I hear you... at LP I saw a few people (I only stayed in this spot for 40 mins or so) just toss bike bottles into the woods when an aid station, and the end of loop one was a whopping 1/2 mile away.

Yeah, the last thing an 11 hour finisher needs is an empty 2 oz water bottle dimming his/her hopes of cracking the top 10.

Th evil in me wished that the few that felt the need to get rid of that pesky water bottle would wipe out on the wet descents out of town.

I have no compassion for people who dump garbage like that, just about the worst thing you can do while racing, IMO.

So, why do racers feel they can just trash 56 miles of a community on the bike, let alone what goes on with the run?

probably just to piss off power-hungry turds riding around on the back of motorcycles

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kangaroo -- please do not read or respond to any of my posts

That's embarrassing.

I think they should start giving time penalties for littering, or implement the littering fine on highways that most places have, and enforce them. A $250 fine for every occurrence should clear the problem up quickly.

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You sir, are my new hero! - Trifan 11/13/2008

Casey, you are a wise man - blueraider_mike 11/13/2008

Casey, This is an astute observation. - Slowbern 11/17/2008

I did see packets of GU on the road, that is unacceptable. BUT most of the bottles were on big bumps on the road. The bottles were mostly the water bottles given out at the aid stations. They did not fit tightly in bottle holders, especially befind the seat ones. So there are some quilty folks there but the roads did not help

Steve

Aren't there races where you get DQ'd for littering? I think all races should have that rule.

Hi Dave, Sorry to say that people are pigs. I saw quite a few bottles, i think a lot what I saw fell off, since it was early. I saw one bottle ejected off the back after about 1 mile into the ride right in front of me. I just laughed because I think the rear bottle holders suck, but that is another thread.

I must add that I saw several riders tossing garbage on the ride. I wanted to race up to them and tell them to go back and pick it up. Perhaps next time i will? I wouldn't even consider not putting wrappers back in my jersey pockets. Can't they be DQed if caught in the act?

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Craig
No pacing, just racing.

Did you see the point/counterpoint in the latest Triathlete magazine? The fact that someone could actually argue for the side of littering was ludicrous.

Waterbottles do occasionally get launched, and sometimes unbeknownst to the rider. That is certainly no excuse for those who blatantly just toss their crap to the side of the road. I strongly support the no-littering rules.

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Dan Hollingsworth

Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul." - Douglas MacArthur

The big piles I saw were at top of hills and flat so there were not excuses, sorry.



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

same thing happened with the SF marathon yesterday, which ran right in front of my home. lots of leftover gel packs all squishy and sticky. wasnt too bad, though. not as bad as the litter ive seen in GG park and the presidio after the nike women's marathon.

the napa marathon has STOPPED giving out gel during the race b/c of the litter problem they caused and complaints they received.

first they pull the gel......next time, the city/county can pull the permits. ultimately, it's the race organizers' responsibility, but if they stuck with lazy volunteers and selfish athletes, there's not much they can do...........except charge higher entry fees to get reliable cleanup crews. athletes beware.

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CABLE CAR CHASE
The Quintessential San Francisco Run!
August 27, 2006
Race Details: http://www.cablecarchase.com

[reply]Did you see the point/counterpoint in the latest Triathlete magazine? The fact that someone could actually argue for the side of littering was ludicrous.

Waterbottles do occasionally get launched, and sometimes unbeknownst to the rider. That is certainly no excuse for those who blatantly just toss their crap to the side of the road. I strongly support the no-littering rules.[/reply]

I wondered when I read that article if they meant littering period or littering outside of a set area.

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Proud Founder of the Jamis Mafia- Daring to be different.

Yeah, I thought if you left anything on course - besides at the designated drops - you could be penalized for abandonment of equipment. But, as someone who has accidentally ejected their water bottles, I think there is a big difference between losing your bottles on a bump in the road and throwing your plastic off into the wilderness. Having your water bottle ejected is, in and of itself, its own penalty.

