2017 Freezing Saddles Pointless Prizes

Who is the Freezing saddles data guru? I have an idea or two for pointless prizes but need to determine if what we pull out of Strava can support them.

@accordioneur 149438 wrote:

Who is the Freezing saddles data guru? I have an idea or two for pointless prizes but need to determine if what we pull out of Strava can support them.

It’s hozn.

I am still working out the reporting details, but I want to do social prizes this year. Sure, we can all ride lots of miles in the freezing cold, but (one of) the point(s) of this is to bring everyone together.

So, I am proposing to do a Social Butterfly award for the person that attends the most social events (happy hours, rides, etc.) and an Infiltrator award for the person that infiltrates the most social events of other teams.

I will work out the details a bit more once I know how many teams and how many participants per team there will be.

@Brünø Moore 149611 wrote:

Ride bikes.
Drink Coffee
Get awesome.

Clearly this has been simplified so Steve O has some chance of understanding it this year!

I’ll bring back the Operation Deep Freeze prize this year AND I’m really hoping to make it to the happy hour to award it this time assuming the moving bits on my bike don’t blow up on the way.

Anyway, ODF will be 1 or 2 prizes for the coldest ride and the longest ride on the coldest day type of thing.

Hi my friends. Here are some of the prizes I will be awarding for FS 2017. These four may need separate threads, starting in January:

—The London Bridge Prize.
This is the prize for the most crashes. We can pick up the thread from last winter.
http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?9868-W-amp-W-London-Bridge-Pointless-Prize-Log

—The Warming Climate Prize.
With the planet heating up, we may need to upgrade our challenges as Freezing Saddles turns into Sweaty Butts. To keep things on the chilly side, this award will go to the riders who take the most rides clad in their bathing suits. Pictures or it did not happen. Further details to be announced.

—The Bike Samaritan Prize.
If someone were to offer a Roadside Assistance service for bicycle riders, I would be the first to sign up. I’m one of those people who are eternally grateful when fellow riders stop to offer help. So this prize is for those who share their technical expertise on the roads or trails, be it for flat tires, slipped chains, etc.

—Little Did I Know…
Sometimes our rides don’t turn out the way we expect. For example, a couple weeks ago, mid-way to my job, my front wheel rim buckled and my tire exploded. I never made it to work. It was one of those situations where you later tell Mom, “Yeah, I decided to stay home from work today ‘cause I was having a bit of trouble with my tire,” when secretly you are unbelievably thankful to be alive.
This prize will be for absurd, surprising, terrifying, or heart-warming, unforeseen predicaments.

@sjclaeys 149666 wrote:

I will run the third annual Beerneuring Challenge. Drinking beer and riding bikes in the cold, what could wrong?

Here’s a suggestion for Beerneuring 2017, make Hellbender Brewing Company one of your destinations.

I got to visit last night, and it’s one cool and interesting place. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, in fact people had a hard time finding it because the storefront is so bland. But inside, damn good beer is happening.

I was with a group of sustainability folks, and we were treated to a tour wherein the brewer told us about their process that uses 15% less grain and 30% less water than average. Their secret is a big filtering press, which squeezes every last drop of liquid out of the mash before it goes into the boiler. Apparently this is common practice in European Belgian-style breweries, but rare in the U.S.

Hellbender is only 2 years old, started by homebrewers with a background in microbiology. They’re serving in their taproom and at local restaurants, or you can take home a growler. I had a Smoked Nut Brown Ale which was amazing, and wished I could hang out to taste all the others.

I hadn’t been in that neighborhood before, but it’s close to Fort Totten metro station. They’ve installed a bike rack out front. Public tours are available at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm & 5pm every Saturday unless otherwise posted.

Co-founder Ben Evans in front of the big filter press machine.
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Kegs
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The back room where all the brewing happens. There’s a separate room for scientific research and testing.
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Storefront is bleak, but there is a bike rack, and the taproom is spacious and welcoming.
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