Olympics and if he flinches a fraction too soon he won't be going. (Watch the first 15 minutes of Cool Runnings and see that scenario played out).

That's just the 100m where the number of variables are relatively few, over 40km there are so many that the strongest might not win because of a mechanical or an accident or illness.

Usually a federation will pick the guy with the best chance of winning a medal. Occasionally you get vindictive idiots (see the Aaron Cook situation) but that's a small price to pay for the freedom to pick whoever they want and usually that person has proven themselves otherwise they wouldn't even be considered.

 

[ElChingon]

Because other than being a factor in stage racing which actually involves several race types, racing it alone is boring as hell. Sure its an Olympic event but does it really mean much? Nope. At this rate they'll have a road sprint off and a climb off event...

SERENITY NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MonteZoncolan]

many good answers to a reasonable question. Cheers, from another newbie to the forum.

Save for the first two replies that is.

 

[kurtinsc]

Isn't form also an issue?

If you peak for the trials, wouldn't that make it tougher to peak for the actual race in the Olympics?


I always thought that swimming should not use Olympic trials. Instead they should pick a series of qualifying events and whatever two individuals have the fastest times in each event get on the team. I remember one year when the world record holder in the womens 400 IM got disqualified in the US Olympic trials on a very borderline call on a turn.

She had set the world record a few months eariler. Fastest in the world... but not at the olympics.

In fact... I've always thought that country shouldn't be a factor in the olympics for the top competitors. Take the best 25 times from a series of 5-6 qualifying events and they all get in no matter how many come from each country. Any country that doesn't have at least one in an event can bring their fastest if they meet a minimum qualifying time. If 20 of the 25 fastest in the 200 butterfly are from the US... then let them all compete. I want to see the best compete... not the best 2 from each country.

 

[Jericho]

It's simply brutal. The Jamaicans have a first three past the post system for the 100m. In other words Usain Bolt still hasn't qualified for the Olympics and if he flinches a fraction too soon he won't be going. (Watch the first 15 minutes of Cool Runnings and see that scenario played out).

Not entirely true. At times, Jamaicans have placed people outside the top 3 in the Olympics. The most recent example I can remember is Merlene Ottey. You can read the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlene_Ottey concerning the 2000 games (4th in trials, politic'd her way onto the team and finished 4th in the finals, which later became 3rd when Marion Jones was eventually stripped of her medals).

The US does have a pretty pure qualification system for track. I can't recall anyone being granted an exception, at least in recent memory.