Ride The Lobster - Rules

spincycle said:

Wondering what the rule is (should be) regarding riding the unicycle in
the Ride the Lobster race. My view is that it should be OK to walk or
run with your unicycle, except to cross the finish line, for any
distance you want.

We were talking about a similar situation on the recent 24 hour
endurance mountain bike race we entered. The general concensus was
that the quickest way to complete the cource with a unicycle would be
to buy a 12" one, lighten whatever you can, and strap it to your back
and run the whole way. It goes completely against the spirit of the
race, of course, but it'll be quicker.

RTL would be a different matter though. The distances involved would
mean you'd have to be a super human runner to even finish, let alone
stand a chance of winning.

STM

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Quoted message said:

Wondering what the rule is (should be) regarding riding the unicycle in
the Ride the Lobster race. My view is that it should be OK to walk or
run with your unicycle, except to cross the finish line, for any
distance you want.

Running/walking during RTL will be allowed, but only for a small part
of each day's ride. We are still figuring out the maximum distance
allowed for not riding, but each team will definitely be RIDING their
unicycling most of each day. This IS a unicycle race, after all.

Quoted message said:

Also, I plan to DJ on my ride (that's what I do). Any rule against
having speakers (small ones) attached to my Uni?

Modifications you make to your unicycle are your choice, so speakers
are ok. Can I make music requests? 🙄
Of course, if you modify your unicycle to make it a b*ke, that will not
be allowed. We will probably be using the IUF definition of a unicycle,
but with the exception that geared unicycles (Schlumpf gears or other
modifications) are also allowed.

Connie Cotter
RTL Race Referee

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I don't see running being much of a problem. As with a road bike race,
I think there are very few situations where you can run faster than you
can ride. And when it gets that steep, and it is less efficient to
ride, then why would you want to be riding?

It may be slightly different for off-road races, where there are a lot
more situations where it is more efficient/faster to be running. My
feeling is that you should be allowed to run, just as mountainbikers
are allowed to run during a mountainbike race. Top professionals do
it, and it is a race after all.

But hey, I don't make the rules. :p

Connie- are ipods etc allowed? I think that would be dangerous if we
are racing on open roads with motorvehicle traffic.

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GizmoDuck said:

Connie- are ipods etc allowed? I think that would be dangerous if we
are racing on open roads with motorvehicle traffic.

When I ride on roads with an MP3 player, I either keep the volume quite
low, or I pull the traffic-side earbud out so that I can keep a closer
eye on the road. Of course, this still assumes one can concentrate
properly when listening to music...

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GizmoDuck said:

I don't see running being much of a problem.

For road racing I don't think you even need to worry about it. As long
as the "rider" brings the unicycle with him/her, it's probably not an
issue that needs addressing.

As for headphones, I'm not sure what laws are used in various places,
but I'd suggest a one-ear only rule, as Mark described. Volume can't be
detected from a distance, but non-covered ears can.

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GizmoDuck said:

Connie- are ipods etc allowed? I think that would be dangerous if we
are racing on open roads with motorvehicle traffic.

I listen to my ipod when doing distance riding and can always hear the
traffic around me. I obviously don't have it that loud.

Don't forget riders will have to be in contact with their support. Not
too sure how that works if people are wired for sound though. My ipod
automatically mutes when I'm receiving a call on the mobile so isn't a
problem, but it may be a problem for some.

If your music volume is at a level that enables you to hear the traffic
and incoming calls on the mobile then I can't see a problem listening
to music while riding.

Steve

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What if instead of distance, the walking distance was measured by time?
Not everyone has a gps or computer to measure how long they have
walked. But almost everyone owns a watch/stop watch. For the less
serious people that want to walk more, use a form of penalty to
increase their overall time for increase walk time. Time can also be
used for taking breaks and calculating that in. Eat fast = more walk
time.

I think ipods should be left to the individual's discretion. If the
rider/s haven't been mowed down by a car by now, it means that person
is probably cautious enough not to start dancing and daydreaming while
riding. I have a habit of doing that, so I know better than to ride on
the street without adult supervision.

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Walking has a built in penalty, in that it's slower than riding in
almost all cases. There's no need to mess around with limiting the
amount of walking allowed or whatever.

iPods, I think I'm less worried about the safety aspect where cars are
concerned, and more about the ability to communicate with riders around
you. The big thing is that it's important to know if you're being
overtaken, so that you don't swerve into the overtaking rider. Also, if
we're riding in big groups at all and drafting, it's really important
that everyone is able to communicate.

I've definitely ridden with people who weren't able to communicate
because of iPods. One time a rider actually went off in completely the
wrong direction because they had their iPod on and couldn't hear us
shouting.

Joe

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puresyn said:

For the less serious people that want to walk more, use a form of
penalty to increase their overall time for increase walk time. Time can
also be used for taking breaks and calculating that in.

