In 10 miles our route has 6 checkpoints. Thats on average one every 5 minutes. That means getting off your bike six times during a single lap. Everyone who I have talked to personally agrees that the 10th & Piedmont checkpoint is not important. Regarding this checkpoint, consider these facts:
1. This checkpoint is less that one mile from the previous checkpoint
2. This checkpoint is not at a corner or turn, therefore doing limited route enforcement
3. If this checkpoint was eliminated, the fastest possible route does NOT change
4. If people want to go through the park, even if it were empty, it would add time
I understand that this route is set in stone but please take a moment to consider omitting this checkpoint. We can easily scratch it off the map. Our purpose should be to maintain a fun route with good flow, and this checkpoint impedes that goal. Thanks.
Route Map: http://fastermustache.org/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=16679
i whole-heartedly concur
this is a pointless check. i would say more but kurt has stated everything i would have to say in numbered format.
BAM!
!
i like flow, and heck.... fun is also a great thing!
personally i have no problems scratching this checkpoint off the map. this checkpoint is sure to disrupt what is going to be some wonderful flow... i believe the only point of the checkpoint was to strongly encourage people to stay out of the park (especially after hours).
yes good point
Perhaps we should verbally strongly discourage the park. Of course nothing is more persuasive that running over a chihuahua, getting nailed by a frisbee, and falling into some dog poo.
speaking of small critters.
speaking of small critters. I see the same lady on a bike on freedom parkway trail most mornings going the opposite direction of me. We always nod and what not, but yesterday a squirrel ran out between us and we both almost collided with it and ended up both cracking up instead of nodding hello. Good times on bikes!
mitch
in the words of mitch hedberg, "I'm for it!" (5)
i
think that the chekpoint should be gotten rid of, but then again i don't agree that the park is a slower route i think it shaves considerable time
Maybe
it would be a good idea to keep people from going through the park. My concern is that someone will go through after the park closes (which is proably the best time to do it anyway), one of Atlanta's finest will have an issue with it, the person will no stop, and either on that lap or on a subsequent one they might finally be able to track it all the way to Johnnys and create a stink about the race because people are breaking the law.
Notice that I do not give a fuck about whether people break the law or not (I plan to run every single red light I can), but my gut impression is that going through the park will be treated differently from traffic infractions (because I think that traffic infractions are more benign than other forms of law-breaking). If that is the case, I would hate to see the race broken up because of some jerkoff on a power trip.
So my vote is to keep the checkpoint.
Considering that people have
Considering that people have had gang meetings in Piedmont Park in the middle of the night, I doubt the blue are too rigorous about patroling it.
Still, I agree with Skip in that I don't think the park is slower, I think it's faster.
Gang Meetings? What kind of
Gang Meetings? What kind of gang is this that holds regular meetings in the park.? Anyway, the pigs do patrol the park after dark. This I know to be true. If I'm not mistaken a few of us have experienced this first hand. Not to say that I wouldn't ride through the park for the first few laps after dark, because clearly I would.
I don't know about regular
I don't know about regular meetings, I just know that my ex ran across a group of them as he was walking home through the park at 3:00am one night. It was pretty clear they were a gang having a meeting, and they had sentries and such.
I'm in a gang.
A bicycle gang.
there should be a meeting.
a gang meeting.
Yeah, this saturday works
Yeah, this saturday works for me.
Where the term gang bang comes from....
Also...the British equivalent of 'gang bang' is 'alley catting'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_bang
Thank you Cody
That was almost as instructive as the introduction of felching into our collective vocabulary.
Aye
no hace falta este punto.
i'm in a one man gang and
i'm in a one man gang and those fuckers got me one night. they won't get me again (i.e. i won't be the one stopping when they yell at me). I don't really want to lead them back to Johnny's either but adding the park definitely makes this more of an "urban" relay.
"I didn't say Park Drive; I said through the park!"
I TOLD you...
