Montreal 24 Hour Relay: July 14-15, 2007

[Jessica]

Thanks for the link (http://www.24inline.ca/) Kathie, I never would have found it myself.

Ok guys, so it looks like the registration for a team goes up an additional $100 after February 1st!! So who's serious about being part of the Skatelog team? I am. If we get just four people who want to do this, we could pay $100 each, and get the $ back for however many more people join the team. I think this would be so much fun. Who's in?

Also if the price is in CAD, it's even cheaper than $100 each...

Anyone that posts below me hereby agrees to be part of the Skatelog team.

[mvirtue]

If I was still living in the Boston area, I'd say I'd be there. The airfare from out here is exorbitant.

[More Cowbell]

I'm serious... about doing it solo! :D I do hope to see a SkateLog team there though.

As of today, 1 CAD = 87 cents US. So the entry fee is about $348 US, or $87 each for 4 people.

[speedysktr]

MC, are you for sure doing it solo?

[skaterdog]

I'm very interested in doing this event...

[More Cowbell]

MC, are you for sure doing it solo?
That's the plan, man. Are you going?

[Jessica]

That's the plan, man. Are you going?

Yeah, he's going - but it would be nice to have you on our team instead of flying solo....

Skaterdog, cool, that makes three..

[Intrepid]

The Montreal 24-Hour race may be the most fun that can be had on skates. I did the race in July 2006 as part of the Skater's Quest team and it was an incredible experience. The event puts over 700 skaters together in one location for a full 24 hours of skating, skating, and more skating. The course is a 2.8-mile Formula 1 race track that has hair pin turns, chicanes, rollers, straight-aways and it is in perfect condition. The teams live Saturday and Sunday in the garages (called "paddocks") along Pit Row which provides lots of opportunity to meet and talk to skaters from the US and Canada.

I will be on the Skater's Quest team again in 2007 but I will be happy to share race strategy, do's and dont's, what-to-bring, and lessons-learned with the SkateLog team (if Jessica can convince enough board members and Kathy to form a team).

BTW - flying directly to Montreal is very expensive. We flew to Burlington, VT (half the cost of flying to Montreal) and then drove rental cars across the border to Montreal.

Howard

[Jessica]

Thanks Intrepid! How far is the drive?

[Kathie Fry]

BTW - flying directly to Montreal is very expensive
Flying from Los Angeles to Montreal that weekend does not look too expensive. Arriving Friday July 13 and departing Monday July 16, the WestJet (http://www.westjet.com/) fare is $300 USD. WestJet is a Canadian discount airline. You do have to take 3 flights however, changing planes in Calgary and Toronto.

Delta (http://www.delta.com/) has round trip flights from Los Angeles to Montreal that weekend for $529 round trip, changing planes in either Atlanta or Cincinnati.

Flights from LA to Montreal on other airlines for July 13-16 are $700 to $1000, but it's possible all of the above fares would be cheaper with a least a 7 day stay, or perhaps leaving and arriving on other than a Friday or Monday. I know most of you are not in Los Angeles, but these fares might give you an idea of what you can expect in your part of the world.

- Kathie

[Jessica]

I checked the rates flying from here - it's about $350 including taxes, so that's not so bad I guess. But if I can save money....

[Intrepid]

Kathie, Jessica - That's good news concerning the low airfares to Montreal. The cost of our flight from Dulles airport in Virginia to Burlington, Vt was $252 round trip. I believe the direct flight to Montreal was close to $600 at that time. That is why the team flew to Burlington and not to Montreal. We shared the rental cost of three large SUVs and drove to Montreal which is about a three hour drive through the Lake Champlain area (very beautiful) of New York and into Canada.

As a side note, the Haagan Dazs ice cream factory is close to Burlington and the team made a side trip visit there on the way back to the airport after the race. Nice way to reload on expended calories :)

[More Cowbell]

Hi Intrepid --

Great to have someone around who knows all the details about this race. What can you tell us about the skating surface? I'm wondering what kind of wheels would work best. (Yeah, it's a bit early to be thinking about it, but forewarned is forearmed, you know... :rolleyes:)

[Intrepid]

Lawrence - Most of the skating surface on the Formula 1 track is baby-butt smooth asphalt. However, the first quarter-mile out of the transition zone is actually a side trail that parallels the track and it goes through a small section of woods; it is also asphalt but it is a bumpy ride until it merges onto the race track.

At this year's race there were thunderstorms that hit Montreal around noon and it was still drizzling at 2:00 when the race started. During the afternoon the weather cleared and it was perfect for the remainder of the race.