Considering approx 125 miles is covered per day in under 12 hours that
requires a minimum riding average of 10mph for the team just to be
within the daily time limit. The thought of running with a 36" wheel
more than absolutely necessary cannot be appealing to many people. In
these situations it would make sense to swap riders to one who is
stronger in these particular conditions, probably steep up/down or
large headwind?

As Jimbo originally said he'd thought running would be useful if a UPD
occurs near the crest of a steep hill, which would seem to be allowed.

Keith

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Personally I think iPods should not be allowed. Generic MP3 players, on
the other hand are a bloody good idea. But that might just be my
anti-Mac attitude coming through 😄

Anyway, I almost always ride with music in my headphones. Well,
headphone, as I only use one ear. With the right music playing it does
get me more pumped up and energised, so is vastly beneficial to me. As
far as I am aware, though, there's never been a situation where it has
distracted me from the riding itself, and I can hear what people around
me are saying (although I'll take the ear bud out to have a
conversation).

STM

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There are a lot of questions about ipods (or similar). The easy answer
is: we haven't decided what will be allowed. I have added it to my list
of questions that needs to be answered.

I know people have a lot of strong opinions and I've read many other
posts on this forums for and against ipods. I know some riders use
music to get into their optimal riding 'zone', and I definitely agree
that if a rider is oblivious to their surroundings it is dangerous to
everybody.

Back to the running/walking problem:

puresyn said:

What if instead of distance, the walking distance was measured by time?
Not everyone has a gps or computer to measure how long they have
walked.

If you are part of a team on RTL, you will have a gps provided by the
organizers. That is how we are keeping track of everybody.

The situations described by others are all within the limits we would
set. The teams that are doing this event for fun may end up walking
more, but I think if a team ends up walking too much, they will run
into the problem of not finishing within the time required for the
day.

Connie
RTL Race Referee
www.ridethelobster.com
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http://tinyurl.com/ydsvmp

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I think it'd be great if everyone who wanted to bring music, brought
something (a phone, or iPod+speakers) with speakers.

That way, you don't have the safety issues, plus everyone else gets to
share in the joy of your music. It'd be cool to get to hear everyone
elses go faster music!

Joe

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About the walking: every unicyclist in the world, considering themself
serious, are interested in going to this event. There will be a
selection with criterias such as a minimum climb and a really long
distance. If you meet those criterias it will not be nesesary to walk.

About the ipod: I rarely ride with music because I think it's part of
the experience to hear all those sounds around.. In the spring the
birds singing, when riding along with water the waves and on roads the
cars and people around. That's my experience.
When riding with others I deffenedly think you should not listen to
music, as it after all takes away some concentration from conversation.

I think it should be up to each team to decide whether they should
listen to music as it's souly a matter of comfort and feeling safe but
not the much something that matters in the competition

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I still can't see any serious team being able to gain any significant
advantage from walking. As Joe said, it has a built in penalty already.
I think you'd need to be going up a 20% gradient on a Coker to be able
to run up faster than you can ride.

As for the ipod, I personally don't ride with one because I feel it's
dangerous in traffic, and I've not been in any races where it has been
allowed, but it's really up to the organisers as to what safety
requirements they have (eg helmets etc).

Ken

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As has been said above, walking has its own built-in penalty. Plus
there's no way to monitor whether people are riding or walking so only
self-enforcement would only be possible. As this is a race for a cash
prize, I'd consider that kind of meaningless.

GizmoDuck said:

As for the ipod, I personally don't ride with one because I feel it's
dangerous in traffic, and I've not been in any races where it has been
allowed, but it's really up to the organisers as to what safety
requirements they have (eg helmets etc).

Yup, safety issues are at the discretion of the organizers. It doesn't
matter how many miles you've covered with music in both ears, it's up
to them to decide what they feel safe with for a racing situation.
Aside from the laws of the land, the same applies to helmets or any
other safety rules.

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Will geared unicycles and non geared unicycles be in seperate classes?

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Will there be a class for single riders, rather than a relay team?

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Don't worry about walking, I will have about 10 cameramen at the race,
if we catch you walking, that's your part in the movie 🙂

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Gatineau-Dave asked:

Quoted message said:

Will geared unicycles and non geared unicycles be in seperate classes?

and

Quoted message said:

Will there be a class for single riders, rather than a relay team?

The short answer:
No
No

The longer answer:
There is just one class. Mixed gender, mixed ages, mixed unicycle
types. It is up to each team and rider to find what suits them the
best.
You must be part of a team of 3 unicyclists + 1 support. No solo
riders.

Most of these questions are answered with the updates sent out by Andy
- if you haven't been getting the updates, make sure you sign up to get
on the email list:
http://tinyurl.com/ydsvmp

Connie

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