WABAs50States13ColoniesRide2011

 

Introduction/Definition/etc Body Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creating on 20110926

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

50 State named streets within DC in under 8 hours,

or 13 Colonies in a shorter time.

 

 

Body

 

Route planning needs some improvements,

as MapMyRide was requested,

but no printout map was received

or better yet a KML or similar

Google earth.  Tour de France and

Paris Roubeaux are known routes,

for someone to do at their leisure,

if they wish...  WABA could even sell

a booklet with the routes, detailed

graphics of supports available, for

water, bathroom, food, medical,

mechanical, spiritual, etc needs along

the way...

 

Reading a cue sheet while biking is not

what I think as something wise.

200+ turns, means even more stops,

and they get tiring.  DC streets are stop

and go, so 60+ miles of that and people

are bound to do some bad traffic management...

 

Greater Greater Washington published a

video of the states, but fast forwarding through

most of the places/ routes there, and done

over multiple days...

 

I had conflicting roles, and was not able

to complete the ride in the day, not due

to distance, I've biked over 60 miles before,

doing a century ride as a kid, and touring

about 50 miles / day fully loaded (means

with camping gear), so the distance was not

the issue...

 

After Party was typical bikers drinking,

and a Brewery Sponsoring the event,

which I find conflicting...  Sure many

20 something year olds drink, but some

do not, so what are the sober alternatives

available, or is it just pickup shirt and

leave?

 

Volunteering for rides, in lieu of registration

fees, meant no lunch provided, but ride

instruction packet, said bring $5 which doesn't

even buy lunch at Eastern Market these days,

much less carrying valuables into South East,

not that that is any less safe than anywhere else,

but still, long distances in the city or out,

and you don't carry much.  Many didn't even

carry locks, but locked it to something near

the event start, and picked it up along the way,

some little trick I learned that day, AFTER the

event.

 

I'd rather carry it, in case of breakdown or something.

Not that leaving a bike is safe either, but

safer than leaving it at an unattended place,

on an unsupported ride...  What that means exactly

I'm not sure. SAG support, for touring anyway,

is usually van pickup and Sweep,

getting people along the route...

 

The Ride Marshal packet needed updating,

version, date and copyright/ copyLeft notice.

I'm not going to quote it, but a quick

review had conflicting information,

and verbal instructions countered

what was in the packet.

 

I've marshalled about 6 events previously,

so familiar with what normally happens,

but different organizations and rides do

it differently.  Routes change, sometimes

dynamically, during the ride.  Road closures,

accidents, and you are quickly off a planned

cue sheet, this one 6 pages long for 200+

turns, and many more stops.

Route information was not available ahead of time,

and it was more like the alleycat in some ways,

here is the challenge, we don't expect you

to finish, get lost?

 

Maybe I'm tired, not so much from the ride,

but other stuff...  I view riding as healthy,

and drinking as not healthy, so the combination

is a conflict for me, and has caused some

contention in a few places, mostly Coops...

 

Just about everyone bikes, and finances are

sometimes a limitation.  Registration fees,

are only part of it.  Membership fees,

getting to the start, emergency funds,

getting back, and expected to buy

stuff along the way, merchandise

being some of it, patch kits, tubes,

tools, etc the well supplied biker

quickly learns a ride isn't fun if you

have a flat and don't have the tools,

supplies and/or knowledge to fix it...

 

And DC becoming the 51st State?

I think it's still arrogant, given the

square miles of the district,

more like a territory, of which some

of the others are not named streets in DC yet.

Puerto Rico Way?  Virgin Islands Lane?

Mitch Snyder does have a street / road/ lane/

drive, I forget which, but right at CCNV

over towards Union Station.

 

I was joking of cursing L'Enfant,

the supposed designer of the District,

and also saying We're Just Doing the

Blue States, (as opposed to Red States)

but that is partisan and some might not

think Funny...  Lincoln after all was

Republican, but Republican was different

then, AFAICT.  And the shirt

"I Biked The 50 States" I called a political

statement, as volunteers got them,

even if they didn't bike.  No proof of

biking required to get the shirt, though

generally like "I Climbed Mt. Washington"

bumper stickers, are usually on cars,

instead of meaning rock climbers

or hikers, and IIRC has a train/ trolly

cable car type thing too, more tourist

declaration than proof and statement of fact.

 

So several other issues discovered in doing this,

Hills are not marked on the DC map, as

I advocated for in Alexandria, for route

planning with kids, and other reasons.

Most bikers are more like hikers, than

car drivers, flat is not assumed, and with

trailers, pedicabs, and other uses,

kids being a main one, having a terrain

Topo map would be helpful.  DC also

doesn't list trouble areas, Caution

symbols listed in Arlington and Alexandria

maps, are missing.  New routes

like Humpback Bridge near the Pentagon

aren't even on the maps, and Google

would take some time to be updated

to include it.  I'd pushed to get

update rights if a jurisdiction was giving

the data to google, to have the ability

to modify your area.  Open Street Map

allows it, but doesn't really have a

WikiPedia type editing system...

Neutral Point Of View, being among them,

Original Research a keyword/ marker

for something that citing references

quoting multiple sources, and basic

fact checking might help...

 

Notes are nice, but if 500 people start,

and only 100 finish, it's not the Boston

Marathon (which has 26.2 or similar

miles in a EU type oval bumper sticker)

and 13.1 half marathon...

For kids, maybe 1 mile per year?

I'm pushing 50 years old, and wonder

if I can bike 80 miles when I'm 80,

but good to have goals.  Even it if's

a 3 wheeler for balance...

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Summary of experience or similar

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Page History

 

20110926 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to ...

 

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