NOVA COPA 2012 - NEW COPA 2012

New Copa 2012

At the beginning of the year there was a general consensus to adopt a new and simpler Copa Points System, and this change would take place from 2012. This new system seeks to simplify the ranking of cyclists to make it easier to manage, transparent and open to all, as the system that Imran developed and was in force for the last few years is quite complicated and difficult to manage and only him (and now me) are capable of updating it. The proposed system has been designed to be easy for any and all cyclists to understand, and if you have the day's results, it will be in everyone's power to work out the standings. The major changes are:

* straight point system

* reduced number of races

* maximum of 10 events counting for overall standings

* new race routes to spice up the event

* better organisation of races

* Federation registration

* prizes

Below are explanations on each change.

NEW POINTS STRUCTURE - a new simplified point structure has been adopted, based on finishing order and no longer on time. That system was found to be too complicated to understand, difficult to manage, with only a few people able to work out the various calculations. The new system adopts a hybrid of Formula1 style and UCI Points Scale. The new system will give points to the first 10 finishers regardless of time. Races will be graded, but using a simple 3-tier system of Normal (15 points), Hard (20 points) and extra-Hard (25 points – just 1 race – Twin Peaks). This means that the majority of races is split between Normal and Hard races. Many people have asked for a simplified points system with no grading for race difficulty, but this presents a problem – if two racers win equal number of races, how do we work out who is the winner? And simplifying the races too much would meant taking away the incentive to take part in the harder races, where more points are available. Sprint and King of the Mountain points remain the same. The race calendar will indicate at the beginning of the year the available points for each race in each classification. If races are substituted for force majeure, the new course should be similar to the replaced race.

REDUCED NUMBER OF RACES Another important change is the total number of Copa events. In 2011 we had 23 events. In 2012 we have reduced this to 15 events, due to the fact that many cyclists can’t participate at all the events, as some of the events clashed with races in nearby Swaziland or South Africa, or because of lack of time. We had an average of 10 cyclists per event in 2010, and this increased to 12 in 2011, so we're still far off from having large pelotons. Having fewer races means we have more time to publicise the events, and get more participation, both local and foreign, with the possiblitiy of more Swazis and South Africans taking part.

Also the large number of races means that organisationally it is difficult to improve their quality, having little time to prepare between races. 2011 was a special year for the Copa, as it was a preparation for the National team for the Africa Games. From 2012 the National team will use a mixture of Copa races and overseas events to train and compete in, so there is no need to extend the Copa for them. The Copa will return to a more manageable number of races, ensuring that they are properly organised, and with a focus on fewer races hopefully more cyclists will take part.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RESULTS The 2012 Copa has been reduced to 15 events, of which a maximum of 10 events will be counted towards the general classification. The maximum number of results will allow cyclists to miss up to 5 races, but as long as they do the remaining 10, they are still in the running. The Copa Ciclismo has always been an amateur race, for people who work for a living and cycle because they enjoy cycling. Therefore we must accept the reality that not all of us will be able to take part in every race. However, the BEST 10 results will count, so therefore there is still an incentive to do all 15 races, if one is able to. The selection of the top 10 results will be based on finishing spot, secondarily by KOM and lastly by sprint points.

Copa race dates have been chosen not to clash with other road races in SA and Swaziland. However where there is a major clash with a race that was not known previously, then a clear majority of Copa Cyclists can elect to change a race date, but this must be done at least 2 weeks in advance. The element of participation in the Copa is important.

BETTER ORGANISATION OF RACES – Cyclists want well-organised races, on secure roads with minimum interaction with traffic. The new copa races aim to offer that. Race numbers will be issued to all competing cyclists. As more races will take place in Maputo we will have more police support. More back-up vehicles will be made available to the race. Post-race events for the whole family will be organised. More sponsors will support our races with prizes and cash for organising the races. Events will have more media coverage. More cyclists will take part in the events, making them more challenging and satisfying.

NEW ROUTES - Several new courses have been chosen for 2012 to make the races both more challenging and interesting. Where possible we’ve eliminated repeated races, having just the 5 Classica races, which remain Goba, Namaacha, Hell of the South, EN1 and Twin Peaks. These are the Big Five. However the courses for these races will be tougher, with Classica de Namaacha and Twin Peaks adding the Namaacha loop. Also a new race called Subida a Mt. Ponduine is added, which is a mountain-top race finish incorporating a 17% final climb. We want these races to be references for our Copa, just as tough as races in SA and elsewhere in Africa. Time trial races have been reduced to just 3, with a team time trial event back in the calendar, one Mountain Time trial and a flat time trial. Having just one race per route will make it your only chance to do it, and hopefully attendance will increase.

FEDERATION MEMBERSHIP At the beginning of 2011 the FMC, Mozambique Cycling Federation was formed. This body aims to promote cycling in all its forms, as well as defend cyclist rights. We need to give this body our support by becoming members. Membership benefits will include participation in the Copa Ciclismo. Non-members will still be able to race and win individual copa events, but they won’t be included in the ranking for the cup.

PRIZES

The following prizes will be awarded at the end of the last event:

Yellow jersey for overall classification leader

Polka-dot jersey for king of the mountains

Green jersey for best sprinter

White jersey for combined points jersey (i.e. like the Vuelta) combining finishing, KOM and sprint points

Red jersey for most aggressive rider. At the end of each race a rider will be determined the most aggressive. The rider with the most race nominations will get this jersey

Black jersey for last rider in Copa (like the Giro d’Italia). Must have completed at least 10 races.

Furthermore age group winners will get a trophy (U16, U23, Sub-vet, vet, master, ladies).

THE ABOVE IS JUST A PROPOSAL, BASED ON MEETINGS IN MARCH AND APRIL. PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS ON THE NEW COPA, SO WE CAN FINALISE THESE CHANGES BY THE 15th OF NOVEMBER, AND CAN START WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN 2012!