Gothamist: Commuters Race to Win

bbcuebert

Sat, 28 May 2005 10:45:20 -0500

jeff gordon surprisingly has an apartment downtown, so he might have gotten the street/bridge names right--and he would have bump-drafted everyone out of his way to win.

tien

Fri, 27 May 2005 13:45:54 -0500

awesome ken, i'll put that into the original entry. they should try this again with all the new security and the chinatown bus.

ken

Fri, 27 May 2005 12:34:51 -0500

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2001/04/25/AR2005033115886.html

hijiki

Fri, 27 May 2005 12:31:11 -0500

my roommate and i used to do this when we worked together. he took the subway and i rode my bike. it was from flatiron building in manhattan to prospect park area in brooklyn... no contest, i beat him every time on my bike. we tried a taxi vs. bike once and i barely beat him then too but the traffic was above average. i'm not a messenger but i'm in relatively good shape and ride quickly. i think an average rider would usually still get home first.

Nathan

Fri, 27 May 2005 12:29:30 -0500

I think the point that D was trying to make was that the point would have been made even stronger if TA used an average cyclist and still won the race. But maybe it would have been too close?? THERE was only three minutes difference between the pro cyclist and the subway rider. Also, what train did the subway rider take from Juniors to Columbus Circle?? I'm hoping he took the B train from Dekalb.

Dirk

Fri, 27 May 2005 12:18:31 -0500

How great would it be if all Metrocards were as big as the one in the photo?

tien

Fri, 27 May 2005 12:10:25 -0500

and if jeff gordon was in the event, he would have gotten the names of all the bridges and streets wrong.

jt

Fri, 27 May 2005 12:01:28 -0500

If AAA had Jeff Gordon in this event, he still would have lost. As a cyclist/driver/pedestrian who wished more people walked or used their bikes, I'd applaud that. It's prove the point even better. PS -- when I was a bike messenger I occassionally took the subway with my bike.

D

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:56:53 -0500

I understand the need to prove a point, but I think TA's point could have been proven without a professional cyclist. If AAA sponsored this event and had Jeff Gordon driving a car, cyclists would cry foul. Given NYC's traffic and the unreliability of the subway, biking is almost always going to be a faster option. At the very least it provides the health benefit of daily exercise, even if it takes the same amount of time as taking the subway from some neighborhoods. TA could have made this point if it had selected a more average cyclist. You don't have to convince New Yorkers that biking is faster for faster riders; there's a reason we use bike messengers and not subway messengers or van delivery services for small tasks.

S.D.

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:50:38 -0500

So, on a Bike note: What happens tonite at the Monthly Critical mass Ride? Any odds on how many arests? I bet it's between 20 and 25...

Nathan

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:30:27 -0500

What? Cab drivers are inherently bad? I meant good at getting around town fast.

huh

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:28:02 -0500

'really good cabbie' - oxymoron

Nathan

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:24:53 -0500

But she's not an average bicyclist is she? I guess she could have "taken it easy," but she is in really good shape and biking is her livelyhood, right? I agree that maybe they should have gotten a really good cabbie to do the car part.

jt

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:15:51 -0500

LaSasso obeyed all traffic laws.

Nathan

Fri, 27 May 2005 11:08:31 -0500

Does a subway rider from the straphangers campaign count as a "pro subway rider?"

tien

Fri, 27 May 2005 10:59:15 -0500

pro biker? that's cheating! i wonder if he stopped at all traffic lights though. i think they should have gotten a cab driver to do the car part.