Normandale changes

[jimmyl]

Anybody know reason why 50/50 route has been dropped for over 50s class for this year.

 

[5again]

A friend of mine emailed the ACU to ask about the rule changes, his concern being that this might adversely impact the route for the o60s.

The ACU responded (to their credit, within a couple of days) that they had received a number of comments from o50 riders saying they often find the 50/50 too difficult.

Personally I think this is the right decision, I think it will be more appealing to wider section of riders and mean better supported events, it also restores the classes to the routes they had run for several years previously, which seemed to work, and always got a result. If its too easy then more talented o50s (and o60s) can (and do) ride the o40 class. 

[hillary]

The ACU committee does listen to comments made by riders with regard to all the championship events the ACU promotes and in the case of the Normandale series, quite a few riders over 50 found that the 50/50 mix for their class, where they had to ride some hard sections and some of the easier sections, proved to be too difficult for many of them. It needs to be borne in mind that there can be a big difference between the abilities of a rider aged just over 50 and one about to turn 60.

As a member of the older category, believe me that whilst the mind may well consider that you still have the ability to tackle a particularly hard section, the body frequently finds things differently.

Of course, there is no compulsion for a rider over 50 (or 60) to ride in that class. They can ride in the Over 40 class if they so wish, as can a rider over 60 take part in the over 50 category.

But the main point is that the committee wanted to ensure that entries remained strong in all three classes and to make the series even more attractive, there is the new for 2017 Air cooled monoshock class, on the easier route, for riders of any age.

[jimmyl]

Makes sense.

Normally hear suggestion for the coming year at the last few rounds but didn't pick up on anything until the regs came out for 1st round.

The normally very useful ACU web site seem very slow to catch up this year with no full dates and no 2107 condition on there yet.  (not just Normandales )

If severity of easier route went up due to no 50/50 I had concerns for the O60 riders but if easier route is going back to Pre 2016 severity then should be ok. Back to the future as they say!!     

[hillary]

I have just sent the finalised dates to the office at Rugby and they should be on the ACU site very soon. It has taken until now to get the last few dates sorted out due to clashes, land availability and requests to change. Whilst we do not anticipate any further changes, they certainly can't be ruled out.

We like to get everything finalised before the dates are published but it has been very difficult this year due to late applications, late announcements of the FIM dates and staff changes at Rugby at a most crucial time for the Trials and Enduro committee.

There is a committee meeting very soon and once the dates have been agreed by the committee I hope to put them on this website.

[trialsash965]

So are you saying there's only two routes this year? Over 40 ride the harder route then over 50 and over 60 ride the same easier route? Thanks

[jimmyl]

1 hour ago, hillary said:

I have just sent the finalised dates to the office at Rugby and they should be on the ACU site very soon. It has taken until now to get the last few dates sorted out due to clashes, land availability and requests to change. Whilst we do not anticipate any further changes, they certainly can't be ruled out.

We like to get everything finalised before the dates are published but it has been very difficult this year due to late applications, late announcements of the FIM dates and staff changes at Rugby at a most crucial time for the Trials and Enduro committee.

There is a committee meeting very soon and once the dates have been agreed by the committee I hope to put them on this website.

Appreciate events are difficult to get sorted but would of been good to have 2107 regulations at least on there from the start of the year - 1st  round is not advertised but Mansfield later in the year is??

[turbo]

Over 50,s going back on standard route is a good move , and will keep more people happy than the few who wanted to ride 50 50 route. I do genuinely think that the series could have included a twinshock and pre65 class riding the easier route if only to generate good entry levels . Having ridden many of these rounds the section severity of the easier route is generally spot on for those classic riders who  desire a bit of a challenge . I am sure Mr average over 50/60  can mix well with Mr average twinshock /pre 65 and therefore should pose no problems ?. 

[hillary]

We have put the twin-shocks and the pre 65s into the new Classic Series (formerly Sammy Miller) but I can tell you now, hour after hour has been spent in committee discussing twin-shocks, pre 65s and youths to a point where you have to make a decision accepting that for some it will be a good decision and for others it will not. But that's the point of an 8 person committee, you throw your own opinions in, discuss them and vote on what you think is best for the sport as a whole. Nobody is suggesting that we can get it right all of the time.

