Conference noted::bicycle

>                    <<< Note 2004.0 by WMOIS::C_GIROUARD >>>
>                              -< MANCHESTER 7/28 >-
>
>     Anyone doing it? This is my first...
    
I'll be there. You're referring to the MSF course, yes? :-)

                                     ken

	CHIP, 

	I will be there in the CT. 35 - 45. age group. It looks like we
will get to ride in the same age group. We haven't been in competition together
in 22 years. 

	See you Sunday
	Wild Bill

     Great I'll be there! It seems like I haven't seen you in 22 
    years. Lookin' forward to it...
    
    
         Chip

    How about some details for this, like what state? If NH, it's a
    well-kept secret. Haven't seen anything in the papers.
    What's the distance, route, that sort of thing.
    
    John

     It's in New Hampshire... 32 miler (very hilly I understand). It
    has an 8:30 start time and starts at the University of New Hampshire
    branch...
    
     They've had this every year for a while now....
    
     I didn't do it last year and know how to get to the college branch,
    but I figure if I can get to Manchester (pretty easy) I'll find the
    start location.
    
        Chip

     One adjustment to the descriptive terms "very hilly"... 
    
                       IT WAS ALL HILLY!!!
    
     If there was more than a 1/4 mile anywhere that wasn't going up or
    down then I'm Fignon fan!
    
     Seriously, it was a very demanding course. I really liked it. The race
    itself was very well organized. I went in thinking, in general, other
    people's definition of hilly is different than mine because I live in
    a faily hilly area. So I left my normal stuff on - a 12x21 in the back
    with a 42x53 in the front. Well, I defintely could've used a 23 or 24
    in the back... No doubt. The grades ranged from 2-3% to 15% in some 
    places. The grades ranged in length from 50yds. to 2 miles. Ouch!
    
     I was actually more tired from this race than I was after Mt.
    Washington... No lie. It really made you appreciate the hill work
    (or lack of it). 
    
     Great day (weather), great crowd, well organized, demanding course,
    continued sweeps by officials in cars/trucks... Lots of breakdowns,
    one crash in my age group... It all happened (to me too that day).
    
     One interesting story... As usual, a bunch of us old folks were
    talking it up (along with a bunch of the younger folks). Naturally,
    there were some "not so bright" folks hanging out in the road doing
    this. The road (entire course) was open to traffic. 
    
     Well, along comes this vehicle full of people (4 I think). A women
    in the car sticks out her head and says, "Would you mind clearing out
    of the road so we can get by?" Well, someone guy said something. Also,
    no one was really making an effort to get out of the way with any
    haste. So this guy pipes up "Hey lady? Lady! Life's too short to
    argue... Just move along". Well, the driver gets out (a man). But
    here's the twist... He gets out and has a USCF patch on his shirt
    pocket. A guy in the back gets out... Same thing... The lady, yup...
    
     Well the guy got very quiet all of a sudden. The USCF folks, I
    thought, were pretty cool explain why this guy's attitude needed an
    adjustment, etc... They got back in and drove off. A little bit of
    humor to end the day...
    
     That was the very hardest "road race" I've ever been in. Anyone else
    want to add anything...
    
    
       Chip
    
     P.S. I finished 14th :-(    

    I wanted to see it, but the weather was *too* nice. I thought, however,
    I could read a bit about it in the paper (union leader), especially
    since the was a color picture on the front page. Nope, nothing. No
    mention of it whatsoever!
    If the route isn't too complex, could someone pass it along?
    
    John

	Re.6
    
>     Well, along comes this vehicle full of people (4 I think). A women
>    in the car sticks out her head and says, "Would you mind clearing out
>    of the road so we can get by?" Well, someone guy said something. Also,
>    no one was really making an effort to get out of the way with any
>    haste. So this guy pipes up "Hey lady? Lady! Life's too short to
>    argue... Just move along". Well, the driver gets out (a man). But
>    here's the twist... He gets out and has a USCF patch on his shirt
>    pocket. A guy in the back gets out... Same thing... The lady, yup...
 
    Chip,
    
	It's not your riders that have an attitiude that needs adjusted, it's
  your officials. Here in Scotland, there is a golden rule that cars behind the
  bunch, under no circumstances drive past. If you want to move past a small
  group, YOU wait. Officials are there because of the riders, not the other way 
  around.
	What creates a worse image for the sport? One rider being sarcastic, or
  an official sticking her head out of a car and yelling at the cyclists?
    
Graham.

     Graham, you may have misunderstood (or things are just simply
    different here). This occured after the finish of the race. Riders
    were just reliving all of their most spectacular moments in the
    middle of the road.
    
     The other dimension to all of this is that races are generally held
    somewhere near residential areas in the states. This means that per-
    mission must be had, police support is always nice as well as the
    support of the immediate community. It's of great help if the race has
    any chances of happening again.
    
     So, from my perspective at least, the guy acted like a pin-head. When
    someone takes it upon themselves to put an event at risk for the
    rest of the field he's gone too far for my money. Especially if it is
    a good event! 
    
