The Coolness of HPV Racing
The coolness of HPV racing is that it gets rid of weaker riders and negativity like you wouldn’t believe. It’s like a TT in that respect. Only because of fairings you can still have a field start! You can ride right near each other and have only your strength and tactical decision keeping you there…sucking need not apply, can not even.
People diss TTing too much. Say it’s boring. Well, at certain times it certainly isn’t. It’s as exciting as ones mental discipline allows. Now maybe it isn’t that cool to watch. —But that’s not so either: when the riders are near each other, it can get cool. This is also when it’s easiest for riders to hit their mental psyche peak.
When you’re near someone, gaining or being caught, it’s common to find a LOT more speed and motivation available. The best TTers have that the whole time, but it’s way hard for mere mortals. Still, everyone can get psyched by a duel even in a TT. So a TT can be cool.
Here’s something that folks don’t always realize: the front riders in a crit or any race are riding quite a bit like they were in a TT. There are no negative group dynamics for leaders who are working together, not in corners or anywhere else. However, there is still a lot of drafting. Except when it’s the max glorious situation of a FLYER, then it’s pure TT action at its peak.
I’m just trying to illustrate that TT is cool, that negativity mainly creeps in due to drafting potential. It’s the only leverage riders have on each other. And that HPV racing offers the best of both worlds: Group proximity and POSITIVE tactics combined with the heroic action of TT.
(Of course you don’t get as much ‘thundering herd’ that the spectators love, but the front-runners in any race aren’t much of a thundering herd. The suckers do most of the entertaining of a non-TT nature.)
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