The lesson learned was to bring two sets of wheels - one soft sticky set and one hard fast set. Also, have the wheels pre-loaded with bearings and bring one extra set of bearings because wet bearings will start squeking and grinding several hours after the water evaporates unless you disassembe and lube them. It was an experience to hear all of the squeking bearings (including mine for a lap) in the late afternoon/early evening until skaters replaced their bearings. There are a number of vendors selling wheels, bearings, pads, etc. along pit row so you can buy supplies during the race.

Howard

[buzzinghornet]

But if I can save money....

Looks like you want to do (or win?) everything............ kind of ambitious heh............:wink:

[Jessica]

Looks like you want to do (or win?) everything............ kind of ambitious heh............:wink:

It's more of hoping for the best than anything. The way I talk I bet people think I'm a millionaire or something. Not even close, but if I really want to do it, I'll find a way.

[janneman]

mmmmm sounds alluring.. montreal... :rolleyes:

[DonPatton]

Put me down as a maybe . . . when do you need to know for sure? Should I assume end of January to keep the entry fee down? Also, depending on who you get, I might be one of the weaker team members. But then if more skaters will help the stronger skaters be even stronger during their turns, that might not be such a bad thing.

Don

[racerx]

This event sounds like tons of fun so I'm also a definite maybe Jess. I'll know for sure by the end of Jan. if I'm in.
-Richard

[Jessica]

Woohoo, we've almost got a team!!! :D

[Intrepid]

Jessica - It's starting to look like there may be a SkateLog team in Montreal. So far, there is interest from Racerx, Don Patten, janneman, skaterdog, MC (he wants to do it solo, but maybe he can be convinced to join the team), perhaps Kathie (??) and you. Thats six, and maybe seven (Kathie !) for the team. The team needs a minimum of six to keep the skaters from burning out so it looks like you may be in good shape to find a few more to round out the team to 10.

Howard

Here are a few pictures from the 2006 race.

This is the transition zone very early on Sunday morning, several skaters are looking down the track waiting for their teammates to arrive to exchange the baton. You can Steve on the track in the middle of the picture skating away from the photographer holding the baton behind his back.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i22/SQSpeedTeam/Montreal%202006/Transitionsundaymorning.jpg

Later on Sunday, Keith, holding the baton, is sprinting into the transition zone just about to hand it off to our next skater. Again, you can see skaters from other teams looking down the track waiting for their teammates to arrive.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i22/SQSpeedTeam/Montreal%202006/keith.jpg

[Jessica]

Thanks Intrepid, but I think janneman's reply was sarcasm unless I'm interpreting it wrong. Either way, the few we've got so far is encouraging. Question - does the skater on the track carry the baton the whole time he's/she's skating??

btw, thanks for making a new thread Kathie

[Intrepid]

Jessica - The skater on the track has to have the baton in his/her possesion for the entire lap. Most skaters started off carrying the baton in their hand but as the race went on the pro teams started storing it under their skinsuit on their back with the top of the baton extending out of the back of their skinsuit. As they approached the transition area they would reach back and pull the baton out and have it in their hand to give to their next skater. This seemed to work well for the skaters wearing skin suits or tight team jerseys and became very popular with many teams as the race continued into Saturday night.

One thing that the SQ team found out during practice before the race is that it is very difficult to carry the baton while wearing traditional plastic wrist guards or sliders. We finally ended up buying bike gloves with exposed finger tips. These worked very well and allowed a good grip on the baton while providing some hand protection in case of a fall. In the picture of Keith skating into the transition zone, you can see the bike gloves that he is wearing. Many skaters wore no hand protection but we decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Howard

[More Cowbell]

Hello Intrepid --

I'm curious about the numbered bibs. Do you know if the solo skaters are required to wear them? Seems like it would be uncomfortable to wear a bib over your jersey for 24 hours, especially in July.

Thanks for the info!

[More Cowbell]

I just checked Orbitz and like Intrepid said, flights into Burlington, VT ($126) are much cheaper than into Montreal ($460 -- arrive July 12, depart July 17). Would anyone be interested in carpooling from Burlington?

[janneman]

Thanks Intrepid, but I think janneman's reply was sarcasm unless I'm interpreting it wrong.
Sarcasm? no!
Alluring - so!
Feasable - doubtfull :( if only ; cheapest ticket Euro 730 = US$ 1000)

[Intrepid]

MC - The solo skaters do not wear a bib.

But .... if you are on the SL team with Jessica then you would have the honor and privelege of wearing the team bib. ;)

[speedysktr]

do you have to trade off every lap or can you go for as long as you want?

[Intrepid]

Speedy – the simple answer to your question is that there is no rule that dictates how often team members have to trade off on laps.

