Ref: Road / PH

Tobago Cycling Classic Edition 2012

Dear Mr. Charles,

I would like to start this report by congratulating you and your team for the tremendous progress made from the 2011 edition.

Although there is still room for improvements, this edition was much closer to the UCI standards than the last one.

The major improvements:

1. The finish line on Milford road was closed to the traffic for the finish of the participants. This made a huge difference in the security of everyone and in the perception of the event for observers and media.
2. The course was marked with arrows and paint.
3. There were marshals with flags to signal the difficult sections of the course. These warnings signal were very important for the security of the athletes.
4. There were radios for the race.
5. The results were quick and then the protocol could be done in an appropriate time frame.
6. The racing numbers (pocket and helmet) were made to satisfy the requirements..
7. There was a considerable effort made to repair the damages on the roads.
8. There were more UCI Continental teams participating in the event.
9. We had a very dedicated and professional crew from ESPN. They were very easy to work with and came with impressive number of personnel.

I don’t want to repeat what the Chief Commissaire will point out on her report so I will focus on some technical issues that need to be addressed for the 2013 edition.

1. On Milford Road, we will need some barriers there in addition of the caution tape.
2. The race should start at 8.00 am for a cooler temperature in the most difficult sections.
3. The radio communication was cut from time to time in the valleys and some time the distance between the lead group and the rest of the race made the communication impossible. Now, with this first experience, the person in charge of the radio system has a better understanding of what a bicycle race is and will adjust the system for next year. Our suggestion is to have a repeater into the race caravan. I am confident that next year, the radio communication will be better.
4. We need to organize the neutral support with spare wheels and not count on teams to supply them. And use the neutral support vehicles for neutral feeding as well.
5.  From Charlotteville to the finish, as the race is really split of, the police escort is essential. We lost partially this protection when a police officer went down and then a second one came backward to look after him. With the incoming traffic, it was quite scary.
6. The registration of the teams must be done according to the UCI rules; many teams thought they could bend the rules in their favour. We must keep saying the same message to everyone: this is UCI 1.2 race!
7. We do appreciate the work done by the Public Works and WASA to repair the roads but we must keep doing more repairs for next year. A course inspection a few weeks before will be necessary to point out the repairs to be done.
8. More attention should be made for the media exposure. I am writing this report on Monday October 8^th and I cannot find any results or photos into cyclingnews.com. It’s a must to hire an experienced person for media communication outside the island.  The island is so picturesque that it’s a shame not to see any photos on the cycling web sites. The event needs to attract more teams and must be present on the main cycling web sites.

Some important legacy from the 2012 edition:

1. Thanks to Dorothy Abbott’s hard work and dedication, we do have now a much more comprehensive Technical Guide with the course logs and the detailed information as expected in a UCI race Technical guide. This will be very useful for next edition if, as I believe, the course remains the same.
2. The course signs and arrows are now produced and will be used again next year.

At the cocktail reception on Friday evening, we could see that the Tobago Cycling Classic has a very strong support from several sources and the ESPN coverage very much appreciated. With this kind of support, the race will go a long way and will be better year after year.

It was a pleasure to see the event growing in stature; the race series format was well appreciated by the foreign teams and we should keep it. It’s more and more a festival of speed! I will continue to work closely with you to ensure progress for the next edition if the safety concerns are well taken care of.

Best regards,

Pierre Hutsebaut

America Tour adviser
c.c  Dorothy Abbott, Chief Official 2012

Pros

• The level of organization and participation was very commendable
• The choice of venues for the events, in particular the Plymouth and Scarborough courses, were ideal for spectator enjoyment and involvement
• The social events that fostered camaraderie among participants and their supporters were well organized and enjoyable
• Inclusion of events that promote local participation, especially for the youths was commendable
• The event ran smoothly, showing the foreigners that Trinidad and Tobago can produce a professional event
• To take part in an event such as the Tobago Classic 2012 was an honour for NGC’s riders. To be among professional riders, have conversations with them and hear their stories was memorable for our cyclists
• Indeed Tobago Classic 2012 felt like a big event on a small island