The committee is a very good mix of organisers, riders and trials/enduro enthusiasts, mostly with a lifetime of experience in the sport. Those who consider the committee get it wrong are noticeable by their absence when it comes to putting their name forward to become part of the committee when posts come up for re-election every year. There was not one single applicant last November apart from those already on the committee. It takes up a vast amount of time, 10-11 meetings a year, plus stewarding at events, plus attending and holding seminars plus replying to anything up to a dozen e-mails a day plus letter writing - all voluntary. I'm not moaning, just pointing out that it isn't just a case of suggesting what you think in a quick phone call.

 

[nigel dabster]

15 hours ago, hillary said:

The ACU committee does listen to comments made by riders with regard to all the championship events the ACU promotes and in the case of the Normandale series, quite a few riders over 50 found that the 50/50 mix for their class, where they had to ride some hard sections and some of the easier sections, proved to be too difficult for many of them. It needs to be borne in mind that there can be a big difference between the abilities of a rider aged just over 50 and one about to turn 60.

As a member of the older category, believe me that whilst the mind may well consider that you still have the ability to tackle a particularly hard section, the body frequently finds things differently.

Of course, there is no compulsion for a rider over 50 (or 60) to ride in that class. They can ride in the Over 40 class if they so wish, as can a rider over 60 take part in the over 50 category.

But the main point is that the committee wanted to ensure that entries remained strong in all three classes and to make the series even more attractive, there is the new for 2017 Air cooled monoshock class, on the easier route, for riders of any age.

Mike, @hillary surely by your arguments above there is a case for better course plotting as to my mind 2 routes and 50/50 for over 50's is best?

Say a 63 y o and a just 50 are further apart than 50/59?

having spoken to a top 3 over 50 rider last week it was the events severity that was the problem last year.

And as above i also spoke to an over 50's rider who is doing the over 40 championship because he wants the challenge.

Wel done to the acu for keeping the series alive but im not sure a course for a 60 plus and 50 y o is going to work that well.

Whilst the over 60 may not be the most popular at the moment the average age of riders as we all know is increasing year on year

[gasserguy]

2 weeks until the first round and the info / regs is not on the ACU site and just get told you can ride ACM's.  All to late for many!

 

[trialsash965]

I'm over 50 riding in the over 40 class, last year was my first year riding normandales, I rode six of the rounds and must say I thought it was a cracking series with the severity of the the sections generally spot on but surly three routes are better than two? plus aren't the sections now going too be to easy for the majority of the over 50 riders?

Ps, I know it's impossible to please everyone and appreciate all the hard work done by the committee and organisers.

[rabie]

13 hours ago, hillary said:

Those who consider the committee get it wrong are noticeable by their absence when it comes to putting their name forward to become part of the committee when posts come up for re-election every year. There was not one single applicant last November apart from those already on the committee.

to go off at a tangent - ignoring the rest of thread (which is a key issue) and they key question of why rules/regs/conditions/etc couldn't be issued (even with no organisers announced)  ....

let me ask this - those of us who sit back and observe ACU politics know that once elected the position is a "job for life" (ie until you age out under "over 70" rule) - sitting candidates are almost impossible to dig out without mounting an extensive and long term political lobbying effort requiring vast nationwide contacts to get 13+ votes. Thus it looks like no one is interested but they are just avoiding the confrontation.

this analysis might lead one to a variety of conclusion to reform in a variety of (controversial) was the ACU democratic process, the committee's role, etc, etc (another discussion for anther day)

 

keep up the good work!

[breagh]

 I'm certainly no fan of age related classes. A more gemeral point I would make is that age related classes need questioned.

What's over 40s all about? Dougie just won the Scottish aged 40 (Had the cheek to take the trophy too and I'm not joking) At club level there's no  real difference when riders hit 40 probably just a bit less fit.

At 50 you are going off the boil a bit but you've really got to accept it, I imagine most of us have enough plastic trophys in the loft to add to the general clutter of our modern lives.

And frankly at over 60 you should be glad to be still riding without worrying about trivia.

Room 101 for them all   

Edited January 21, 2017 by breagh

[nigel dabster]

Im not a fan of lots of things that others choose to do but the popularity over the last decade of the normandale and the fact that lots of events including the SSDT have these classes means you are probably in the minority.

Im guessing you're not over 40? As you brought up George Orwell here is one of his quotes:-

“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”