...park drive is always busy...
conclusion?
have we reached a conclusion? so what if the park's slower or faster or if you get ticketed/gang banged at night, do it at your own risk, the suggested route doesn't go through the park.
would taking out the 1st checkpoint at thumbs up be more or less controversial? thumbs up is about .3 miles from johnny's
way more controversial. as
way more controversial. as it is thumbs up forces people down edgewood. otherwise, baker-highland is the way to go IMO. baker-highland is boring and less safe.
are you guys ok with the current wallmap?
i tried to plot a backup map with the 10th St checkpoint removed... the plotter was unresponsive (fairly typical).
i'm just saying - to be assured a current wallmap once decisions are made, you can either cover up the checkpoints on the current printed map or find a way to print the new one. if you tell me what the deal is i'll try it again tomorrow and hope that the plotter has been revived.
as far as a conclusion, why don't we let the folks who are placing the punchers and administrating the laps just suprise us on saturday?
oh there will be a surprise
oh there will be a surprise alright... just you wait and see!
Goddammit Donald. If it's
Goddammit Donald. If it's what I think it is, I'm gonna strangle somebody.
there are few mortals who
there are few mortals who can comprehend the magnitude of this surprise. few indeed.
Yep, looks like a taint
Yep, looks like a taint punch is coming.
rinse the sand from your
rinse the sand from your lips my friend. nothing is changing...
Phew, it was getting gritty
Phew, it was getting gritty downstairs.
speaking of checkpoints and
speaking of checkpoints and such. we need to meet up sometime stat so that we can converge the lap cards and the sequential numbering device.
The lap cards as well as the
The lap cards as well as the spoke cards are being printed as I type. They will be delivered to the city tomorrow by semi-armored car (my '99 Beige Toyota Camry). Everytime I see the phrase 'sequential numbering device' I think of some apocolyptic machine.
i'm going to try to get off
i'm going to try to get off work early today so i can place the checkpoints and still have some rest before the race. call me or swing by my shop with the cards and i will stamp out some number action for you.
y'all motherfuckers....
...don't know nothin' 'bout no taintpunchin'.
hard to clear the balls
do you?
I know all about that.
don't fuck around or yer taint'll be hurting like crazy. because I'll punch you in yer taint. hard.
It might be too late, but
It might be too late, but Tuesday night Kurt suggested we try to put markers on the map for all the sponsors. Is this still posible? If so contact Kurt for a list. We have lots of sponsors on or near the route.
definitely a good idea
definitely a good idea
If people don't mind black &
If people don't mind black & white, I can do it.
What map image are we gonna
What map image are we gonna use for the spoke cards? Anybody? Bueller?
No map on the spoke cards
No map on the spoke cards (Cause it will be in your spokes, hence the term 'spoke card'). It was recommended in another thread that a handmade cue sheet be made by those that need them.
another huuugge wall poster
so i was able to put another breathe into our old plotter and made a ginormous print of this map provided by TommyJ. it looks pretty good and less cartoony as my previous print... but... some of the edges were shaved off by the plotter (a piece of checkpoints 2 and 6 would have to be implied).
people around here are starting to ask questions... i'm gonna stay away from the plotter for a while for the sake of my future employment.
Vieldank
Thanks for the plotter plotting, brer.
done.
done. the whole thing this time.
latest news
the checkpoints have been tethered... with the exception of the spring/marietta one (there was a traffic control cop in the middle of the intersection, and i didn't want to whip out a set of three foot crimpers).
the checkpoints work like this:
hole punches, all unique shapes, tethered to the pole that has the crosswalk button on the inside of the turns (right side of the street, before the intersection).
special notes include:
-Moreland/Euclid is at the southern M/E intersection (across from the gas station not out infront of the pizza joint)
-Virginia/NHighland is on the traffic island (this puts the checkpoint at the proper intersection of these two roads) not along the sidewalk infront of TacoMac. the corner sidewalk on that island where the punch is was repaved (today?) so there is some of that orange plastic construction fencing blocking easy walkup. you can run through the monkey grass or hop the little (it's more like a tarp net thingie) fence.
hope this helps everyone i am going to try to place the spring/marietta checkpoint first thing in the morning. but rest easy knowing that it will be there.
i rode the route tonight and
i rode the route tonight and bent my rim on a giant ridge on w.peachtree. northbound a little before 14th street. watch out for it. (i'm still amazed taht i didn't get a flat....)
yeah
FUCK that ridge