Using a national points system to assign call ups is flawed for a different reason – the inconsistent levels of performance among districts. A truly talented rider in a tough region may not get the points that a lesser rider in an easier district could accumulate. How is that any better?

Using the TT is fair. Sure, someone might have a mechanical but thats bound to be a statistical outlier. The rule could even be tweaked to allow re-starts for mechanicals in the TT.

Maybe the issue here really is the size of the fields at Nationals. I still see the TT as part of a solution. It would discourage people that don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell from signing up. If you know a start is not guaranteed, then you assume that risk when you sign up and you will only sign up if you believe you belong there.

Well that makes me feel a bit better. Initial reports suggested that the time trial would determine whether participants could even start and that is grossly unreasonable. People should be able to travel to Nats and know they will be able to race.

I’m not a fan of using a time trial for start order–it strikes me as a temporary way to deal with the bigger problem which is field sizes for Nats. While initially it would be used to determine start order, eventually it would be used to determine who starts. And I think a TT used for that purpose is wrong for the reason above. In addition, mechanicals happen and it would be a shame for someone who is otherwise one of the strongest/fastest riders to have to start at the back OF THE RACE because of mechanical issue in the TT.

I’d rather see start order determined by points (USAC keeps some sort of points for the races I do–I have no idea how they work though) or by points awarded at a series of state or regional qualifying races. This strikes me as a better long term approach that ensures the consistently strong riders in a state/region get to race (at the front.)