Race around the park (NYC)

[pelle]

Sorry for the semi-ad, don't know if this is kosher:

if there are any New Yorkers on this forum you should check out our race in CP next week: http://bit.ly/bGepeW

Hope some of you will be able to join. It should be fun and you get some great deals for participating....

Pelle

[Too Tall]

Can you post some details. That seems to be lacking on the website. Are racers required to be licensed? Are riders sent off 1 min. apart etc.? Is there even insurance. Is the course mashaled?

[pelle]

Hey. Great questions. This is not a race in the traditional sense. You ride the course anytime during the time window specified on the event page http://bit.ly/bGepeW. You can ride alone or in a group. You don't need a license just a bike, a GPS device and a strava account.

The course is not marshaled and there won't be any Strava representatives along the course, and we don't cover any insurance.

You can view this as way to turn your everyday riding into a fun competitive event online. We just take the data from your GPS device and create the competition around it. So no need to plan your weekend schedule around the race just ride when you want.

We have had some events on the west coast: http://bit.ly/ap0qmQ that were a huge success.

[maxinutah]

So basically it's a solo race against the times of other riders?

Sounds like a cool idea. It takes away the fun of that feeling of crossing the line first though. I can't imagine as much adrenaline in going online later and finding you beat evrybody. Still like the concept of the idea.... I'd do something like that in Utah if it was accesible.

[pelle]

We are not replacing your local crit series. That is not what Strava is trying to do, on the contrary we want hence your cycling experience.

For example we hope that it will be easier to motivate yourself to get out of bed at 5.30 in the morning knowing that your Wed morning group ride is going to go after your KOMs that day and you want to defend them.

But really Strava is built for all cyclist, pros and beginners to make the sport we love more exciting. It is not replacing the excitement or camaraderie we are already getting from this wonderful sport but we want to extend that feeling to every ride, whether it is a group ride with your best friends or a solo ride in the middle of nowhere.

[54ny77]

do you live in nyc by chance?

do yourself a favor and encourage, or better yet, REQUIRE that people's central park times will only be accepted between the hours of 6-8 a.m. (at the latest) on weekends.

anything else, and there's gonna be problems. don't mess it up for us locals, will ya?

thanks.

[Too Tall]

I'm going to be honest.
This is H.S. Don't promote this. That is a crowded at times and public park where there are families walking across every darn place, horses, gadflies and social networking in play.
Bad idea boss.
No need to get into "it" I feel your genuine enthusiasm to promote healthy sports blah blah blah. This was not well conceived.

[54ny77]

Agreed.

I bit my tongue and was as polite as possible.

A dear family friend of mine was crashed by an ass clown in full bike regalia who thought he was in the Saturday morning World Championships. At noon. On a sunny day. In Central Park. Thousands of people walking the road. My buddy was cruising along on his hybrid bike (along with hundreds of others who don shorts, t-shirt and a helmet, and get out to enjoy the day), doing probably 10 mph when SuperDork zigged and zagged and slammed into him, hooking his front wheel. A local runner, who also is a competitive rider (and who helped take care of my friend until the police & ambulance arrived), saw the whole thing and said SuperDork weaved in & out of the joggers lane and was riding so dangerously it was only a matter of time before something bad happened. My friend ended up breaking his femur, bruised ribs, concussion, and other painful issues. Since he's older (in his 60's), this accident changed his life.

Please don't enable people, or encourage, this type of activity. This is not the bay area public road system (which is where all of you Strava guys seem to be from). It's a closed park, with hundreds of thousands of people WALKING around on the roads. It's your grandmother on those roads, your little niece or nephew, your little daughter or son on their first bike ride.

I'm going to be honest.
This is H.S. Don't promote this. That is a crowded at times and public park where there are families walking across every darn place, horses, gadflies and social networking in play.
Bad idea boss.
No need to get into "it" I feel your genuine enthusiasm to promote healthy sports blah blah blah. This was not well conceived.

[maxinutah]

I've never been to Central park but yeah now thinking bout it sounds quite dangerous. If it was at a closed course or a road race (like their first advertised event) that'd be a different story.

[EddieBirdsell]

I've never been to Central park but yeah now thinking bout it sounds quite dangerous. If it was at a closed course or a road race (like their first advertised event) that'd be a different story.

If thinking about it seems dangerous, then in practice it's probably that dangerous^10. I know two people who have witnessed first hand as individuals perished from this earth in cyclist-pedestrian accidents in CP. If you want to race, get a permit, police detail, marshals, insurance, orange cones, etc. etc.

[54ny77]

Most people doing serious training in CP happens sometime in the 5-7 a.m. area, or after 7:30 pm. when the crowds get thinner. Best time for evening rides is after 8 or so.

It's never closed for a bike race. For certain running events, yes, but never a bike race.

I've never been to Central park but yeah now thinking bout it sounds quite dangerous. If it was at a closed course or a road race (like their first advertised event) that'd be a different story.

[Too Tall]

Most people doing serious training in CP happens sometime in the 5-7 a.m. area, or after 7:30 pm. when the crowds get thinner. Best time for evening rides is after 8 or so.

It's never closed for a bike race. For certain running events, yes, but never a bike race.

Sorta.

http://www.crca.net/racing/club/race-protocol/

[pelle]

sounds like Central Park isn't the place for this type of event :-)

Do you guys have a better suggestion? Not knowing where people train in the NYC area I need some help here. Any good classic loops?

[ThasFACE]

Trying to get in any kind of speed/interval stuff during 'normal' hours is just too sketchy for my taste (rollerbladers, tourists, pedicabs, carriages, etc...).

Before 7am and after 8pm is definitely the way to go.

[KeithNYC]

I'll add the chorus. Very bad idea.

I can't think of anywhere in NYC proper where this would make any sense.

[EddieBirdsell]

I can't think of anywhere in NYC proper where this would make any sense.

Kissena.

[Too Tall]

Kissena.

Brilliant.

[KeithNYC]

Kissena.

Okay you got me. : )

And yes- brilliant.

[pelle]

fair enough...

event is dropped. Thanks for the feedback, I hope we averted a crash....

I hope they build the velodrome on Manhattan so we get some real racing on the island...

[fatallightning]

I'll add the chorus. Very bad idea.

I can't think of anywhere in NYC proper where this would make any sense.

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