Let me begin by saying that one of the things that amazes me the most about people on FM is how you guys are able to pull something as huge as the race in an organizational format that is as democratic as can be, with no one person in charge, but getting things done and done on time. I understand that there was a process to setting the route but I also think most people know me well enough to realize I don't bring something up as a concern just for shits and giggles.
If 10th is closed, I suggest re-routing. If any other street was closed, I would say that racers ought to find a way around but I only understood the implications yesterday. Here is what I think might happen.
1. People will cut across the park, either:
a. on paths; or
b. on the grass; or
2. People will go the wrong way on Piedmont.
Possibility 1 is what concerns me the most:
It increases the risk that someone will hit and injure a pedestrian, and there is a good chance that such a pedestrian will be a child or an elderly person. An elderly gentleman was killed in an alleycat in Montreal recently and that is not cool.
Going across the grass is not cool either. It damages property that is common to all. I like to think of myself as a good capitalist, in fact some of my views might make me even ruthless, but the common good is pretty fucking important even if it is just grass.
Even if neither of those things happen, possibility 1 may also draw a certain degree of unwanted attention from the city's finest purveyors of state sanctioned violence. I don't consider them particularly bright, but it would not be hard to sniff the path of bikers tearing through the park in high speed and closing the race down on some technicality that may or may not exist.
Possibility 2 is also not that fun:
The obvious think is someone getting hit head on. Accidents are funny and all, but this seems to increase what is a risk into a virtual certainty.
The other risk is again hitting a pedestrian who, quite reasonably, will not be expecting a bike coming up the wrong way. See the point about the elderly above.
There are other possible work arounds and each racer ought to make responsible choices. The reality is that most of us will take risks to go faster. I am ok with that as I intend to take a few of my own. The reality is also that a few people will take risks that are either reckless or which are beyond their cycling ability to control. Really bad shit only needs to happen once and it could have the potential of really ruining the race.
It seems to me that no one was aware of the closure of 10th until recently, so it is not like the route would change for no good reason. I know that the race's organizational principle is that once something is set it does not change but sometimes it is better to bend than to break, especially when it concerns something that was not foreseen.
suggestion noted
suggestion noted
'Preciate it
'Preciate it
+1
It's my understanding that the park is going to be completely closed to non-ticket-holders starting at 3pm, forcing people to go the wrong way on piedmont.
nobody will be forced to go
nobody will be forced to go the wrong way on piedmont. juniper one block over goes the correct way.
+1 the rules should be
+1
the rules should be amended to say "you leave the suggested route at your own risk"
hmm, that might imply that
hmm, that might imply that the official route is something other than "at your own risk"
agreed. maybe "you are
agreed. maybe "you are taking even more risk by leaving the official route"
or
"it is especially important of teams to keep track of their own riders if they plan to leave the official route"
so how is this different
so how is this different than the current #3 under recommendations?
i didn't read them as i was
i didn't read them as i was typing that.
speaking of which
for those of you that do decide to take 10th anyways, be advised that last time we rode it there were big seams down the length of it from construction, and you could easily go down from trying to cross them at too slack an angle.
unless you have sweet
unless you have sweet jumping skillz
Juniper -> Ponce may be a
Juniper -> Ponce may be a good way to cut out 10th altogether.
Juniper to ponce
We split into three groups last night and the group that tried Juniper->Ponce did as well as groups that tried other stuff.
as well? how 'bout first
as well? how 'bout first baby!
They are highly touting
They are highly touting Marta use for this "green" concert, claiming there is NO parking at or near Piedmont Park.
However...
Important Message from MARTA
Effective September 1, 2007 all customers will be required to have a valid Breeze Card/Ticket loaded with appropriate fare to ride MARTA. Bus to Bus transfers will no longer be issued. Transfers will only be available on a Breeze Card or Ticket and are automatically loaded when you tap to board a bus or exit a rail station. If you pay with cash you will still need a Breeze Card/Ticket to receive your transfer.
50,000 people are expected for this show. 49,500 of them probably do not have or want a Breeze card. Once each group of people gets to the Marta train and discovers each person has to get a Breeze card, 49,496 will probably end up driving to the park.
Even if they all try to buy a Breeze card, how many Breeze cards can be purchased in the 2 or 3 hours before the show?
However many cards are in the machines for the weekend, that's how many.
This concert is gonna be a mess! I can already see the squawking drunk frat people on the local news whining about how Marta Breeze cards (not their lack of planning) made them miss Dave Matthews' first set!
maybe it'll rain. that's
maybe it'll rain. that's what i'm hoping for, 30hours of rain.
I too am hoping for rain.
I too am hoping for rain.
thatd certainly help with
thatd certainly help with the drought!
frogs. let it rain frogs.
frogs. let it rain frogs.
hey man. you racing?
hey man. you racing?
yep.
yep.
awesome. see you there. if
awesome. see you there. if you are racing solo let me know so i can bring extra tequilas
It's only 50 cents more at
It's only 50 cents more at the ticket machine if you don't already have a card. However your point about the machines running out of new cards is a valid concern...
hey man, another few weeks
hey man, another few weeks and Sopo can have that hammer drill permanently if you want it. finishing my deck is taking for-goddammed-ever but we finally bought the decking today. it needs to dry for a couple weeks and then i can install it and then you can have that drill forever for the bike rack project.
i've gone and messed up the bit quick release mechanism such that now it requires vice grips to turn and change the bit, but if you guys are just installing bike racks no problem... install the one bit you need for that and you'll be good until the bit bites it, and then you just need vice grips. the drill works great, but changing the bit is a huge pain now.
