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Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM

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Gnome Express

Jul 10, 09 13:37

Post #126 of 137 (604 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [jime] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I fully agree that cyclists need to move over and everyone needs to stop littering.
I also think that there is a responsibility on the part of the event organizer to clean up at the end of their event.
I know I spend an hour picking up trash after our races but that is part of putting on the event. We do it because we love it.

Isn't Graham F. from Lake Placid - yup that's how they got the race.

Send the vocal group across the ferry to Vermont for some Ben & Jerrys with the the left over million.
- Favorite flavors "moose knuckle" and "camel toe"

Bring in the inmates from the local prison (yes they get paid a wage) like many races do and have them clean the place up including the bike course. I would guess there is plenty of money left over to pay 20 guys minimum wage for 8 hours.

As for those littering .... like the ba$tard I saw throw his gel wraper into the Blackwater Refuge - STOP!!!! Put it in your damn pocket for Pete's sake. Marshals where are you? We know you see it and you know it's a penalty ... Nail them please!

Oh and 1 more thing to the Lake Placid Elitist Vocals ----
Remember the 1980 Olympics, The Miracle on Ice, Sure you do BUTTTTTT Do you remember this?

The snow storm immediately prior?
Some of the most important dignitaries in the world walking thru slush and mud because you weren't prepared to clear the snow?
Hmmmm I think they had to park in Keene? I think the Queen of England was covered in mud.
Oh AND
The fact that The Olympics will never ever be held in Lake Placid, NY again due to this catastrophe.

I guess the "horse shows" are all you need .........

austindog

Jul 10, 09 14:39

Post #127 of 137 (580 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [jime] [In reply to]	Can't Post

The best thing about Back In The Day was my being 20 years younger.

devashish_paul

Jul 10, 09 16:08

Post #128 of 137 (548 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [austindog] [In reply to]	Can't Post

x2

www.kestrelbicycles.com |www.infinitnutrition.ca | www.nineteenwetsuits.com
Free camps: Whiteface Hill Climb + Epicman Lake Placid 3k/180k/21k June 10/11 2010

SwordFish

Jul 10, 09 16:33

Post #129 of 137 (537 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [firemedic] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I can see your point of view about the 3 riders wide situation as I've seen it myself at LP. I don't like seeing that myself.

IMHO, there's no reason whatsoever to ride in LP other than single row, its far safer considering the roads, especially on the downhill out of town.

I've met a few NYS Troopers that live in the area and have worked several IMLP's and they all love it, but are also aware of the riders vs. the locals situation.

Perhaps more of the single file signs could get posted as well as making it a moving violation ticket if you're caught riding 2 or 3 abreast.

As for the littering bastards.........Karma's a Bitch .

_______________________________________________________

Seeing him in deep torment, I said. " You can have my last GU , but its been down my pants for most of the run". - John Hirsch

Take care of your body, its by far the coolest thing you're going to ever own.- Can't remember who told me this, but I love it.

konaexpress

Jul 11, 09 12:25

Post #130 of 137 (488 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [devashish_paul] [In reply to]	Can't Post

A local friend in Lake Placid sent me this today. Be careful people.

I thought I would pass this along to you. I am not sure if this will be of any help to anyone but you never know. I was biking the LP Bike course today. I was on RT 86 in Willmigton just past the A&W and a guy in an very old Black Ford pickup with white Ford letters across the tailgate threw some type of container filled with Honey Mustard at me.
He was in the opposite lane so I never saw it coming. It hit me in the face and covered me pretty much from head to toe with Honey Mustard. It also hurt like hell from the impact. I turned around but he was to far away to get his plate #. He was flipping me off as he drove away.
I filed a report with the State Police. I went into the nearest gas station to see if they possibly would know who drove that truck and the woman who works there told me that I deserved it and that us bicyclist think we own the roads. We come up there with all of our expensive equipment and they only make $8.00 per hour and on the day of the Ironman she cannot even get to work. I told her to have a great day and maybe a few other kind words as I left.
The trooper I talked with said he is sensing a lot of growing resentment also. I guess the lesson is we need to be on high alert up there. The trooper told me they might know who it is so hopefully with in a couple of days I will be going back up there to give a deposition.Talk to you soon.
Barry Dmitruk 23 X IM Finisher

:D

Jul 11, 09 12:51

Post #131 of 137 (469 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [konaexpress] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This general thing has happened to me in every city I've biked from FL to MA. It usually happens at non-rush hour times for some reason. So I wouldn't blame LP for this as much as cyclist-haters everywhere.

devashish_paul

Jul 11, 09 13:56

Post #132 of 137 (428 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Gnome Express] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"...I guess the "horse shows" are all you need ......... "

....well, I really think that the local businesses who do benefit from the event need to put on some kind of a positive campaign. Right now most of the messaging coming out of LP is negative:

Triathletes are a pain
Triathletes litter
Triathletes are in our way when we need to get to work
Triathletes are rude.

