One day while browsing the web I came across an event posting on the Retro city cycles web site for an Alleycat race in Orlando, properly entitled the Rat Race. A month or weeks before I had heard of one going down in Tampa and I was going to prep my Monocog and go, but frankly the thought of riding a 26inch wheeled bike again didn't have much appeal to me. So when push came to shove, I never showed up, nor made the effort to attend.The Orlando one was different. It clearly said, All Bikes Welcome. Now that appealed to me. In my mind, I pictured a big festival type atmosphere close to the start location in downtown Orlando with bands, beer and Vegan BarbQ. Well it turned out to be a Lil different in the end, but I didn't know that at the time.
Underground was a label that I thought only existed for certain Genre's of music or Skateboarding and BMX. What I didn't know about was the existence of a deep rooted fixed gear Underground cycling scene. The Vibe: Punk Rock, with an appreciation of the origins of cycling and the future of cycling. In fact, I would almost call some of what I witnessed performance art.
Regardless, the morning was stormy. The afternoon even stormier. DanO owner of Retro City Cycles said to be there early to make sure to get a spot in the race. Well, I got there at three, had to trudge thru rain with my lovely wife to get there, and made it into the race. My number was 51. The guy handed me a map, the same map everyone else got, to meet at the Cemetery I believe, by 4pm.
Well I run and get my car, and pull it closer to where we were waiting and start getting ready. I saw a couple of people I knew. Dan O of course and his wife. His Friends. John Moorehouse. And my old team mate from Bikeworks Ben Foreshee. Yea, you know, I heard mumblings about what the race was like and I was busy formulating my strategy cause, I'm a racer at heart, Doesn't matter if its a footrace, bike race, canoe race or car race. My strategy was simple, follow. Pick someone and follow cause I don't know downtown and I didn't know if I would be able to read my map in a pinch.
Well, I read the map and rode to the start and got lost. Very lost. Asked at a convenience store for directions and rode some more. Finally got a mail man who pointed me in the right direction and I hammered at 20 plus mph to the location and I made it, just in time. About ten minutes after I got there, the race promoter showed up. Same guy that took our money asked if anybody didn't want their spoke card. Apparently, we were now exceeding the 100 rider mark. OK, no biggie.
He asked us to place our bikes in the grass and walk about 100 yards away from them. We did and where explained the rules. Maps would be given. The same maps for everyone. Make it to that spot, anyway you can, by any route you choose, and then get the next map. Follow the rules of the road, not important. If you get pulled over by the cops, O freaking well. If you see a man down, help your fellow rider. On his mark Run to your bikes and go to the first location. Frankly, I didn't even look at the map. I folded it and put it under my left hand glove and got ready for the run.
He gave us a Go Mutha Fu**as and off we went. I had only done one Le man's style start and it was at the 12 hours of Razorback and I ran slow, like paced myself, and I screwed myself for it. Well, I decided to haul ass and run like I had stolen something. And it worked. In typical Le Man's style fashion I watched as several people tumbled and fell. I grabbed my bike and watched many people just hauling ass, but one person caught my eye. John Moorehouse, with some fixie guy in tow, and me following taking the off road route. I was on my bike of choice for any scenario, my Salsa Mamasita, aka the bitch, aka the beauty. So, part of my strategy was to jump the curbs, take the stairs, cut through lots, use my off road skills.
John cuts through the park, the fixie dude hangs a left at the apartment complex and I follow John to the back where I see him straight send a 3 foot grass drop to a small decline. Well before I could ponder if I wanted to do it or not, off I went letting my 29 inch wheels guide me safely down the drop and the decline.
Shortly thereafter, we approach an underpass, where there are people riding down the road, on all sides and we join the pack. As quick as I join, I notice the check point is right there and the maps where being handed out. I grab a map and keep it moving to the next stop. The pack seemed to be heading straight down magnolia and I followed and chose to take a cut across a lot, down a small grassy downhill into state road 50 down a road, I hung a right and saw the pack on Magnolia, but to my left I notice I had somehow, by luck, stumbled on checkpoint 2.
Checkpoint 2 was tricky. You had to either shot gun a beer, take a shot of whiskey or wine, or if your straight edge, a shot of maple syrup. Being a true to the bone MTB'r I chose the beer, turned to leave, witnessed a fixed gear tangle crash and started to follow another group down a road and around the Bend.
The road was wide open and I was in full attack mode trying to chase down a group of riders in front of me. I eventually merged onto a road, where I almost crashed into the back of a car, did a sweet little slide and went right into checkpoint three. Now the distance between this checkpoint and the next was a Lil longer then the first three. But when I got to this one I got hit with baby powder.
No problem, the next checkpoints where all a blur. Somewhere between checkpoint 8 and 9 I was following a fixed gear rider thru a Lil park across a pond over a board walk. Now major props to fixie dude, cause he picked his way over the wet wood clean. As for me, I hit the wood and slid out. It all happened real fast, but my reflexes have the incredible skill of breaking down a crash into slow motion, and I quickly noticed that my head was heading towards the guard rail. Now I'm thinking, if I hit my head just right, I could potentially break my neck. So I ducked my head and let go of the bars and wrapped my arms around my head, Ala Tornado under the desk style. My forearm and knee took most of the impact. But I came away OK. Got up, walked off the board walk to the road, looked left and saw the next checkpoint.
I grabbed my map and kept rolling. The distances between the last couple of checkpoints where the farthest of them all, but I always had the good fortune of following the right person. Even though I would see groups head off in completely different directions I somehow always made the right pick.
Before I even knew It, I was at the end. The chaos was done. It had been a full out sprint for the duration. I had seen people crash and people get ticketed by the police, but I finished with a handful of people, my guess is somewhere between 10Th and 13Th. That's about how many people were there before me.
Turns out the location I was at was where the after party was to be held. In retrospect I wish I would of asked cause then my poor wife could of waited for me there. It took forever for her and I to meet up and by the time we did meet up, I was tired of waiting and so was she so we rolled out.
The race was a blast and I'm looking forward to the next one. My Garmin Forerunner's off/on button broke in the crash and in the end, was a total lost. A little bruised but none the worst I did great in my first alleycat.
There is another alleycat scheduled for in December. If your in the area, and you dare, I strictly recommend it. I was going to make my Raleigh 29 into an alleycat machine, but since all bikes are welcome, I choose to ride my Mamasita. Why not, its the Swiss army knives of bikes.
Till next time....
Laters...
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