Thanks for the offer,
Thanks for the offer, however, we ended up buying one a couple months ago.
ok
ok
what does sopo need a hammer
what does sopo need a hammer drill for?
"maybe we can drill your bottom bracket out of the frame."
Have you seen what a
Have you seen what a high-end bike looks like after it gets left out in the weather for a few years?
Kidding, kidding (well sort of)
The drill is used in the bike parking project.
park is closed everynight
the park is closed everynight. and 10th being closed is not a real problem. transition from 10th (while traveling east) to piedmont should be much better due to lack of oncoming cars (due to 10th being closed). ride west on 12th to juniper south on juniper (nice wide 1 way) east on ponce. its faster than cutting through the park and going through the highlands like last year. and there are drunk people out every night in this town, only difference is, this night we will know where a lot of them are. just make sure to stay off the small neighborhood streets in midtown where a lot of concert goers will be parking and watch out for pedestrians and cars pulling into traffic or going the wrong way on all the one way streets around midtown.
The solution is a simple one
The solution is a simple one Alex (and everyone else), no need to 'change the route so that toddlers with training wheels and their moms can do the course'....
10th is open all the way from Northside to Piedmont on both days of the race... For a time between 3pm - 12am on Saturday... it will be closed... but only between Piedmont and Monroe.
So From Octane, the simplest route during the closing is (and really all the time):
Octane --> 8th --> Northside --> 10th --> Piedmont --> Skate Escape --> 12th --> Juniper --> 8th --> The Midtown Art Cinema/Trader Joes parking lot --> cut back to Virgina via the exit that goes by the high rise condos --> Virginia.
For those of you who are cartographicly challenged/lazy/have trouble tying shoelaces:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1259457
Welcome to the wide wide wide world of an URBAN RACE. This one is on me. The next 'shortcut' you'll have to figure out on your own. Use that brain that's in your noggin to figure out how to go from the MAC to Ponce without ever going on a public road (hint, satellite view is your friend).
I'm surprised we didn't 'change' the route other years so that it was circles in a closed off parking lot.... you know, so people didn't ride outside their cycling abilities and ruin the race for everyone.
Damn I'm in a pissy mood.
actually, there is a better
actually, there is a better route through midtown. but I would like to take this time to point out that during the 'open' phase of the route development all input was welcome and even requested. all considerations were made to discuss and meet with EVERYONE who ever asked or showed an interest in sharing theiir ideas. now that the route development has moved into the 'closed' phase, the best I can promise anyone is a cloak and dagger meeting to discuss these tardy concerns.
arent there at least two
arent there at least two bars in the The Midtown Art Cinema/Trader Joes parking lot? that'll be a lot of drunks to dodge. safest course of action might be to get on the marta train at 10th street and take it over to um whatever on the east line
It's not like a game of
It's not like a game of 'whack-a-mole' with you being the mole.... so stop fear mongering.
I personally have ridden through that lot at all hours on all days (too many times to remember).
If you want to avoid these so called 'drunks'... your best bet is to lock your self inside a safe and then have yourself and the safe thrown into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
K Thx Bye.
Edit - Plus, you get on the train... you're breaking the rule about remaining human powered.
Worse than that, get on the
Worse than that, get on the train and you're going to take longer to get there
8th?
and BTW your route goes through trader joes, howdowns, and the RR tracks. 8th is a mess with all the driveways and side streets. and while it may be a good way to get from skate escape to virginia and north highland, the checkpoint after skate escape is no brakes, so I still recommend juniper to ponce or even north as being the fastest and easiest.
It's not so bad... same as
It's not so bad... same as any other street out there. I'm not a big fan of the 'bowl'... and riding Ponce or North forces you to ride into the bottom of it. I've been thinking about that section of the course and riding it a bit in different ways trying to find what I feel is the fastest route.
We all have cognitive minds that can adapt. If one road is sticky/messy/busy/whatever.... you can adapt.
You must be like water flowing down a hill side young grasshopper.
BTW - the tracks have been paved over.
I love this year's route. I
I love this year's route. I think it is the fastest and easiest, yet. If you plan it right you have almost zero hills. Also, every leg of this race has been featured in at least one previous race. The fastest way has already been determined by past winners. Don't let them win again just because they decided to retrace their steps =P
OK by me
but so that we are clear, my concern is not for riders. We can figure stuff out. The concern was that someone would (will) do something dumb and try to ride at high speed through a crowd of pedestrians because they saw some alleycat video from NY and think it is cool. Wacking a pedestrian has the potential of ending the race and causing all kinds of unpleasant trouble, and not just for the rider who does it.
The concern was that someone
The concern was that someone would (will) do something dumb...
That happens every damn day here in hipster land.
i promise to
ride straight through those hippies whether i am racing this year or not.