Halloween! A Bicycle Race!
I raced in my very first Alleycat bike race. (Look up what an Alleycat is here.) Basically a urban, informal, checkpoint based race. We gathered at the Bow and Arrow at 6:30PM, signed in, got our spoke cards/numbers and then bobbed for mini liquor bottles and apples. Five minutes before the start of the race, we were handed our manifests, which contained all the checkpoints and a badly photocopied map. The organizer randomly yelled "Go!" about five minutes later. There was a mad scramble and we were off. In several small packs, we raced up the Embarcadero, weaving in and out of traffic, and dodging surprised tourists. We went past the wharf, and up and over to Ft. Mason. We grabbed our checkpoint proof, and headed towards the Pet Cemetery. The cemetary is located under the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. I felt so fucking fast on this leg of the race. Four of us raced in a line, drafting off each other, making the most of it. With the exception of the four messengers in front, this was the only time I was in the lead.
After the Pet Cemetery we crawled up and into the Presidio Park. It was dark and foggy. The windy roads disoriented us, but we found our way out and into town. As a slick, silent pack, we shot out of the park into wealthy Pacific Heights. There were a million trick-or-treaters. We hit the 3rd checkpoint by outlining our bikes in chalk on the road. We hopped back on the road and off to the Columbarium. Once again this was a really fast leg. There was a pack of us, slipping in and out of traffic, turning and navigating gracefully through the fog, and our little red blinky lights leaving tracers. We had to throw a chain ring on a pole to get this checkpoint.
The next checkpoint was at the beach. Down the cliffs. I was tired. After the beach, we raced into Golden Gate park. To get this check point we had to pull a dead baby out of the lake with a string. Here I gave up. I gave some shots of Jameson to the checkpoint guys and waited for Chris to arrive. He did, eventually. And 20 minutes later I was off to climb Mt. Davidson, the highest peak in San Francisco. We were so thirsty and tired at this point, that we stopped for chips and candy at a corner store. Before making the long arduous trek up the hill. We get to the top and crack a beer. In the fog/rainforest micro-climate.
After we hung around the peak for a while, and no one else showed up, all five of us, assumed we were last, and took off for the bar. Let me say I wish I had put my brake on for this part. Locking up the back wheel coming down the mountain was a lot of work. We arrived at Gestault (bar) to find that people were still arriving at the finish with no one there to greet them. We grabbed our T-shirts, swapped stories, and chatted briefly, before heading home. I finished 28th, out of 53 registered riders, I am so fucking average. But still fun!
After the Pet Cemetery we crawled up and into the Presidio Park. It was dark and foggy. The windy roads disoriented us, but we found our way out and into town. As a slick, silent pack, we shot out of the park into wealthy Pacific Heights. There were a million trick-or-treaters. We hit the 3rd checkpoint by outlining our bikes in chalk on the road. We hopped back on the road and off to the Columbarium. Once again this was a really fast leg. There was a pack of us, slipping in and out of traffic, turning and navigating gracefully through the fog, and our little red blinky lights leaving tracers. We had to throw a chain ring on a pole to get this checkpoint.
The next checkpoint was at the beach. Down the cliffs. I was tired. After the beach, we raced into Golden Gate park. To get this check point we had to pull a dead baby out of the lake with a string. Here I gave up. I gave some shots of Jameson to the checkpoint guys and waited for Chris to arrive. He did, eventually. And 20 minutes later I was off to climb Mt. Davidson, the highest peak in San Francisco. We were so thirsty and tired at this point, that we stopped for chips and candy at a corner store. Before making the long arduous trek up the hill. We get to the top and crack a beer. In the fog/rainforest micro-climate.
After we hung around the peak for a while, and no one else showed up, all five of us, assumed we were last, and took off for the bar. Let me say I wish I had put my brake on for this part. Locking up the back wheel coming down the mountain was a lot of work. We arrived at Gestault (bar) to find that people were still arriving at the finish with no one there to greet them. We grabbed our T-shirts, swapped stories, and chatted briefly, before heading home. I finished 28th, out of 53 registered riders, I am so fucking average. But still fun!