RoadSkater.Net - Comments for "Stone Mountain GA"

Some things have changed but here are some tips

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Road Skate Survival Strategy:

Thanks to Gustavo for reminding me of this. I use a CamelBak brand waist pack that holds about 48 oz I think it is. I really like this pack and am generally glad I've dropped the m.u.l.e. 100 oz. I used to use. If you have tried fanny packs but not a recent model of the CamelBak, give it a look. One great feature is you can loosen the side straps when you fill it, then as you drink the contents, just pull forward on the straps and it keeps it all tight and not sloshing. I got the optic yellow version and I think it can't hurt and probably helps people see me. I have a second pack of the same style and will likely leave it at 38 to pick up, either the pack or just the bladder. Not sure but it's an idea.

A bit Old but I am sure Great Tips for A2A

In reply to Athens to Atlanta A2A Skate Strategy Guide:

A bit Old but I am sure Great Tips for A2A Thanks for sharing. I'll be doing the 52m A2A this year
GustavoAMH

"The Chuck" LMAO. we had

In reply to A2A 55-mile skate -- Sunday morning fun skate went out of control:

"The Chuck" LMAO. we had the same opening mentality. the start of the race i was unfamilir with myself but skating around Atlanta i know the "mentality" of where the "S" are marked and i went over the route from the overhead satelite view at least a hundred times. i hope you guys learned a valuable lesson. Don't Drop the local!!! :-D (I'll take all the help i can get)

i thought it was funny to read about my "southern hospitality" HAH!!! Johnny, if you only knew what i was thinking along the course.

but as i tried each acceleration, or side juke i knew i had a good skater with me and i had to change my tactic and hope i could take you on the sprint up the hill.

I have no idea how you avoided me in the crash, that skill alone told me how good a skater you are and help lessen the bruising (however mildly though) some.

October 27 was my first day to get back on my skates after A2A and yes i went thru the Park too, wanting to punt little dogs and the clueless owners but more i though about that skinny asian i couldn't shake off.

i look forward to skating with you, Herb Longlastname and the kids from Red Confusion too. the kids were fun but io know some of them will be scary

Way more fun

In reply to A2A 55-mile skate -- Sunday morning fun skate went out of control:

As usual, Johnny, I laughed more reading your report than I did over the whole 87 mile skate (that is supposed to be a compliment).

Thanks for coming to A2A again!

Out of control for sure

In reply to A2A 55-mile skate -- Sunday morning fun skate went out of control:

Johnny,
your reviews always crack me up. They totally rock and I love the descriptive touches:
*I didn’t care if I bonked but wished I had lost a few lbs for this day.
*The pack included no females; hence were unable to ask for directions.
*It pays to be the skinny Asian when it comes to hotdog eating and A2A.
*“Herb, don’t be a donkey. Let me have this.” (Inexact quote!)

That is classic.
Thanks - felt like I was there.

Re: A2A Video

In reply to Athens to Atlanta Roadskate A2A 2007 Inline Skate Video:

Great job with the video and the pictures,Blake. They captured the event quite well. I am using a mac with Firefox for my browser. Played smoothly. As far as my favorite picture, I would be hard pressed to pick only one out, from the smiles on everyones face you could tell they were all having a good time. Sorry to hear about the mishaps, but at least the skates didn't get stolen also. Thanks again for the writeup and bringing a little bit of the event to us who couldn't go.

Duh! Shipping tape! great idea!

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Road Skate Survival Strategy:

I really should have read all this BEFORE this year's A2A, my sister and I were just talking about that right before the race. That is an AWESOME idea!

Easy to See How you Miss a Turn

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Route Video:

Well it's incredible that certain people missed that turn just after Normal Hardware (that section of Athens is called Normaltown) at Naval Supply Corps School, but I didn't mean any of you guys. I can't believe Bruce and Eddy could have missed it, though it seems there's discussion in some places that some knew and didn't really try to hard to let everyone else know. Some apparently didn't go back to the same point on the course, which in my view means they should be DNF or at least have a time penalty. Nothing personal here, but that's how I feel on that. And it won't happen as it is a not very enforced event for the most part, unless something happens in view of a video camera run by someone from the event.