Cons

• Coordination with local authorities (THA, Police, etc.) to ensure all routes are safe for cyclists and spectators alike can be improved. When a particular circuit is identified for staging the race event, better preparation of the circuit to make it race ready needs to be done. Sweeping of the road with the automated broom trucks to remove broken glass and other debris which not only contributed to many tyre punctures, but could also be dangerous in crashes, falling on broken glass etc.
• Training of Tobago Police outriders so they don’t become a hazard to racers is essential, particularly in the high speed, short-course criterium races
• Record keeping by officials can be improved so that official results are more accurate, and minimize possible conflicts/confrontations between officials and racers

Suggestions

• Barricade Start/Finish areas, at the very least, to control the movement of people across the course and reduce the incidents of pedestrians crossing the path of fast moving racers
• Greater promotion of the event, maybe doing school/community outreach in the weeks prior to the event to improve participation, at both the cyclist and spectator levels
• Better categorizing of riders for placement results could have been done. It’s not fair game to have over 50 year olds competing against 30 year olds. The playing field was not level in that regard

Best Regards
Lisa Burkette
National Gas Company of Trinidad & Tobago

The beauty of Tobago impressed the team and myself. Most of us were the first time in the Caribbean and I’ve already heard some voices we want to come again to Tobago. As an athlete or as a supporter. Outside of racing days we could enjoy the beautiful beaches and the warm Caribbean Sea. Some of us have taken part in a guided tour of the rainforest. In short, it was fantastic days in Tobago.

The bike race was a great experience for us and a great variety to the races in Europe. In Tobago, it was important to always be highly focused on the road, because the road conditions were technically difficult at some places and also the heat demanded all from the athletes.

A highlight for us was Road-Kerein with the second, third and fifth place and also the 8th strong place in the UCI 1.2 race under the presence of UCI chief Pat Mcquaid.

We enjoyed the races with all its hardships and have returned with a good and contented feeling to Germany. I am sure that we will keep the Tobago Cycling Classic 2012 in good memories and hope to participate again in the season 2013th.

Thank you Jeff and best regards from the now cool Germany

Jan Fahl
Manager – Team VINER Donaueschingen
Germany

2012 was Team Rio Grande’s second time making the trek down to Tobago and my third time as a rider. The Tour of Tobago has become for us a fun and exciting way to finish the season. Nowhere else have I experienced an event where you can do insanely hard racing in the morning and then sit on an absolutely gorgeous beach in the afternoon.

Too many races nowadays are about hanging out in the field all day then racing hard for the final 10-20 minutes. I personally love the Tour of Tobago because there is no hiding in this race. It tests every side of a rider’s ability. The first day is all about strategy. The second day and the UCI race are a true test of a rider’s metal with huge climbs, killer descents and a course that’s going to shatter the field. Only the strongest survive. And finally there are tough Crits to test the sprinters in the race. The race has a bit of everything.

One of my favorite moments this year was listening to a few of the top Pros joke “where are all these climbs everyone’s talking about” on the first day. After Stage 1, they thought the race was going to be easy. The next day I watched those same top Pros shoot out of the back of the field and drop out of the race. They found those climbs everyone was talking about…

Jeff Charles has put together a race that’s exciting, challenging, and not for the faint of heart. I’ve been told this word is overused in cycling, but I’ll still say this is a race that deserves the moniker “epic.” I say the same thing every year: this is the craziest race I’ve ever done. I can’t wait to come back next year!

Trevor Connor
Manager
Team Rio Grande
Colorado, USA

Tobago International Cycling Classic 2012 Photo Album 2… Day 5 & Day 6

Cycling Classic Race 4, Saturady Prize Giving, UCI Tour of Tobago & Pigeon Point Beach Pinic.

http://s1304.photobucket.com/albums/s522/Charlo57/Tobago%20International%20Cycling%20Classic%202012/

Tobago International Cycling Classic 2012 Photo Album 1… Day 1 to Day 4.
Openig Ceremony & Cycling Classic Race 1, 2 & 3
http://s1304.photobucket.com/albums/s522/Charlo57/