I was whored by jared I tells ya! WHORED!!!!
Fun race with interesting check points with my favorite ones being the first and second. We had to spin around around some poles and then chug a beer at the first one, which I drank instead (sorry, chugging is for frat boys). Something about that beer was refreshing as all fuck and it went down real smooth when combined with the cig I bummed off another racer (thanks to whoever that was). Gotta love a race that lets you drink and smoke @ the first checkpoint. From there we rolled over to the 2nd and that one just really set the tone for the rest of the ride. Paper rock scissors or a brownie? For the record, most of the DFL crew went for the brownie. all in s0n, all in! That said, that was the longest it has ever taken me to ride that distance. So much so we started getting annoyed at the end and ended up riding faster just to get it over with...
Overall I had a good time even though in my opinion that part of town just plain sucks. Urban sprawl has run amock out there and drivers are aggressive. I was amazed at how much UCF has grown in the last few years as we rode through the campus but even with the bike lanes, it still somewhat ruff to ride a bike out there. So much respect to those brave souls who do so every day. UCF cops are a joke (again, my opinion) and seemed to be sweating a lot of people for no real good reason. The funny thing is they tend to back off real quick if you know your rights. So a word to those who were complaining about the cops out there yesterday; know the rules of the road regarding bikes and traffic in addition to your basic civil rights. Some peeps try to blur the line in order to get you to comply for whatever reason. Be smart, be rational and most importantly, the more you understand the system you have to live in the better off you will be at not getting exploited by those who seek to do so. Now you know! And knowing is half the battle...
G. I. Jooooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :)
That said, here are the results of yesterdays race: (as posted on Diarrhea Machine)
1. Dickie G (1:08 )
2. Eric Z (1:08 )
3. Paul S (1:08 )
4. Matt O (1:09)
5. Amanda P (1:10)
6. Steve W (1:10)
7. Alex B (1:10)
8. Juan B (1:11)
9. Ryan G (1:11)
10. LeAnn A (1:12)
11. Matt W
& Phil J (1:15)
12. Jasen S (1:20)
13. Lasalle B (1:22)
14. Kelly T (1:23) (TIRED)
15. Even W (1:23)
16. Mike P (1:24)
17. Stephanie C (1:24)
18. Dave S (1:28 )
19. Leslie W (1:43)
20. Liz Cherskin (1:44)
21. Jared W (!:45)
22. Metha D
Michelle H
TBM!! (1:46)
23. Ben H (1:49)
And here's a link to the Jared checkpoint photoset. Here Metha shows Jared how much he loves subway. I think Jareds neck broke as a result of the appreciation... :)
All in all awesome job guys, had a lot of fun yesterday! Keep us in the loop if you throw anymore races in the future...
ez!
8 comments:
Thanks for coming out to the East side of town! and watch out for future events...
Dickie G
i dont know why they put "F"
Dickie: fixed it...
Tora bora: thanks for having us! :)
ez!
my b Dickie
the complaints about the cops stem from so many different times the cops have harassed and specifically targeted bikes.
our group rides have gotten ticketed and split up, if you take a lane you always get stopped, etc. etc.
many of us are very well aware of the bike laws yet are powerless when cops refuse to listen and force us into single file or yes, the sidewalk. we get badge numbers and complain, but it's useless.
anyway, a shame about DFL hah. Benny came in right before announcements. almost though, almost.
sounds like you guys had an amazing weekend!
yes we did cole, yes we did... :)
blitz,
I feel ya man. A lot of the times some of these cops are just as clueless as most motorists to the laws regarding bicycles on the road. The main problem I tend to see usually deals in both sides mis-interpretation of the laws that govern the use of bikes on the road. For instance, if there is a bike lane on a street and you and your friends take a car lane, then at that point the police could stop you as you are not using the designated bike lane created for bike use. That's why its there and thats why you should use it regardless of how many people are riding with you. The way the laws are written in Florida, bikes must be as far right as feasibly possible which tends to open up grey areas in terms of interpretation. Also keep in mind though that cars must also keep 3 feet between themselves and the cyclist when they do pass. At least thats the way I have always understood it...
