Air Force Classic Challenge Ride – Post-Crash Discussion

[dbb]

When the underpass for Boundary Channel Drive gets repaved, the route might be changed to use Boundary Channel and Long Bridge instead of returning to Crystal City on 110. That would avoid the single lane issue at a couple of of the choke points. I would think that the Pentagon Police could be convinced to permit the ride.

[Steve O]

I was an ambassador on the ride this year. Last year I was a participant, and I finished 6 laps to get the gold medal, which I later learned was not made of real gold.
My experience from last year is posted here.

I started towards the very end of the pack, figuring that would be most helpful to people who broke down early (not much help if I’m ahead of the people who need it). So by the time I reached the scene of the first crash I couldn’t really see anything and the ambulance was just getting ready to leave. Similarly with the crash by the AF Memorial. I got there late and helped the other ambassadors with crowd control and warnings. So I can’t really add any information about the crashes themselves.

My observation is that most of the bad stuff happens early in the ride, both the really bad and just the little breakdowns. I believe this is for several reasons:

• People who bring bikes that are poorly maintained break down and either get fixed or leave the ride; they are weeded out
• It’s more crowded at the beginning
• After the first lap, people know the course better

In fact, during the last hour I was out there the only times I stopped were to help some people who were tired or dehydrated–no flats.

I actually think there is enough room on these roads to accommodate this ride if they can manage the first lap better. Once everyone is spread out over the 15km it works okay. Not perfectly; there were a few gangs of riders being a bit aggressive, but towards the end it mostly worked okay.

Although I would have been happy to issue a warning or two, it wouldn’t have really been possible. Since I was riding around at about 15ish mph, if a pace line went by at 23, unless I felt the urge to chase them down, it was already too late to do anything. Not all the fast riders were poorly behaved. It is possible to make the six laps without being a jackass. I like to believe that’s what I did last year (for the most part, I rode solo, though, so I was not part of any fast groups).

Here’s an alternate idea, though. What if casual riders went out first. Then the gold medal wannabes would start 20 minutes later, which would be enough time to spread the course out. By the time they caught many of the other riders, everyone would be on their second lap and already more familiar with the course. Maybe a 15mph pace car for the first few miles, too.

That’s just one idea, though. Some sort of spreading out needs to happen.

Another would be to have the start line have a funnel that narrows down to 2 lanes, so that the bottleneck occurs before you even start rather than partway in. Then the funnel gets removed after everyone is past. Yes, that makes the start really long, but that is the whole point.

I’m still toying with the unicycle idea for next year, although I’m starting to lean against it. If I were to try it, I would likely start at 7:30 or so, allowing plenty of time for the course to spread out and just after the fastest riders have started their second lap. I actually don’t think my biggest worry would be tangling with other riders; as the slowest rider on the course, I would just stay to the far right throughout. On the other hand, I liked being an ambassador and helping out people with their dropped chains and flats. I also liked not having to pay. For me, this year was more enjoyable than last.

[Steve O]

@LeprosyStudyGroup 141304 wrote:

Why have individual tracking chips if they aren’t used? I didn’t see any evidence that my laps were counted or timed by the event itself.

Results are here: https://runsignup.com/Kiosk/21617/Results

[dasgeh]

Steve, great comment and I think most of what you wrote is spot on, with one quibble:

@Steve O 141330 wrote:

Once everyone is spread out over the 15km it works okay. Not perfectly; there were a few gangs of riders being a bit aggressive, but towards the end it mostly worked okay.

During the last lap, when the people trying to hit whatever medal they’re trying to hit, people can be jerks.

[consularrider]

@dbb 141328 wrote:

When the underpass for Boundary Channel Drive gets repaved, the route might be changed to use Boundary Channel and Long Bridge instead of returning to Crystal City on 110. That would avoid the single lane issue at a couple of of the choke points. I would think that the Pentagon Police could be convinced to permit the ride.

