Mass Start Pursuit is Boring: Bring back the 2-day Pursuit -- UPDATED!

By Rob Whitney & Ian Case
Published: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:48 AM MST
Updated: Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:28 AM MST

Note: The opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of Rob Whitney and Ian Case. They do not neccessarily reflect the view of Fasterskier.com as an entity. Enjoy!

Swedish Skidsport.com has started a petition in an attempt to eliminate the mass start in pursuit and other long races that the World Cup has been favoring the last few years. Over 1000 fans in Sapporo have signed a petition with hundreds more signing on every day. Scandinavian news reports that Swedish and Norweigian TV viewers have been bored out-of-their minds watching cross country racers ski in a group for 99% of the race with lousy tempo, and then a furious sprint the last 200 meters!

2006 Torino Olympics 50km Mass Start Freestyle. Photo by Sharbel Dussault.


Good ole’ excitement was watching Bjorn Daehlie kicking everyone’s backside by 30 seconds in the first day 10km classic, and then by another minute in the second day 15k skate event of the old-style pursuit! (and he did it in multiple races, over and over again! ..and not to mention INSPIRING!) Or, Anders Aukland pulling away from DiCenta (or whomever it was), without any kick left on his skis on the last long climb of the Marcialonga the year FIS made it a World Cup event! How is this less exciting? Take a mountain stage in the Tour de France….things actually happen and athletes split apart. A flat Tour stage is boring, until the very end when someone ‘amazingly’ wins by 0.3 seconds….everyone basically went as fast as everyone else…in a 5+ hour race. Be it biking or skiing, one really doesn’t need to watch the first 99% of the race because it is completely uninteresting!

Why not bring the old 2-day pursuit back as well as more long individual start races? If people want to see a bunch of 200 meter sprints, why put the 29.8 km in front of the racers in the first place? Save your time and money on tickets and just attend the individual sprint race and the sprint relay race.




Women's mass-start pursuit in Torino. Photo by Sharbel Dussault.


So what is better: mass-start or individual start races? Or was the old 2-day pursuit better than today’s continuous/rolling pursuit? Would XC skiing be better off with the old 2-day pursuit run as a same-day event (as in the 2002 Olympics), with say, a 3-hour break between the classic and skate techniques?

Now, perhaps some of you who are not die-hard race addicts and are getting a bit confused with all this technical jargon. That’s OK. Here’s some fill-in info for you: The old 2-day pursuit used an individual start classic race to determine the start order of the second day skate race. If an athlete won the classic race by 10 seconds, then that same racer started the skate race 10 seconds ahead of the # 2 racer and so on down the line. It seems like the main problem with this format was that medals were awarded for the classic part and for the final skate/pursuit part. Some skiers entered the classic race, medaled and then “skipped” the second day skate race. The simple solution to this would be to not award classic medals – only a pursuit medal. On the other hand, it could be argued that it would be more fair to give the stronger classic skiers the same number of chances at medals as the stronger freestyle skiers, by awarding medals for both days as in the past.

It seems like the (Scandinavian) feelings are the same for 30km and 50km mass start events like the upcoming classic 30/50km mass start coming up in Sapporo. Now, there are those who tend to disregard traditionalists as being sticks in the mud unwilling to accept any change (remember the Scandinavian protests when Koch started using skate techniques… and winning.) But, isn’t there some point at which too many format changes result in the sport losing identity? Furthermore, if the format changes result in the competitions becoming games of chance to a large degree rather than a relatively fair test of ability, then how deep an interest can fans (from any country) maintain?

Realistically, one might doubt whether a petition is going to change the FIS Big-Wig’s reasoning in planning race events, but maybe it can at least start some dialogue. They seem to be convinced that the new formats are what will make the sport good for TV, but is this really even true? What is this…an obese person’s, beer guzzling sport like Nascar racing? The majority of viewers of skiing are the complete antithesis of a sedentary Nascar fan. (well, they do 12oz curls quite well….) There have been lots of changes in the XC skiing world: sprints have developed and are quite interesting to watch, but at the same time the longer races have transformed into mass starts. The reason it has changed is because some TV companies think that a 50km race with individual starts takes too much air time. They also believe that the viewers do not understand interval starts. Is this really true?




