Why does the A ride skip Uplands Rd?

[Roland]

Other than they've always done it that way. Skipping it gives the A ride a huge shortcut and then they are lapping and running over the B group almost instantly.

[Roland]

Here is an illustration of my point. As the first B group, enters the box, the A group is only 1 straight behind. Difference will be even less for the following B groups.

[AJ Neale]

Good question Roland!!

I have wondered the same thing when I join the A group .... I feel like I'm cheating! In checking the description of the Tuesday box in the "Rides" section of the forum, I read that "A rides may sprint on laps 1, 3 and 5", implying that there are, or more correctly, were 5 laps. Would any vintage A riders care to comment? Perhaps they just want to make darned sure they get to Beacon Hill Park before those pesky A2/B1 riders! As for the passing of other groups, I think the A's might still end up lapping the B's at some point in the proceedings if they too rode through the Uplands.

Andrew

P.S. So sorry your kit entries didn't make the final cut .... I had my VISA card all ready to go.

[John D]

There's some history in there, for sure, but I can't recall the details. My recollection is that on Tuesdays all the groups approached "the box" by riding though Uplands in the spring/summer/fall. The switch to skipping Uplands and going straight up Cadboro Bay was a winter thing to account for road conditions when it got extra dark and the narrow Uplands streets were choked with leaves. A bit like many of us choose to avoid Blenkinsop on winter Fridays.

J.

[Bosie]

I was sure it was the way they shed the riff raff like myself early by blasting them off on the "warm up" hill up to the box:)

(Im guessing it was because the As used to do 5 laps instead of 4- I seem to recall reading that somewhere in the past).

[MDAWSON]

In the summers of 2014 and 2015, the Tues A ride often rode 5 laps of the box, with sprints on laps 1,3,5. The rest laps had more resting in them then, and the first lap would often see an attack early in the lap to get everyone going. The last couple seasons the Tues A ride has become more steady-fast over all 4 laps, with longer breaks becoming more normal over sprinty tactics.
It might return to 5 laps again in the summer though, the A ride can definitely get fairly ad hoc, "anything goes" with its format.

Here's a tues ride with 5 laps of the box from 2015. https://www.strava.com/activities/336193310 with a fine example of one of the many times I've been dropped on KGT.