Just curious if anybody has heard anything further on the great Montauk schizophrenia this year?

seems to be quieting down some...

Now that you mention it, I never got a reply to my email to 5BBC

I emailed the 5BBC & said that I thought they should work together on one ride OR if that proves impossible to move one of the rides to later in the season. I got a personal reply back, basically agreeing with me.

But no updates really. It seems like both sides have dug in. Hopefully, they'll work it out.

I got some email from Glen a week or two ago, promoting The Winter Ride - a rather pricey weekend in Palm Springs. Once he's done with that maybe we'll hear more about Montauk.

I also received some snail mail from Team in Training which lists the Montauk Century Ride among their events. Sounds like they're a bit confused too.

Just got the 5BBC newsletter in the mail. In it, they list the dates for the next 5 or so Montauk Centurys & basically accuse Glen of tryin to steal their ride.

What a mess. I was hoping everyone would come to their senses but seems like it's out of the question now. Sad.

I just noticed they added several new pages to the Montauk section of the 5bbC website
Accept No Immiations and Memo From the President. I agree that this doesn't look encouraging.

Ooof, just read those bits. Does NOT sound like they will ever resolve this. I'm inclined to ride neither at this point & just do my own Montauk ride/century....

I just think it sounds like a catastrophic bit of confusion waiting to happen.

Are they using anything like the same route to go out there?? Sorting out trucks, feed stops and all that other junk seems like it will be a complete nightmare.

It's a shame as I had been hoping to do Montauk, but now I also am thinking about doing the thing solo. My Girlfriend is not so stoked about the solo unsupported century idea, but it seems like this is going to be a mess to follow along with the organized ride.

IF the 5bbc has a course to themselves, and it's clear who has which stops along the way it would probably work out alright, but I'm not exactly holding my breath.

I posted the route from last year on gmap a while back if you are serious.

I think it is one of those situations where a decent person (Glen) did a dumb thing 'cause he was pissed (took the Montauk Century day for his own ride) and now everyone has to figure out how to play together. Kind of like when you say somethign mean to your girlfriend and then wish you could take it back.

I have no doubt 5BBC bears a share of the fault here. And if I had Glen's Century on one date and the Montauk Century on another, I would probably opt for both.

But if I have to choose, I think I have to respect the fact that (as far as I can tell) the Montauk Century has been the same day (third Sunday in May) since I was born. (There is an old newlsetter article about the Montauk Century which I got before the last one which has dates of the ride from the sixties/seventies -- even then it was third Sunday.)

I have the cue sheet from last year, I got it from 5bbc shortly after the ride.

It's a bit crazy how many turns there are on there, but I think it's likely to be all about keeping things beautiful and relaxing...

So, if I get myself motivated and can't be there for the organized century I will figure on doing it by myself.

I won't speak to glen's motivations as I don't know the guy, but it definitely seems a bit spiteful and not a little bit crummy to plan the "same" ride (broadly put, it's the same thing) on the same day... it leaves a bad taste, IMHO.

Yeah, as I remember it -- the section in and around Brookhaven Hamlet and the eastern Hamptons had a bunch of turns. Heck, just wait until June and follow the arrows from the Montauk Ride/Century Cluster Fu....

Or take the cue sheet and go to gmap and do your own hybrid route.

The way I look at it, this is like a guy who worked for Coke using their formula to compete against them and even selling it in nearly identical cans with nearly identical ad slogans. 5bbc has run this ride since the 1960s. I don't know whether a bike ride is protectable property, but I'd look into whether I could sue GG's ass to shut down his ride if I were in charge of the club.

I have my doubts at this point about whether 5bbc will be able to get the Montauk Century off the ground for this year, but if they do I plan to ride in it. I'm never doing any more of GG's for-profit rides because whether what he's so smugly doing is legal or not, I view it as low, unethical and malicious behavior that has put into jeapordy a 40 year cycling tradition, a great day, and I would imagine caused huge amounts of aggravation to the club's (volunteer) organizers & management.

He seemed like a decent guy so I wish I disagreed with your conclussion -- but I don't. I do think your characterization is unfair. I won't swear to boycott everything he does yet but if there are two centuries to Montauk on the same day, I'll do the 5BBC one.

The thing is, the restaurant at the end of the rest stop and the LIRR is geared for the 5BBC not glen's own little montauk ride. So I'd register for the real one, just so I have a place to stop and have a ride home on the LIRR.

Surprise!! There's a bright red star on Glen's Montauk Ride website highlighting a new ride date - TBA sometime after February 1st.

(So much drama!!)

I guess we'll just have to sit tight till then.

It'll be like... the saturday before lol. So you end up riding 300+ miles in 2 days if you signed up for both.. hmm that sounds fun.

You have a very strange idea of "fun."

Well, I for one am glad that it's a bit more sorted out now.

Or on Monday and it will be from Montauk to NYC... Take the LIRR out of it completely.

The first email I got from GG said that he'd lined up the restaurant and the LIRR, thus making it apear highly unlikely that the 5bbc could run their ride. Probably the restaurant and LIRR saw the same guy they always dealt with and didn't realize they were going over to a competitor of the 5bbc and then learned the deal (speculation on my part). I'd have no problem with GG running a distinguishable montauk ride on a different date; I have no problem with someone wanting to go out on his own and compete in the market. I have a big problem with some going out on his own and taking all the contacts, knowledge base, good will, etc. he got working for someone else and using them to confuse people and do in his former employer.

That'd be pretty cool. Maybe we should set up an informal return ride. I've heard of a few people doing it before.

just be mindful of the prevailing wind direction. doing 150 with a headwind would be hellish. i think most often the winds blow from west to east.

I had the same thought.
I think this is a bit unfair to GG. I'm no appologist for him but I think the majority of the knowledge/contacts/etc he took with him he earned. I think his decision to hold his Montauk Ride on the same day was ill advised and mean spirited and I am glad he is changing the date of his ride. Schedule allowing I'll do both.

What's the problem, we're all gonna stay behind you anyway.

I'd be willing to do it and seeing as how it's sunday night, we should avoid most of the saturday night drunks. Assuming we get there by around 1pm and leave by 3pm, we should arrive home at 11-12am and I have enough batteries to keep my HID light going for 7 hours or so.

I meant Monday. If you can ride back that night, have a great time!