Albert

What is the standard race loop?  I know signs were put in at some point as a "suggested route", is that the new typical route you are describing? 

My last ride out there a month ago, this one I started at 6pm.  Rode everything but Deception.  I'm not a big fan of Deception in this summer heat.  Still did 25 miles.  😄

https://www.strava.com/activities/1712270749

I'll need to join that Friday morning ride one of these weeks to see if I can keep up.  

Is it possible some of these people aborted their attempt to ride the entire thing, or never planned on doing the "whole enchilada"? 

If you move your mouse over the Like (thumbs up) button, a small popup should appear giving you four additional choices.  Right now those are "Thanks", "Haha", "Confused", and "Sad".  Once a post has some sort of "Like" applied to it, you can then click the icons to the left of the thumb to see who reacted in what way. 

 ..Al

I need to get out there again.  Last time I went there had been some pretty bad flooding that damaged many trails.  So things weren't in the greatest shape.  Would like to give Flagstaff a shot again.  We also visited Sedona on the same trip (have been out there twice now) and we had a great time. 

While I'm sure there are some people who "cheat" by claiming they rode the entire route when they didn't, I wouldn't say "a ton of them" do this.  You could solve this by having volunteers at each trail recording each rider's entry and exit times, but this requires a bit more organization and if riders bunch up it could slow things down at each checkpoint.  If riders had number plates that would be a bit easier than having to ask people what their name is.  I'm not sure how much the organizers really care about that, though. 

6 minutes ago, Kyle said:

Almost everyone might ride across the finish line but a ton of them don't actually ride the route.

Not sure if you're serious, but that certainly is not the case. 

3 minutes ago, The Tip said:

Did you ever see this Strava ride? He hit all the areas. Not much road, not much repeating. He left a little trail on the table in each area, but it was a dang good ride.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1677023345

No, I haven't looked at this, but I will now!  75 miles and an elapsed time of nine and a half hours.  Nice.  If I tried this I'd probably spend two hours with all the time I'd need to figure out where I'm going.  🙂

1 hour ago, AntonioGG said:

Albert, now that I know what that icon means, I think it's adequate and no further changes are needed.  Thanks!

Great, glad that's working for you.  I'm still going to play around with the colors so unread threads stand out more easily, so I'm glad you brought that up.  

 ..Al

1 hour ago, The Tip said:

I can't find a "Preview Post" button. That is always helpful to me when I'm posting a picture or a link to see if it works.

Never mind, I found it. It's on the tool bar next to "size."

Interestingly, this forum software initially did not have a Preview button, as they felt the editor properly represented the post and there was no need for a preview.  This didn't go over very well with many forum owners, as there were use cases requiring the Preview button.  They ultimately relented and added the Preview button you discovered.  However, I don't like its location as it's non-obvious and can only be discovered by hovering your mouse over the icons in the editor toolbar.  I do like how they allow you to see how the post will look on mobile devices and tablets as well. 

I plan on adding a regular "Preview" button next to the "Reply" button, as I'm sure I'm going to get asked repeatedly where it is.  😄

..Al

3 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

Nice loop! you hit a lot of it, but there is so much more. there's a loop or two in the middle of Circle C Metro and then a ton of stuff to the west along Slaughter Creek. and more beside that. 

I need to make the trek down periodically for the weekly rides and other SATN ride calls so I can learn more.  My main goal was creating a ~50 mile loop starting at Austin High School and incorporating some of BCGB.  But I need to start at Dick Nichols or somewhere else off Slaughter and see how much I can hit in one day.  🙂

No, the concrete under Mopac isn't finished -- they are still building forms so they can pour additional concrete.  I have no idea how far that's going to go, would be nice to see a map of wha they are building.

I was wondering if any of the trail I rode today beyond the top of the Violet Crown trailhead on 290 is also part of the Violet Crown trail.  

I rode 50 miles today starting at 7:30am, along a variety of trails in south Austin (with a few roads).  I went through over 150 ounces of water today.  Took me seven hours, and moving time was 5:43.  Which is a bit slow, but I had to stop often to make sure I was making the right turns as many of the trails were unfamiliar to me.  And I certainly slowed down a bit as it got hotter. 

Two laps of LGT will certainly be a greater challenge as it's more consistently rocky, except when you are on the double track, but then you are exposed to the sun.  I generally don't do a lot of riding up there in the summer--that trail tends to be pretty hot, although sometimes you can get a nice breeze from the lake when you are close to it. Will definitely be easier in November based on temperature alone.  

8 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

For forum headers with unread posts, is it possible to change the font color rather than just bold?  Or is there another degree of boldness?  I'm using the dark theme.

I see what you mean, it is tough to see the difference between the two with the dark theme.  I can certainly make the difference more obvious, probably by altering the color.  I will play with that a bit.  Also, the icon to the left of each thread is different if there are unread posts, so that's another visual cue you can use.  

I don't mind City Park Road too much, usually there's enough visibility, and there are only a few sketchy turns.  The one road I really do not like at all is Spicewood Springs.  Lots of traffic, many people haul ass on it, lots of turns, and pretty much no or little shoulder for most of it.  

4 hours ago, CBaron said:

You guys need to come out for the (unofficial) DS pre-ride on Monday the 3rd, Labor Day.  You can get a good idea as to what 2 or 3 laps will involve.

Is the group going to try and hang together, or are these individual efforts?  It's still going to be hot as hell. 

Fun video and great editing, thanks for sharing!  I need to get back to Colorado.

Oh, I did not see any snakes, I am disappointed.  Also, no nails or screws strewn about any of the trails.

1 hour ago, olddbrider said:

Also, who puts popcorn ceilings in the garage?

I think you missed the wood paneling and ceiling fan as well. 

We don't even know where the guy is.  I'm assuming not in the US?  If it was someone local, it would be easier to try and get the police involved.  Getting the guy arrested would certainly help put an end to his activities, but not sure how realistic that is.  

That's a good question.  I don't think it was easy, by any stretch (I've only done it once), and it certainly requires that you do some training in advance, unless you're already at the peak of fitness.  I'm not sure I would consider it doable by most mortals, but certainly doable by a good percentage of the people who make the effort to try.  I'm not sure how I feel about making it more difficult.  I'm curious what you have in mind.  🙂 

 ..Al

Are you in a position to actually make any legal claims?  I think the best that could be done is to get his site(s) taken down by reporting them to his host, but as you said, another will go up somewhere else.  I don't mind inconveniencing scumbags like this, though

6 hours ago, MrTheCatLady said:

I'm torn between trying to have fun with this and trying to get some effective legal action going.  There is clearly a right choice, but I just don't know how effective legal action will actually be.  If they get nervous, this site/scammer could fold up Internet shop and reopen in a matter of minutes and would have then more-or-less disappeared.  Any advice?

-cls

What kind of legal action?