Dublin City Cycle - Sunday 14th September 2008

Victor

The Dublin City Cycle takes place next Sunday 14th September.

Meeting at Merrion Square Sourth at 8.30am and starting at 9.30am, it will follow a 10-kilometre route around the city. This is a joint initiative by Dublin City Council and the Dublin Transportation Office and is now in its fourth year. It is open to people of all ages and fitness levels and is free of charge to enter.

Further details and registration here: http://www.dublincitycycle.ie

monument

Victor wrote: »

Sunday ... 8.30am and starting at 9.30am

Húrin

I've seen posters that say p.m.

monument

The route just got a lot smaller????

http://www.dublincitycycle.ie/route.htm

Tackleberry

Jesus thats pretty lame isn't it? I was gonna head in and have a boot around but don't think I'll bother now - very frustrating - if you're gonna have an event like this then do it right and don't do it half-arsed

monument

Tackleberry wrote: »

Jesus thats pretty lame isn't it? I was gonna head in and have a boot around but don't think I'll bother now - very frustrating - if you're gonna have an event like this then do it right and don't do it half-arsed

I'm half thinking the same thing.

I didn't see the original map, what has been cut?

monument

To the top of O'Connell Street / Parnell Square.

kenmc

that is lame indeed. seems to be a bit of a case of 'quick, get the cyclists up and out on the roads while everyone else is still hungover in bed, so that when they get up and start looking for brekkie they'll be able to drive into town undisturbed' :rolleyes:

Chips Lovell

I signed up for this and was going to do it with my missus. The only thing is that the new route now is so short that we'll probably have to cycle further to get there and home afterwards than on the 'cycle' itself.... and we live in the city centre.

kenmc

so irish!

Caroline_ie

MMMmmmm Let's race it ... I'll use the Zipps

Chips Lovell

Caroline_ie wrote: »

MMMmmmm Let's race it ... I'll use the Zipps

As I said on an earlier thread, I'll be up late on Saturday polishing my disc wheel.

Morgan

If you can't get out of bed for the early 8.30am start, there's always this:

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Just signed up...looks like a fairly gentle affair, although it's about 10km for me each way to get there:p

DirkVoodoo

I signed up too. Dunno why, I don't think i will be fast enough to race or slow enough to be in with the casual, balloon wearing crowd (its on the site, they recommend wearing balloons on your head).

I shall be the lone boards jersey wearing chap in no-mans land, between the slow and fast crowds.

Chips Lovell

Just got an email from the organisers. The route has been shortened because of "operational safety reasons".

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I signed up too. Dunno why, I don't think i will be fast enough to race or slow enough to be in with the casual, balloon wearing crowd (its on the site, they recommend wearing balloons on your head).

I shall be the lone boards jersey wearing chap in no-mans land, between the slow and fast crowds.

No one's going to be racing.

Slice

WTF? That is a poxy length compared to last year. I might just give it a miss seeing as I cycle most of that route almost every day

DirkVoodoo

el tonto wrote: »

No one's going to be racing.

Am i to assume I have missed out on much of the sarcasm of previous posts?

Chips Lovell

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Am i to assume I have missed out on much of the sarcasm of previous posts?

Yup. In fairness, there was an earlier thread on this where the joking started and you might have missed it.

bealbocht

yeah.. its a bit of a "give the kids a spin before real road users wake up"

9.30 on sunday morning.. is there such a thing... ??

and you are supposed to register.. , probably so they can say "x number " were there, cos thats how many registered..

Looks like the work of a "NGO committee" to me.

should be (IMO) around 3pm,

By sunday.. it will probably be 3 times around Merrion Sq.

I see they are collecting for concern.. but otherwise.. what is "supposed" to be the point of the whole thing.

Victor

I wonder how they are dealing with one-way streets and banned right turns.

drcopernicus

If the public service wants to kill something, this is how its done. The Irish bureaucratic genius for intertia is impressive enough, but its only when a provision can no longer be resisted that they pull out all the stops and make that provision **** beyond belief.

The allocation of an 8.30 am to 9.30 am slot should have been sufficiently begrudging to ensure the non-participation of those suburbanites unwilling to get up at 7 am on a Sunday morning for the privilege of a 25 minute canter around town, ie nearly all of them.

Alas, the citizenry must have signed up anyway in numbers sufficient to demonstrate their support and enthusiasm for a cycling alternative that there was no alternative but to practically cancel the whole affair.

I don't know whether or not to go now. It would be nice to experience a ride around the city centre accompanied only by the whirr of a "peloton"; it would be up there with sailing for the sensation of movement without engine noise, which is awesome. But even though I live two blocks from Merrion Square, I'm not sure I wouldn't be selling myself short hauling my arse out of bed for a spin around the perimeter of Trinity College, which is about the size of it now.

On the other hand, my public service experience tells me that is exactly what they want. With such small numbers taking part (despite the trojan efforts of the council to inconvenience motorists and the public for cycling ingrates), the Dublin City Cycle is a budget item that will be prime cut-back fodder in the years ahead.

I'd say that on the morning, it'll come down to the number of drinks I quaffe on Saturday night. Dublin City Cycle probably shouldn't hold its breath.

Chips Lovell

From the latest email:

Two members of the Garda Mountain Bike Unit will lead the cycle. Participants MUST stay behind these leading Gardai.
Anyone who overtakes the Gardai will be deemed to have left the event and will no longer be considered a participant. A member of the Garda Mountain Bike Unit will also bring up the rear of the event, participants must obey the Gardai’s instructions and if they choose to be passed by this Gardai they will be deemed to no longer be participating in the event.

I'm curious to find out what happens to you if you are deemed to be no longer a participant.

vektarman

el tonto wrote: »

From the latest email: I'm curious to find out what happens to you if you are deemed to be no longer a participant.

Jeez they'll defo pass me, I'll be on a 1970's raleigh chopper, does this mean I'll be tied up and dragged along the ground!?!

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

I'm curious to find out what happens to you if you are deemed to be no longer a participant.

You simply HAVE to pass them so we can find out.

kenmc

el tonto wrote: »

From the latest email: I'm curious to find out what happens to you if you are deemed to be no longer a participant.

You could argue that you were never a participant, and just stumbled across them as you were heading out on a training run. But thanks for closing the roads for us anyway

gaffmaster

GASP!!! this sounds so much more fun now! I suppose the real game is now seeing if you can be passed by the rear garda at the start of the "race", then really go for it and whiz past all other partisipants and pass the leading garda by the end of the said "race"!!!

rflynnr

Actually, given the in-all-likelihood sedate nature of the pace the Guardai are going to set, I'm tempted to pop along on the hybrid carrying both kids just to witness the faces of officialdom as all three of us canter past. "But Guard, this is my regular Sunday spin. Right kids?"

kenmc

are there any early houses en-route by any chance?
I think it probably best if the boards jerseys are left behind so, given the likelihood of rule-breaking on this one. Tomorrow, I shall be mosty argentenian i think!

drcopernicus

The real fun is to lap the rear garda, thus re-acquiring the lost participant status.