Better get your health insurance premiums paid up before entering this one…especially the pack races!
From Velonews.com…
PRESS RELEASE: Red Bull slates downhill race - for road bikes By press release This report filed August 19, 2005
Have you ever gotten to the bottom of a mountain or canyon road descent and had to wait several minutes for the rest of your group to catch up? Have you ever thought that you might be the fastest descender on a road bike? Then this is the race for you. The Red Bull Road Rage, slated November 5 in Malibu, California, is an inaugural all-downhill road race performed on road-racing bicycles.
Malibu’s Tuna Canyon is a highly technical, one-lane, European-style descent that drops 2000 feet over two miles. It will definitely be enough time to separate the men from the boys. This is an elite event and will be invitation only. Twenty-five of the best riders in the world will be invited, and world-class athletes such as George Hincapie, Brian Lopes, John Tomac, Eric Carter and David Clinger are among the top invitees. After years of talk around the water cooler regarding who is the fastest road descender, Red Bull is bringing this event to life to end the speculation once and for all. The event is co-sponsored by Giant Bicycle. Most of the major U.S. cycling publications will be in attendance, as well as some international media, making sure that at the end of the day, the whole world knows who is the fastest.
Equipment: Can I show up on a Hanebrink? No. Traditional road bikes with 700c wheels and drop bars are required for parity in this event - however, that’s where the road tradition stops. Disc brakes will be a critical component to increasing your speed, as will a light bike and an aero’ skinsuit over some light protective padding. The course designer for this event believes that a light road (‘cross) frame with disc mounts is a good base for building a speed machine. Mechanical disc brakes are next, and 25-28c soft-compound tires will round out your cornering speed. If you don’t have access to the proper equipment, please get in touch with Jon Mesko at Giant Bicycle. Safety in this event is the number one priority, and Red Bull will have double barriers with padding set up at some of the more difficult corners. We want to find out who the fastest skinny-tire downhiller is - we don’t want to see anyone get hurt.
Race format: On November 5, riders will line up in random order to take a seeding run on the course, which will determine the order in which they leave the start gate for their final run. Slowest rider leaves first, leaving the fastest rider to be last down the course. Riders will be spaced in one-minute increments or more if the officials deem it necessary. The winner will be crowned the fastest descender on a road bike. The Big Kahuna: $3500 prize purse for the top three riders.
The second half of the big day will test the riders’ ability in a pack. The top 16 riders from the last race will line up in heats of four, with the top two riders in each heat advancing. After three times down the hill, the fastest man in a crowd will be crowned. There’s a $1500 prize for first; second place is the first loser. Award ceremonies will be held immediately after the last rider crosses the line.