FLCC> [Cookies] one person's view of Tuesday night

[Andrew Chadeayne]

I think it was my fault.

I care more about winning than the continuation of Tuesday Night Races
in Ithaca.

OK, so I wasn't there.  In all seriousness, I write this to make a
point:  Tuesday Nights are very special and they will last only as
long as people continue to value the interests of community as a whole
above their own personal interests.  Glenn, Ernie, Don, Mark, Sara,
etc., etc., and other veteran Tuesday Nighters can not always be
around to play "bad guy" and it's not fair to expect them to do so.
By showing up to ride with the group, a person should be expected to
act in the best interest of this group.

Nick, my hat is off to you.  No one likes to be "the jerk" who's out
to point out the rules in something as important as a stage win in the
Ithaca Tuesday Night Races.  I hope that others will follow your
example and, like you, share the responsibility that comes with
enjoying the benefits of a truly exceptional organization.

Notice I didn't voice any concern for the safety of those on the wrong
side of the double yellow.  Not an oversight: Those idiots are asking
for it.  However, I think it is inconsiderate of them to endanger
everyone else's fun with their carelessness. Unfortunately, the burden
is on the Tuesday Night group to ask these people to commit bicycle
suicide elsewhere (maybe on 79 or 13).

Good news is, I think this little "wake up call" has only reconfirmed
the everyone is in agreement that we want Tuesday Nights to stay and,
accordingly, want people who threaten them to grow up or else leave.
I imagine that with a few more people willing to back these values up
with some choice words when the need arises, things will straighten
themselves out.

For those of you out there racing- I am jealous of you all, every
single Tuesday night.

