[KLizotte]

Yikes! Scary picture. Glad you are okay. Bike parts can be fixed; body parts, not so much. Was the driver cited by police? I’d send the pic and headline to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; it is responsible for Penn Ave. The same folks that were so concerned with the barriers looking ugly and fought them forever. Sigh.

[KLizotte]

Thanks hozn for the kind words.

As we indoor riders stated previously, we never wanted the VT miles to count in the regular FS calculations. Just a separate side bet so no one should worry about any changes to the rules.

Speaking only for myself, this whole thread and the anti-trainer vibe on the forum in general has effectively killed any enthusiasm I had for the contest. I was only looking to have some fun making jokes about chickens and sharing anecdotes about weird events that occur in the virtual world while waiting for spring to arrive. I didn’t anticipate having to continually defend my choices to others. I’m just gonna train in privacy from now on.

Ride on y’all.

[KLizotte]

@hozn 152652 wrote:

I’m not sure this is any less patronizing …

… but I trust you’re not trying to be an ass.

I read it that he was showing condolences to a fellow cancer patient/cyclist; that’s all.

[KLizotte]

@Bob James 152609 wrote:

Biking at 34mph without breaking a sweat proves the point. I sweat very profusely going 14mph out in the real world.

So certainly virtual training is great exercise, but it just can’t compare to the real thing.

If Matt Aune can do 34 mph on a properly set up trainer without breaking a sweat then surely doing so outside will be just as easy for him. He is in really, really good shape.

I can assure you that my avg mph are the same both on and off the trainer and that my legs are more sore from my trainer rides than my “real” rides, esp if I’m just commuting. Please don’t assume Matt is the “norm”!

Also, we should not discourage (or bully) people who can only do xx miles in the real world then have to (or choose to) use a trainer to supplement those miles. Everyone has medical, family, logistical, and time issues that are no one else’s business but their own. The whole reason FS was originally started was to promote community, have fun and provide an incentive for people to stay in shape over the winter. For all the folks that want to be super competitive about it, create a different contest or establish side bets.

The fun factor and supportive atmosphere is quickly dissipating and is one of the reasons I stopped participating in FS.

[KLizotte]

Oh, and I think the Rubber Chicken contest could convince some folks to stay in shape over the winter who, for whatever reason, can’t or won’t ride outside. That’s a worthy goal in itself. Some of us aren’t in FS but would like to have some fun while exercising the cold months away.

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[KLizotte]

Hmmmm….maybe the Rubber Chicken Contest should be based on number of hours on the trainer instead of miles or some sort of weighting of the two? OTOH, if the only people competing are the three of us then it is a moot point since we all have smart trainers (and Matt will almost assuredly win). Would be nice to have more people added to the contest!

Oh Lordy, now I know why BAFS rules are so complicated…..

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[KLizotte]

@hozn 152429 wrote:

We do have a bit of a data collection problem with this prize, as we don’t actually store trainer rides at all … We could hopefully work out something by competition end , but just to be clear that it’s not something we can answer from the current data.

RCannon,

Couldn’t we just create another Strava team for those that are participating in the Rubber Chicken contest? We could call the Team “The Rubber Chickens” or something.

[KLizotte]

I do wonder what the poor Chinese assembly line workers think when they make yellow rubber chickens all day long. They must think westerners have really, really weird tastes in toys and/or furnishings. Or are really, really kinky….

[KLizotte]

^^^Not in keeping with the whole rubber chicken contest vibe.

I, for one, am not at all competitive when it comes to speed (or much of anything) so I don’t care what other people record in the real or virtual world. I just like telling people I’m competing for a rubber chicken cause I think it’s funny. And if I’m fitter by the end of winter hurrah for me.

[KLizotte]

The Rubber Chicken contest is on!!!

Whoever posts the most trainer miles gets one of these:

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You know you want it. I know you do. This is a much better prize than a boring golden nugget.

[KLizotte]

And to those who scoff at trainer miles, I have only this to say:

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[KLizotte]

I use the McLean metro to visit Mitre for work and it is extremely useful for that. But you’re right, there isn’t anything walkable from the McLean stop except the office park right there. Also, the opening of the Silver Line has made the Rosslyn station a complete mess: very, very crowded and confusing at rush hour.

[KLizotte]

I have joined on Strava.

The damn prize had better be a BIG, bright yellow rubber chicken. I mean it.

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[KLizotte]

I’m not a BAFS participant (am an alum though) nor am I on the slackers team now that I have an awesome smart trainer setup in the middle of my living room, in front of the big screen TV and huge window with access to biking videos from around the world. I now laugh at snow, sleet, cold, darkness and kamikaze squirrels.

All that said…I do greatly desire a rubber chicken for reasons that even *I* cannot discern. I want the chicken dammit!

[KLizotte]

You can’t have an avatar like “weird beard” and not post a pic! Pic! Pic! Pic!

We will decide if it is weird.

Yes, I know. I’m not formally a part of this team. I’m just stalking. Cause I can.

[Author]

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