Dublin City Cycle - Sunday 14th September 2008

Caroline_ie

Don't worry about the guards ... once we pass them, they won't be able to catch us ... the city is ours!! Muahaha!!!

Stark

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.

Ever see those TV license ads where the guy confesses to his family that he didn't pay his TV license and everyone looks at him in disgust? You'll be that guy, only worse.

Raam

Does this Dublin City Spin preclude a Boards spin?

c0rk3r

I'am going to win this competitvie non-competitive event. just you wait and see

rflynnr

Raam wrote: »

Does this Dublin City Spin preclude a Boards spin?

If it doesn't do I win kudos/earn some sort of handicap for spinning with 35kg worth of offspring aboard?

Actually, on reflection, this should be a new Olympic event: the 10,000m commute. Cyclists are forced to cover said distance with 40 kgs of ballast, in rain gear, on traffic-light-ridden, pot-holed tracks, whilst the organisers jump out from behind random bushes to replicate the careless opening of car doors. Let's see: what have I left out?

(This also throws the whole Dublin City Cycle into a new light. Since it's clearly not designed to incentivise people to cycle, perhaps it's intended to kickstart training for this new event in time for London 2012.)

oobydooby

edit: I deleted that bit of idealism and decided that the event is a load of crap.

drcopernicus

I was slipstreaming nicely when the peloton was cleft in twain by the Luas. I caned it into Dame St., using the Sheldonator's cornering technique to cut up some chic Frenchies on pastel-painted Nellies at the Thomas Davis statue, but I'd just lost too much time.

Would it have been so outrageous to ask people one or two trams-worths of punters to walk from Harcourt to Stephen's Green or vice versa? How many people are cutting it fine for vital appointments at 9.30 am of a Sunday?

The hi-viz better be worth it.

Chips Lovell

vektarman wrote: »

Jeez they'll defo pass me, I'll be on a 1970's raleigh chopper...

Think I passed you. Baseball cap? Kind of burnt orange chopper?

drcopernicus wrote: »

I was slipstreaming nicely when the peloton was cleft in twain by the Luas. I caned it into Dame St., using the Sheldonator's cornering technique to cut up some chic Frenchies on pastel-painted Nellies at the Thomas Davis statue, but I'd just lost too much time.

We dropped several small children but failed to win the final sprint.

Was keeping an eye out for you and other boards heads but didn't spot anyone.

Chips Lovell

Here we all were, an army of Freds

Trojan

Cycling gear is sexy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/alrocket/2852422235/in/set-72157607265926307/

kenmc

el tonto wrote: »

Was keeping an eye out for you and other boards heads but didn't spot anyone.

Just out of bed. Kind of forgot to not drink too much last night. Managed to set the alarm though, but when I looked out the window it was too bright so decided against getting up!

Did ye all get free hi-viz? Or have the builders been reduced to cycling to the dole office now they can't afford money for their 'utility' vehicles?

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Yea it was a sea of high viz even though the roads were closed...It was a fairly pedestrian affair.

Think I spotted a boards jersey out there.

And a jazz band wtf?

Chips Lovell

kenmc wrote: »

Did ye all get free hi-viz?

Free hi-viz on offer for everyone, which pretty much everyone seemed to take them up on. Was kind of weird to look at, so many people in the same getup.

rflynnr

I think the dispensers of hi-viz were on some kind of a volume bonus. The guy looked at my 2- and 4-year old kids, then me and said "you'll need three so" before handing me two vests for 10-13 year olds. Sensibly, the kids refused to wear them.

Overall verdict on the event: fun but pointless.

DirkVoodoo

Got fairly toasted last night, 3 hours sleep. I did try and get out but by the time I found my mate and we started on the route, the main bunch was coming back so we turned around and cycled to the finish. I declined the bottle of water some nice lady offered me as I didn't think my 400 metre cycle had deserved it.

I had my jersey on briefly, seemed like a nice day out bus as someone mentioned already, ultimately not that much of a point (aside from the charity aspect).

vektarman

el tonto wrote: »

Think I passed you. Baseball cap? Kind of burnt orange chopper?
That was me, the one with the tow rope:)

monument

I asked a group of the stewards about the shorting of the route. Strangely I was straight away asked if I was "the one" who emailed them (I still haven't got a response).

Anyway, the guy I was talking to seamed pretty open and willing to engage. He said (like the email on Friday evening said) that it was for safety reasons, adding that closing off Westmorland Street and O'Connell Street would shut down Dublin Bus. I asked if the route was unsafe now and was told no but they couldn't have cyclists and buses together.

Slightly in shock I said ok fine. He said I looked sceptical. Indeed, but it was - still - early on a Sunday so I left it at that.

rflynnr wrote: »

I think the dispensers of hi-viz were on some kind of a volume bonus. The guy looked at my 2- and 4-year old kids, then me and said "you'll need three so" before handing me two vests for 10-13 year olds. Sensibly, the kids refused to wear them.

Good on them. But lucky you did not try to hand them back.

When lining up register I avoided one person handing them out, politely said no thanks to another. Then politely said no to the person I registered with, at which point I was told in a rather annoyed tone that they would prefer if I wore one. I said I'd prefer not to and walked off.

