Ready, set, ride!

[FONT=&amp]Only a few more hours until Freezing Saddles begins! And that means your Strava rides count, starting at midnight tonight.[/FONT]
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Yes, we know that you haven’t got your team assignments yet. They won’t be announced until the happy hour on January 7. However, at that time, all miles starting on January 1 will count retroactively.

What about if you registered late, and aren’t sure whether you are on a team? Ride anyway! If you ever get onto a team (because you sub in for someone who drops out, because a new team is formed, etc.), your miles starting on January 1 will count retroactively. This is true even if you sub in for someone who gets injured halfway through the competition.

Why is it so important to start riding now? Well, if you wait a week to start, you’ll have a very hard time catching up. That’s because the points system puts a premium on consistent riding. You get 10 points for each day you ride at least a mile. You then get 10 points for the first mile, 9 points for the second, etc. So if you ride just 1 mile a day for the next week, you’d have 140 points. If you wait for the happy hour and then try to make up for lost time that day, you’d have to ride 85 miles to end up with the same number of points.

Also, we always have some recognition for those who ride every day of the competition. Obviously, that can’t happen if you miss the very first day.

Last year was a rough year. Let’s start the new year out right![/FONT]