Kill the kilo! Kill it now!
Can it really be true? The UCI is considering killing the kilo (and 500 m TT for women). It's a shame that BMX can't be included without killing something, but this is a great choice. They should also get rid of pursuits and replace them with something that is not more boring than watching paint dry! In February, I held the UCI responsible for making cycling the world's most incompetently run sport, but this is a good move. At the same time, I called time trials a "buzz-kill of an Olympic sport."
There is a lot of whining from cyclists, who have forgotten long ago that it's not about them. Olympic events should be exciting to watch in person and on TV and should draw youngsters into the sport. Kilos are so boring and time-consuming for promoters that at Hellyer Park, we held them only when we had to, about once a year.
I am mystified that of all the exciting races you could hold on a velodrome in the Olympics, most track events are mind-numbing time trials. I'm sorry, but no little kid is going to watch a kilo and think it would be cool to train for. Swimming has events of similar duration, but because the swimmers can be seen competing against each other, by virtue of being in the pool at the same time, the thrill of competition is evident. Who doesn't want to swim that fast? It wouldn't look nearly as fast with just one swimmer in an empty pool. It's hard to believe that people think the madison should be eliminated, when it is actually fun to watch and recent rule changes to treat laps as points make it easier to follow.
I know time trials are supposed to be pure, and the ultimate race of truth, just athlete and the clock. The problem is that clocks are boring. The Olympics draw an audience not because we care who has the best VO2 max or greatest inheritance of fast-twitch muscle fibers, but because we want to see who comes out ahead under all the challenges of competition with other athletes: not just strength, but spirit.
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