Pointless Prizes 2016

[americancyclo]

@dkel 129322 wrote:

Manual entries in Strava always give you zero elevation. You might have to figure out how to deal with that.

greater than zero?

[dkel]

@americancyclo 129339 wrote:

greater than zero?

If by this you mean only tally elevation and miles on rides that have greater than zero elevation, that would be an obvious solution. The programmer(s) would have to set that up (if it’s not set up already to do that kind of filtering).

[kwarkentien]

Here’s my first BAFS 2016 Pointless Prize: first 10 people to do 5 laps around Hains Point. I am tentatively planning to do a FNFSHPP (First Night of Freezing Saddles Hains Point Party) on New Year’s Eve/Day. More details to follow.

[cvcalhoun]

@Sunyata 129321 wrote:

I think I also want to do a “Flat Lander” award for the person with the least amount of elevation gain compared to miles ridden. I will figure the details of that one out a little later.

Won’t this be pretty much identical to the “most Hains Point laps” category?

[Sunyata]

@dkel 129322 wrote:

Manual entries in Strava always give you zero elevation. You might have to figure out how to deal with that.

I was kind of thinking that manual entries will not count for this prize. Which, I guess means that I would need to be able to see Strava feeds for those who are in contention. Hmm. I will figure something out.

[ewilliams0305]

In addition to a climbing challenge I’ll also do the longest coldest ride.

Here’s how I think it could/should work. Take the number of miles ridden and divide it by the temperature.

So a 210 mile ride ridden at average 17 deg would yield what I’m calling the “frozen toe” factor of 12.35

A 210 mile ride at 36 degrees would yield a frozen toe factor of 5.83.

Get it, the person with the highest number and the most frozen toes wins! I think all the data is already collect so it shouldn’t be much work.

The prize, a lifetime supply (or whatever I can afford) of toe warmers for next year (hopefully the shelf life is good for one year, I’ll confirm)

[jrenaut]

It’s going to get a little complicated for the rides with negative degree averages, though there shouldn’t be TOO many of them.

[Steve O]

@ewilliams0305 129392 wrote:

In addition to a climbing challenge I’ll also do the longest coldest ride.

Here’s how I think it could/should work. Take the number of miles ridden and divide it by the temperature.

So a 210 mile ride ridden at average 17 deg would yield what I’m calling the “frozen toe” factor of 12.35

A 210 mile ride at 36 degrees would yield a frozen toe factor of 5.83.

Get it, the person with the highest number and the most frozen toes wins! I think all the data is already collect so it shouldn’t be much work.

The prize, a lifetime supply (or whatever I can afford) of toe warmers for next year (hopefully the shelf life is good for one year, I’ll confirm)

So 10 miles at 40 degrees is 0.25. Count me in.

[DrP]

@jrenaut 129398 wrote:

It’s going to get a little complicated for the rides with negative degree averages, though there shouldn’t be TOO many of them.

Convert all temperatures to Kelvin and there won’t be a negative average. (and you will feel warmer by knowing the temperature is over 200 deg!)

[ewilliams0305]

@jrenaut 129398 wrote:

It’s going to get a little complicated for the rides with negative degree averages, though there shouldn’t be TOO many of them.

Damn! I tried a few mathamagical things and I’m stumped, maybe someone smart wants help figure this out. I don’t want a 12 mile ride at -12 degrees winning out against a 180 mile ride ridden at 5…

I smell a very complicated spreadsheet in the works, or some sort of table? Maybe I’m missing something simple here

[DismalScientist]

You need to set a new “absolute zero.” Adding 30 degrees to the average temperature, for example, would be like treating -30 F as zero. The order of “winning” rides will depend on your choice of “absolute zero.” Using degrees Kelvin, where “absolute zero” is, in fact, absolute zero, would be a solution to this issue, but not the only one.

[ewilliams0305]

@DismalScientist 129408 wrote:

You need to set a new “absolute zero.” Adding 30 degrees to the average temperature, for example, would be like treating -30 F as zero. The order of “winning” rides will depend on your choice of “absolute zero.” Using degrees Kelvin, where “absolute zero” is, in fact, absolute zero, would be a solution to this issue, but not the only one.

You just earned your screen name! that’s very simple. Adding thirty degrees works for me, new zero -30, and I really hope we never see that crap.

A 40 mile ride at -30 will score 40, you if you ride 40 miles at -30 I have no problem with that winning!

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 129408 wrote:

You need to set a new “absolute zero.” Adding 30 degrees to the average temperature, for example, would be like treating -30 F as zero. The order of “winning” rides will depend on your choice of “absolute zero.” Using degrees Kelvin, where “absolute zero” is, in fact, absolute zero, would be a solution to this issue, but not the only one.

Leave it to the economist to suggest a perfectly workable solution that makes a mathematician’s skin crawl.

[DismalScientist]

Actually, a 40 mile ride at -30 F will give an infinite score. A 40 mile ride at -29 F will give a score of 40.

We dismal scientists are nothing if not pedantic.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Or you know, divide temperature by mileage instead and have the lowest number win.

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