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They're pedaling as fast as they can

Mayor's cup bicycle race

Tim Mouradian took in the Mayor's Cup bike race through downtown today.

Copyright Tim Mouradian. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

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Comments

great photo

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I bet your nightmares look like that photo.

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Were there any crashes?

The photo shows no spectator interest in bicycling. Will the race continue after Menino since few residents seem to care about it for all the expense and transportation disruption?

Yesterday was another beautiful day, and with all the bike events elsewhere, Arlington streets were greatly spared. FYI, Arlington had bike races until about 2000 when a racer died hitting a tree, and no cyclist deaths (other than heart attack on the bike path) since then.

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Many, imagine what a beautiful day it would have been without any car noise or exhaust or traffic!

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No bike lanes needed here.

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The Tour de France coverage show virtually no bike lanes along the thousands of kilometers. Again, no need for bike lanes.

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All you have to do is close the roads to motor vehicle traffic and...

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The Tour would not be possible without motor vehicles on the roads as team support vehicles, officials vehicles, ambulances, TV and other media coverage. Its ridiculous for them even to try not having vital motor vehicles. Now, if they could only get the damn pedestrians out of the roads!

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Yes, but the roads are still closed to general public. But you knew that already.
Sorry I had to state the obvious.

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Cars were invented so you wouldn't have to ride bikes. Just as boats were invented so you wouldn't have to swim.

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Do let us know about your recent experiences cycling in France - other than seeing Le Tour on the news.

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There was another very important bike event in Boston yesterday as well: Harbor to the Bay. It's a fundrasier for local organizations battling AIDS and HIV. The length of the ride is impressive, starting in Boston it goes all the way to Provincetown.

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I rode Harbor to the Bay a few years ago. It's a great group raising money for a good cause.

Also, you appreciate bike lanes where you can find them, on that long road to P-Town. :)

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I don't love bikes on city streets but this seemed like a fun little event.

There certainly wasn't much of a crowd when I was there about noon but at least those riding seemed to enjoy it.

Perhaps today's events were better attended?

Yes, this whole thing seems to have been the mayor's fancy of the week but I'm willing to see it continue and hope for it to improve.

EDIT: Oh, there was a lot to dislike ... like, blocking off the entire downtown to traffic. The irony of closing down MBTA buses so we could let bicyclists take over the streets wasn't lost on me.

Also, about it being a vanity project for the mayor: Yep. All the TD North banners had his name displayed in large font across them. So, yeah, if we do this again, those will have to be tossed.

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But I'd MUCH rather see them race F-1's up and down Storrow and Memorial - now THAT would be a spectator event that people wouldn't mind if they closed the river roads (when the sox aren't in town). That'd liven up this town in August.

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And no fan of motor sports in general or in specific,

I think that would be good, yes.

I was working down in St. Petersburg FL one year during the indy car race, and I thought it was cool.

And voila here's a Glob Blog about the subject:

http://www.boston.com/cars/newsandreviews/overdriv...

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I watched this race on TV at the end of August. I have never seen so much expensive carbon fiber destroyed and splattered all over. The roads there were horribly unsuitable for racing high performance cars. Boston roads aren't even suitable for regular street cars! The race was a mess - roads were too bumpy and narrow.

Race cars on Storrow would be entertaining for spectators, not so much for owners. Imagine all the sparks from F-1 cars bottoming out on underpasses and getting air on exit and many other places.

The biggest positive of such a race would be getting the roads more suitable for everyone to drive. Even then, still not safe for racing.

I give the possibility of Boston hosting a Grand Prix or F-1 race down there with hosting an Olympics. Back Bay owners of multi million dollar condos (the ones with the lights on at night, curtains open for people to envy their living rooms) will protest the 2 day weekend event (practice and qualifying on Saturday, race on Sunday), not that they ever seem to be at home! It gets more than a little loud.

PS the famous Lime Rock Park in Ct. has practice/qualifying on Fridays and racing on Sundays. There is a small church near the park that sued decades ago and won an agreement that there would be no racing on Sundays.

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Race route, conditions, lots of other things would need to be worked out. I live in the back bay and I really don't think most of the residents would mind if one day a year we closed it for a race - I think a lot would think it's kinda cool and they would have free balcony seating (I know a few of my friends would have me over).

Like Sock Puppet - I'm no real race aficionado - but it would be a cool thing to do once a year. I'd worry about crashes downtown damaging buildings which is why I think Storrow and Mem Drive are perfect for this.

I'll leave it to the experts - but I vote yes - even if they come screaming down Comm Ave right outside my window - EVEN BETTER!

If you're nice to me you can come to my F-1 party but there's limited parking so you might have to ride your bike.

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