This would be more like the route I rode the first time I participated, either 2009 or 2010. It had rained overnight, stopping just before the official start time and Long Bridge (Old Jefferson Davis) hadn’t been repaved yet. Talk about choke points, there was one place with about a three foot wide dry passage between big puddles. Also lots of large puddles along Boundary Channel. Oh yeah, and we had to ride through at foot of snow at 95° uphill and into gale force winds both ways. :rolleyes:

[hoffsquared]

Hello,

This was my first Air Force Challenge Ride. I would say that this is not a family friendly ride. I am daily bike commuter and have done many non-drafting triathlons. Riding amid so many and so close was pretty intense for me.

I like the idea of a staggered start to spread out the field. It would be simple to do and not add much time to the event.

There should be emphasis on staying to the right to allow faster riders to pass. I did this as much as I could.

[Steve O]

From the other thread, but should probably be here:

@Steve O 141498 wrote:

I am going to respectfully disagree with this, as someone who earned a gold in 2015. For two reasons:

– I like to believe that although I averaged 19.6 mph to achieve the gold, I did not in any way create danger or discomfort to other riders riding either slower or faster. I believe it is entirely possible to ride safely, courteously and (sort of) fast.

– I don’t believe that eliminating the medals will stop those riders who are trying to make it 6 laps from still trying and still behaving exactly the same way.

@sethpo 141503 wrote:

Agree with Steve. As long as it remains a bike ride there will be people riding it fast regardless of medals.

I think the only options are separate events for faster riders and casual riders or at least some kind of staggered start. I guess you could have/enforce speed limits and restrictions on pacelines as well.

At this point, there’s no way I’d take my kid to this event or recommend it to anyone.

@Mariner 141505 wrote:

Then it should be called a race and run as a race, with qualifications. It is not marketed as a race. I rode in this a couple of years ago and learned that quickly: while it is not a race, it certainly feels like one on the road.

@Judd 141508 wrote:

I also agree with Steve O. I am almost always on the carbon fiber bike if I’m not commuting or running an errand. The medals or absence of medals would have no impact on my speed.

@semperiden 141519 wrote:

I agree that taking away the medals will do anything to change the behavior. As long as there are open roads, people will try to ride as fast as they can just to prove themselves.

This was my first ride riding with people. From the start I knew that people take it very seriously, so I was a bit nervous. After seeing the first accident, I decided to take it more safe. This included slowing down on curves and going downhill, and not cutting people off. I pushed it going uphill to make up for it and I still averaged 21mph at the end. You can ride safe, have fun and still complete the 6 laps.

@creadinger 141521 wrote:

Agree. It’s also a “challenge” ride that is associated with a professional race. Why wouldn’t amateurs wanting to test themselves want to get out on a closed course and race themselves? There are PLENTY of family friendly rides in the region, but there are not as many rides that encourage trying to test your speed and endurance. Not every ride needs to be for all abilities. Maybe they should advertise as such.

I’m not a racer. Too big and heavy, but I fully support those guys who want to race in an event that looks and feels like a race, even though it’s for amateurs. It sounds like separating the events would go a long way toward rider safety in this case.

@Harry Meatmotor 141523 wrote:

I don’t think the promoters are being dishonest in how the event is run. It’s marketed and promoted as a Challenge Ride, where riders (especially corporate groups making donations) are challenged to complete as many laps as they can within 3 hours. To complete 6 laps in 3 hours requires an average speed just under 20mph. So, obviously, there are going to be riders going faster than 20mph at times, and groups of riders will likely use pacelines to conserve energy. However, there are no prizes aside from the medals, no podium, no upgrade points, etc. It is not sanctioned as a race by USA Cycling; it is sanctioned as a ride. All riders who participate must complete a USA Cycling waiver. Hint: the requirement to sign that waiver is an important item to note (and I’d recommend reading or rereading the waiver).

@eminva 141526 wrote:

Full disclosure: I did this event several years ago and got a gold medal (though we had 3.5 hours back then). My ride was uneventful and I’m glad I did it, but not really interested in doing it again.

I’m not disagreeing with anyone here, nor am I recommending any changes to the event, but question: What is the appeal of this event for strong cyclists who would be credible competitors in USA Cycling-sanctioned races? In other words, if one is capable of racing, why not just race? There is a whole calendar of races for amateurs; all sorts of events (crit, road race, TT).

