Excellent Adventure?

There was a mountain bike race in Idaho City this weekend, The Idaho City Excellent Adventure. Now I am no mountain bike racer, or even mountain biker – but this event drew my attention because it features a LeMans style start.

I didn’t know what that meant either. I do now though. Everyone lays their bikes on the ground then lines up on foot some distance away. When the race starts everyone runs like hell to their bike then hops on and starts racing. To make it better all the categories start at once, yep, yellow jacket guy lines up next to skinsuit guy. I bet skinsuit guy loves that.

It may just be me, but this seems like a bad idea on many levels. First and foremost – the Lemans start makes it almost a certainty that someone will be running and wearing spandex at the same time, which just shouldn’t be done. I have heebeegeebees just thinking about it. Ugh.

One the other hand, it could be an opportunity. I could go and lay down the piece of crap Fuji that I ran into the garage door 20 years ago, and at the start pick up some ones else’s sweet new bike. Then I could hop on and ride like I stole it – because I did. That couldn’t be an original thought. Surely they have some sort of security. Nah, probably not.

I am really not sure why you would want to have a start like that. It’s like steeplechase, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s like eating raw onions at the office. I mean really, why?