Endurance Based "Mega Site": Coming Soon?

With the endurance racing showdown about to happen at Nine Mile this weekend, I got to thinking. What sort of resource could be developed to better serve and inform the endurance crowd? Here's some thoughts that I have had recently.

1. Merge Ride424 with another resource. Sometimes you shouldn't try to re-invent the wheel, just improve upon it! Karl Etzel, the founder and operator of the best endurance race calendar anywhere, has a good thing going. Why not add to it? An expanded resource where results could be posted, interviews posted, and other endurance related subject matter be posted would make Ride424 the pre-eminent resource for endurance racers in North America. I think Karl's site is awesome, but I also think that there is huge potential for it to be so much more than it is. Hopefully, there are some talks going on behind the scenes that will bring just such a site to the light of day. Stay tuned!

2. Real "real time" results and reporting from endurance events is long overdue! I truly believe that a network of web based reporters and promoters could be linked to one site, ( perhaps the "mega" endurance site/ Ride424 thing mentioned above?) that would get news and results out to the world in a much more timely and entertaining fashion. Podcasting or audio-blogging into a central resource could be accessed worldwide by any endurance athlete, sponsors, or friends and relatives. The digital media could draw in thousands of "virtual spectators" to any endurance event, no matter how remote the location. Don't believe it? Check out the Great Divide Race, or think of the Tour de France web coverage as examples of what I mean. This sort of coverage and exposure would require a huge commitment from a few dedicated people, and logistically it might be a nightmare, but I'm sure it will happen.

So, I may be a dreamer, but I'm not the only one! (appologies to J.Lennon!) I really think that these ideas are going to happen, it's just a matter of how and when. What do you all think?

Remember to keep well hydrated and stay smart out there if you are riding in this extreme heat! Enjoy your weekend!