Under USAT rules, littering is a time penalty. Under WTC rules, its a yellow card. And, thats only if they are seen. Since so many folks attack marshalls, there are very few who want to do it. Vineman had way fewer than they wanted, but thats all they could get. So, folks complain rules are broken, like drafting, and then get attacked like the nice comment on this thread. It would have been much cheaper for me to spent the weekend with my wife at home and take her out for a real nice dinner, than the time and cost it took to go down and spend all the time trying to help our sport.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Technically, if you drop anything for any reason, and dont go back and get it, its a time penalty. Pros have lost races because of bottle launches.

Again, I am not talking about this accidental stuff. I came across more than one place, flat roads, and probably 50 water bottles and other junk all thrown all over the road. I guess folks felt if it were okay for one, why not join the mess.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I would go pick em all up, throw them thru. the dishwasher a few times and have a huge waterbottle sale on e-bay. .25 each plus 1.00 for shipping. I would be rich. RICH I tll ya. Beyond my wildest dreams.

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"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it. "
Steve Irwin

I was there yesterday racing....I saw the litter, did you notice that in some places bottles were NOT empty most of time? .....I lost 2 bottles because the road surface was downright hideous in places, incredibly bumpy.....the bottles were just getting launched out of their cages...I literally stopped and bent my alum cages so the bottles would stay in...I almost lost my aero bottle, had to re-secure that one....saw 5-6 yellow splash guards on the road, they came shooting out....also, the bottles that were handed out at the aid stations were huge and top heavy, easily come out on a bumpy surface....

That said, no excuse for any real littering, I stuff my trash in the back pockets of my tri top, not hard to do....I was unprepared for the road effect on my bottles, absolutely not used to riding on that type of road, next year's organizers may want to say something about that in the instructions.

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I ride a Cervelo...get over it....

I know people in Kona who pick up bottles and run them through the dishwasher and keep them for personal use.

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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

I would do that but already have about a zillion of them. Has anyone priced waterbottles lately? They are not cheap for what they are. I really like the "gatorade" one (green) they handed out at IMAZ. they fit my rear water bottle holder perfectly.

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"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it. "
Steve Irwin

Like you?

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I'll be what I am
A solitary man

I have the worst trouble with the G'ade Endurance bottles that they hand out on course. You know the ones I mean... not real bike water bottles, but the pre-packaged g'ade bottles with the squirty top. The plastic is so flimsy on those that they don't hold their shape when the sun hits them or when they are not full of liquid. I distinctly remember trying to ram one back in my bottle cage only to have it crumple up like an accordian during BSLT. So, if Tom Z and/or the G'ade people are listening, change the plastic for your Endurance bottles. Maybe it will help prevent some ejections!

No. I know the dishwasher sanitizes them and all, but it still sort of grosses me out. Most races and/or expos give you free water bottles anyway, I have a good supply w/o picking them up beside the highway.

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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

I seem to remember Cam Widoff getting DQ'd after WINNING a race for accidently dropping a wterbottle and not picking it up. This was a year or two ago.

I was riding on those roads in April and my Arundel Chrono bottle went flying off after a bump. It was brand new at the time. I saw 2 or 3 of those on the road yesterday and they are $12-$15. I should have gone back after the race and picked them up. I probably spent half my ride looking down at my water bottle, the roads were definitely rough.

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Craig
No pacing, just racing.

Being a rep for Clifbar we try to tackle this issue each time we sponsor an event, espcially a marathon. Knowing that we cannot clean up a course entirely with our staff, we work with the race director to identify our area of responsibilty. This is usually from our gel station to their water station. My crew then picks up EVERY little piece of a gel packet in that area. This year's Rock and Roll marathon was a MESS!!! Bending over with gloves on picking up a packet that has been smashed into the ground.... Anyway after about an hour of cleaning up while runners/walkers were still going by the street sweeper came by and cleaned up the balance. I am sure though that there are thousands of packets that are in bushes and gutters that the sweeper never went to. We had trash tubs set up in the middle and along the side, but people hardly used them.

Just a note to all competitors...if you are carrying your own nutrition or use nutrition at an aid station, please carry your trash with you to the next mile aid station. It makes it much easier on everyone involved when it is time to clean up, plus it will help support any decision a race director must make in providing course support for atheletes!

automatic DQ. period.