I think I made the same suggestions last year?
How about moving the Cirque to the second Saturday in May?
I, for one, want to try the five Boro ride in New York City. The Cirque is also on the same weekend as a famous, little, two minute horse race that we have down here in Louisville. (You're all invited to it. Be sure to bring a couple of thousand friends)
Just the other day, a nice looking lady invited me to go with her to the Five Boro Ride. What should I do? I could go for an 11 hour road trip in a comfy mini van with a good stereo with an attractive girl to the most exciting city in the world where we could stay with some of her interesting artist types who no doubt have chic parties with great food and witty conversation (I'm imagining it would be like Sex in the City) before having a lovely day of sight-seeing, concluding with the ultimate urban assault bicycle ride with thousands of fun loving, party animals.
Or, I could hop on a cramped little Southwest jet with nothing to do but eat stale peanuts during a bumpy ride into Baltimore where my low priority seating will almost guarantee that I'll get stuck in that terminal for many hours before I can make my way to Raleigh where I get to drive a cramped little rent-a-car to an odd event in Greensboro where 150 nerdy/geeky, eccentric, bicycle collectors will discuss exciting topics like tubing gauges and values of rusty French derailleurs, and what sort of lube to put into a Sturmey Archer hubs?
I, of course, picked The Cirque. :-) Anyone have a spare 21"-22" bicycle I can ride? I don't have time to get one together. Thanks, Off like a flock of turtles, Stratton Hammon Louisville, Kentucky, USA