Here is a link to the a decent resource that lists out the laws of the road in regards to bikes: http://gainesvillecyclingclub.org/laws.html
"many of us are very well aware of the bike laws yet are powerless when cops refuse to listen and force us into single file or yes, the sidewalk. we get badge numbers and complain, but it's useless."
Again, knowing the law is one thing and how it gets interpreted by the police is quite another unfortunately. This is why you need to be as educated as possible to not only the laws the state has enacted but also the procedure one would take in order to get abuses addressed. It's one thing to complain and get badge numbers but it's quite another to have the follow through to take it to the school or the appropriate authority and fight it. If you ever get cited for something you know is not right, do more than complain and fight that shit! Just don't be "emo" about it as that will only give them ammunition when they try to marginalize you and your complaint. I hear UCF cops have been getting some bad press of late so use this to your advantage if they do target cyclist around campus. Consistency in their enforcement of the laws would be one of the easiest things to point out.
Now before one of you guys points out "Mutha F**ker, I've ridden with you numerous times and you don't follow the rules either", I'll be honest and let you all know I tend to be selective about when I do / do not follow the rules (especially when I'm racing). This has gotten me in to trouble on numerous occasions with OPD, especially in the downtown area. The thing is when I get busted for something I know is illegal, I just take my lumps and deal with the repercussions. It's one thing to fight when you're in the right but to fight when you're in the wrong just sets you up for failure. You have to know when to pick your battles with these things. A good example of this is what happened to Venice Dave and I at the first rat race. A cop tried to imply we ran a light even though he couldn't prove it. I challenged him on that in a rational and calm manner and he ended up letting VD and I go because he knew he couldn't prove it. He did however give a ticket to the guy who did run the light because it was so blatant...
BTW I have to ask, what happened at the end when the cops came to talk to the organizer during the awards ceremony? Did they kick you guys out of the park? If so for what reason? Did you have to reserve those things for use or are they open to the public or UCF students for personal use? See this is the kind of stuff I question and ask them to explain in full before I even think of complying with their wishes. Again, if your tone is calm and rational what excuse do they have for not explaining their answer. Believe it or not, some cops tend to be all right peoples and if you address them in a calm manner, they tend to be pretty decent and will answer any questions asked (there are always exceptions to the rules though). On the other hand, this "respect my authority / don't ask me questions" shit is not a viable answer when they try to infringe on my rights as a citizen. (and trust me I know them by heart! LOL)
BTW, I'm not bitching at you or talking down to you, just relaying my experiences a someone who has had to deal with overzealous cops through out his life.
ez!
"For instance, if there is a bike lane on a street and you and your friends take a car lane, then at that point the police could stop you as you are not using the designated bike lane created for bike use. That's why its there and thats why you should use it regardless of how many people are riding with you."
I heard that if two or more people are riding and if you don't feel safe you can take up a lane (even if there is a bike lane).
"I heard that if two or more people are riding and if you don't feel safe you can take up a lane (even if there is a bike lane)."
They way I understand the law, if a bike lane exists then you as a cyclist need to use it. The only time this is an exception is if no bike lane exists on the road you are traveling. Also, if no bike lane exists and the road you are traveling on is a basic two lane road (lanes traveling in opposite directions) then you are expected to ride as far right as possible. Now this does not mean you ride in the drainage gutter on the side of the road, but as far to the right as safely possible in the lane.
As far as taking up a whole lane, I haven't seen anything in the laws that lets cyclists do this. When we do our Tuesday night rides we usually ride in a single file line when riding on the busier streets in order not to block traffic but there have been occasions when we took a whole lane (usually when we have a larger group riding that night). Usually the Po- Pos here in the 407 don't tend to hassle large packs of cyclists taking a lane as long as they are not blocking traffic. That said, someone just posted an article a little while ago about how motorists are complaining about this tactic and that the police where going to start enforcing the rules when encountering this situation. We'll see how it all pans out...
BTW, all of this is based on my understanding of the laws of the state of Florida. If anyone has a resource that would support toras position on taking up a lane, please post it because I'm far from being an expert in this area...
ez!
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