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Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM
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kbee
Jul 2, 09 10:41
Post #51 of 137 (1150 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Hurricane Bob]
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"It took ten years, but it appears that there are now too many people with too much attitude, ruining it for everyone who has raced there before."
It would seem to me that it would be those there BEFORE ruining it for those yet to???
I've done LP IMUSA 4X....and won't again. Well I won't do an Mdot race again but that is another story.
I agree with SLowman. Boohoo. Cry me a river. They are making a TON of $$$ from race week, and from all these training weekends/camps. It doesn't excuse the behavious of many triathletes out there, but I am sure all the a-hole triathletes in LP are also the same entitled babies that I see whining and riding like jackasses at home.
bt
Jul 2, 09 10:43
Post #52 of 137 (1144 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Fleck]
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Exactly!
Fleck...I know we have many of the same viewpoints, and luckily, you express them more eloquently than I do.
For those who are posting things that imply "It's ok...we're bringing in money." Um...money aside. There is NO reason other than just bad manners to act like a bunch of self-important pricks when out there for the race or training. I've seen this in a lot of places, whether training or in the few days before a race. You have NO business dropping ANY of your trash on the road. And...you will not DIE if you can't ride next to your buddy for parts of the ride. Single file is fine. Get over yourself. Let the cars get by, you keep riding, but in single file, you can discuss the latest bar tape or Tour stage later.
I love IMLP, and I have met some fabulous business owners there when up there for training, spectating, or racing.
cheyou
Jul 2, 09 10:44
Post #53 of 137 (1143 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Record10Carbon]
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Their are way better places to ski in ny.
If imlp ends they will find somthing else .
They won't fret the loss for long.
Reach the Beach leg 8,20,32
Chubbly
Jul 2, 09 10:58
Post #54 of 137 (1120 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Hurricane Bob]
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Now contrast LP to Leadville CO, that town has had close to 50% unemployment when the mines closed down. Then a local (Ken Coubler) started a 100 mile run and bike race. I have been there 4 times to race and the people there (pop 500 approx) treat you like royalty b/c they know that those 2 weeks a year are a huge shot in the arm.
I remember racing LP in 2005 and a bunch of idiots were driving in a pickup truck yelling obscenities at the racers for closing the roads.
People hate getting gouged and the way LP does it I could care less if they moved to some other town in NE.
I could see WTC dumping LP and changing RI to a full if they are getting a better deal there.
You never really realize what something is worth till it is gone....
Sluglas
Jul 2, 09 11:11
Post #55 of 137 (1099 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [bt]
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I never said it was okay for people to act like assholes. I don't think people should act like assholes under any circumstances; if you wouldn't do it at home, don't do it there. But it seems to me a lot of people are just aggravated by the inherent inconveniences of the event (road closures, crowds, traffic, etc...). If that's the case, I say to hell with them. You don't want the agravation, you don't need my money.
I was just responding to the idea that this is not a huge moneymaker for LP.
Record10Carbon
Jul 2, 09 11:17
Post #56 of 137 (1087 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Sluglas]
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That is not how they are race day in LP....Madison on the other hand has HUGE numbers of angry folks race day in multi mile long traffic jams....but we all try to deny that is the case for some reason.
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Mediocre is just that...When did it start becoming a life goal?
Sluglas
Jul 2, 09 11:23
Post #57 of 137 (1070 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Record10Carbon]
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Well Madison is a different situation as well because, unlike LP, I bet if Madison lost their IM the economy would barely feel a ripple. Madison has a diverse economy that doesn't depned largely on tourist dollars. Those dollars certainly help, but I don't think most people in Madison are as closely tied to an event as those in a town like LP. So that griping doesn't bother me as much (in the abstract).
Record10Carbon
Jul 2, 09 11:28
Post #58 of 137 (1061 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Sluglas]
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Exactly...they make more money at a Football game than IM I bet...and the community feels as if they are part of that. From what have seen first hand is that most of the "fans" are part of the travel party with folks racing...not random cheese heads who wanted to go cheer on a bunch of spandex wearing weirdo's as they pee in their shorts...
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Mediocre is just that...When did it start becoming a life goal?
Sluglas
Jul 2, 09 11:33
Post #59 of 137 (1047 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Record10Carbon]
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It is kind of a funny place to hold an IM.
Here in Durango we have the Iron Horse bicycle classic which closes down the highway to Silverton for 5 or 6 hours, but most locals are so used to it by now that its just not an issue.
More tension comes from the motorcyclists that (used to) come in over Labor Day weekend, but that's more about noise than anything else. Why do Harley riders need to make so much damn noise with their bikes? I think that's a situation where the town has just decided to take the loss of income as opposed to dealing with the aggravation.
