Snowcat 2010

January 6th - Snowcat Alleycat!

So since there are likely to be racers from out of town at this years Snowcat, I thought it would be nice to give them a little heads up on the course. One of the things that makes some racers faster than others is choosing a better route. A better route might have fewer hills to climb, or be a shorter distance, or have better traffic, or some other factor. This map shows where the hills are. Anything "orange" is a hill. I hope that helps!

HCAT 2009 Results

The first ever alleycat bicycle race in Hastings went off without a hitch. Thanks to everyone who came out to race!

Map to the Start

View Larger Map

Locations Mapped

I've got the checkpoint locations mapped out. There will be 10 checkpoints. If you take the shortest route that I can think of, and make no navigational errors, and use all the shortcuts that I can think of, the total distance is 1.8 million centimeters. You can do the math on your own.

Want to see the map? To bad! I can tell you that this map will have some extra details to help you find the checkpoints more quickly.

Sneak Preview

Get an early look at the map.

Hope that helps.

Well this is a first...

I'm thinking 8-10 checkpoints. Probably more than an hour to complete...and you have to ride your polo bike.

Ok, just kidding about riding your polo bike.

Race #3 Results

Tonight's race was a big loop around the east side of the city. The best bet was a run straight up the Union Street hill to the water tower at the north end of town. Anybody who didn't choose that route was a fool.

Travis and Dave

Gary, Rich and I(Seth) made it to checkpoint #1 at about the same time. Gary and Rich took the “shortcut” through the woods and fields, while I took the quick downhill to another climb up to checkpoint #2. Checkpoint #3 was in upper McConnell Park, and there was a steep and completely unrideable trail down to the lower park that cut nearly a mile off the route. Checkpoint #3 was an out and back on Cleveland street. I saw Tim, followed by Gary and Rich on the way back in. I had about half a mile lead at this point. The River Trail was the quickest way to get to the final checkpoint in front of Family Video. After that, it was a sprint down Steele street to finish at the bike shop.

The points race is really getting tight at the top of the standings. Rumor has it that Gary wont be at the next race. What does this mean for the standings? I guess you'll have to tune in to find out.

Union Street Hill

The Finish Line

Race #2 Results

It should be noted that Travis acted as a true gentleman and rode along with the two ladies. Would he have placed better and scored more points if he had ridden alone? Eh... debatable. The thing is, you don't get any points for being a nice guy. I think it was Shakespeare who said it, "Nice guys finish last." Ok, it might not have been Shakespeare who said that but it rings true anyway. It rings true unless you're Gary. Gary is a nice guy, but he seems to win a lot. Weird.

To the guy on the lawnmower who's yard everybody used as a shortcut: The lawn looks great, but you should really do something about those thorny plants out back. Someone could get hurt out there.

Race #3 is August 29th. It's a tight race for second and third. Thanks to everyone for coming out to the first two races. See you in two weeks!

Looking Ahead to January...

Race #2 - August 15th, 2009

The second event will be a new route with new challenges. The low turnout at the first event means new riders will be able to catch up in the points race. Racing starts at 7PM and, like always, it's free and open to anyone.

Race #1 Results

Race #1 went off flawlessly. Turnout was pretty low, but the racing was good. None of the checkpoints got tampered with, and Gary treated us to some fine Michigan craft brewed beverages after the race. Total mileage was probably around 12 miles, and the first racers finished in about 40 minutes. The next race is in two weeks. I hope to see more people there.

Event Flyer

Ionia Alleycat Race Series

The first race of the series is this coming Saturday. The racing starts at 7PM, so be there early! Prizes have started coming in from sponsors, but more details about that later. I wanted this to be a more low key event from a planning standpoint, but sponsors need more of a commitment before they donate. So this page will have information about races, sponsors, standings, and anything else that seems relevant.

The full schedule is:
Race #1 - August 1st, 2009

Race #2 - August 15th, 2009

Race #3 - August 29th, 2009

Final - September 12th, 2009

There are points for finishing every event and you'll earn more points for a better finish. At the end there will be an awards ceremony.