Down
River Time Trial
Distance
Standards
When the first Twin
Rivers Classic was
held in 1992 we needed a finish for the time trial. Up to this point no lines
were drawn, our club riders simply started at the 2-mile marker and turned at
the 7-mile marker. In 1992 when Pete put in the lines, the mile markers were
still in place but they were later removed to switch to metric markers starting
from the opposite direction. The existing mile markers were used to pick the
start, finish, and turn of the Classic
with all distances chained with a 100-foot steel tape from the mile marker.
At some point a start line for club time trials was painted on the road.
This was after the 2-mile sign was removed and no reference other than memory
was used for that line; but we had lost our mile marker and needed a consistent
start. In July of 1995 the road was repaved taking out the club start but
leaving the Classic
lines including our turn intact. From July 1995, until April 1997, there was no
start line.
March 30,
1997
 |
Rusty’s Avocet
35 was calibrated with a 10-revolution roll out. |
|
A 20K turn was
measured with the Avocet 35 from the 10 mile turn. |
|
Five miles was
measured from the existing finish using both Rusty’s Avocet 35 and the car
odometer. Rusty’s measurement fell about 10 feet past the 2-mile marker, the
car odometer about 10 feet before. |
|
No one knows
where the current 2-mile marker came from, but it was the obvious point to
choose for the start. |
Observations
|
Distances
used prior to 1992 were probably quite accurate. |
|
Distances after
the 2-mile marker was removed (date unknown) are in limbo. |
|
Distances from July of 1995 until April of 1997 are short. |
|
Twin
Rivers Classic distances are accurate, have not been
disturbed since painted, and were based on the surveyed road markers. |
|
The course has been checked a couple of times in the last couple of years both with calibrated rolling wheels and GPS, and is probably about as accurate as a course can realistically be. |