Interesting. So are you saying that the "hoods" aren't areas we normally grip on the track? Not arguing against it, but I also usually tape the tops on one side of my bars for Madisons. I totally get the aversion to weird positions like the "sphinx". It looks terrible and weird. Personally, I think disc brakes on road bikes look terrible, and I would never ride discs on the road unless that's the only thing we can get.