What did you have in mind? I am only aware of Kidical Mass, which is great for families with wee kids, but I’m not aware of much for elementary age kids and up.

@creadinger 141528 wrote:

…
For example – the Reston tour de Cure below… 5mph and 7mph? Those are family or beginner rides. They’re also separated from the 108 mile riders by time. The 108 milers have to get on the road by 6:45am. These shorter rides start hours later.
…..

@Harry Meatmotor 141536 wrote:

That particular weekend features two crits, and both are on the National Calendar (which means you’ll see domestic pro teams mixing it up with our local teams, and it’s really exciting to cheer for our local gals and guys). Saturday’s races only feature age-graded races open to any male racers below Cat3, and no Cat5 race of any kind. Sunday’s races are only open to PRO, 1, 2’s. What that means is that there’s really only one race any male Cat4 in the region can enter, and it’s an open, Cat 1, 2, 3, 4 race. In simple terms, it’s a stupid fast race for $40 where most Cat 4s will get dropped within 10-15 minutes of racing.

So, for such a big event, there’s really nothing for any Cat4 or Cat3 ladies, or Cat4 or Cat5 men. I’d rather spend my money (Or volunteer for free entry!) and ride the Challenge Ride than spend $40 to get blown out the back of a Masters field in 8 minutes. And, I can ride to both events, no need for hours in the car to go race in the middle of no where, MD.

@sjclaeys 141538 wrote:

An easy to enforce step to improve safety is to ban aero bars and tri-bikes. This would at least ensure that all riders are not riding “aero” and have quick access to brakes, while perhaps cutting down on the more aggressive speed demons.

[sjclaeys]

Steve O told me to post this here so I am:

An easy to enforce step to improve safety is to ban aero bars and tri-bikes. This would at least ensure that all riders are not riding “aero” and have quick access to brakes, while perhaps cutting down on the more aggressive speed demons.

[OneEighth]

First they come for your aero bars; then they come for your fixies.

[Tim Kelley]

@OneEighth 141551 wrote:

First they come for your aero bars; then they come for your fixies.

Stock up on supplies!

[sjclaeys]

@OneEighth 141551 wrote:

First they come for your aero bars; then they come for your fixies.

Glad that you’re not asking me to take your aero bars out of your cold, dead hands – that’s gross.

[vern]

@Tim Kelley 141553 wrote:

Stock up on supplies!

Don’t you worry…I’ve got my stuff buried up in the mountains with some goo’s and gels and other junk for when that day comes…

[mdub47]

This was my fourth year to do this ride. In 2013, 14, and 15 I completed six laps in just under 3:00 hours averaging right at 19 mph. This year with all the slow downs and stops I finished 5 laps in 2:33 so I didn’t go out for the 6th lap. I was also caught up in a secondary crash behind the first main crash and even though I didn’t hit the pavement it rattled me a bit.

My experience in all four years has been that the start of the ride is very tense with 3000+ riders of varying ability all mixed together (corporate teams start up front, not fast riders) and with a very fast downhill about a mile into the course. After the first two-thirds of a lap (the climb up to the AF Memorial) the riders are pretty well spread out and things settle down. You can still encounter issues with some fast riders being jerks, people not calling their passes, slower riders riding in the middle of the course, riders not holding their line in a turn, etc., but the course is generally open enough that these things don’t become a big problem.

Given that, it seems a start staged by predicted speed (number of laps) would allow the spreading to take place quickly and would solve most of what people have complained about.

[Tim Kelley]

Email from the event organizer:

“We have begun to look at new ways to activate the Sunday Challenge Ride. The growth we are seeing made it apparent, even before Sunday, that we would need to look at ways to spread out the field…educate the wide range of cyclists we have participating and find ways for everyone to enjoy the day of closed-road cycling in the Northern Virginia area. We have received a variety of great suggestions, from sponsors and individuals, that we are already considering.”

[Steve O]

Another point: I think someone mentioned that they were giving instructions/warnings/etc. before the start of the ride. Those could only be heard by riders near the front. I was back near the 2100 block of Crystal Drive and could hear nothing. So if they want to use verbal instructions as one method of educating riders, they will need to beef up their sound system along several blocks of the starting area.

[Author]

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