[NCNCA] NCVA Re: How to kill junior racing in the USA

[Les Earnest]

I believe that you will not find any scientific studies of the 
effectiveness of junior gearing. There has been ample time inasmuch 
as this was a hot issue 30 years ago when I and others pointed out 
that junior gearing were apparently based on an old coaches tale and 
recommended that it be subjected to testing. That didn't happen, of course.

We got the rule loosened up after an incident involving Greg Lemond, 
when he was a junior and entered the elite event at the Butterfly 
Criterium in Pacific Grove in 1978. Under the rules, he had to use 
junior gears but we noticed that his cadence was about the same as 
the other riders in the race. Greg finished 2nd but as chief referee 
I had to ask him for his bike at the end for a gear check. Greg 
promptly said "Never mind, it's illegal!" I had to disqualify him but 
when that was announced on the PA system the crowd reactions was such 
that I thought I might be lunched.

I was embarrassed by having to enforce a rule that I didn't believe 
in but I knew that the USCF board of directors were going to meet in 
a couple of weeks so I drafted a rule change that would allow juniors 
to compete without gear restrictions in senior events. I got Greg and 
his dad to endorse it and the board saw it our way. That change came 
to be called the "Lemond Rule." A few years later all junior gear 
restrictions were eliminated for awhile.

Of course that was later reversed, still based on no evidence, but 
the Lemond Rule was still in place. However the new rule change 
reverses that and again "puts juniors in their place," just as before 
1978. Meanwhile the old coaches continue to babble but are unwilling 
to put their theories to a test.

         -Les Earnest

At 08:44 PM 1/8/2007, Linelle Northcott wrote:
>I would be curious if you have any medical research done
>on gears and juniors.  From what I've seen, read, researched
>(which is NOT medically extensive) gearing does not dramatically
>impact a juniors development.
>
>Can you site medical info other than your personal experience
>(which I DO NOT discount).