The cut in a nutshell:
This is my understanding of how the cut works:
- After this weekend, the only riders who are assured of a place in the BFT tour are those in the top 25 of the world standings. The rest will be cut.
- Then the top five Touring Pro riders will be invited to join the BFT circuit to fill spots 26-30.
- The last five riders will be returning riders with injury exemptions, and alternates.
Who's in, who's out:
Sadly, I don't have a database, so this is what I have gleaned from the numbers I do have:
- Backs to the wall, a few guys rode their way into the top twenty five. Stormy Wing went from #30 last week to #17 this week. Jory Markiss went from #28 to # 23. Dakota beck went from #40 to #25. Adrenaline, determination, sheer will - I don't know, but whatever it was, it worked and was inspiring.
- Sean Willingham came very near to falling out of the top 25, going from 19th place to 24th.
- Riders who were in the top 25 last week and fell out of it this week: Harve Stewart, Dusty Ephrom.
- Other riders who were below the 25 mark last week, and still are: Dustin Elliott, Douglas Duncan, Ben Jones, Colby Yates, Elton Cide, Cody Campbell, Elliott Jacoby, Douglas Ferreira, Beau Hill, Reese Cates.
- Riders who were cut, but whose Touring Pro standings might get them back into the rotation right away: Douglas Duncan, Dusty Ephrom, Harve Stewart, Elton Cide.
- The other Touring Pro rider who may now be on the BFTS circuit: Chance Roberts.
- Riders who didn't make the cut but have injury exemptions: I'll tell you straight up that I can never keep track of this, but I'm pretty sure this category includes Cates, Yates, Hill, Skeeter Kingsolver, and Cody Campbell, and that any of those guys who are currently unable to compete will be replace by alternates until they can.
- Rider who is kicking himself this morning: Josh Faircloth, who declined a re-ride on Friday and missed making the top 25 by two spots and 74 points. I didn't think that he made a bad decision to turn down that re-ride. It almost worked. But if he'd taken the chance on Carillo Cartel and made anything more than 73 points, he would have been in.
Lastly, most of us can be grateful that our ability to continue in our workplace is not determined by one weekend's work. And fortunately, I am not about to be cut from anything, as far as I know, because if it all came down to one event, I'm pretty sure I would choke. So hats off to Stormy Wing and Dakota Beck and Jory Markiss, and to J.B. Mauney, too, because when it was all on the line, they had what it took.