Here's some pics, starting on this page...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cianginty/2855124345/in/set-72157605993013417/

Or at the end of this set...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cianginty/sets/72157605993013417

Chips Lovell

Think I spotted you Monument as you came up Georges Street and I was going down it.

monument wrote: »

When lining up register I avoided one person handing them out, politely said no thanks to another. Then politely said no to the person I registered with, at which point I was told in a rather annoyed tone that they would prefer if I wore one. I said I'd prefer not to and walked off.

I got lucky in that case. The woman registering me took one look at me and said "I take it you don't want one of these". "Err, no" was my reply.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

The woman registering me took one look at me and said "I take it you don't want one of these". "Err, no" was my reply.

The "Euro look" and high-vis are mutually exclusive, eh?

TinyExplosions

I would have headed out, but far too many pints last night means I was dead to the world till about 11... sounds like fun though

Mec-a-nic

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I would have headed out, but far too many pints last night means I was dead to the world till about 11... sounds like fun though

Well, I would have headed out also, if I didn't think the whole event was a complete piece of shi'ite dreamt up by someone who doesn't have to cycle around Dublin for the other 364 days of the year.

'registration' seemed like an attempt to get everyone to sign up for please-don't-sue-us-if-you-skid-on-diesel-or-get-thrown-by-a-pothole... rather than any other pro-active use.

I normally wear all necessary protection, but realise it is just another reason why most people will not ever cycle around Dublin. Nobody in the huge cycling crowds in Amsterdam or Copenhagen wear hi-vis or helmets....

DCC, if you're reading this, you should be reading this instead http://www.copenhagenize.com/

</rant>

drcopernicus

I should be in the pic el tonto posted. I was abreast of the guy on the recumbent turning onto the canal and that dude in the red shorts was buzzing round me the whole way round. Also recognise most of the others as being with me at that point. But I'd just started to move up the inside on Wilton to see what was going on up ahead.

When the Luas chopped up the "event", the second group lost the "You Shall Not Pass" garda and went the wrong way at the Bleeding Horse. Hilarious.

Saw Eamon Ryan but he was with his kids so I didn't shout anything too abusive. He has developed a really hunted look since last time I saw him.

Spent rest of day in Wicklow plashing through a plashy fen and getting lost in mist on Camaderry. Am covered in ****e, but at least I was able to pelt past some grannies up on the ridge to restore a bit of the old confidence after disappointing result earlier.

drcopernicus

When lining up register I avoided one person handing them out, politely said no thanks to another. Then politely said no to the person I registered with, at which point I was told in a rather annoyed tone that they would prefer if I wore one. I said I'd prefer not to and walked off.

Eamon Ryan wasn't wearing a hi-viz. I'm guessing he didn't have to put up with annoyed tones because of it.

Caroline_ie

Tonto, where the hell were you?? We didn't see you at all ... and we were looking!!!

We Played the' Start at the end of the group and try and make your way up to the gards as quickly as you can' game... very interresting game with lots of young wobbly obstacles ...

I will not share any more thoughts about that event without the presence of my lawyer ...

Chips Lovell

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Tonto, where the hell were you?? We didn't see you at all ... and we were looking!!!

We arrived just after it started, so we were right at the back. When the spin doubled back on Georges St I was looking out for people but didn't spot anyone. Who were you there with?

I was in a black jersey, while Mrs Tonto (or should I say La Lista) donned the hi-viz.

drcopernicus

el tonto wrote: »

the spin doubled back on Georges St

At that point, it became a closed circuit and the lead garda mountain biker was not only redundant but represented a dangerous ontological problem as many of the riders behind him were also in front of him and thus in danger of entering a parlous state of non-participatory being.

I nearly sh1t myself.

Bunnyhopper

I went along this morning and found it underwhelming. It's nice to see young kids getting a chance to cycle safely around their own city, the guards and the stewards were very helpful and so on, but the whole thing smacked of tokenism.

I did it two years ago when it started from Mayor Square in the Docklands, followed a longer route, and was held on a Wednesday evening in July. That one was much more enjoyable although I did have reservations even then about the idea of there being one day (actually, one evening of one day) where the city streets are made safe for cyclists amidst the 364 other days where we can just eff off and play Russian roulette with the usual nonsense we all know so well.

This time around the scheduling and the reduction of the route just made the tokenism of it all feel a bit more obvious. If part of its purpose is to promote cycling in Dublin (and it certainly should be a major part of the point of the whole exercise) then tucking it away out of sight isn't going to work. I think that in its current form it's not something I'll bother with in future.

Chips Lovell

I think tokenism is the right word. To be honest, I was surprised at the size of the crowd there (1,000 people???) given the hour and the length of the route. I only went because it was so nearby. Other than being a bit of a lark and nice for kids, I can't see the point of it.

The hi-viz thing really grinds my gears. So tempted to rant about.

drcopernicus wrote: »

At that point, it became a closed circuit and the lead garda mountain biker was not only redundant but represented a dangerous ontological problem as many of the riders behind him were also in front of him and thus in danger of entering a parlous state of non-participatory being.

I nearly sh1t myself.

Coffee almost came out my nose.

Stark

el tonto wrote:

The hi-viz thing really grinds my gears. So tempted to rant about.

Same here. It would have been nice to get a free hi-viz and all, but the notion that people should have to "make themselves" visible while cycling en masse on closed garda patrol streets is an extreme case of making cyling out to be more dangerous than it actually is.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

The hi-viz thing really grinds my gears. So tempted to rant about.

Let's be having it...