This morning was course measurement time. As part of my duties as co- route coordinator to the National Capital Marathon I get involved in the measurement of the race course for the upcoming marathon. Today we headed out to certify the new course to the correct distance. This is done on bicycle with a calibrated instrument attached to the front wheel. The riders ride the full route and must ride the tangents (shortest distance) through all the curves. This sometimes requires riding on the left hand side of the road and drifting back and forth as the curves of the road dictate in order to get the shortest (straightest) line which the runners will use on race day. To do this safely we hire two police cars to drive as our escort - protecting our pack of riders from any early morning traffic. In theory it sounds easy but most motorists we meet at 6am aren't ready to deal with a fleet of squad cars (sometimes on the left) with lights and sirens blazing. In a few cases they panic and do strange things. Pictured here is the "hand off" from Gatineau police to Ottawa police as we cross the border back into Ottawa. It wasn't too smooth and a few cars leaked into our group... but Ottawa police quickly neutralized any movement and we were soon on our way again.
From a riding perspective its one of the nicest (safest) rides I've ever taken. We ride wherever we want and the police cars lead the way - traffic rules be damned! It's a bit pricey but if you get the opportunity, I strongly recommend it.
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