[kgwisdek]

This is the official 2008 Liberty! Bicycles Off-Road Squeezer thread.
The event takes place on Sunday 28 September 2008, in St.Catharines, Ontario.
Check the site for details...

 

[ddakin]

Let me be the first to say...I can't wait!!!

 

[thedumbopinion]

Let me second that Dan!

About three, maybe four years ago I was out for a ride on crisp and sunny Sunday morning when I happened upon the finishline of this great race. Now this was before I knew anything about the trail system in the area and I definitely didn't know anything about racing in this town. I sat and watched the muddy finishers cross the line and thought that I could never compete in a race like. At that time I struggled to ride 15k at a time. I watched to see where the racers came from and used that to start my exploration. Thats when I started to fall in love with the sport.

I got a nice shiny bike and starting racing this year. Having a few under my belt, I'm ready to ride this race. I guess you could say its a personal achievement, its been a while coming for me.

 

[jcr1]

I can't wait for the best race in Ontario. Rode the squeezer for the 1st time last year and had a blast. Awesome course, great prizes and the food and wine festival after the race. Great race, great fun and great food...That's what life is all about. Good job Kurt and team

 

[mck.brad]

This will be my first time racing the Squeezer. I've done the 2007 Lake to Lake and have been bitten by the race bug. I sadly had to miss this year's L2L.

I can't wait to see what all the excitment is!!!

 

[langford]

Here are the real questions regarding this year's race:

Will Michelle be poster girl again?? (Hopefully!)

Will this year's theme be shopping carts again? (hopefully not, change is good, but I think 1 year of shopping carts is enough)

 

[kgwisdek]

No Michelle; No Carts.

Well, although Michelle seems to get hotter by the minute, she will not be gracing our web-page this year... (I know, it's a bummer.) But, the good news is: No Shopping Carts!

 

[ddakin]

Kurt can we start lobbying for first-wave yet or is too early for that?

 

[PUBCRAWL]

---NEW--- Self-seeding start waves.

A new twist to the old Squeezer start.
SELF-SEEDING

Squeezer 2008 is different. We are implementing Self-Seeding Start-Waves. This means that you get to select your starting wave based on your ability. This is new. There are six possible starts: A through F, representing three groups of riders.

The new format includes an exciting and unique Start especially for Elite, A-Level Riders. The Top 15 Men and Women who start in Wave A are eligible for a portion of $5000 in prize money. The A-Level Start will be fast and furious, and feature the very best local, provincial and national cyclists. Spectators and other Squeezer Participants will be able to see Wave A commence and conclude, owing to its 3:00pm Start. It should be fantastic! Like always, all Squeezer participants compete together, against the clock. And, all times are corrected and collated. Therefore, it is possible for any level of rider to win this event, but only participants who sign-up for the Elite Start will be eligible for the Prize Money. As such, those who sign-up for Level A are being charged a higher Entry Fee, but all Entry Fees have been structured to be as low as possible, under the circumstances. We hope you enjoy this new twist in the Liberty! Bicycles Off-Road Squeezer for 2008!

 

[jmoote]

I really like the sound of the new format and self-seeding procedure. It's pretty cool that we'll get to watch the start and finish of the elite race while enjoying our post-race BBQ.

 

[kgwisdek]

New! Improved!

Yup.
It should be really cool this year. We are ramping it up a little. Should turn out to be one of our best.

 

[thedumbopinion]

Awesome :rockon:

The final stretch could be very exciting with a lot of spectators and of course the devil. :devil:

Same course as last year or are you still working on it?

 

[beereppc]

mm I'm curious what the price difference will be between A and B.. I am fairly sure I can ride under 1:23 but all things considered it seems to make more sense riding in category B, Regardless, I think the new system sounds great and itll be real nice being able to enjoy the finish with a nice glass of wine!

 

[PUBCRAWL]

Guess you didn't read the info on the website.



Registration and Entry Fees:
Early Registration until 5:00pm Sat 20 Sept: $65 Elite, $38 Individual, or $65 Tandem.
Last week until 5:00pm Sat 27 Sept: $75 Elite, $48 Individual, or $85 Tandem.
No Day-of-Event Registration. Prices include GST.

Squeezer T-Shirts and Jerseys:
Event Ts: $20
Race Jerseys: $85
Prices include GST.

 

[ddakin]

Wow, wow, wow. That's all I can say. This is a fascinating setup.

The question is, do you take the plunge and go Elite knowing you'll get hammered in that category (but you'll probably finish super fast because of the pace of the field), or do you go Wave B? Awesome twist Kurt.

Will both races be the same distance (and therefore will the Elites be competing 'against' the other waves for the overall standings).

 

[mck.brad]

Squeezer T-Shirts and Jerseys:
Event Ts: $20
Race Jerseys: $85

Is there a preview of the design/print for the T's and Jersey's?

 

[rkj__]

Wow, wow, wow. That's all I can say. This is a fascinating setup.

The question is, do you take the plunge and go Elite knowing you'll get hammered in that category (but you'll probably finish super fast because of the pace of the field), or do you go Wave B? Awesome twist Kurt.

Will both races be the same distance (and therefore will the Elites be competing 'against' the other waves for the overall standings).

I was 1:16 last year. I think I'd still aim for the B start, due to the price difference. I'm not a top 15 rider, so I'd just be putting extra money in Josh Hall's pocket.

:thumbsup: to whoever designed the page explaining the start times. It leaves almost no room for confusion. Well explained.

 

[thedumbopinion]

I'd say ride to your ability. If the race had a typical setup wouldn't you want to be in the first wave against all the top 15 anyway.

Beside 1:16 is great not to far behind the cash. F**k Josh Hall!

 

[kgwisdek]

Shirts and Jerseys

Squeezer T-Shirts and Jerseys:
Event Ts: $20
Race Jerseys: $85

Is there a preview of the design/print for the T's and Jersey's?

T-shirts will 100% Cotton, Black, with a yellow and white image on the chest similar to the graphic on the website.
Jerseys will be made by Sugoi, and be similar in quality to our L!B Team Jerseys, but of course with our stylized race graphic, like on the website. The initial design is very cool.
We should have images on the site as soon as we get our online registration working.

 

[kgwisdek]

I was 1:16 last year. I think I'd still aim for the B start, due to the price difference. I'm not a top 15 rider, so I'd just be putting extra money in Josh Hall's pocket.

:thumbsup: to whoever designed the page explaining the start times. It leaves almost no room for confusion. Well explained.

I think you have to follow your ability and your heart when it comes to selecting between Wave A and Wave B. There will be something very special about being in the Elite group. Spectators, fans, energy. Plus A-Level riders will have a unique number-plate indicating that they are part of that Elite wave... It will be interesting, to say the least. Plus the price is not that much higher than other event's regular price, so it is not that out of reach.