     And believe me, races have been disallowed in communities because of
    reckless and rude behavior by the participants. This "attitude" does
    nothing to promote the sport here and we don't exactly have a calender
    of events that provides hard decisions (weekly choices) as to which
    one we want to race in...
    
     Chip

Chip,

        The race was lots of fun. (I am a sick person to call that fun). But
to make a point there was lots of flat ground, ( a tangent perpendicular to the
top or bottom of a hill is flat) so I figure ever 30 to 40 seconds we where
on flat ground.

        Before the race I was talked into changing  to my 13 - 28 cluster.
Not even the 28 was of any help. I was dropped from our group, dropped from the
next group, and passed by three people walking. But I finished, I didn't walk,
and I didn't get sick. I passed three people sick on the side of the road.

        30th in a field of about 42 only 37 finished.

Not so Wild Bill :(
 

    
     I think anyone who finished it deserves some applause. That weren't
    no cake walk fer sure...
    
     Next year I'm slapping at least 23 maybe a 24 on the back of my rig.
    
        Chip

    How about a couple street names, if you can recall them?
    I live in Manchester, and my rides start out by either going
    east via Hooksett (rt 27), west into Bedford (101) , or south
    into Londonderry (28). Nowhere are there any hills I would
    describe as you guys have. (Well, there is that nasty one on Rt
    13 in Mont Vernon, and another one in the New Boston, Weare area)
    Anyway, where is the killer hill in greater Manchester???
    
    John

     All I can relate is that we started at the UNH branch on 
    Hackett Hill Rd. and headed north - left out of the parking
    lot. It started immediately and never quit. I can't even re-
    member which town we went through... Selective amnesia, I guess...
    
       Chip

    I really liked the course, especially the king of the mountain hill.
    But I wished they would have let citizens women do a longer loop than
    19 miles.   They were actually soliciting feedback on the length
    afterwards for this category, which showed they would consider it.
    I had no idea Manchester had terrain like that!  I finished 3rd in my
    category.    Gerri
    

     Congrats Gerri...
    
        Chip

    
    	Sorry Chip, I took what you said as happening on the race, not
    after. Interested to hear that you're expected to ask the local
    residents if they have any objections to a race being run in their
    area. All we need is police permission and if nobody likes (often),
    they can try and argue with the Chief Constable. Lovely man...
    
    Graham.
    

Reply #6 > How about a couple street names, if you can recall them?

The race started at UNH. Left onto Hackett Hill RD.
			 Left onto South Bow RD (cross into Bow)
			 Left onto Morse RD (cross into Dunbarton)
			 Right onto Montilona RD
			 Left onto Line Hill RD
			 Left onto Rogers RD
			 Left onto RT 13
			 Right onto Mansion RD
			 Right onto Stark LN
			 Right onto Winslow RD
			 Right onto TRT 13
			 Left onto Rogers RD
			 Right onto Line Hill RD (cross back into Bow)
			 Left onto Dunbarton Center RD
			 Right onto Woodhill RD
			 Left onto South Bow Rd  (back into Dunbarton)
			 And back to UNH

If you get lost Call !

Wild Bill

    Thanks! I'll have to try it soon.
    
    John

     Hi Graham... It's not necessary to ask residents, but they can surely
    put an annual event at risk with complaints... And you know that the
    police and founding fathers will listen to the neighborhood before a
    bunch of cyclists (mostly from out-of-town or even out of state....)
    
     We don't have rampant problems and most communities are generally
    outside on their lawns applauding us on as we pass. Kinda neat....
    
     It just scares me because we don't have an over abundance of events
    for public/citizens races, but it has improved greatly over the past
    couple of years...
    
    
       Chip

    I thought this was a super race!!  It almost seemed kind of low key,
    even though the prize money was pretty good.  I think alot of people
    were doing the Mazda race in Pawtucket, so that was good - no
    sprinters, just us climbers :).  The pace was a little easy at first,
    probably to get a feel for the hills.  (I did the senior IV race).  The
    race really never broke wide open, we just sort of "kept the pressure
    up" until guys started to drop off, particularly on that 2 mile climb. 
    We came up to the last 5 miles with about 40 guys left out of 125, and
    eased up a bit to shake loose our limbs for the sprint.  We were doing
    okay until just after a 90 degree right, where about three guys went
    down while jostling for position.  Of course we took off, then settled
    down again with about a mile to go.  I was really busting to get a
    front row seat, but couldn't advance - boxed into the third row.  A BRC
    guy took a flyer with 800 yds to go, and another guy jumped, then
    everything began to break loose at once.  I could see if I dove for the
    very far right I could get to the front, so I went for it and rode in
    the gravel to pass two rows, then *boom* took off with about 250 to go,
    reeled in all but the guy who had gotten away on the BRC wheel.  Of
    course the field started to come around me at the line, but I held on
    for fourth.  Not too bad, the $45 paid for the gas and entry and lunch.