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attn: expert enduro riders
After consultation with the MNZ Enduro Commissioner and the Central Series Coordinator,I have come to the following decision.
Steward of the day, Murray Searle
On the day of the enduro checks 2 and 4 (the same check location) were opened 8 minutes early. This was rectified on the day, and this modification is why some people have been confused about the difference between the trail time they thought they had accrued and what was shown in the results.
In addition to this Checks 2 and 4 have now been totally zeroed for experts only (see the stewards note above.)
I also have an opinion about the day. Please note that this is not an 'official' point of view, but merely my own opinion. In my own half-cocked way I may be totally off-base and would love to hear counter-arguments but here goes anyway:
This season seems to have a bad reputation out of all proportion to the few problems encountered. Complaints have been made that: tracks are not marked properly; times are not set correctly; the timing isn't good enough; the terrain tests are too long, or too short, or too dangerous; the rules arn't followed closely enough, etc...
The reality is that enduros are as good today as they have ever been. Maybe even better. Terrain tests used to be discarded as a matter of course and if I had a dollar for every time I heard someone moan about arrowing or some course problem I'd be a rich man.
In the past (my experience only goes back ten years, so I mean the recent past) there seemed to be one of two possibilities if things didn't go your way:
OK, that doesn't sound ideal but compare it with the situation we have now, taking Pahiatua as an example. Despite all the unhappiness no-one officially protested, yet everyone had an opinion, some of them quite strong. No terrain tests were thrown out and the problem with the checks opening early was easily sorted after the event. The one rule of enduroes (cf with the Aussie 4-day and the 6-days) seems to be that you soldier on through the problems of the day and then sort it out at the end.
And, despite various comments about poor arrowing, most people managed to find their way around the loop the first time, and then should have had no problems.
Does this mean there have been no problems this year? No. Does this mean things can't be done better? No, of course not. At Pahiatua there were a number of simple things that, in retrospect, could have been done better. These points have been noted.
But enduros are, by there very nature, complicated events to run. They cover a lot of ground and require a small army of capable people to run. There are a lot of small details that experienced organisers attend to almost as a matter of course. And even then it is sometimes hard to cover all the bases.
For instance, you get more rain over 48 hours before the event then you've had in the past year and the easily ridable track becomes an impassable bike-swallowing bog. Or someone crashes into a carefully placed sign and makes it extremely difficult for those following to know where to go. Or, by having to attend to an accident, several key people are removed from the on-day decision making process just when they're needed. Or a farmer (or a rider) opens the wrong gate at the wrong time. Or maybe the people who are running the event just don't have quite enough time and/or are working with relatively inexperienced people.
The point is that problems have happened in the past, and problems will happen in the future. What has changed is how these problems are perceived, and how they are then dealt with. Some riders and supporters seem to have developed a sense of entitlement; a preciousness if you like. (OK, we're all competitive, and we all spend money, some more than others, traveling the country to ride these events. There is a lot at stake and, when things go wrong, it is only natural to be upset and to want to find some form of redress, if possible. But what seems to be happening is something more than this...) If things don't go their way then they will complain long and hard, based on the premise that a) they are the most important person(s) in NZ enduro and/or b) the ones who complain the loudest get what they want.
And this is pretty much what is happening. And so, while we'll all be really careful to try and get the next few events right, problems will still happen. And as it becomes obvious that militantly defending ones position usually brings a positive result more and more people will get more and more strident. And we'll continue having events where, whatever decisions are made, half the field will feel disadvantaged.
Does this mean people should calmly accept whatever is thrown at them during an event? No. This is what riders reps and stewards are for. Raise the issue(s) on the day and argue your point(s) as long and as hard as you want but, once a decision has been made, then move on.
Does this mean that organisers, both event and series, shouldn't be held accountable when things do go wrong? No. They do need to stand up and take the bad with the good. We all need to be on some sort of continuous improvement continuum where criticisms and comments are listened to and, if there is something that can be rectified, procedures should be put in place to make sure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again. And then we'll end up with an encyclopedia of suggestions and procedures that no-one will read and that would struggle to unambiguously cover every contingency anyway.
Looking at it like this the old way of doing things doesn't seem so bad after all. Best efforts all round and then move on. We're supposed to be here for a good time. Harden up. :-)
P.S. There's no-one riding enduros who doesn't belong. If anyone gets the huff and decides its not worth it then they will be missed. There's no two ways around it. I think of all of you as my friends and hope to see you all at the next event. This isn't meant as an attack on anyone, however you may feel that I am getting at you personally. This is a not about one upset rider or one particular problem. It is more about a trend that will, if it continues, damage the sport. Think about it.
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