Air Force Association Challenge ride

[consularrider]

@Bilsko 54188 wrote:

This is one aspect that I don’t quite understand -if an entire mile or two portion of the ride is optional, then does that impact the completion of the Gold/Silver/Bronze categories? Or do you have to ride that section (and be tracked with their device) to prove that you did the entire circuit?

Ostensibly, two riders could both get to gold via six laps, and one of them would have ridden almost an entire laps-worth of distance less than the other if he/she excluded that portion of the circuit….right?

The timing chip only cares when you cross the timing pad, it’s not a GPS mapping of your ride. If a rider skips the Air Force Memorial leg, it will just look like that rider is extra fast. Of course a rider can always turn around early on 110 too.

[Bilsko]

got it. I know its not a competitive ride (beyond the personal achievement aspect), but it seems a bit odd to organize it that way.

[Bilsko]

Wow – the elevation data is all kinds of weird for that ride. The same location in Crystal City (the ride start) keeps getting lower and lower on subsequent laps. Its kind of like Crystal City is sinking into the Potomac and Strava is giving you a realtime topographic record of it.

Either that, or I just cant read an elevation profile.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Bilsko 54196 wrote:

Wow – the elevation data is all kinds of weird for that ride. The same location in Crystal City (the ride start) keeps getting lower and lower on subsequent laps. Its kind of like Crystal City is sinking into the Potomac and Strava is giving you a realtime topographic record of it.

Either that, or I just cant read an elevation profile.

Probably due to the temp/barometric pressure rising rapidly in the morning and throwing off the barometric altitude sensor.

[Tim Kelley]

@consularrider 54191 wrote:

If a rider skips the Air Force Memorial leg, it will just look like that rider is extra fast.

But Strava will know…

[txgoonie]

@Tim Kelley 54286 wrote:

But Strava will know…

Nothing is sacred.

http://road.cc/content/news/84868-digital-epo-smash-your-strava-times%E2%80%A6-cheating

[consularrider]

@Tim Kelley 54286 wrote:

But Strava will know…

I’m sure those who attempt this won’t be uploading to Strava.

[PotomacCyclist]

Last year, they reserved the front spaces for those who had signed up for the Team Sabre fundraising challenge. (Those people also received a Cycling Classic bike jersey.)

http://cyclingclassic.org/team-sabre.html

I enjoyed the ride last year, but I’ll probably skip it this year. I’m peaking/tapering for a long triathlon race later this month. I don’t want to do a 3.5-hr race-pace ride this close to that race. I could sign up and just ride a few laps, but it doesn’t seem worth it to just do a couple laps and stop. Plus my enthusiasm would probably get the better of me and I would ride the entire 3.5 hours.

I tried volunteering for the pre-race packet prep yesterday but I signed up a little late and didn’t hear about where to go. (I showed up at the hotel but they said there were no spaces being rented out yesterday for the Cycling Classic.)

Hopefully the rain goes away and the weather is sunny for the races this weekend.

[dasgeh]

Can you still register? The website seems to say you can, but doesn’t say whether they’ve reached capacity:

In person packet pick-up will be run at the Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport (1999 Jeff Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA), on Friday between 2-6pm, and on Saturday, between noon and 6pm. You can also register on ride morning at the on-site Registration tent, near the start/finish line (Register now as we are likely to reach rider capacity early this year!!)
– $45 General Entry
– $35 Discounted Entry (Active Duty/Reserve Military Personnel, Retired Military)
– $5 Late fee after May 31.
– On-line registration closes midnight, June 2nd
We will offer limited walk-up spots on Friday, June 7th at packet pick-up after 3pm. We will continue to offer walk-up spots until we are sold out. Check back here for updated status.

Oh, and the FAQs have the medals at a higher lap count. I think those are wrong.

If anyone is going to packet pick-up, could you please ask and post? And line length, if you don’t mind?

Thanks!

[jopamora]

There wasn’t a line just now. There was a sign for New Registrations.

[PotomacCyclist]

Interesting that the Washington Examiner is one of the sponsors. They aren’t always friendly toward the idea of cycling, and neither are many of their readers. But I’m not complaining about the sponsorship.

[PotomacCyclist]

An item related to the Air Force and speed, but not necessarily cycling:

I saw the John Glenn lecture last night at the Air and Space Museum. Senator Glenn introduced and asked questions of his friend and fellow space pioneer Lt. General (ret.) Thomas Stafford, USAF. (I was in the overflow seating area but Glenn and Stafford visited the room briefly before heading over to the IMAX Theater for the main lecture.)

Of course Glenn is the first American to orbit the Earth. Stafford served on four NASA space missions, including commander of Apollo 10, the dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. During Apollo 10 and the return from Moon orbit, Stafford and his crew set the speed record for human travel, reaching a top speed of 24,791 mph. That’s 6.9 miles per second!

[dasgeh]

Husband just picked stuff up. No line now. Still spots for the Challenge.

[Dickie]

Rode in the rain to get my registration materials….. felt like crap by the time I got home…. hope this summer cold crap is finished before Sunday. Met Nick (4st47lbs) at the hotel, good to see you sir and looking forward to lining up with you on Sunday! Crossed paths with a speeding Cosularrider heading towards the hotel on the MVT to collect his registration materials as well… he looked in good form…. shocker!

Quick question: Anyone know if the helmet sticker needs to be in a specific position… front, back, side? And are they picky about the jersey number orientation?

[Bilsko]

@Dickie 54563 wrote:

Rode in the rain to get my registration materials….. felt like crap by the time I got home…. hope this summer cold crap is finished before Sunday. Met Nick (4st47lbs) at the hotel, good to see you sir and looking forward to lining up with you on Sunday! Crossed paths with a speeding Cosularrider heading towards the hotel on the MVT to collect his registration materials as well… he looked in good form…. shocker!

Quick question: Anyone know if the helmet sticker needs to be in a specific position… front, back, side? And are they picky about the jersey number orientation?

Wow, at 2:45/3:00, I must have missed all of the forum members going to pick up their packets. Fortunately, no line when I went to get mine.

My plan is to ride down to Crystal City around 630 (to get there around 7AM). Dickie, others, where are you planning on meeting?

[Author]

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