However, your question gets at the heart of the team race strategy so now may be a good time to introduce this topic. All of the pro-elite and most of the fitness teams, including the Skater’s Quest team, had each skater skate only one lap and then hand off to the next skater. The main reason for this is that you want the skater on the track to put in a maximum effort on the 2.8-mile course. You want your team to continually go fast for the entire 24 hours and the easiest way to achieve this is for each skater to do just a single lap. Our lap times ranged from 9.5 minutes to 11 minutes over the 24 hours. There is a big difference between skating max for 10 minutes (one lap) as opposed to 20 minutes (two laps). We spoke with some skaters on other teams who were doing multiple laps and they said that the second lap was always slower than the first lap.

To make this single-lap strategy work as a team over 24 hours, many of the teams divided their skaters into sub-teams. The SQ team had 10 skaters and we had three sub-teams: A, B, and C. We put our four fastest skaters in A and the remaining six were divided evenly with three on B (I was in that group), and the remaining three in C. I believe the Skate Farm team which won the pro-elite category had 8 skaters divided into two 4-man sub-teams.

Each SQ sub-team skated two laps on each “rotation” so the skating assignments looked like this for the race:

A1 (Team A skater 1), A2, A3, A4, A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3 and then it starts over with A1.

The only time this changed was starting with the team A rotation at 11:00 pm Saturday night. For this “skull shift” skating, each sub-team did three laps rather than two laps so that it gave additional time for the other skaters to get some sleep (if they could) during the night. The B team rotation started at 2:00am and we skated until about 4:30am when B3 handed off to C1; that was a unique experience skating during those hours in the pitch dark with only a helmet light.

The SQ team ended up skating 132 laps for a total of about 385 miles.

That’s the basics of the team organization. I hope this made sense.

[Intrepid]

Oops, I left out the second set of laps for team C in the skating assignements in my previous post. The correct assignment is like this:

A1 (Team A skater 1), A2, A3, A4, A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3, C1, C2, C3 and then it starts over with A1.

[Jessica]

Wow, fascinating stuff. Since I didn't know any better I probably would have suggested the team skate more than one lap at a time. Thanks for the tip :wink:

[mjcole]

Sorry this is kinda off thread, well not really.

If you are going fly from the DC area to Vermont and then drive 3 or more hours from VT to PQ wouldn't it make more sense just to drive the whole way? I just came back from a trip to DC (hey its the best time to avoid the crowds) and the drive is a managable at 10 hrs. According to Google Maps, Montreal is about as far as Toronto, about 9,5 hrs driving time and you still get the senic Adirondack mountains.

Actually it seems an awful lot of reloacted Montrealer's love telling me just how close they are to NYC, so I would think anyone in the East coast, North of the Carolina's would probably do well to consider taking a Friday off and car pooling.

Anyway that ought to save a little money for useful things like new skates! :)

Michael

[Intrepid]

Michael - Yes, the drive from Northern Virginia to Montreal can be done in less than 11 hours. In fact, some of us have already decided to drive instead of flying next year. This will also make it easier to transport the support gear and food rather than buying it in Montreal.

With your question, are you interested in joining Jessica on the SL team?

Howard

[unicycle1234]

The SQ team ended up skating 132 laps for a total of about 385 miles.


With a team of six, that's 64 miles each, 100km race, spead across 24hrs, on a baby-butt surface, yeah, I think I want to do that, if it's in California:-) Why can't we have this in California where you don't really have to pack for the rainy day, and you can wear your favorite skinsuit (to keep the baton:-) all year round?

[buzzinghornet]

Wow, fascinating stuff. Since I didn't know any better I probably would have suggested the team skate more than one lap at a time. Thanks for the tip :wink:

Well, you're probably strong enough to multiple laps.......:p

[mjcole]

With your question, are you interested in joining Jessica on the SL team?

Its tempting, I have to persuade my wife that I should, and then come up with a reason why I need to be sent to the Montreal office the Friday before, most of my vacation days are already spoken for. :( (On the other hand at least I work for a company with a branch office in Montreal.:) )

[Jessica]

Its tempting, I have to persuade my wife that I should, and then come up with a reason why I need to be sent to the Montreal office the Friday before, most of my vacation days are already spoken for. :( (On the other hand at least I work for a company with a branch office in Montreal.:) )

See? The goddess has spoken :)

[racrmom2]

The 24 hour race has been on my mind every year since it started (or someone else put on a 24 hour race). The concept of a team sounds more alluring.

Any Team Rainbo people interested or Seattlites?

This certainly would be a challenge for me.

[online inline]

No, but a little closer to home---> Pat and I are getting together Sat. Morning for some good miles, probably Alki beach because Redmond morning fog will probably make Samm. trail too wet to skate. What do you say?