2006 Torino Olympics: Mass Start 30km. Photo by Sharbel Dussault.


Maybe new rules should be instigated if FIS really wants to continue with the mass start pursuit event. Here are a few:
1. Courses should be narrowed to no more than 2 meters wide except at the start and finish, such that no passing can occur during the race until the final 200m, guaranteeing not only a fantastically exciting sprint finish, but a grand pile-up after the first 100m double pole start.
2. All athletes’ skate skis and poles will be placed in a single large pile in the middle of the stadium and skiers will have to race each other digging through to find their skate equipment during the changeover. Tackling and deliberate breaking of other people’s equipment will be allowed only in the exchange zone, adding a biathlon-like “sudden-death” aspect to the race where one can quickly go from leading the race to being hopelessly out of contention in a matter of 30 seconds.
3. Instead of changing techniques only once, skiers will have six technique/equipment changes throughout the race, including snowboard, tele-skis, hula-dancing and backwards-only double poling with downhill poles.
4. Anyone that makes it more than 2km without crashing or breaking any of their own equipment will be awarded a “First Down” and all racers will have to stop skiing, move over, and wait while said competitor catches up to the front of the pack. But, if they are already at the front of the pack, then the race will be extended by an extra 500 meters. Meanwhile, using chip timing, 15-second time bonuses will be awarded every 5km to whichever racer receives the highest number of cell-phone text-messaged votes from spectators and TV viewers. Ryan Seacrest will keep TV audiences appraised of the actual composite time-bonus-adjusted placings throughout the race, and final votes at the end of the race will be subtracted from the respective skier’s time in .5-second increments. Logical? Yeah. Fair? You bet. And, who could argue that more American viewers wouldn’t find the sport more interesting and exciting this way!

Interested in signing an Ipetition? Sign on on this link:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-massstart/


For additional information, please visit: www.skidsport.com

 

 

Reader Comments - Add Your Own Comment

Gilles Ducret - Fessy, NULL, posted on Feb 28, 2007 I agree, there is less suspens in the mass start races than in the gudersen pursuit. I think they did that to try to be more attractive for the tv show but all the race is under control. I remember that during the Olympics the french tv speaker said that the mass start was very good because very beautiful to see. But this is true for the technical aspect, not for the suspense (in France we almost never get cross country skiing on the major channels). But the gundersen style is very beautiful to see on tv too. Is there a way we could sign this, but in a "readable way" (I don't speak sweedish or norvegian). Is it possible to get this in english? John Caldwell - Putney, VT, posted on Feb 28, 2007 You authors want to be careful about those recommendations. The FIS (and TV) might seriously consider them. John Caldwell Mike Trecker - Aspen, CO, posted on Feb 28, 2007 The World Cup mass starts are quite boring, the World Loppets somewhat less so. The extra distance of the Loppets seems to bring more tactics, plus the FIS teams are a little more willing to play the "team" game. If Italy, Norway and Germany would send some "domestiques" off the front and really put the race under pressure, maybe some excitement would unfold. However, in the pursuit, we read about the Germans "controlling" the front instead, in essence, trying to keep the race together instead of blowing it up. This is because Teichman, Angerer and the rest all want the chance at medals, not a designated "team leader". In addition, the team tactics that I speak of, have it's own problems in Nordic racing with it's own set of glaring controversies. Cycling tactics are fine in Nordic racing, but do we really want it all the time? I think the best solution is to bring back the two day pursuit and to designate the 30/50k races back to individual start. How epic it is to participate in or even to win the 50k individual start, the grandaddy of all Nordic events! A 50k mass start win pales in comparison. You also raise the point of TV coverage. The European viewers are knowledgable and savvy and will soon figure out that they could be taking care of some house chores for the first hour of a 30 or 50k and not watch the broadcast. However, if the race is individual start, the viewer needs to pay attention to the split times on the screen from the beginning to stay informed. Bring back the 2-day pursuit and individual start 30/50k please. Keep the Tour de Ski though, this is a great event with much potential. John Caldwell - Putney, VT, posted on Feb 28, 2007 I have another idea on this mass start fiasco. If the fans (and racers and coaches) don't like this format, perhaps they could be encouraged to boo the racers as they lapped their way through the stadiums (presumably creating excitement) at a touring pace, all bunched together. BORING is correct! I'm not sure the fans in Lahti, Falun and Oslo (where the next big races are) could be persuaded to do this, but it's worth a try. Gene Goldenfeld - Minneapolis, MN, posted on Feb 28, 2007 Proponents of the petition have failed to note that so far mass starts have been a problem with the men's races, not the women's, where break-away groups or individuals invariably develop. Presumably, FIS Cross-Country leaders are trying to deal with the problem of making the sport more appealing to a wider audience of viewers, most of whom are used to watching mass starts in other sports (how many other sports use interval starts?). Wider audiences mean more official support, more sponsors and more money for the skiers. While there is probably a nostalgic element to the petition, were there regularly break aways among the men I doubt it would get much notice. Someone elsewhere noted that the skiers themselves apparently haven't felt strongly enough to raise a ruckus about it, unlike for example women tennis players did for years at Wimbledon over the unequal pay (finally corrected this year). Perhaps that's because they also feel tugged in both directions, or because it's opened the way for a wider group of men to make the podium or finish in the top 10. Both individual and mass start types of competitions have their merits, but parity among the men is so great - or is it psychological? - that the newer format has proven counterproductive. The authors' tongue-in-cheek list is an indication of the quandry. Heidi Henkel - Brattleboro, VT, posted on Feb 28, 2007 I think that trying to change the sport to be suppposedly more attractive to spectators at the expense of having the sport be good for athletes, is a mistake. Lets face it, most of the spectators ARE athletes, and they know what is a good race and what is not. Touring for 50K in a pack is not. Also think of it in terms of a relationship. Would changing your life in a way that does not make you happy, make you more attractive to someone else? Probably not really. Mass starts, on the local level, often end up so that some people just get trampled or boxed in, and never get to actually ski at their own race pace, during the race. Mass starts should at least be reserved for courses that can actually handle it. I have started to avoid local mass starts in order to get a higher percent of my races where I actually get to ski. I really like how a 2-separate-part pursuit can be an awesome way to make a safe, fun, AND exciting race on a narrow, old-style trail system. It is a clever use of existing resources in some places. I would not say that of the continuous pursuit. One main reason I switched from alpine racing to nordic racing was because nordic racing was more about the fitness and skills, and less about being daring, crashing, luck, and getting injured. Maybe the latter is thought to draw spectators, but I think that is not as true as some people believe. If you want to watch that junk, there are lots of other things you can watch that have more of it. We don't want to be competing with the sports that get their "excitement" from that kind of stuff, trying to outdo them. We won't, we will just detract from what is uniquely wonderful about ours. John Strickler - Haslett, MI, posted on Feb 28, 2007 ANY coverage would be great! Keeping that in mind I do agree that mass starts/pack racing(ie flat stage bike races) are more boring than individual start races. One skier alone is a thing of beauty but even more exciting is 2-6 skiers together. Any more than that and it becomes all knees-n-elbows. What about interval starts with 4-6 in each group? Sim Thomas - Dillon, CO, posted on Feb 28, 2007 As a 60+ masters racer, I haven't had to deal with team strategies and tactics in continuous pursuit (and certainly don't have to worry about TV coverage). I enjoy the challenges of the format. In fact, it is my favorite. However, though not quite as farcical as your final recommendations, the rules for the pursuit race at the 2007 Masters Nationals explain one of my reasons for not making the effort to participate there. As a spectator, I would love to see international level pursuit competition improved. How about a rule to eliminate the slower half (or some other percentage) of the field at the end of the classic leg? Robert Bradlee - Reading, MA, posted on Feb 28, 2007 Every Tuesday night I do a 50 person mass-start skate race. The pace is fast, there are constant attacks, racers try (and sometimes succeed) for breakaways, and there are many sprint finishes after the leaders cross the line. So, why are our little weekly races so exciting and the World Cup and Championship races so dull? I think a big part of it is the terrain of the course. We have constant variety with steep V1s, tight corners, a "terrain-park" set of bumps, and V2 and V2-alternate sections. I love the head-to-head competition even though I would do better in an interval start race. So, maybe the problem isn't the format, but the courses. I notice that the World level courses have LONG uphills and LONG downhills, and not much gear-changing. I know that Koch used to complain about how courses favored gorillas over skiers. Let's have some exciting courses! Rob Jan Gerrit Klok - Schiedam, XX, posted on Feb 28, 2007 If the FIS want tactics, and the public doesn't want sprints, then let racers be randomly given a bib number, and bibs start one at a time, 5s apart rather than 30 or 60. Shortest time skied wins. If you draw a high bib number, you'll be chasing which is good, but also overtaking which costs time and energy. Bib number 1, and the luck of not too many fast bib right behind you, you'll have the luxury of opening up a gap, skiing your own pace. Downside : anyone finishing within 5s behind you has you beaten. Every race will be totally different. After having drawn a first-half bib at WC level twice, you'll only be able to draw from the last-half next time, and the other way around, in case one style of racing suits you better than the other. Racing would be quite exciting, positions changing with every intermediate timing. Tactics all over the place. Only when the last skier is over the line, the results are really known. Lots can be done with the drawing precedure to make it all extra interesting. Like having the top 10 seeded only draw multiples of 3, to spread them evenly over the 30 bibs. seeding 11-20 get all multiples of 3, plus 1, etc. Again, everything is possible to ensure even spread of talents, and let fait decide which tactics will be working out for you, due to the skiers starting round you who may be willing to work together or not, countryman or not. 10s intervals may end up working better, while keeping the field rather compact. Other ideas? Oskar Karlin - Stockholm, NULL, posted on Feb 28, 2007 I have finally put an international version of the petition online! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-massstart/ Get over there and sign! Joel Vasques - Edmonton, ALB, posted on Feb 28, 2007 Today is a good reason of why individual starts can be VERY unfair. It's starts snowing halfway through, and everyone with a late start time is hooped. (with the exception of a few.) How is this fair? How is this better than a mass start, where everyone has to deal with exact same conditions? Mike Trecker - Aspen, CO, posted on Feb 28, 2007 I'm not sure we were talking about fair as much as we were talking about boring. While the race today was far from fair, it wasn't boring! Had the race been mass start, even a larger pack would have came to the finish together. Matt Muir - Boulder, CO, posted on Feb 28, 2007 It seems like maybe there's a more important thing missing which is the lack of a meaningful and exciting body of competition that is more natural to skiing. Instead, right now, it feels like just a bunch of disconnected races. The athletes have adapted too, complaining when they can't come to the line every time, fully recovered from the last event versus having to manage fatigue, recovery, and strategy/tactics. Alternatively, the whole Tour de Ski seemed like a multi-day pursuit and it held more excitement because of that. Though, again, modern courses with repeated laps make it harder for athletes to break up a race, even if only on a psychological level. Granted, these courses are more TV and spectator friendly but maybe TV technology could compensate on a more "old-fashioned" course. Cameras hung on wires or in a aerial drone(s) (wouldn't that be a nice, peaceful application of the technology)could show a race over longer laps or point to point. As for individual starts, they too can be mind-numbing to watch as one sees only time splits in order to see the "race". Watching the biathlon Worlds demonstrated how a week of semi-connected competitions in varied formats can raise the excitement--I know, the comparison is not one to one but it gives the idea. As it is, it sometimes feels like we're just a step away from putting all the racers on a treadmill and calling it a race. Thanks, Matt Kris Doyon - Halifax, NVS, posted on Feb 28, 2007 There is nothing better than watching a 50 individual start race where some guy leads the first 40km and than blows apart. Can he hold on? will he? think of Dalhie in 1998 in Nagano falling all over himself trying to keep Nick Jonsson (sp?) in sight. Or that same race when Hoffman caught the two of them in the first 10km or so and sat in until he tired and still kept 3rd. That is real tactics and excitment. What we have now in mass start racing is boring. None of the men are strong enough or dumb enough to really break away so we have a pack of 30 guys coming to the line together in a sprint boring except for the last km. Either make the long distance race a 70km mass start instead of a 50 or make it a time trial again. keep the 30km as a mass start if you must, a 30km individual start is not long enough to have serious tactics come into play among the leaders anyway. Heidi Henkel - Brattleboro, VT, posted on Feb 28, 2007 Here are some race format ideas. Have half the 30 and 50 K races mass start, half individual start. 2-person pursuit start. 2 people start together and their official time is when the second one of them finishes. 2 partners start every 30 seconds. 2 people start every 30 sec, no weird rules other than that. Wave, mass, or 10-20 second interval start, seeded by points in that discipline, not overall points. International: 4-person pursuit start. For local races: don't hold mass starts until the points have turned over once in the current season. People change too much from year to year. Heidi Henkel - Brattleboro, VT, posted on Mar 01, 2007 By the way, in the above list, "pursuit" is meant in the bike racing sense, of small groups of people who stay together throughout the race and work as a team, trading leads. This is an interval start with each team starting and finishing together. More race formats: international wave start: 1 athlete per country per wave wave start seeded by a preliminary: 3-5K individual start, which seeds a 3-15K wave start in the afternoon or the following day, same discipline. One could even then seed a mass start soon after, in the same discipline, according to the times in the wave start, on a course that is appropriate for a mass start. Maybe on the same course. There are points for the preliminary, and for the wave start. If there is a mass start after that, on the same course, then people would get points for their wave OR mass start finish, whichever had the faster time. series sprint: A prliminary seeds the first heat, with the fastest 4 skiers in the first group, next fastest in the next group etc. Second heat is seeded according to fastest times in the first heat. Third heat is seeded according to fastest times in the second heat. There is a winner for the fastest skier in the third heat, a winner for the fastest time of the day, and a winner for the fastest total time for all the heats. Points would be awarded for all three things. Scoring mass starts: A conservative estimate of what a ballpark time for the winner should be, could be made based on snow conditions and terrain. Then the points would be scored like an individual start, time back from this estimate or the winner, whichever is faster. In an international championship race, if the winner is more than 10% back from the estimate without a really good reason, no medals would be awarded. Don Pollari - Salt Lake City, UT, posted on Mar 01, 2007 Lots of good ideas Heidi, but, too complicated. Just get rid of continuous pursuit bring back the 2 day and only have an occasional mass start event. Skol! Heidi Henkel - Brattleboro, VT, posted on Mar 03, 2007 I agree with you! I had another thought too...which is that the survival and flourishing of our sport depends primarily on the widespread existence of snow! Sponsors and press are secondary to that. We should start a discussion list about keeping the environment clean and reducing CO2 emissions! One thing I like is that the folks who train the same place I do, all carpool to certain races. Patrick Stinson - Anchorage, AK, posted on Mar 03, 2007 I agree about bringing back the two day event, and about awarding one medal for the persuit. Seacrest, Out! Add Your Own Comment

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