Sweden passed the baton to us
Jicin/Falun - Championships 2022 are done and dusted. We are glad that we could be there and see everything first hand. Thank you for welcoming representatives of the next event in Sweden. According to cycling etiquette, we give Kudos to the whole event and hope all the organizers had a good and well-deserved rest by now. For us this means the final year of preparations for WMTBOC 2023 just started. We did some observations and we have some ideas in mind. Here is a little sum-up and teaser for Jičín 2023.
WMTBOC director, IOF advisor, arena's organizer, competition director and national IOF advisor gathered in Jicin to kick-off the final year of preparations. (Foto: SJC)
Competition director (course setting)
It is very hard to prepare a smoothly running competition. Is there anything you want to do similarly or pay attention to particularly after visiting this year's championships?
Above all, we want to pay close attention to the marking of prohibited areas so that there is no possibility of double interpretation. We are considering using two different scales of map in one race, it worked well in Sweden. And we have to pay attention to the readability of the map, especially on the long distance, if the 1:15,000 scale is used. Regarding the set, I don't want to set the long distance as a long middle distance, and we would like to declare a ban on short cutting, just like in Sweden. As for safety, check the opposite riding really well, especially for the sprint and mass race.
What do you like about the terrains for WMTBOC 2023?
The terrains have a lot of variety from physically demanding areas under Krkonoše mountains to super fast and rideable flat land around the Labe river. So the variety is what I like the most.
In the quarantine guidelines it is mentioned that it is more comfortable for athletes to have a finish quarantine than the starting quarantine. What is your opinion on this?
Having both of them is a little more complicated for the organizers. Having only starting quarantine is reasonable with a short starting interval if athletes are not locked there for many hours. This year the interval for men's elite was shortened in the long distance to 2 minutes. The quarantine for the 70 men was shortened by this from 3 hours (3 min interval) to 1:50 h (2 min interval). Personally I think it is agreeable to have only starting quarantine in case it is maximum 2 hours long with the proper facilities (such as enough space for all the teams, proper warm up area and the possibility to go inside in case of rain). It is also easier for smaller teams with only a few officials. Having only a finish quarantine is not possible in the case of live broadcasting. We would have to wait with all the streaming till the start of the last competitor.
Arenas director
Taking into account your specialization in the arenas for the WMTBOC 2023 how were the arenas for events in Falun equipped? What would you add?
All the arenas were very nice. We would like to add a presentation of our sponsors with their stands. And also some entertainment for the spectators mainly in the arenas in Jičín and Nová Paka.
Is there going to be an opportunity to get some coffee and beer in the arenas?
For sure, yes. One of the sponsors is Bernard brewery so we already know what beer it's going to be.
Graphics
The logo for the WMTBOC 2023 has already been revealed. Can you describe what it stands for?
The Jičín town lies in a basin between two hills, once Tertiary volcanoes – on the left it is Veliš and on the right it is Zebín. And the World Championship will be in Jičín, hence the pin between them. The converter then displays cycling.
WMTBOC 2023 director
Sweden is known for its progressive approach to ecology. How do you see the ecological site of this year's championships?
The organizers appealed to separate waste and also encouraged competitors to reach the quarantines on bikes instead of cars. It was possible in Falun thanks to the short distance from the main accommodation. I noticed that the food was served in recyclable containers, but I didn't notice much more.
Is there something that you liked and would like to do next year in a similar way?
I liked the short and clear team leaders' meetings, I would like to keep that straight forward attitude. I also liked the warm-up areas in the quarantines. Despite that it worked similarly as well prepared Czech cup.
What would you like to improve?
For sure the starting quarantine. For those in the last starting spots it was simply too long this year. Thanks for the questions and we look forward to seeing all the competitors!