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Marathon Crash Race Becomes Slower-Paced Joy Ride
The Marathon Crash Race in 2011 (Photo by LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
While cyclists are no doubt bummed at the cancellation of the Marathon Crash Race, a pre-dawn bike race on the streets closed for the L.A. Marathon, a slower bike ride will take place instead.Instead of a race, a “fun ride” will take place at a slower pace over 20 miles instead of the original 26 miles of the previous route, KPCC reports. Don Ward, who organizes cycling group Wolfpack Hustle as well as the Marathon Crash Race, obtained a permit for the slower ride and says he’s working with the Los Angeles Police Department to organize a new route after the city effectively shut down the race after it failed to produce a permit for the race.
The new route may not go Downtown to avoid a hill that would spread out the race and make people ride faster, but it still may go onto Hollywood Boulevard. A police escort will accompany the ride, as usual.
Ward says he has mixed feelings about the news that the race will take place in a slower, shorter form. He’s advising those who want to race to stay home, as the ride will be slower, but he says he’s trying to rally those who do show up to present a unified front. He’ll be meeting with the city on Monday.
Riders will begin meeting by Tang’s Donuts at Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue at 3 a.m. (including daylight savings time!), head out around 4 a.m. and be off the road by 5 or 6 a.m.
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