PlacidPirate108
Jul 2, 09 11:35
Post #60 of 137 (1041 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Hurricane Bob]
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I have lived in LP on and off for the last 8-10 years. A few things to consider.
1. People writting into a small town newspaper to complain about somthing is natural, regardless of topic. There will always be someone who is going to complain about something.
2. This is a town with a drastic dichotomy/diversity for the most part. People with lots of $ and those w/ very little. The so called haves and the have nots....So a guys riding around on a bike that cost more than a local working mans truck can rub him wrong when hes trying to get back to a job site, and you are out "having fun" in tights. which leads to my next point.
3. Red-Necks dont like spandex...and on a larger scale things they dont understand. I personally have had numerous bottles and junk thrown at me over the years while out riding alone. One of my best friends was physically pushed off of his bike by a passing pick-up truck on River Road while riding alone. Broken color bone, concussion, etc.
4. Lake Placid in an event/ tourist economy. Because of this locals get annoyed at having to deal with "tourists." This occurs everyplace where tourism is the major economy. Additionally much of this tourism surrounds athletics.
5. There are jerks in every sub-set of society that can give the group as a whole a bad name. Being a small community. "we" as traithletes are that much more visible. I actually have always been impressed with how well people treat the town for the most part when they come to race and train!
6. IMLP will not go anywhere. It simply is too much of a part of the communities income. period!
7. If you come to train smile and dont litter. Not a big deal.
Mooseman Half Iron: June 7, Ironman Lake Placid: July 26, Timberman: Aug 23 Ironman, 70.3 World Championships: Nov 14
Record10Carbon
Jul 2, 09 11:38
Post #61 of 137 (1028 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [PlacidPirate108]
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7. If you come to train smile and dont litter. Not a big deal.
What? Screw off - who are you to tell me what to do?
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Mediocre is just that...When did it start becoming a life goal?
Tiki
Jul 2, 09 11:41
Post #62 of 137 (1018 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Slowman]
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the problem isn't ironman or triathletes.
Dan.
I love you. You've done much for me.
But you're off the mark here.
I began to observe these behaviors in athletes at IMCDA five years ago, and it ultimately drove me from the sport.
The resort town was just fine. Just like I remembered. Still is. The townspeople know a-holes when they see them, and the a-holes are easy to spot when they (a) get together in bunches and (b) act eerily similar to one another.
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"I will endure rain, cold, lack of showers and all discomfort until the finish. I will fix any mistakes, do whatever it takes and continue to the end." Lee "Fuzzy" Mitchell
Kentiger
Jul 2, 09 11:45
Post #63 of 137 (1008 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Record10Carbon]
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Shut up you stuck up type A triathknob..try running your own race sometime and see what it feels like to have to clean up after a thousand littering Ironslobs. I bet you're from Chicago or something like that aren't you?
PlacidPirate108
Jul 2, 09 11:48
Post #64 of 137 (996 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Record10Carbon]
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LOL!! ...okay ...or you dont have to.
Mooseman Half Iron: June 7, Ironman Lake Placid: July 26, Timberman: Aug 23 Ironman, 70.3 World Championships: Nov 14
Millco
Jul 2, 09 11:51
Post #65 of 137 (988 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Amstel]
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Do you think detroit and LP are the same type of town?
KonaShelley
Jul 2, 09 12:40
Post #66 of 137 (931 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Kentiger]
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never mind all of this ..I just "NEED" to know if they'll be playing "U2's it's a beautiful day" when the gun goes off?? huh huh??
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http://www.konashelley.blogspot.com
Jon
Jul 2, 09 12:51
Post #67 of 137 (910 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Hurricane Bob]
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My wife and I were in Lake Placid this winter for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing and we heard from at least five different people in five different locations that they could not stand the triathletes. The most common complaint was the rudeness of riders on the course training for the race who thought their training ride was too important to obey traffic laws.
fred_h
Jul 2, 09 13:04
Post #68 of 137 (880 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Fleck]
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[I remember racing the Vineman years ago and essentially riding the bike course blind on race day.]
& this is still what I do today. Even races that are 60KM from my place, I race (well the first time I race them) blind. I will doing Peterborough this weekend "double blinded'" (1st time in the city of Peterborough and "new (old used once) bike course".
However I enjoy riding in LP (3h drive from Ottawa) with Withface climb, riding around LP and a beautiful town with a beautiful lake too.
Fred.
Amstel
Jul 2, 09 13:11
Post #69 of 137 (876 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Millco]
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I am sorry to complicate things. Let me simplify it for you...
Detroits economy is based on automobile manufacturing.
Lake Placids economy is based on tourism - mostly sports and outdoor recreation.
When you take away the main economic engine of a town it tends to go into decline. Each of the towns I mentioned rely on their respective economic drivers for their source of revenue. If Lake Placid decides that picking up GU rappers a couple times a year is more trouble than it's worth then they will forfeit their $6 million annual windfall. I don't really care either way.