For that matter, i'm off today, available to skate on your side of the lake, with a little pre-planning as i;m the stay home parent this week, a job you could appreciate, i'm sure.

Is that off topic enough for ya'll?

[mvirtue]

No, but a little closer to home---> Pat and I are getting together Sat. Morning for some good miles, probably Alki beach because Redmond morning fog will probably make Samm. trail too wet to skate. What do you say?

For that matter, i'm off today, available to skate on your side of the lake, with a little pre-planning as i;m the stay home parent this week, a job you could appreciate, i'm sure.

Is that off topic enough for ya'll?

No :) If I were healthy Alki in the morning would be do-able.

[Jessica]

No, but a little closer to home---> Pat and I are getting together Sat. Morning for some good miles, probably Alki beach because Redmond morning fog will probably make Samm. trail too wet to skate. What do you say?

For that matter, i'm off today, available to skate on your side of the lake, with a little pre-planning as i;m the stay home parent this week, a job you could appreciate, i'm sure.

Is that off topic enough for ya'll?

If you post in this thread you're by default committed to skating on the team. Didn't you read the fine print above? :tongue:

[online inline]

No :) If I were healthy Alki in the morning would be do-able.
You don't have to be healthy to do Alki. It;'s more of an interval workout. We need a coach, so i'll put you down, thanks Coach, see ya there!
(Check out SkateNW- Pat or I;ll wil post something if you can make it)

[online inline]

If you post in this thread you're by default committed to skating on the team. Didn't you read the fine print above? :tongue:

i have a problem iwth committments. What did i committ to? If it involves more than 26 miles, i don't have that kind of concentration span. Sorry.

[DonPatton]

i have a problem iwth committments. What did i committ to? If it involves more than 26 miles, i don't have that kind of concentration span. Sorry.

Sounds like we've got one of our teammates committed to doing the first 26 miles!

[Intrepid]

mj - How long does it take to drive from Toronto to Montreal? The race starts at 2:00pm on Saturday and ends at 2:00pm on Sunday. Is it possible to drive to Montreal late on Friday, stay to the end of the race, then drive home on Sunday? Jessica still has openings on the team and if the drive is doable you may not even have to take any vacation days to be on the SL team :)

[Intrepid]

racrmom - I just checked Expedia, and there is a Delta one-stop flight from Seattle to Burlington for only $244 roundtrip. Its Delta 596/5994 on 7/13 and Delta 6142/597 back to Seattle on 7/16. The cheapest direct flights to Montreal are $625 on either American or United. The Burlington flight looks cheap enough that you may want to get in touch with Jessica to get a slot on the SL team :) :)

[shaloheat]

You can make Toronto-Montreal in about 5 hours, give or take a little based on traffic. It is all highway- 560km's (about 355 miles).

[mjcole]

You can make Toronto-Montreal in about 5 hours, give or take a little based on traffic. It is all highway- 560km's (about 355 miles).

Wow, that is quite possibly the most optimistic statement I have ever seen. Friday night, leaving Toronto on the 401 East bound, and you think anyone driving can average 100km/h? Last time I tried that, I was about 10, needless to say someone else was driving, it was the early 80s, traffic was better back then, and I still managed to get about a good two hour nap between Pickering and Oshawa.

Sorry, if I am going to Montreal, there are four options, Air Canada, West Jet, Via rail, or someone else is driving - at least as far as Cobourg! :eek:

[Intrepid]

Our team captain received an email today (3 January) from the Montreal race committee that registration for the race is now open. It looks like there is enough interest on this board for Kathie and Jessica to organize an SL team for Montreal. The race was oversubscribed last year so I would suggest that consideration be made to register an SL team soon in order to assure a place at the race and then we can work out the team details over the next few months. Yes? No? :rolleyes:

Howard


Here is the text of the email:

Get ready, get set!

Starting today, now is the time to register your team for the 4th edition of 24hrs Roller Montreal, which will take place on July 14 and 15, 2007 on the Gilles-Villeneuve Formula 1 racetrack.

Space will be limited in 2007, so to avoid disappointment, don't delay! Register your team before February, 2007 and benefit from the lowest possible registration fee.

Good news, we have cut in half the registration price for the courageous solo skaters! And if this was not enough, we are slashing the price of corporate sponsorships to CAD$200 and offering free breakfast to members of corporate teams! Corporate sponsorships are a terrific way to help the Diabetic Children's Foundation, while also making sure your skaters get fed! For full details about registration and a whole lot more, go to www.24inline.com.

Happy new year and see you in July!

The 24hrs Roller Montreal team

P.S. Do not forget to check out the 2006 video and to download and listen to the 2006 mix!

