Northern California - Anyone do the oakland port ride?

I've heard a lot about it, and am thinking about going tonight, but I'm honestly a little scared. I've ridden the early bird crits and felt good, but I'm guessing these guys are serious.

Is the place lit? Are there any/many crashes? Are the old guys nice to new guys, should I expect a "We're going to yell at you" environment?

Haven't heard of it. Got any more info about it?

The POO (port of oakland) ride has a reputation for being a lot more sane than the ggp crit (which will start up soon, daylight savings iirc). They are both good places to bone up your crit or pack racing skills, as well as get hammered by Cat1's.

well I went tonight. It was about 55 minutes of 24-25mph with some accelerations and a little craziness in the corners (I didn't know what they looked like going in, and at least once a semi started to pull into the group :eek:). I didn't stay in the whole time, had to get back in, but it was fun. Also, I found it a little hard dealing with the shadows. Because of the lighting, it looked like someone was coming up on the inside ALL THE TIME, but really it was just my shadow passing me :D.

I was a great workout. Can someone enlighten me as to what the GGP crit is and where it is? Thanks

I've heard a bit about this lately. Anyone know the recent details? Can a beginner show up and just ride slow (compared to them) laps while the real racers do their thing?

C'mon, I KNOW we have some POO'rs in our midst. Might need to show up myself one of these days.

Tuesday @ ~630pm POO (lately its been >50 riders) = starting pace <20mph...but ramps up to ~30mph
Wednesday @ ~630pm POOlite (maybe 15+ riders) = pretty chill pace ~low 20s

If you want to ride slow, don't ride in the path of the group. With a large (50+ rider) group, if they have to go around you, it only endangers you and them. POO is definitely a sufferfest but good thing is if you blow up, you can pull off (out of the way of the group) and recover and join back in when they come around again.

Thanks for the replies.


If you want to ride slow, don't ride in the path of the group. With a large (50+ rider) group, if they have to go around you, it only endangers you and them.

BR- I don't mean to be dense, but what do you mean? I understand that it is a public road and there are cars, trucks, etc. Can I ride that road as fast as I can (with or without the group) and just stay as far right as practicable? As a point of comparison, what do riders do who get dropped and want to rejoin when the group comes back around? Do they stop and stand on the sidewalk or just keep spinning on the road as if doing a regular (solo) ride? If they keep riding, aren't they forcing the group to go around them?

Thanks!

This is a case of "if you show up you'll understand". They aren't really public roads, per se. It's around a big industrial oval at.....the port of oakland (tada!). It's several lanes wide (this is not a narrow residential road. Think MacArthur-ish) and there isn't traffic or a sidewalk. Occasionally there will be cars, but it's as close to a closed course as I can imagine without closing roads. If you want to ride slow, stay to the LEFT, as the ride tends to hug the inside (it's all right turns) and if you're on the right side in the gutter (especially on the long, slightly uphill and usually in a crosswind section) when the group motors past at 28, you're ARE GOING TO CAUSE A WRECK.

Yes, it's a public road, and yes, you can legally do whatever you want. However, please don't. Dropped riders usually continue riding around and pick a spot to jump back in. This is usually easier on certain sections than others. At that point you try to get up to speed and get in the group and quickly and smoothly as possible (I've had lots of practice at this part.....)

Like I said, if you show up it'll all make sense. No one's going to yell at you for being there and not being in the pack as long as you are a bit cognizant of the group and stay out of the way. The laps are something like 6-8 minutes (relatively long), so it's not like there is a constant stream of racers whizzing by.

kudude, that is very helpful, thanks for the intel. Of course I don't want to cause anyone to crash and I'm not planning to go out there and be a jerk. I've done a number of group rides, including some light and informal pacelines, but I've never done a crit or any other kind of race. I have no interest in crashing or racing in a tight pack. I also don't want to get stuck behind a truck in the left lane and get run over. I might head over there and check it out- I'm sure I will understand exactly what you mean when I see it.

Do you think the Wednesday night POO lite ride would be better for a noob than trying to mix it up with the Tuesday crowd?

http://www.strava.com/rides/120513
The long flat section on the bottom of the loop is where the group is traveling at well over 28mph. It's a really wide road but the group will be hugging the right side so if you need to drop off, move to the left (after checking to make sure no one is coming up on your left) or ease off the gas (but stay in a straight line) and let others come around you. Don't just sit up and slow down precipitously.

kudude, that is very helpful, thanks for the intel. Of course I don't want to cause anyone to crash and I'm not planning to go out there and be a jerk. I've done a number of group rides, including some light and informal pacelines, but I've never done a crit or any other kind of race. I have no interest in crashing or racing in a tight pack. I also don't want to get stuck behind a truck in the left lane and get run over. I might head over there and check it out- I'm sure I will understand exactly what you mean when I see it.

Do you think the Wednesday night POO lite ride would be better for a noob than trying to mix it up with the Tuesday crowd?

yes, but that doesn't mean you can't check out the tuesday ride. I might go on wednesday if my schedule works considering how little I've been riding

if you aren't comfortable with riding at speed with a group, start with the POO-lite.

here's what to expect on the tuesday ride. i'll be out there tonight doing a slow recovery ride in the opposite direction:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGhYp1g05qc