BAFS 2020 teams and rules discussion

[BeeTinDC]

Just making sure I get my required post in, as I had to reset things this year. Here's hoping for a healthy year this year!

[obscurerichard]

I thought we adjusted all the leaderboards to only pull rides from people who are on real teams, so that if you aren't on a team you only show on the Friends of BAFS leaderboard. But it's kinda late on Sunday night of a big 4 day weekend, and I'm too tired to go check the code.

I checked the code and it just pulls from the rides table. That table is not restricted by team membership. So if someone joined the Freezing Saddles 2020 team and then visited the authorization page and completed authorization, I think their rides would get recorded and would count towards the Pointless Kids leaderboard if they had a #withkidCodename in the description.

[jrenaut]

I checked the code and it just pulls from the rides table. That table is not restricted by team membership. So if someone joined the Freezing Saddles 2020 team and then visited the authorization page and completed authorization, I think their rides would get recorded and would count towards the Pointless Kids leaderboard if they had a #withkidCodename in the description.

Huh. It probably shouldn't work that way. Having to be on a team is a safeguard against abusing the scoreboards - team captains can police their own teams. If anyone with a Strava account and a link can post rides to the scoreboards, people can do obnoxious things like have a dozen people join the Slackers team with 3 hours to go in the competition, vaulting them into first place (This is why we don't have a Slackers team anymore).

[dbb]

This is why we don't have a Slackers team anymore.

We always thought it was the indignity of having a bunch of slackers beating the actual competitors. Just say'n.

[TwoWheelsDC]

**Unpopular opinion alert**

Make the mileage cap 50 (or maybe even below that) for non-commute rides; commute rides ("utility" rides could be counted as "commutes") can rack up unlimited miles/points; ditch sleaze rides*. Although some might say the spirit of BAFS is to simply get people riding more in the winter, I always perceived the "competition" as a form of advocacy....getting people to do more day-to-day stuff by bike in the winter. Recreational cycling has a relatively small societal/advocacy impact, while the impact of commuting/errand running by bike is immense, so maybe it's time the rules of the contest reflected that. Also, I'd wager that many of the newbies get involved not so much as motivation to ride for riding's sake, but for motivation to get shit done by bike.

I HATE riding in the cold and I basically refuse to do purely recreational rides during the winter, but BAFS generally has kept me motivated me to stay on the bike for my (relatively long) commute and errands. That said, every year it feels like the competition has been increasingly taken over by a bunch of (with all due respect, and I'm overgeneralizing) retirees and flexible-work-schedule types who can take tons of random days off to rack up miles. Good on you for riding a century on a Tuesday in mid-January, but what's the impact? I'd rather the competition do more to recognize the agony of getting up before dark to do an hour-long commute in freezing temperatures, when it would be so easy to just drive...or riding to the grocery store in a blizzard instead of putting yourself and others in danger by driving.

Obviously my opinion and participation are basically inconsequential, but I think I'm going to skip this year unless there's a pretty dramatic overhaul of the rules/purpose of the "competition."





*sleaze rides are stupid don't @ me

[secstate]

I always perceived the "competition" as a form of advocacy....getting people to do more day-to-day stuff by bike in the winter

Funny how people can have different perceptions. I always perceived Calvinball as the highest expression of the spirit of BAFS.

Could we at least design a pointless prize / sub-competition that would give recognition to loyal transportation riders or is it important that it be the main scoreboard?

[rcannon100]

(This is why we don't have a Slackers team anymore).

All Hail the Mighty Vin for pulling off one of the greatest Freezing Saddles Punks ever!!

[rcannon100]

I always perceived Calvinball as the highest expression of the spirit of BAFS.

I nominate that this person be in charge of everything!

[jrenaut]

I agree with the sentiment, TwoWheels, but I think a lower cap would really hurt the game. We put the cap in place to make the standings more competitive. It didn't work, and it annoyed people, though others found it motivating.

For me, BAFS is a way of getting people excited about riding bikes, even in crummy weather. You should see how little my kids are fazed by being out in bad weather. It's great. But it's a balance. I want to promote the way I play the game without alienating the crazy people who ride 300 miles a week. To that end, I think the best thing to do is competitive leaderboards and lots of fun side things, so that everyone can find their niche. Ideally, the high mileage roadie gets a two mile city commuter to go for a long hill ride, and the city commuter gets the roadie to stop in at a few coffee clubs, and we all expand our biking comfort zone a bit and make some new friends.

I'm going to be lower mileage this year than most - last time I rode 80 miles in a week I tore some scar tissue around my repaired Achilles and it hurt to ride for two weeks.

Anyway, I lost my train of thought here, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. We should go for a bike ride!

[rcannon100]

That said, every year it feels like the competition has been increasingly taken over by a bunch of (with all due respect, and I'm overgeneralizing) retirees and flexible-work-schedule types who can take tons of random days off to rack up miles. Good on you for riding a century on a Tuesday in mid-January, but what's the impact? I'd rather the competition do more to recognize the agony of getting up before dark to do an hour-long commute in freezing temperatures, when it would be so easy to just drive...or riding to the grocery store in a blizzard instead of putting yourself and others in danger by driving.

TwoWheels speaks the Truth. Freezing Saddles was designed to be a stupid game among commuter friends. At its highest point it has made us laugh and made us stupid. It has led idiots to commute to work via Whites Ferry in the middle of the winter! That was dumb. That was fun.

Having posers who think this is a competition join and then pound out centuries.... missed the point entirely.

Ergo...