[Kathie Fry]

I received the notification today also. If there really does end up being a SkateLog team at the Montreal 24 hour event I will pay the team registration fee. Let me know if you guys decide you are serious about this.

- Kathie

[chuckboucher]

I take it you'd probably doing the race category. I doubt that I'd be able to sustain a 17mph pace for almost 3 miles at a time. My best time to date has been a consistent 15mph.

It's really tempting though.

OK, looking at individual distances:

If a team were to sustain 20mph for the entire 24 hours, that'd be a total of 480 miles, or 164.38 laps on the track.

A team of 10 members would do an average of 16.43 laps each, or just shy of 48 miles each. With approximately a 1 hour and 20 minute break between skating periods.

[Kathie Fry]

By the way, I will not be skating this event, so if we form a SkateLog team there will be ten slots available. If I can make it to Montreal - which I would try very hard to do if we had a team - I will be in the pit providing support and taking photos of the activities.

- Kathie

[Intrepid]

Chuck - If you are able to maintain 15mph for 3 miles then you are good to go for Montreal. The results of the 2006 race are posted at http://www.24inline.com/results.php. The results contain the average speed for each team in kmph; the conversion to mph is to multiply the kmph number by .62.

In summary for 2006, the winning team in the Recreation category averaged 15.1 mph and skated 124 laps. The winning team in the Fitness category averaged 17.6 mph for 143 laps. The Skater's Quest team, in the Fitness category, averaged 16.1 mph and skated 132 laps. The winning Pro-Elite team averaged 20.6 mph for 168 laps.

I believe the SL team should register in the Recreation category as it will be the team's first time at the event and the team will be comprised of skaters from across the nation with a wide range of skills.

As a side note: The SQ team registered in the Recreation category but after 4 hours in the race we had lapped the next-place recreation team. The race organizers reserve the right to re-place teams during the race based on in-race results and we were "promoted" to the Fitness category early on Saturday evening. We did finish eigth out of 19 in the Fitness category.

Howard

[skaterdog]

I take it you'd probably doing the race category. I doubt that I'd be able to sustain a 17mph pace for almost 3 miles at a time. My best time to date has been a consistent 15mph.

It's really tempting though.

OK, looking at individual distances:

If a team were to sustain 20mph for the entire 24 hours, that'd be a total of 480 miles, or 164.38 laps on the track.

A team of 10 members would do an average of 16.43 laps each, or just shy of 48 miles each. With approximately a 1 hour and 20 minute break between skating periods.

I think you might be able to do it....consider that the surface will be fast, you will be pumped up by the event etc...plus you have time to work on your speed.

For me...I don't want to hold anybody back but 17-18 is a realistic pace for me.

[chuckboucher]

I created an "official" skatelog.com team listing thread...

http://www.skatelogforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17313#post17313

To be honest, I'm actually really enthusiastic about this. It's the first skate-related thing I've been up on since the NESL indoor speed skating league fell apart during the last season.

[chuckboucher]

BTW, my wife brought up a very good point. I believe that it now required to have a passport in order to return to the USA from Canada.

So, get yours NOW!

[mvirtue]

BTW, my wife brought up a very good point. I believe that it now required to have a passport in order to return to the USA from Canada.

So, get yours NOW!

This is currently for air/boat travel. It has not been implemented for land travel. No matter what it is a good idea to get your passport.

Any ideas how I can convince my wife that this is a "good idea, tm"?

~$240 airfare to Burlington is do-able. Carpool from Burlington is also do-able.

24 hours of skating -- priceless

[Kathie Fry]

Any ideas how I can convince my wife that this is a "good idea" We will have to find some romantic things to do and places to stay in Montreal. I'll dig up some information about visitor attractions.

- Kathie

[Intrepid]

Mark is entirely correct, for the US skaters traveling to Canada please get a passport no matter what mode of transportion you plan on taking. All of the team's border crossings in SUV's from New York to Canada and back were no hassle with our passports. I have heard stories that if you don't have a passport then you will be taken aside at the border and given a shake-down until they verify who you are and why you don't have a passport.

Getting a passport is very easy, information can be found at the State Department's web site http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

Howard

[mvirtue]

We will have to find some romantic things to do and places to stay in Montreal. I'll dig up some information about visitor attractions.

- Kathie

I'm familiar with the amenities of Montreal. Most of my mother's family lives there and I spent every summer of my first 18 years of life there. My family would be delighted for me to show up as it has been 5 years since the last time I saw them. I was thinking more along the line of just in and out.

Are there restrictions on taking rental cars out of the country? The last time I rented the contract was specific about not crossing the border.

[dmoore]

Are there restrictions on taking rental cars out of the country? The last time I rented the contract was specific about not crossing the border.