As for missing the turn, it's easy to see being so focused on keeping up, not clacking skates, watching for road junk, believing the motorcycle escort, and watching veterans of the roadskate. The video I made is not that great, anyway, only a suggestion of what to do.

But I think that little hill after the turn is important enough that I thought someone would remember. It's a very small hill but one you could crossover and push hard up and maybe drop the back half of the pack off in doing so. Not sure.

And I am sure some immediately thought, "we've missed a turn!" I wonder who was the first in the lead pack to know and what they did!

Anyone who knows more, who can summarize the thoughts of others, or add some of their own, let us know! I thought I sensed some bitterness toward some of the lead group in some of the language I read or heard, in that perhaps they made their way back rather quietly. I think if they knew other competitors made a wrong turn it is fair to let others continue in their error, but it would also be grand to yell and say to the others that they'd missed a turn. I think being rewarded for intelligence and preparation in addition to muscle is good.

Oglethorpe!

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Route Video:

Actually, your first video was the only one I got to see, and I still missed the turn! :)

I was really kicking myself for not going on the Saturday afternoon skate, not turning around sooner, not remembering the landmarks to look for that you pointed out in the video, etc, etc... I just assumed that the people I was following knew where they were going! And also assumed that the lead motorcycle wouldn't lead us astray!

It's a damn shame that they can't mark the course within the city... I know one thing they do at Le Defi is use road flares to mark some of the early turns on the bikepath. Maybe I'll make that suggestion for next year.

In any case, I plan on knowing the beginning of that route much better next year! I'm not sure if I'll go on the Saturday skate, or maybe just drive it a few times. But I won't miss that turn again, even if everyone else does...

- SM -

Somebody Did Not Watch The A2A Start Video

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Route Video:

Wow. One of the craziest things about A2A 2006. The lead pack got lost in Athens! This included some guys that have skated many times. Guess I didn't get those videos out soon enough. Remember, they can't mark the streets in the city limits, and...

When you see NORMAL HARDWARE you need to be in the left lane to turn left onto OGLETHORPE in front of the big blue sign for the NAVAL SUPPLY CORPS SCHOOL.

We were going left when some of the spanky pack were coming back in from their mistaken excursion, and it was a bit dangerous. We've heard reports that some did not come back to the point where they left the course and this would clearly be in violation were there any rules!

Those Pesky A2A Numbers

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Road Skate Survival Strategy:

I always get annoyed at the A2A race numbers and have suggested in the past to no avail that they be made of vinyl instead of paper. This would last longer, look better, be a great souvenir, and then come off gracefully should one wish to remove it if it is not pretty or say A2A on it or is not such a great souvenir! This year I think I will apply shipping tape to my helmet first, then put the number on that. This should make it easier to remove gracefully. We'll see if it works out any better. I know they have plenty to do and run on volunteers and all of that, so this is not so much a complaint as a solution to share with everyone. Skateylove, Blake

A2A Athens to Atlanta Rest Stop Distances

In reply to A2A Athens to Atlanta Road Skate Survival Strategy:

Modified from my response at another good thread by Katherine and Elizabeth:

http://roadskater.net/index.php?q=with-less-than-a-week-to-go-before-a2a-how-is-everyone-feeling

Water stops are at

So in terms of miles between stops counting start and finish, if you hit them all, it's

15,
12,
11,
18,
15,
7,
9 to the finish.

Dacula is a big one since it's 18 to the next one.

If in good shape going up the climb after Silver Hill I say skip 5 and keep going to 6 as it is only 7 miles and I think the Silver Hill climb is easier if you don't stop in the middle of it.

If you are not in awesome shape at 6 I think it's good to take a minute to tank up and lighten your load a bit.

Skateylove,

Blake