Weekday Warrior - Ad Hoc "Alleycat" Bike Race

Mandatory gear: Bike; map of city/neighborhood; wristwatch; your sense of direction

The gist: Mimic the routine of a professional bike messenger by riding landmark to landmark through a city or neighborhood on a choose-your-adventure route to find predetermined “checkpoints.”

DIRECTIONS
Map a course: With a detailed city street map, locate several (10 or more) “checkpoints” — bridges, statues, landmarks, known addresses — and circle them on map. Recruit three or more friends to ride group-style on the course. Set time limits between each checkpoint (approx. 4 minutes per mile); points earned for each checkpoint found within time limit. Go! Obey traffic laws but otherwise crank it through the city, stopping to check your map when needed, and pedaling straight through entire Alleycat course. Hand off the map at each checkpoint to new “leader” who then navigates to next checkpoint as the clock begins to tick. Keep mental tally of each riders’ points for entire course. Pedal power and navigational savvy weight equally in who wins!