Or maybe it is like the soup Nazi. My soup sells out in 24 hours and I charge for 7 bowls of soup even through you only need 2 bowls and wait a second, I charge you in January for half of the soup that you will consume in July. Maybe the community has grown complacent to the point that customer service really is not something they feel they need to care about. Better that the triathletes stand in line and at attention and step up to get their soup when they are told and behave like they are told. We have our soup, but we want to give it out our way.....customers be damned....

There are 4-5 other communities in the North East that could host this event with very competent RD's.

Can a non Mdot independent Ironman survive in lake Placid. Probably , but maybe it ends up having only 700-1000 athletes. I doubt a non Mdot event in LP has legs like Roth. Then again, it looks like there will certainly be an Mdot event in LP at least in 2010 cause WTC is selling IMLP slots at Rhode Island 70.3. Perhaps the contract runs out in 2010....

Dev

PS. I really enjoy this race and am about to do it for the 10th time, but realistically, I'm not getting the same feeling from the community that we got even just a few years ago. Maybe it is cause the roads are worse and athletes are forced to ride on the road vs the shoulder causing all the friction...its not like triathletes are coming up for 2 months of training and vandalizing the place. We're actually spending money there and giving revenue to local businesses....what a concept in a service driven economy!

www.kestrelbicycles.com |www.infinitnutrition.ca | www.nineteenwetsuits.com
Free camps: Whiteface Hill Climb + Epicman Lake Placid 3k/180k/21k June 10/11 2010

LPLocal

Jul 12, 09 19:08

Post #133 of 137 (340 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Hurricane Bob] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I've been a Lake Placid resident for almost 15 years, I work in the service industry. I have daily contact with locals, triathletes, hikers, horse show folks, hockey players, skiers, summer home owners, you name it. I'm also a biker, runner, skier, multi-sport athlete.

There's been a lot of talk here about �the negative attitude� in Lake Placid towards IM, and I'm happy to say you folks are wrong. 90% of locals are fine with IMLP and are glad it's here.

We're glad you come, and we really appreciate the business you bring to town. We want the race to keep coming back year after year.

This whole thing is being blown out of proportion. So there are a couple of letters in the local paper that are negative towards IM, and suddenly Lake Placid is �turning against the event�. The people who wrote those letters are part of the 10% who don't like the event. (The same 10% who would complain if you told them the sun was going to come up in the morning.)

I'd like to address a few comments I've seen so far....

A LBS (Placid Planet Bicycles) has formed a support group of local businesses for IMLP to make sure that the minority of negative complainers don't gain any ground with the local decision makers and to make sure the local positive voices are heard.

�Triathletes are a pain/rude�...This is a tourist town guys, we see all types here. 90% of you are great people and we're glad you come. EVERY group who visits has their 10% of rude idiots who think the world revolves around them. You guys are actually better than a lot of groups that come to town in this regard. (Take it from someone �in the trenches�.)

Litter, it's not really an issue with most locals. I ride the course a lot, I see a few Gu wrappers, big deal. I also see hundreds of soda/beer bottles, McDonald's bags and cigarette butts. Littering isn't cool and is bad for your Karma, but it's not a huge issue.

The biggest issue locals have with you is your behavior on the bike/run course when training. Some of you people ride like you own the road, and yes that pisses locals off when they are �trying to get to work�.

I keep seeing �the roads are in bad shape, you have to ride in the traffic lane�. Sorry, but I'm calling BS on that one. (I ride the loop all the time, and I ride a light/expensive wheelset, and I ride the shoulder 95% of the time).

There is a difference between �I can't� ride the shoulder because it's in terrible shape (maybe 5% of the time) and �I don't want to� ride the shoulder. Folks, �I don't want to� doesn't give you the right to take and hold the traffic lane like you own the road.

I pass many triathletes on my bike or in my car who....

Ride out in the lane of traffic when there is a perfectly safe and usable shoulder and refuse to move right when overtaken by automobiles. (A violation of NY state traffic law.)

Ride two or three abreast and refuse to form up single and move as far to the right as safely possible when overtaken by automobiles. (Also required by NY state traffic law.)

I have slowed to 15 MPH in my car behind a large pack of training camp riders. Given a tiny love tap on my horn (uhhh....excuse me fellow cyclists, there is a large line of cars forming behind you, single file please) and gotten the finger and a �%&*# OFF� as a reward for my patience and consideration for their safety.

