#kidical pointless prize

[Shawnbeast]

@LhasaCM 172822 wrote:

Looking at the leaderboard, it just dawned on me that maybe not everyone reads pages and pages of discussion threads on the internet, particularly regarding silly games that don’t involve coffee, beer, or whatever the heck Calvinball/Nivlacball is becoming. So, though it’s on the list, folks may not know about the #kidical pointless prize and how it works. Or maybe there really are only 3 of is in this year’s Freezing Saddles that have taken kids on our bikes so far.

In any event, as mentioned here, for the purposes of this competition, #kidical rides are those where one or more children are somehow attached to your bike and being carried with you. Seats on cargo bikes, trailercycles, front or rear seats, duct-taped to handlebars where legal – all count the same. Kids riding alongside of you? Awesome…but not part of this. Kidjoring? Maybe illegal, maybe awesome – but definitely not part of this.

To get credit, just use the hashtag #kidical as part of your ride title (saving separate rides for any trips where you have the kid(s) only part of the way). As others can attest to, you can combine #kidical rides with other things, like #beerneuring_responsibly, so multitask away! The traditional leaderboard (straight mileage – no “days” or anything else factored in) can be found at https://freezingsaddles.com/pointless/kidmiles. I’ve a few other ideas for possible prizes that are a bit more random/shorter duration to broaden the winner pool if/when it looks like there’s a chance that could mean something, so log your (eligible) miles! All prizes will be small and of nominal value but hopefully at least a little awesome-ish for either you and/or the kid(s).

(As the pointless prize sponsor, while I’m claiming eligibility to compete for whatever bragging rights there are, I will not give myself any actual prize. Probably.)

So I apparently had not read the rules before. My kids have never been interested in riding on the bike with me, they have always insisted on riding independently. I am a bit disheartened that the rules call for attachment…

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[LhasaCM]

I’m sorry to hear that. Though this is only my second time through FS, from what I understand and what Google told me, the “kids on the bike” aspect has long been part of this pointless prize, so that’s the prize I’ve sponsored. (For example – see the 2014 rules here.)

There’s nothing stopping you/me/anyone from sponsoring a different prize (e.g., #withkids) to capture those independent rides. And at the end of the day, I think the “going out on the ride” part with your kid(s) however you can make it happen is more important than the hashtags/leaderboards/whatever anyway.

[jrenaut]

I am thrilled to not only not be running away with this but to not be leading at all.

I think a “ride with kids” prize would be cool, too – as my kids get older we’re trying to shift in that direction. We don’t have e-assist, and me+bike+kids is getting close to 400 pounds.

Also, if they were 1) playing BAFS and 2) legally able to taste beer, my kids would have finished maybe 5th on the #beerneuring leaderboards last year.

[jrenaut]

Also, my wife has maybe two rides that are eligible, I’ll remind her to add the hashtag.

[josh]

Anyone have kids and a kid-accommodating bike I can borrow? Just need one ride to get on to the leaderboard.

[Judd]

@josh 172840 wrote:

Anyone have kids and a kid-accommodating bike I can borrow? Just need one ride to get on to the leaderboard.

Does it count as kidical if Josh gives me a ride? And also, can I strava it if I’m not pedaling?

Jon will probably lend you his bike and kids.

[cvcalhoun]

I should finally get a #kidical ride on Sunday. However, given that my ride (with grandson in the trailer) will be for the purpose of accompanying my granddaughter on her first solo bike ride, it may be very short. Do we have a minimum distance for a #kidical ride?

[LhasaCM]

@cvcalhoun 172842 wrote:

I should finally get a #kidical ride on Sunday. However, given that my ride (with grandson in the trailer) will be for the purpose of accompanying my granddaughter on her first solo bike ride, it may be very short. Do we have a minimum distance for a #kidical ride?

Nope. No minimum distance. Have fun!

[BTC_DC]

Glad I saw this post yesterday. Dusted off the trailer this afternoon, and finally got my first #kidical points in three years of doing BAFS!

[Shawnbeast]

I don’t want to belabor the point, but requiring the prize to be related to having a child attached to your body or bike is kind of lame. Kidical mass is all about getting kids out on the streets riding their bikes weather attached to a grown-up or independently. I understand that those have been the rules before but I think it’s time for a change.

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[jrenaut]

@Shawnbeast 172924 wrote:

I don’t want to belabor the point, but requiring the prize to be related to having a child attached to your body or bike is kind of lame. Kidical mass is all about getting kids out on the streets riding their bikes weather attached to a grown-up or independently. I understand that those have been the rules before but I think it’s time for a change.

Remember that all of these pointless prizes are created and maintained by volunteers. Any BAFS participant can sponsor any prize they want. You’re more than welcome to sponsor a prize for riding with kids instead of or in addition to hauling them. Pick a hashtag and I’ll play.

[LhasaCM]

@jrenaut 172926 wrote:

Remember that all of these pointless prizes are created and maintained by volunteers. Any BAFS participant can sponsor any prize they want. You’re more than welcome to sponsor a prize for riding with kids instead of or in addition to hauling them. Pick a hashtag and I’ll play.

Since there seems to be demand for it, I’ll go ahead and sponsor a separate pointless prize for riding with detached kids. What do folks think are reasonable constraints – 14yo and below, or something else? Or no age maximum? For a hashtag: any ideas other than #withkid ?

[cvcalhoun]

So, I get both #withkid and #kidical today? Granddaughter took her very first bike ride. However, she got tired after a few blocks, so we locked her bike up and stuffed her into my trailer (already occupied by my grandson). And then I biked another 9 miles, with 100 lbs. of kids plus trailer on the back.

[BTC_DC]

This is starting to get interesting now. More incentive to lighten trailer weight a bit and get the other kid(s) earning some #withkids points, though lose a few route options to avoid roads with less margin of error for wobbly young riders by my side. Game now becomes an optimization problem If more people were active in this category, it might make for an interesting general classification (#kidical and #withkids), versus specialist riders….

[LhasaCM]

@LhasaCM 172936 wrote:

Since there seems to be demand for it, I’ll go ahead and sponsor a separate pointless prize for riding with detached kids. What do folks think are reasonable constraints – 14yo and below, or something else? Or no age maximum? For a hashtag: any ideas other than #withkid ?

For those who like to argue (and/or for those that just have an opinion about this they’d like to share): please chime in at some point tomorrow (Monday) so while I’m killing time in the DC courts jury waiting room Tuesday AM I can formally announce whatever prize it is I’m sponsoring with any restrictions/rules/hashtags/etc. Much obliged.

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