Freezing Saddles 2015

[dcv]

Two teams:
1. Rod Smith, Steve Eunpu, Chris Randall
2. Everyone else

[hozn]

@hozn 100050 wrote:

Errrr … I guess the recent server upgrade did in fact affect me I will get on that when I have some free time — prob not tonight.

OK, this is fixed. Of course, let me know if you encounter any more problems.

[Steve O]

@vvill 100033 wrote:

pick the same number of people from each pool to make each team so each would have say, 1 captain, 2 high mileage riders, 5 medium, 3 occasional, or whatever. You self-nominate which pool you want to be in. (If we have a slacker team, then that’s separate.) This way there’s a random element, but there’s still some seeding to keep big mileage riders apart. And sandbaggers will still be obvious. :rolleyes:

Hey, rcannon, this is just like Ultimate. Remember? Players would self assign based on their experience/skill. I think this could work.

[Steve O]

@hozn 100043 wrote:

but there were definitely some teams that seemingly had little hope of victory.

yea…like mine

[Steve O]

@Ben 100032 wrote:

Also, would it be too complicated to give a five point or double mile bonus for rides on days where the recorded high at DCA (usually the warmest point in the region) is below freezing?

No, not a good idea. This just causes a slippery (haha!) slope. What about days with more than x” of snow? Those might be considered tougher than just the cold. Or days that are 33 and raining…or sleeting; IMO, those are the worst days of all.

Better than messing with the simple point system, if you are inclined to honor the truly courageous, offer a special prize. Last year 30+ idiots earned “bicycle icicles” for riding on the day of the polar vortex. (BTW – I still have 5-6 of these to give to those who earned them but whom I haven’t seen or do not know.)

[Bruno Moore]

While I’m all for randomish teams (with keeping the supermegariders separated—I’m guessing it’d work out more-or-less to be about the same as handicapping), there’s a part of me that would like a bit of geographic unity—bias things towards, say, having Marylanders and NE DCists on one team, rather than matching someone from Greenbelt with a teammate out in Reston. Ride as a team, freeze as a team, lose your frikkin’ mind as a team.

I’m going through the recaps of last year’s pointless prizes. I may just have to sponsor one of my own.

[cyclingfool]

@Steve O 100093 wrote:

No, not a good idea. This just causes a slippery (haha!) slope. What about days with more than x” of snow? Those might be considered tougher than just the cold. Or days that are 33 and raining…or sleeting; IMO, those are the worst days of all.

Better than messing with the simple point system, if you are inclined to honor the truly courageous, offer a special prize. Last year 30+ idiots earned “bicycle icicles” for riding on the day of the polar vortex. (BTW – I still have 5-6 of these to give to those who earned them but whom I haven’t seen or do not know.)

I think I may be on of those 5-6. I never make it to any of the happy hours and despite my dogged determination to ride through thick and thin last winter, I missed the awards happy hour, too. Didn’t realize I had an outstanding prize to claim!

[Mikey]

10 seemed perfect. Enough to carry me but enough for me to meet everyone, plus it made some of the team side bets more fun. I also use this as a way to meet more forum members so I like that I am assigned to a team (guaranteed I will not know everyone already).
How about this for handycapping: Last years’s FS miles are the most accurate but they are not on par with peoples estimates or nov/Dec miles. Why not take estimates and nov miles for newbies, and 80% of FS miles for the ice-crusted veterans. It’s completely arbitrary, but if you do it with authority we minion will obey. Also I loved that we had a happy hour near the start of the competition. Friday Jan 2nd, Arlingtonrider?

[Rod Smith]

@dcv 100076 wrote:

Two teams:
1. Rod Smith, Steve Eunpu, Chris Randall
2. Everyone else

Don’t be pointing fingers. Your YTD mileage is greater than ChrisR’s. Unfortunately Eunpu is dead set against participating in Freezing Saddles.

[Harry Meatmotor]

too bad i don’t have any GPS-enabled wizardry, otherwise I’d be in on this freezing saddles hot mess. polar vortex, schmolar vortex.

(“meatloaf, beatloaf, double-bubble beatloaf”)

(props to anybody that can name the source of that quote!)

[Steve O]

@cyclingfool 100100 wrote:

I think I may be on of those 5-6. I never make it to any of the happy hours and despite my dogged determination to ride through thick and thin last winter, I missed the awards happy hour, too. Didn’t realize I had an outstanding prize to claim!

You are right; I have yours.
The six bicycle icicles that may still be claimed are for (using their Freezing Saddles names):
Marc Mitchum (If I had only had it with me when you rolled up to dasgeh and me at the I of D a couple weeks ago)
Jason Jacot
Jason Brodowski
Eric Weisz
Greg G
Greg Anderson

PM me if you have any ideas about how to get them to you. Might be able to transfer through someone at FCCII or the like.
Or if you are planning on doing the Hains Point 100. Or the Plaid ride. Or something.

[Sunyata]

I was not here last winter, but I would love to join in.

Since I am new and you know, my opinion matters so much… I think the simplest thing to do is to use the pool and region suggestion and have everyone put their name in a regionalized pool and then perhaps randomize the team picks?

Either way, this will keep me motivated to continue to commute through the winter and keep up my winter mountain bike training rides. 😎

Can we count races or other long distance group rides?

[jrenaut]

@Sunyata 100115 wrote:

Can we count races or other long distance group rides?

As long as you’re riding a bike outdoors, it counts.

[vvill]

@Harry Meatmotor 100110 wrote:

too bad i don’t have any GPS-enabled wizardry, otherwise I’d be in on this freezing saddles hot mess. polar vortex, schmolar vortex.

(“meatloaf, beatloaf, double-bubble beatloaf”)

(props to anybody that can name the source of that quote!)

I’ve only seen A Christmas Story once but I thought it was really odd.

You don’t need a GPS to participate. Just an odometer, or if you know your regular commute mileage that’ll work too.

[Anonymous]

@jrenaut 100118 wrote:

As long as you’re riding a bike outdoors, it counts.

Even if you are riding a bike outdoors in **gasp, clutch pearls** Cancun.

[Author]

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