Alleycat Bike Racing

It is this type of riding that give cyclists a bad name. It is also incredibly unsafe. Just ask the family of Matt Manger-Lynch.

Awesome, I have seen a couple of these on youtube and managed to catch a glimpse of one during my visit to NY. Wonder when they will, if they haven’t already, have one in DC.

Dan, It’s not the event that gives cyclist’s a bad name, but unskilled individuals. Roadies can equally piss people off out in the country too. That's why the organizer in the story above said “I urge you to obey all traffic laws and ride responsibly. Your actions are your own.” If drivers can’t handle sharing the road then that’s not the cyclist’s fault. Bicycles have a right to be wherever they want no matter what their objective is, as long as they follow the law. All cycling can be dangerous.

Laws are for motors. my risk is my own. Fuck worried bitches who break too much.

Based on this article, I decided to give Alleycat racing a try….saw a posting on http://www.mplsbikelove.com and off I go… pulled up to Gold Medal Park and the guy that gave me the instructions was smoking a cigarette…..the rest of the group was a scrubby bunch but it didn’t come as a surprise…this is an alternative subset of the bike scene. single speeders with a punk sensibility where riding in your jeans and sweater and scarf is the norm…..hey, I am game…and despite the fact I am obviously old enough to father some of them what they don’t know is that I was special guest of the Sex Pistols in their US debut in Atlanta in 1978 and saw The Clash, Ramones and Talking Heads live in the late 70’s but I digress…..

The event is 4 checkpoints…and all you get is the addresses…..no map,….gee we are just suppose to know the city and where things are and how to get there….we are suppose to go to the Seward co-op, A place called United Noodles, The Wedge Coop, and the Whole Foods on Excelsior, buy something and return the receipts for proof and return… you go to Seward first and then any order.

We get the go signal and I learn something very quickly… the guys in the hoodies and camo pants with tube socks can ride! Sure they are likely on a more road oriented bike than my mt bike but apparently biking around as your main source of transport gets you in pretty good shape despite pre hydrating with Pabst. I watch a group of 6 including a girl in a fairy type dress pull away but I keep them in sight enough to follow to Seward Coop that I thought I knew where it was but was not absolutely sure.

The 2nd stop I overshoot but double back after a 8 minute mistake only to find a group casually biking down an alley to United Noodles, which is not actually on the street its address lists, has a pitiful sign, and doesn’t look like a food store….apparently the girl in the skinny jeans and leather boots knew better.

Off I go to the Wedge co-op realizing I should have just taken the Greenway instead of cross streets because I got kicked out to it anyway. Biking hard I end up at the Wedge to make my purchase only to see the group I left for dead at the last place ahead of me at line… nice.

OK, its off to the Whole Foods via the Greenway and then home by the Cedar Lake Trail…biking hard I am sure I have left the crowd behind…I pull up to Gold Medal park so see 12 – 14 bikes….really?….how did that happen?…….and to be honest, I still don’t know…

But I did get a great workout….got in some hard and edgy biking whipping through the city…and learned that I found another group of people that, despite their looks, can hand my ass to me….good times.

This totally looks like somthing i could get into but i have a question. Now i really love to do Tech DH long boarding but i tend to get alot of static from the cops and residents of the town i live in although technically nothing i am doing is illigal. I would be willing to bet money that if i did the same stuff on a bike i wouldnt get nearly as much static. Dose any one have any idea why this might be. apart from the whole stereo typeing thing of corse

Dearest Dan,

(**ORIGINALLY) Alleycats were events thrown for messengers, by messengers.

Participants are likely to ride like messengers.

And yeah, I’m a messenger.