SusanH
Jul 2, 09 13:33
Post #70 of 137 (840 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Amstel]
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do a poll of ski resorts during Mardi Gras next year - full of New Orleans residents. We all went skiing during the MG holiday. After living it year after year we got tired of the traffic, trash and a disrupted city.
The good/bad of Mardi Gras was also tempered by an extreme no tolerance policy by the NOPD. I saw a guy shoot silly string at a mounted officer (he was about 6-7 people back in the crowd thinking he was anonymously safe). The office rode through the crowd on the horse, reached down and removed the offender by dragging him by the scruff of the neck out to a round up wagon. His Mardi Gras was over and the parade hadn't even started.
You start DQ'ing/arresting triathletes before the race for bad behavior or breaking traffic laws and they will behave better for sure. Entertaining but not realistic......
people in general are behaving more poorly across the board. not just triathletes. the sense of entitlement is out of control everywhere.
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Record10Carbon
Jul 2, 09 13:33
Post #71 of 137 (841 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Amstel]
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My race is NOTHING compared to IMLP - but I can tell you that in the tree years since Rockman started the trash such as gel packs, bottles, tires and tubes have gone up in a huge way as compared to before....still no where near the number of beer cans, bottles, papers, dirty magazines and old tires however.
(edit) and the new litter issue is all season, not just "race week". I live here and thus I often stop and pick up the trash and depoit it in a can at the local farms. I am pretty sure that NAS was just a "carpet bagger" in LP once Graham moved and all the locals see is the huge influx of shit on their roads and no one to pick it up but them.
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Mediocre is just that...When did it start becoming a life goal?
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Jon
Jul 2, 09 13:34
Post #72 of 137 (840 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Amstel]
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I agree, which is why I thought the hostility towards triathletes was weird. The Lake Placid economy seems to be all about skiers, hikers, kids playing in hockey tournaments, etc. I would think the triathletes going up to race and train in what would normally be their slow season would be a good thing. But when it came up that my wife and I had raced the IM there in the past, we got frowns and people telling us how rude the triathletes were. One guy even said you could tell the problem bikers by the fact that they were the ones with the aerobars.
cheyou
Jul 2, 09 14:09
Post #73 of 137 (785 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Jon]
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Summer is the busy season not winter
KINGMurphy'sLaw
Jul 2, 09 14:18
Post #74 of 137 (773 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Chris G]
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Never really see a lot of cyclists or anyone else unless I am in either near Lake George village or LP. What I do see are lots of abandoned motels and closed businesses.
Ditto that. Every other former Adirondack or Catskills "destination" resort lake town is now practically desolate.
LP should be very careful what it wishes for. It could be the next Indian Lake, or Tupper Lake, or Speculator, or Sharon Springs, or....
W/o the IM and the now summer-long crowd it draws, probabaly half the lodging and restaurants would go belly-up.
But at least it would be nice and peaceful and quiet there for the locals.
float
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*** On hiatus from 11/1/09 - 4/1/10 ***
xtrpickels
Jul 2, 09 15:03
Post #75 of 137 (734 views)
Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Murphy'sLaw]
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Never really see a lot of cyclists or anyone else unless I am in either near Lake George village or LP. What I do see are lots of abandoned motels and closed businesses.
W/o the IM and the now summer-long crowd it draws, probabaly half the lodging and restaurants would go belly-up.
But at least it would be nice and peaceful and quiet there for the locals.
While I am local, I also suppose I am a transplant. Most Born locals would love to see the town go downhill. They'd like it if no tourists ever came and they could live their lives only knowing the people they've known for 50 years. The mentality is that Lake Placid is for the tourist and Saranac Lake / Tupper Lake is the true locals town. At least, that's the mentality that I've come across.
Many people have made lots of good points:
Dan is certainly right in that this is the problem that a resort town faces. Others are correct in saying that IMLP is a big part of the economy and still others are right in saying that without IMLP, LP would still survive. It helps the town, but the town doesn't need it. Others are pointing out the duality of this place. Not only in terms of money, but also in terms of education and health / athleticism. There are many many many locals who are of the "low income, less intelligent, more hostile, less athletic" vein. As someone pointed out, they just don't understand and the current situation is not helping them understand.
In my line of work, I get second hand benefits from tourists. Rarely do I work with them, but many of my clients are the store owners etc. I asked one today what his thoughts were toward IMLP. He said that when it started, it was worse. He said the town was busy and no one spent money. That it wasn't worthwhile for his main st business to be open on race day because the race actually took customers away. He said the athletes were rude and it was a bad situation. In the past 4 years, however, he's said that it seems like its turned around. People are spending money, its helping his business and the benefits are worth the headaches.
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