Last year we flew into Seattle and rented a car to drive to/from Vancouver with no problems. I asked the rental agent and their only response was, "Are you going to bring the car back?" Of course, the contract always has the final say.....

[Intrepid]

Mark - The team rented three SUVs from Avis in Burlington, VT (we made the reservations on line ahead of time). When we picked up the vehicles, we told the counter agent that we were driving to Canada and he gave us a short form to fill out and then handed us an insurance card to carry with us into Canada. At the Canadian border I handed the card to the customs guard as proof that the vehicle was insured while in Canada. He handed the card back to me and I kept it with me until I returned the vehicle.

Howard

[Kathie Fry]

I usually rent a car when I drive from Los Angeles into Mexico. I think it's often OK to cross North American borders as long as you let the car rental agency know.

- Kathie

[sk8scott]

It figures that the 24h de Montreal would be scheduled on a weekend when I'll probably be out of town visiting family. :frown: Oh well...I'll probably be in better shape for such an event in 2008 anyhow.

The drive from Burlington to Montreal is only about 1.5-2 hours, if traffic and border patrol behave themselves. I don't think the passport is mandatory until 2008 for returning to the USA, but as others have said it makes things a *lot* easier.

----Scott

[MNGreene]

I have heard stories that if you don't have a passport then you will be taken aside at the border and given a shake-down until they verify who you are and why you don't have a passport.


While I will agree with you a passport would be ideal, until US/Canada land crossings require a passport (2008), crossing without one will be common and generally hassle-free if you follow simple steps. Treating the border person with courtesy and seriousness, answering the questions honestly and promptly**, taking off your sunglasses (known from a bad experience), having 2 forms of ID ready, etc. will get most people through the border without hassle.

**Typical questions when re-entering the U.S. from Canada: Where have you been? For how long? What were you doing there? Have you brought anything back with you? What is your citizenship? Where do you live?

A note about bringing minors INTO Canada. If only one parent is traveling, be sure to have a letter (notorized is best) from the non-traveling parent stating his/her permission to take the child into Canada. Experience here too -- a border person had to make a 1 a.m. call to the mother of a child who was with us confirming our story.

I am sure we can find links to the rules if someone needs them.

[DonPatton]

FYI - Travelocity - Orlando to Montreal on Delta is only $258

[Intrepid]

As a follow-up to the question concerning carrying the baton while skating on the course, I found a picture of one of the skaters from the pro-elite team Les Poulettes sur Roulette (loosely translated as "Chicks on Wheels") storing the baton under her skinsuit on her back after taking the handoff from her teammate. A lot of the teams adopted this technique during the race as it prevented the baton from falling out of the skater's hand and it allowed both hands to be free while skating. Here is the picture:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i22/SQSpeedTeam/Montreal%202006/batonplacement.jpg

[mjcole]

Hi guys,

I have spoken with my wife and I have good news and bad news. The bad news is this year I cannot go. I begged, I pleaded, but the fact is when the big boss speaks... well I am sure every man knows what happens, "Yes dear" is the appropriate reply for those lucky unmarried among us. She was going on and on about me being around to help out with the pregnacy or something.

The good news is next year, assuming an SL team gets organized, I promise I will come, and I may even bring a little one, get 'em hooked while their young 'eh. ;)

Sorry I can't come this year, good luck everyone!

Now on a more serious note, I drive across the border between the US and CA all the time. (In the period between Dec 21 and Jan 7 I will go south three times, six crossings in all.) Here are some suggestions:


No alcohol or tobacco
If staying less than 48 hours keep total value of goods purchased to under $100
Always bring a passport
Once in a line at customs do not change customs agents no matter how slow your line moves
Don't ask questions, answer questions, directly and honestly
If you drive in there will be a stop sign at the border crossing, the border guard will be about 10m, (30 feet) downrange, do not pass the stop sign until the person ahead clears through
If you fly in there will be a red line on the floor at the border crossing, the border guard will be about 2m, (6 feet) away, do not pass the line until the person ahead clears through


I have seen people busted, get yelled at, been searched for breaking any of the above rules, do yourself a favour, getting searched is not a pleasent experience, being busted for the first item really sucks, you don't want any part of that. (Getting busted for something worse than booze, well I've heard of it happening, never seen it though, its probably pretty ugly when it does happen.)

And yes, having a passport while not a legal requirement is pretty much... essential. If it were an emergency and you had to get your uncle to the land of cheap pharmaceuticals to fill his prescription, then I suppose you could try, but if you have time to get a passport, do yourself a favour.

