Freezing Saddles: Winter Bike Challenge (sign up open)

[rcannon100]

Freezing Saddles: Winter Bike Challenge
Never Give an ELITE Cyclist an Even Break

Official Frozen Scoreboard

NOTE: Excluded activities: If you post an activity to Strava during the competition period which is not an outdoor bike ride, then it should have the string “#NoBAFS” in the activity name.

Freezing Saddles! The Epic Adventure of a band of ELITE Cyclists, facing the challenges of the wild wild wild bike paths. Confronting the darkest of evenings, the coldest of mornings, and the stupidest of Ninjas – these brave cyclists challenge each other because, if they didnt, they might have to actually do some work during the day.

The saga runs January 1 until the last day of Winter, March 20. It will conclude with a March Madness Playoff that someone will probably design. There will be a Happy Hour at the end with many pointless trophies.

Tribes (teams):

• Composed of ~5 riders or less
• For riders from the #bikedc, Washington DC Bike Forum general community (Washington DC greater metropolitan area)
• Volunteer Captains (captains will address any data problems, negotiate or cause confusion, and provide motivational seminars);
• This is a ten-gallon hat tournament. Riders will be randomly assigned to tribes based on self declared average weekly mileage and days cycled. Tribes will be created so that each tribes’s average weekly point score is roughly equal to everyone else’s. To achieve this, tribes may be composed of differing numbers of riders.
• No late sign ups.
• Interested cyclists must sign up by December 25 Midnight – Tribes will be announced within a couple days.

Scoring: Riders will receive 10 points for each day and 1 point for each mile ridden. Minimum ride is 1 mile. The tribe’s score will be the sum of the tribe members (indoor trainers do not count- you must be freezing in the saddle outside).

Backend: STRAVA (please sign up for an account, and join the “Bike Arlington” club on STRAVA – you should be able to enter data manually or automatically. Additional information will be posted here on the forum.)

This is a self organized group activity based on consensus. No one is in charge or running this thing. Participation is voluntary and entirely at your own risk.

Be Brave. Be Bold. Be…. questful! In the words of Hedley Lamarr:

Men, you are about to embark on a great crusade to stamp out runaway decency on the bike paths. Now you men will only be risking your lives, whilst I will be risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Here are the teams with the new subs

Team one
http://app.strava.com/athletes/126281
Matthew Whatley
Shawn Dread
443749
John Fisher – 608636

Team Two
Pete DeNitto – 768183
Steve Appel
James Hoofnagle
Jason Kyzer
Mega Beth – http://app.strava.com/athletes/136523
Joe Birkenstock – 1154396

Team Three
Trish Newberg
randy napiza 313677
Mark Blacknell
essigmw
obenlandk@gmail.com – http://www.strava.com/athletes/1564295

Team Four
EKR
Kel Moore
Chris Shue
Crystal Bae
Elizabeth MacGregor

Team Five
http://app.strava.com/athletes/benbhsu
307483 (Mark Williams)
Christopher Niebylski
vvill
Kevin Ulrich – http://www.strava.com/athletes/kevin_ulrich

Team Six
Arlingtonrider
sjclaeys
ejwillis@yahoo.com
http://app.strava.com/athletes/302448
feomike@gmail.com – http://www.strava.com/athletes/feomike

Team Seven
Henning Schulzrinne
klizotte
Brad Hancock
Ron Alford
Chris Randall

Team Eight
Ken Buja (1224809)
Kevin Williams, Strava # 580756, BA “GuyContinental”
Lena Varuolo
Hans Lellelid

Team Nine
Steve O
jopamora
Justin Antos (Strava 1473093)
http://app.strava.com/athletes/488016

Team Ten
certifried
strava name Karen Smith (forum poster acl)
Cyndi Janetzko
Rod Smith

Team Eleven (Freezing Saddles Team Mongo (11) on Strava)
Greg Ba
cptjohnc
rcannon100
mdevoll
Sarah Dots
Sean Chisham

Team Twelve
Calpike
BonzaiBuckaroo
Daniel Alexander
ochsendorf@gmail.com

Topic

[Greenbelt]

All teams over 1000 miles; Bollard Busters (ahem) approaching 2k.

[KayakCyndi]

@Greenbelt 41602 wrote:

All teams over 1000 miles

And a rider or two (Rod, Chris and the one man team of Dirt) who nearing 1000 miles as well!

[Mikey]

@ronwalf 41589 wrote:

It’ll fix itself in the morning. The software caches the ride data it downloads to speed things up. Since that can cause inaccurate results, once a night it clears the cache and starts over.

Hoping not to get DQed for “Performance-Enhancing Software”

[TwoWheelsDC]

Started my new job today…it’s about the same distance as my old commute, but now I have to wear a suit every day, so I have to figure out a new clothes-carrying routine, so I probably won’t be commuting full time again until next week. I think what I’ll do is take my suit jackets in, then carry in suit pants, shoes, and a dress shirt every day. I’m hoping that will let me also ride my road bike on nice days. I also bought a garment bag pannier, so we’ll see how that goes.

This morning I took the bus and then metro downtown, but the thought of taking metro home tonight made me nauseous, so I Cabi’d. It was painfully windy until I got across the river, but I warmed up real quick coming up the Custis. I was surprised that I didn’t see more than maybe one or two bikes between Foggy Bottom and Ballston.