Runners on some of the busiest roads in town who run two/three abreast and refuse to form up single in traffic, or won't use an empty sidewalk. (No excuses here folks, either you're just not training smart/safe or you're trying to make some kind of point with drivers.)

It's a training day folks, not race day!

When you are out training, you are an ambassador for your sport, whether you like it or not!

This kind of stuff makes all of us (visiting and local athletes) look bad and pisses off drivers. I'm an athlete and it bothers me, how do you think locals who aren't athletes feel about it?

How do you think this effects the patience level of drivers when they are out on the road with us? Some of you are antagonizing drivers with your bad behavior and you are making it less safe for everyone who trains here.

Don't you care that you are giving the small �anti-IMLP� crowd ammunition they can use against us?

I know most of you don't behave like this, but you folks need to apply some peer pressure to the small minority in your group who are out there riding and running like they own the road. They are making things tougher and less safe for ALL of us who train on local roads and who support IMLP.

Once again, we're glad you guys come! We appreciate the business you bring to town, and want you to keep coming back. If you're racing this year, good luck and we'll see you in a couple of weeks. We'll be out on the course cheering for you!

devashish_paul

Jul 12, 09 19:35

Post #134 of 137 (318 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [LPLocal] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks LP local....I mentioned this earlier and shared with friends, but basically in 1999 you had much better condition shoulders and there were very small groups of 1-4 friends coming up to train. No 50 person camps and great shoulder to keep the 3-4 person groups well clear of traffic. So fast forward from 1999 to 2009 and you have a road that is worse and hundreds of athletes from multiple camps coming up for 2 months in a row. If the roads were better, the 100's don't get in anyone's way and everyone is happy. For this reason, when I had my Epicman training day, we did not have our traditional 5:40, 6:00, 6:30 groups...pretty well right out of the swim we had smaller groups for 2-7 riders. Much less aggrevating for drivers.

Anyway, glad to know that 90% do want athletes coming and spending money in your town. Most of us are glad to assuming the host town actually wants us there. There are plenty of places to go ride our bikes and spend money too, but there are not as many spots in driving distance as nice as LP....and sorry for being so harsh with the pink font. I'm not going to go back and pull it down as I posted it previously and have to live with what I said, even though I was, at the time, irate and somewhat grumpy about the entire scenario.

By the way, if you guys are not aware, back in the fall of 1998, when Graham went to Lake Placid to pitch the idea of an Ironman another town he was investigating was Mont Tremblent Quebec, but this was before there was a single continental IM outside Penticton...another one in Canada just was not as attractive as a new one in the continental US. Tremblant is also a ski and winter resort town, and a fabulous location too. But I don't think they could do as a good a job as LP even though they have better infrastructure...but Ironman Quebec complete with Fleur De Lys, poutine, Mitsou and the Montreal Canadiens could definitely be a hit :-)

Mark Lemmon

Jul 13, 09 5:58

Post #135 of 137 (267 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [LPLocal] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for the very informative post. The support group should write something similar and send it to the organizers of all the tri training camps who visit LP.

LuvCheesecake

Jul 13, 09 7:34

Post #136 of 137 (221 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [Hurricane Bob] [In reply to]	Can't Post

My observation at the race last year was that even after 10 years many of the businesses aren't prepared for the influx of people on race weekend. Every restaurant we went to didn't have enough people working, they were out of food, and at one place the owner came out and yelled at the entire dining room and told people to leave if they didn't want to wait an hour for their lunch to arrive (a time he thought was reasonable). About 3/4 of the people got up and left.

baliman

Jul 13, 09 8:52

Post #137 of 137 (178 views)

Re: Lake Placid Businesses Growing Weary of IM [devashish_paul] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hahaha ... the Soup Nazi ... my favorite. If I may add ...

You may cancel your order 30d in advance but when you call to cancel the last bowl of soup 34d in advance, you are told that a bowl of soup is not an individual item and that you can only cancel the last bowl of soup if you call 30d before consuming the first bowl of soup
The price of soup somewhat varies depending on the season. But when you come to town, I will double the price of soup for 1wk.

Seriously, regarding the second point ... I deeply question the wisdom of severely raising hotel rates from a business perspective. I appreciate the law of supply and demand but I doubt that the amount of ill will it creates is compensated for by the increased income for 1wk. For instance, I would never vacation in Lake Placid aside from participating in specific events for the single reason that I personally feel that it is simply wrong to take advantage of the limited supply of beds during IM week. This is simply greed and I would think that the town could impose a rule that no hotel can charge more than let's say 150% of their average peak season rate. And perhaps ... hotels can actually make more money over the remaining time of the year because people really want to come back and don't feel taken advantage of.

(This post was edited by baliman on Jul 13, 09 8:54)

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