TromboneAl

My wife and I are going to ride the Tour of the Unknown Coast metric century tomorrow. We didn't register ahead time, because the weather is always iffy. We'll register tomorrow morning.

The ride starts at 7:30 and is a few hours from home. To avoid having to get up too early, I thought we'd start at 8:30 or so. I confirmed that we could register even if we got there after 7:30.

There's no problem with starting late, is there?

Thanks,

Al

fietsbob

IDK , cant speak for the organization, When I lived in Lake County I Rode my bike to where the Davis Double Century served lunch ..

leob1

“early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable!”

Rick@OCRR

The big issue with starting late is the closing times of the checkpoints. On some organized rides and esp. timed events, if you arrrive at a checkpoint past the closing time they DNF you and send you back to the start over a shortened route.

Your event org. may vary, of course and if you're not going to need their food, drinks, SAG cars, etc. then I would think they wouldn't mind. Do you have the open/close times of the checkpoints?

Rick / OCRR

Biker395 

^ +1

They might even be willing to overlook missing the first checkpoint if you're self supporting and you can make it to the next one before it closes. Have a chat with them when you check in.

az_cyclist

Looking at the web page, the 50 mile ride starts at 8, and there is not a check point at the 62 mile turnaround. It gives the impression it is not necessarily a mass start, but as Rick pointed out, they dont say when the check points will close.

Latif

I'll be riding but starting at 7 for the 100m so will miss you at the start. I can't see a problem. I did the metric last year, my first, started at 7:30 and we took our time, a few longer breaks, got in a bit after 1 and there were still lots of folks trickling in. Also the slower 100milers of which I will likely be tomorrow trickle in all afternoon so you should be fine. They're still saying maybe 20% chance of rain, tapering after 10am so looks like a go. Have a great ride!

Northwestrider

Registering an hour or so later than it's start should not be a problem. Often they have a time , after which they will no longer register you ( for insurance reasons ) but of course there is nothing to prevent you to ride after that, but as has been stated earlier, the rest stops maybe closed by the time you arrive.

JamieElenbaas

That used to be a strategy for me and my friends at the "Hilly Hundred" in Bloomington IN. We'd start about an hour later than the "cut-off", skip the first (by then closed) stop and start catching up to the stragglers before we got to the second one.

The advantages were:
1) We got to sleep in before the start. (For some reason, this ride seemed to provoke some partying for me and my friends)
2) Most importantly - the roads were much more clear. Numerous occasional riders and a hilly course make for an unpleasantness ride. This way we got to enjoy the first part of the route at our pace without going hoarse repeating, "On your left..." a hundred times before noon.

BluesDawg

This will vary between rides, but as a ride organizer, late starters often create a burden on the event staff. This is especially true on rides where the routes begin in high traffic areas where traffic control is in place to get riders through dangerous intersections or road sections. If riders are a little late, it can cause the law enforcement personnel to stay longer than planned. If they are very late, they will have to go through with no assistance. Sometimes this is not much of a problem, other times it can be a big source of worry and distraction. Late riders can also cause problems for SAG support drivers trying to keep track of where the last riders are on the course.

These are not usually huge problems, but it is not accurate to say that starting late is no problem. Having been on that side of the situation I would not ride a mass start organized ride if I couldn't start when the ride is scheduled to start.

TromboneAl

Well, we got there on time, but it was pouring rain and cold. As Latif said, better weather was probably coming, but Lena and I pre-emptively bailed out, and saved the $120 for something else. That's why I never register ahead of time for this ride.

Go Latif!

Weatherby

What a chuckle this thread gave me. They send you back. What if you prefer to keep going.

scott967

I had an instance where I was pre-registered. I started at the mid-point turn around and just returned by myself after getting to the "finish". It was an out and back course and IIRC the first aid stop (in the "normal" direction) was still open when I came back through there.

scott s.
.

Wanderer

I can't believe you missed the obvious solution......... Just set your watch back a couple hours, and you would be on time!

Latif

Thanks Al! I did a ride report in this forum earlier if interested. Think you made a good call.