[dcv]

@TwoWheelsDC 41621 wrote:

Started my new job today…it’s about the same distance as my old commute, but now I have to wear a suit every day, so I have to figure out a new clothes-carrying routine, so I probably won’t be commuting full time again until next week. I think what I’ll do is take my suit jackets in, then carry in suit pants, shoes, and a dress shirt every day. I’m hoping that will let me also ride my road bike on nice days. I also bought a garment bag pannier, so we’ll see how that goes.

This morning I took the bus and then metro downtown, but the thought of taking metro home tonight made me nauseous, so I Cabi’d. It was painfully windy until I got across the river, but I warmed up real quick coming up the Custis. I was surprised that I didn’t see more than maybe one or two bikes between Foggy Bottom and Ballston.

Congrats on the new job. I split my suits and leave some at the office / some at home and swap them out on days that I drive. Why carry the pants?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dcv 41623 wrote:

Congrats on the new job. I split my suits and leave some at the office / some at home and swap them out on days that I drive. Why carry the pants?

No overnight lockers (but there are showers) and my new office is pretty formal, so I can’t really go up in my bike gear to grab my suit. So I have to have at least shirt/shoes/pants with me when I roll in, so I can get up to the office totally dressed.

[Mikey]

@TwoWheelsDC 41621 wrote:

Started my new job today…it’s about the same distance as my old commute, but now I have to wear a suit every day, so I have to figure out a new clothes-carrying routine, so I probably won’t be commuting full time again until next week. I think what I’ll do is take my suit jackets in, then carry in suit pants, shoes, and a dress shirt every day. I’m hoping that will let me also ride my road bike on nice days. I also bought a garment bag pannier, so we’ll see how that goes.

This morning I took the bus and then metro downtown, but the thought of taking metro home tonight made me nauseous, so I Cabi’d. It was painfully windy until I got across the river, but I warmed up real quick coming up the Custis. I was surprised that I didn’t see more than maybe one or two bikes between Foggy Bottom and Ballston.

I keep my work shoes at work, since most people make fun of me when I click around in my bike shoes.

[Rod Smith]

No phone booths anymore for Superman to change back into Clark Kent before arriving at the office.

@TwoWheelsDC 41629 wrote:

No overnight lockers (but there are showers) and my new office is pretty formal, so I can’t really go up in my bike gear to grab my suit. So I have to have at least shirt/shoes/pants with me when I roll in, so I can get up to the office totally dressed.

[vvill]

You could always attempt to ride in (mostly) work clothes. In this weather I often just wear work slacks/trousers over bike shorts + legwarmers.

[rcannon100]

From Phoenix Bikes:

Phoenix Bikes

We created a herd of Saddle Horns today (recycling parts from over-flowing parts bins). These will be going to Robert Cannon’s Frozen Saddle Contest. Team with the most commute rides in Feb and March (I think) wins the trophies. From left to right, Siena, Henry, Luca, Paul, David, and Matt. Well done, gang.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2337[/ATTACH]

Now what we need is someone to volunteer to organize the final Happy Hour / Awards party!

[KLizotte]

Phoenix bikes folks – you are awesome!!! I never would have come up with your creative ideas. Thanks for facilitating our crazy ideas on the forum.

[oldbikechick]

@DismalScientist 41598 wrote:

I put my phone in my pants pocket and I don’t think it will freeze. To save battery, if that is an issue, turn off the wireless connections (put in airplane mode). I make sure to turn off the display when riding…I don’t want to butt dial anyone.
Once the phone syncs with Strava.com, all your data is replicated on Strava.com so you shouldn’t worry about losing that. If the phone dies or has strange data, you can always delete whatever ride on the phone and upload the correct mileage to Strava.com.

I had no idea that phones could freeze. Has this happened to anyone? I always have my phones in the panniers and never knew to worry!

[Steve]

@hozn 40895 wrote:

I also recommend (as I’m sure many do) the Panaracer T-Serv tires. I have the reflective sidewall 28s for commuting; the 25s are nice too. I’ve heard good things about the Armadillos too, but the T-Servs are cheaper (online) and lighter.

Happy to say I took Hozn’s advice and got the t-Servs. Got to ride them today for the first time and was extremely happy. We talk a lot about how frame material can change the feel of the ride, but not tires. Going from vittoria zaffino 23s to the panaracer 25s made the ride feel very very smooth. Thanks for the advice here, as well as the tires thread!

[hozn]

@Steve 41802 wrote:

Happy to say I took Hozn’s advice and got the t-Servs. Got to ride them today for the first time and was extremely happy. We talk a lot about how frame material can change the feel of the ride, but not tires. Going from vittoria zaffino 23s to the panaracer 25s made the ride feel very very smooth. Thanks for the advice here, as well as the tires thread!

Awesome, I am glad first impressions are good! I really am happy with these for all-season commuting. Well, and just riding in the winter period.

[Steve]

@hozn 41803 wrote:

Awesome, I am glad first impressions are good! I really am happy with these for all-season commuting. Well, and just riding in the winter period.

Plus I they come in colors, which meant I got the chance to get real matchy…..

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2342[/ATTACH]

[Author]

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