Best,
Andrew


On 7/12/07, Mark Rishniw <mr89 at cornell.edu> wrote:
> While I was dropped on Hurd Rd, and therefore missed the Sherriff's
> car and the mixing of the A's and B's, I agree that there is way too
> much yellow-line crossing, and 4 or 5-abreast riding, especially in
> the B's.  For that reason, I pushed the pace on the first lap with
> the help of a few others (Cosmic, Shan, Mark S, Emmanuel C) to keep
> the pack strung out along midline, through the corner, and down to
> 79.  This seemed to result in a safer first lap, because everybody
> was single-file, or at best, 2-abreast.  It meant that I had nothing
> left for Hurd Rd, but I didn't feel at all threatened by bunching
> riders, or people looking for gaps where there are none.
>
> As for A's and B's doing the same course, so as to avoid co-mingling,
> I don't think that's practical. I doubt that the B's wanted to do
> Yellow-Barn/Irish Settlement Rd/Observatory.  Obviously, the A's
> didn't want to do Hurd/Snyder.  Last Tuesday was an unfortunate
> series of circumstances, where the 2 races met on the Midline
> Corner.  However, the B's race would be the group to give way to the
> A's there, since they have the right-of-way.
>
> Twinkie.
>
> At 10:12 AM 7/12/2007, Sara Barker wrote:
> >I would like to second what Nick and Glenn are saying here as this is very
> >serious stuff and certainly not to be taken lightly. I have ridden with the
> >Tuesday night group for many, many years now and have noticed that this
> >year when warming up to the start, riders are not nearly as good at heeding
> >the car back call. Often riders who are moved over have to shout several
> >times and still people don't move. You can continue to carry on your
> >conversation when riding back to front or pause for a second to let the car
> >pass. We are becoming very unpopular with the public due to our behavior.
> >Also I wanted to relay a story from a friend who raced on the B-dale course
> >last week. He is new to our group and was ready to never come back after he
> >yelled car back towards the finish, moved over, and no one else in the pack
> >moved an iota. The car had to pass a large group that had completely taken
> >over the lane of traffic with some riders right on the yellow line. This
> >unsafe behavior is not only going to make us very unpopular with the
> >driving public, but is also turning off new riders that we should instead
> >be supporting in the community. I know our club does not condone this type
> >of behavior and we should all take individual responsibility for our
> >actions, even if at the very end of a race.
> >
> >Not even a Tuesday night win should trump safety and the rules of the road.
> >I for one want our tradition to continue so let's play it smart and safe,
> >please.
> >
> >Cheers,
> >Sara
> >
> >
> >
> >At 04:53 PM 7/11/2007, Glenn Swan wrote:
> >
> > > >Nick Robertson sent this observation of Tuesday night's ride/race.....  He
> > > >may not think he has the respect of everyone, but I know he deserves all
> > > >that and more.  I think I am glad to have missed this one, since I might
> > > >have blown a gasket and really reamed some people out.  I know that many
> > > >of the riders who show up for Tuesday nights aren't necessarily on this
> > > >listserve, so we will need to "educate" some of them before the next
> > > >outing.  We truly are lucky that over the years we have avoided most
> > > >serious accidents and traffic incidents, and we have read about the
> > > >experiences of enough other clubs who have been shut down or worse,
> > > >suffered accidents, injuries, or deaths during their weekly events. It is
> > > >up to all of us to instill a strong sense of responsibility in each and
> > > >every rider because we are responsible for our own safety, and both
> > > >directly and indirectly the safety of those who ride around us while we
> > > >race. Stupidity, carelessness, or just plain bad luck on the part of any
> > > >one of us can lead to the end of what is now an institution of about 25
> > > >years. It is up to each of us to protect it by being smart and aware of
> > > >our total situation while we race each week.  We must be better...
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >Riding last night was interesting to say the least.  I think I saw
> > > >more stupid riding last night that I ever have before.  I want to
> > > >send an email to the listserve, but don't have the necessary respect
> > > >of the field to have the message be received.  I think that we are
> > > >lucky that no one was hurt, killed, or that we weren't shut down by
> > > >the police.  There was almost no adherence to "car back" yells.
> > > >Several times while riding out to the start there were cars that
> > > >tried to pass just to find a car coming the other way, but had
> > > >nowhere to go because the group was filling the whole lane across.
> > > >Most of the way out, the whole lane was filled.
> > > >
> > > >But, the worst part was during the race.  The A's went out yellowbarn
> > > >and back up Irish settlement.  B's were doing something that had them
> > > >coming down midline.  After Irish settlement I was in a chase group
> > > >with Bill Erikson and John Compton.  The A's passed up the intersection
> > > >with midline and then the B's came out right before us.  A few B
> > > >stragglers never even checked to see us coming, I had to yell to get
> > > >them to not blow through the stop sign right into us.  If I had been
> > > >a car doing 55 or 60, that could have been bad for them.  But it gets
> > > >worse.  As we were approaching the Bs, I looked behind to see a
> > > >sheriff.  We yelled car back and I know that others in the field
> > > >heard us because they looked back, but did nothing.  For over a mile
> > > >the sheriff was behind trying to pass, but couldn't.  Bill and I were
> > > >both thinking this was the end of Tuesday night races.  Right in
> > > >front of the sheriff, people were going two wide over the yellow line
> > > >up one of the short steep hills!  So they were taking up over a lane
> > > >on a blind hill.  Finally the sheriff decides to try to pass, but
> > > >just as he/she does, an on coming car comes and the sheriff had to
> > > >turn their lights on to prevent a head on collision.  Finally the
> > > >sheriff was able to pass on the approach down to 79.  To my surprise
> > > >they passed and just kept going.  Maybe they had somewhere else to be
> > > >or maybe they were just letting this one slide.  Either way, we got
> > > >lucky I think.  I thought for sure the were going to stop the field
> > > >and put an end to things.
> > > >
> > > >Finally after the ordeal, I was able to get around the B's and get
> > > >back up with the A's.  On the way up to the observatory, people in
> > > >the A field were well on the left side of the road nearing both
> > > >crests.  I was sitting there watching this in disbelief.  If a car comes
> > > >over the top and there is no way there would be time to move.
> > > >
> > > >All in all, I was embarrassed to be out riding with the group.  I
> > > >know that this discussion seems to come up every year, but it never
> > > >seems to be taken seriously.  I am afraid of someone getting hurt or
> > > >killed at some point if nothing changes.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >Nick
> > >
> > >
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> >
> >
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