I would agree that it is a little "early" for a criterium championship.
However (as Joel points out), it is not always a matter of what is most
convenient for the athletes(although it should be). It is more about what
we can realistically manage with limited resources.

Gene Dixon -- Athens Promoter -- has long been a supporter of handcycling.
YES, there has been a few problems at the Athens event in the past. However,
Gene is committed to providing a quality event for wheelchair athletes,
and he approached us about holding the Natz. in Athens this year. He assures
me that it will be an awesome event and he will not have some of the "snafus"
it has had in years past.

Despite the timing of the event, it was a no-brainer as the National Criterium
Championships. It's a great event, good course, with 25,000 fans. I'm sure
we would also get complaints about having it later in the year, but at a
smaller venue. BTW, I would NOT have agreed to have the RR & TT Nationals
this early.

Re: Road Race & TT Nationals. The USHF will not manage these events this
year. Why ? Because the U.S. Paralympics (a new division of the USOC) says
they can do it better and has "taken it" from us. Although........the event
they scheduled for the Nationals/Pan Am Games in NYC (8/1-8/2) has just
been cancelled. I'm not sure why, or if it has been rescheduled. We'll try
to keep you posted as we find out more information (although information
from the U.S. Paralympics does not often flow our direction).

-- IL


>-- Original Message --
>To: handcycling@yahoogroups.com
>From: mkbond007@...
>Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 21:39:17 EDT
>Subject: Re: [handcycling] Upcoming Races and Camp
>Reply-To: handcycling@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>What about the CO race. Isn't there a crit there? Aren't we having a

>training camp before? Aren't there three races that will draw from all
>over
>the state of CO and the West? I know that the Twilight crit is a great
>
>race, and we have always been treated well there but this is april. It
>
>doesn't make any sense to have a National Championship this soon in the

>season. I am all for July and August and not April
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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