Originally Posted by
txags92
I am more familiar with starting at Tully than at Rhodes, but the answer will mostly depend on how long you take to get ready once you get there and how close to the front you want to be at the start. Due to traffic and such around the parking area, I would start by adding 10-15 minutes to how long it would normally take you to get there. Also factor in lines to use the restroom (remember...always take a pregame...) and time to get setup in the dark. I would not plan to arrive any later than 6am, and if I were starting there, would probably shoot for getting there around 5:30. That assumes you already have your numbers on your jersey and bike and such, but need to do things like air up tires and strap on an underseat bag. You can always nap in the car for a while if you find yourself with a bunch of extra time, but you don't want to be late and end up at the back of the start line behind a huge number of slow riders.
That is another benefit of doing an offsite start with a team in the energy corridor...don't have to mess with the crowds and waiting in line to start. My wife and I start from our house which is only about 2 miles from where the route goes by Queenston on Clay Road, so we don't have to mess with any of it anymore.
And as Swamp said...thanks to all of y'all for riding and fundraising! It is a very good cause!
If anyone is starting at/near Rhodes and wants to miss the crowd, do what we did last year and start in the Katy Mills Mall parking lot. You have to go through one stoplight at the edge of the parking lot, ride a few hundred feet, cross under I-10, and you meet up with the Rhodes route about half a mile from the start line. Only downside is you can't leave your car there, but if someone is just dropping you off it's a great place to meet up.