Crossing the border is a not an entierly pleasent experience but if you do it late at night at least you can clear through pretty fast. (Also if you cross near Buffalo there is a phone number 1-800-715-6722 that will give the expected delay at the four crossings along the Niagra river. Sorry, I don't know of an equivalent number for PQ/VT.)

Gwad it reads like I'm lecturing, sorry about that, I'll blame the Bush administration for all the silliness at the border. :tongue:

Michael

[Jessica]

So I guess I better get working on that passport huh? As for the category, I was thinking we would fit best into the fitness category. Maybe I'm wrong- should we stick to recreation? We'll probably have to make that decision pretty soon especially if we're going to register the team before the end of January. I'll try my best not to break anything again before July :tongue:

[DonPatton]

From the http://www.24inline.com/ web site:


Fitness: Your team can average 20 km/h and up
Recreational: your team just wants to skate the 24-hour event without worrying about how many laps you make




If I'm converting correctly, 20 km/h is around 12.4 mph. I'm OK with either category. 12.4 mph doesn't sound like a lot but then we are talking about that speed over a 24 hour period with the possibility of skating in the rain.

Don

[DonPatton]

From a Canadian freind who has skated this event . . .

24 hour of non stop skating tips.

Pacing is important. You can burn out if your team starts off too
fast...many teams fall asleep when the night shift begins, but the
competitive teams usually attack hard during the night time.

Make sure you bring enough food with you before the race starts...there is
no time to go shopping for groceries. The race track is not close to any
stores. I brought a small refrigerator for my team, but they forgot to buy
the food, so we were hungry. 10 strong skaters makes the burden lighter...
my team captain crashed big time in the rain, consequently he was in a lot
of pain for the remaining 20 hours. Some skaters on team were suffering too
much and the stronger skaters had to pick up the slack.

You will need helmet lights, hand lights and other visual clues so you can
locate your team-mate in the dark for the relay exchange during the night
skating shift...also bring extra bearings, wheels, rain gear and extra
clothing.

Ear plugs, fans, chairs, air beds, blankets, toilet paper in case the public
bathrooms run out or if you prefer to bring three ply tissue.(smile) This
skating event is kind of like camping outdoors with a lot of noise and
people having fun. Bathing suits, slippers, soap and a towel...for a quick
shower in between shifts.

Bugs in the night time can be a problem, so you will need eye protection and
remember to skate with your mouth closed. Some skaters used bug spray.

I am not sure if you are allowed to use two way radios to communicate with
the skater on the track from home base...walkie talkies.


Bring your favourite foods to eat and lots of it...you will be amazed how
much fuel your body will need during 24 hours of hard skating.

[chuckboucher]

These are great tips, Don. Thanks.

[More Cowbell]

Thanks for the tips, Don! In my ultrarunning days I learned that it was important to eat foods you like -- you're more likely to eat more food that way, and the most crucial thing is to get lots of calories down your throat. I foresee the disappearance of several cheeseburgers and hot dogs during my 24 hours on the track...

I bought my ticket to Montreal today -- $550 including taxes & fees. Ouch. I'll be registering near the end of the month.

[Intrepid]

DP - thanks for the list; the camping analogy is perfect. Being a US friend at the 2006 race, we never considered bringing a refrigerator on the airplane :) but we did buy several cheap disposable styrofoam coolers in Montreal which we filled with ice to cool our drinks and perishable food at the track. To help us plan for all the stuff that we needed at the event, we created a list that was categorized into "personal" items that each member had to bring and "team" items that had to be with the team at the event. Responsibility for bringing/buying the team items was decided on by the team members during the weeks before the race. Here is the list:

A. Each Individual:

1. Must haves: passport, driver’s license, credit card, Canadian money

2. Race clothing: jersey, shorts, socks (2), for women-sports bra (2)

3. Race gear: skates, hard wheels with bearings, soft wheels with bearings, extra set of bearings, helmet, pads

4. Misc: additional clothing to wear when not skating (t-shirts, shorts, sandals/tennis shoes, socks, hat, sunglasses, bathing suit); sun block; earplugs and eye mask if you want for sleeping; guys may want to bring razor/shaving cream for Sunday morning; women will need to bring their personal stuff; soap and a towel; extra batteries or a recharger for any electronic gear that you bring such a camera, iPod, blackberry, portable DVD player, handheld games; clear sports glasses for skating at night if you don’t already wear prescription glasses (there are several areas along the track at night where the flying bugs are rather thick)


B. For the Team

1. Night gear: helmet lights (3), extra batteries for helmet lights, blinkies (to identify your team in the dark; most teams had red lights so pick another color for SL) (3)

2. Misc: power strip, extension cord, first aid kit, several rolls of paper towels and toilet paper

3.Skate support: bearing cleaning kit, lubricant, several multipurpose skate tools

