Well, the first day of racing in Aiguebelette, France came and went. It was full of Exhibition
Races, or racing in the time trial format similar to what we’re used to at NSRs. For some, the results of the time trial determined who got eliminated and who got to skip the repechage and go directly to the semifinals. For others, the results of the time trial proved less meaningful. For many events, the time trial simply seeded the heats. Because many crews decided to use the time trial as more of a primer for the heats, some races ended a bit lopsided.
Participating in the Exhibition Race did, however, provide its own bit of excitement. Crews were started out of the blocks, meaning no rolling start (which is the format at NSRs). This led to a bit of confusion at the starting line seeing as there were only two lanes in operation and you had to pull in, lock on and get pointed all in about a minute. This was a new format for everyone involved and it turns out that the quota for griping was met, so that is good news.
Overall, it was a great day of racing for US athletes with every crew progressing. With heats, reps and semis coming tomorrow, there will be a huge number of races for the US to shine in.
Keep tabs on US athletes and their racing schedule here.
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