Nov 2, 2006 0
Junior Gearing
Junior gearing seems like a troublesome issue during races. You’ve seen the few junior riders at races have to undergo the dreaded gearing test. Some junior riders don’t even know much about the rules and the gear limits that they are surprised when the USA Cycling Officials ask them to do a rollout test. The issue and the reasons behind it are somewhat misunderstood. Is it to save the riders from over stressing their knees? Well, the answer is no.
I recently joined a new mailing list for bike promoters in New York State. The subject of junior gearing came up to which some voiced their frustration. There was even a comment that the junior gearing limits made riders even more squirrelly. The story was of a pack of juniors spinning uncontrollably downhill and crashing since they were just bouncing all over from their 100+ cadence.