4. Paddock setup: aerobeds; sleeping bags; light blankets or sheets; folding chairs (at least 4); 2-man tent; disposable styrofoam coolers to store drinks and perishable foods; coffee pot; ice for coolers

5. Food: trail mix, granola bars, energy bars; dry cereals, milk; power gels (lots); sandwich bread, sandwich meats (turkey, ham), mayo, mustard, peanut butter, jelly; doughnuts/muffins; bananas, apples, grapes

6. Drinks: sports drinks such as Accelerade, Gatorade or Endurox (can bring powder and then mix with water in paddock); soft drinks; ground coffee to brew in pot; bottled water (approx.1 gallon per person)

[Jessica]

Thanks for all the info guys - I'll start making the list.

Questions:

1. What's the 2-man tent for? Spontaneous skater booty calls? :tongue:

2. I may be wrong but I don't think this was ever addressed - is drafting allowed?

[Bill]

This sounds like a fun event, and a nice vacation. Team Skate Log has a nice ring to it, Have fun!
Bill

[Kathie Fry]

Bill... you are signing up for the team, right!!??

- Kathie

[Clemens]

Hello,

does anybody know the date for 2008. I will not be able to come this year, but may be next year, who knows...

By the way: If you are looking for a 24 hour race without a registration fee, no travel costs or if have no time for Montreal 2007, then take a look to www.24skate.net (sorry, I could not resist the temptation for this advertisement...)

Best regards
Clemens

[Bill]

Bill... you are signing up for the team, right!!??

- Kathie

Kathie,
I'll think about it, right now I'm just skating Artistic and sessions. I've been pretty much quad skating for the last few years, but I'll take my inlines to the rink tonight and spend some time in them.

Sundays they do a loop out of Golden Gate park, I'll have to try that. I really haven't done much outdoors since I had a injury a few years ago.

Of course Kathie, if you are going for sure, I'd really be motivated to go :)

Bill

[Intrepid]

1. What's the 2-man tent for? Spontaneous skater booty calls? :

2. I may be wrong but I don't think this was ever addressed - is drafting allowed?


Jessica - Lets take the second question first, drafting is allowed. However, because the skater skills across all of the teams are so different, after the first several laps of the race, the skaters get very spread out around the track so the opportunity for drafting is very small. In the 14 laps that I skated, I skated with another skater only once for most of the course and that was at about 3:00am (he was from Montreal and we taught each other French and English skate-related words like "on your left" and "go faster" as we skated through the dark). One of our SQ team skaters got a total of three laps where he was able to draft with another skater. As usual, the draft-assisted laps are faster and easier to skate than the solo laps. Skating solo does not mean you are skating alone on the track, as you skate along the course you are either passing slower skaters or are being passed by faster skaters.

In regards to the first question concerning skater booty calls, yes you are correct. With almost 800 male and female skaters isolated in one spot for a day and a half there are certain spontaneous urges that must be fulfilled ;) :D

Actually, the 2-man tent provides some isolation from the constant motion, noise, and energy that saturates the 24-hour event. It makes getting some rest easier and provides privacy to get some sleep at night between skull shift skating rotations. We brought one and set it up outside of our paddock bay; this gave us more room in our paddock for chairs, air mattresses, and food. Here is Diana finishing setting up our tent –

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i22/SQSpeedTeam/Montreal%202006/aP1000894.jpg


Some teams set their tents up inside their assigned paddock areas. Here is a picture taken Saturday morning as the teams were setting up their paddock areas. There is one tent next to our area and another tent two bays down.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i22/SQSpeedTeam/Montreal%202006/aP1000908.jpg


The picture was actually taken of our three team managers – Diana, Phyliss, and Barbara (my wife for 30 years) going over the checklist and making sure that everything was accounted for. All three are part of the SQ team and have participated in many events but were not part of the Montreal team as we were limited to 10 skaters. They came to Montreal to help the team and their assistance during the race was invaluable. If you want, we can discuss later in the thread how non-skating managers can help the team since Kathie said that she will be with the SL team but will not be skating.

[Kathie Fry]

Kathie, if you are going for sure, I'd really be motivated to go If we have a SkateLog team in Montreal I will be there to support them.

- Kathie

[SeJoWa]

...
B. For the Team

1. Night gear: helmet lights (3), extra batteries for helmet lights, blinkies (to identify your team in the dark; most teams had red lights so pick another color for SL) (3)
...

Pardon me for barging in, but how about markings on the helmets in a phosphorescent paint? I can imagine how hard it must be to tell skaters apart in the night.

[chuckboucher]

Thanks for making the other one sticky, Kathie.
:smile: