In the Wake of the AMP

By O9Man
On May 4th 2008 the AMP SuperCrit, the first road race of the BNS road series, was supposed to be held in Shubenacadie. The race was cancelled in a fog of controversy. I had hoped to wrangle Andrew "Cyclesmith" Feenstra, the race host, into a quick and heated interview that would cause a commotion in the community like no other. After all, what gets more attention than controversy? However, Feenstra was both professional and considerate and he suggested we let things cool down before we approached the subject. Even still we only brushed on the cancellation, and instead looked at the broad spectrum of racing in Nova Scotia.

O9Man: How many years has Cyclesmith been hosting races? In that time how many races have been successfully delivered?

Cyclesmith: We have been organizing events since 1986 - 22 years. Our Duathlon is one of the longest running du's in Canada. In my humble opinion, every one of the events have been successful at some level or another. We always try to learn from our mistakes, and make the event as best as possible for the participants. Similarly to the way we run our business, the participants are clients, and they are looking for good value for their dollar, and we have always organized our events this way. That's why some of the largest cycling events in Atlantic Canada are Cyclesmith events. We organized 8 hours of Gore for 5 years, and at it's peak we had 500 participants!

O9: This year's AMP Circuit was your first cancellation, how has the public i.e. the racers received the cancellation?

CS: It certainly wasn't an easy thing to do. I have been organizing so many events and this was the first one I have ever canceled. There were a lot of people anticipating the event, and I feel that we let them down. Most people were understanding, especially after most of the reasons why we had to cancel it were publicly released.

O9: How many racers were you expecting?

CS: I would imagine between 50 - 75.

O9: The buzz around the racing scene is that there was a conflict with the commissaires and the race organizers with respect to how many were required and what was expected of them.

CS: There were a few factors, but ultimately it came down to the inability of the Chief Commissaire to provide accurate and timely results. The 2007 event was used as a practical component for a commissaire course, and the results in two categories were done wrong. There we 57 participants, largest field was 13, the course is easily visible from the start / finish area, and there is hardly a finish that has more then a few people sprinting.

One would think that this is very basic to do, but for some reason the Chief Commissaire was unable to provide accurate and timely results. The question arises, what are they there for?

O9: First of all, in a few words, what is a commissaire? (A lot of folks don't know!)

CS:The commissaire is the race official. They are there to make sure the course is safe, the rules are followed and the race is fair for all participants. Each Province has a bit different role for the commissaire, based on how many participants, and what the organizer and PSO has provided.

O9: Are we in trouble here in NS?

CS:Cycling is doing amazing in the province! There is more going on then ever before. There are more bike friendly safe areas across the Province. We have more advocacy groups popping up everywhere. Finally people are stepping up after so many years of in activity. Cycling is a great form of transportation, is great for the health, and its green. What else could one ask for? I applaud all the new people, and of course the "old timers" involved in cycling in the province, no matter at what level. Its all for two wheels!

As for the racing scene, things are at a cross roads. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, and I could write a book on how to fix it, but I doubt many people are ready for the changes. Unfortunately the sport has burned out a lot of really good people, like most "fringe" sports, and without a good group of volunteers, the sport will continue to float along.

O9: What needs to be done by racers, organizers and BNS officials?

CS: Way too many things. I think a good, honest round table discussion of all the key people in the sport in the Province needs to happen, so a direction can be created and then chart that course.

O9: Could you quickly describe how the points series works?

CS: Each series is run a bit different, but typically you gain points based on results at a race, and the points are used to tabulate an overall result of the series from predetermined races.

O9:How important are points series races locally with respect to the national scene?

CS: Everyone races for a different reason. Some do race for points towards the series, others just for fun. The point series gives a goal for someone to race towards, to compare themselves to others in the series. The local series doesn't have much impact on the National scene. Some results of events are used for selection to other bigger events.

O9: In MTB, it seems that the non-point series races / events are generating the best turnouts. Are there any non-point series road races / events that are equivalent to GORE, Four Hours of French Fort Cove or the Woolastook 5?

CS: I think people just want to have fun riding their MTB's. If they find an event that is a good value for dollar, is a good course, and well organized, more people will come. As (the former) organizer of still the largest cycling race in Atlantic Canada, 8 Hours of Gore, which has been since copied, we offered an excellent course, excellent prizes, and great value for the dollar. Everyone left with something. We constantly were working to make the product better. That's what people are looking for, no matter if its a bike race or their local grocery store.

Even with the cancellation of the AMP SuperCrit, a group of renegade roadies met on Waverly Road to hammer it out on a sizable group ride. It was quite a disappointment for them to be without their race, but it was a decent consolation to have what would likely be the best group ride of the year. I managed to snap a few shots of them as they belted through Waverly. A police officer asked me to tell them not to ride two wide so that cars could pass safely. I informed the officer that once they got around the corner the cars wouldn't be passing them.

It seems as though we don't need to push the panic button yet. If Feenstra is right, cycling is doing just fine.

Posted by O9man at June 2, 2008 04:40 PM

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