New Years Eve! Snowcat III Tomorrow!

All the details are coming together for the Snowcat Alleycat III. The car is loaded for an early morning departure tomorrow. I've been trying to make sure I've thought of everything today so that, in case of a hangover or being really tired, I don't have to do any thinking tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

Another message to anybody planning to take pictures or video of the event. I want to do a little post-race video project, so I would love to get your photos and video. I have three blank DVDs, in mailers, addressed to me, with the postage already paid. Please come talk to me at the start or finish if you get some good stuff. I'll be the stressed out guy trying to do a million things at once.

More to that point: I would REALLY love to see some on-the-bike video shot during the race. If you are racing, and have or can rig up a helmet or bike mounted camera, please, please, please, talk to me about getting your video.

As of right now tomorrows weather looks crappy, but not freezing or icy. Dress to get wet. Fenders are probably a good plan. Be prepared and leave yourself plenty of time to get home if you are driving home after 6 PM. It may get icy later.

I hope to see a bunch of people come out tomorrow. The sponsors have been really nice this time around and I should have something for just about everybody to take home. Happy new year's eve! Have fun. Be safe. I'll see you tomorrow!

The Goods

Unless I get another package tonight or tomorrow (unlikely) this is the pile of prizes for the Snowcat Alleycat III. This years sponsors were extra generous, and I would guess we have easily a grand worth of goods to give away. Please help support the companies that are supporting this event by clicking those links on the right side of the page and maxing out your credit card.

It sounds like there are going to be a few people choosing to take pictures rather than ride in the race this year. Lame. How are we supposed to exaggerate all the close calls if there is photographic evidence? If you are the photographic type, and you aren't racing, you are lame. That fact aside, I want your photos or video for a little post race project. Please send files or links to legitimatemustard@gmail.com This will make you a little bit less lame...but not much less.

Countdown to the start

Snowcat III Official Info Post

The Official Info

Date:

January 1st, 2010

Time:

12:30 PM

What You Need:

A Bike, A Bag, $2-3 (mostly change)

Who Can Race:

Anybody

Race Cost:

Nothing

Start Location:

View Larger Map

Snowcat Sponsors

We have some amazing companies helping us out again this year. Please show your appreciation with your credit card.

We will be adding more links as we confirm sponsors.

Snowcat 2011

I'm thinking we need a location change for this years Snowcat. I'm thinking we should go somewhere that our normal group isn't familiar with. I'm thinking we should go somewhere bigger. Maybe some more traffic. Maybe some long-haired freaky people. Maybe some politicians. Maybe some place like Lansing.

Tentative race date: January 1st, 2011

Wake up and shake off your hangover. Get your bike and head to the state capital.

This will probably change, but I like to make plans early and then change them a lot.

insinuations, allegations, and things your mother said when you weren’t listening

So I did something to my knee during the HCAT 2. It still hurts a lot. I probably need it cut open. I don't really want to do that. I have started planning for the Snowcat. Hopefully I'll be able to ride in it. That is all.

HCAT 2 Results

Turnout for the HCAT 2 was dismal. None of the riders from Hastings showed up, and the ad in Urban Velo never materialized. From an organizing standpoint, it was pretty defeating. I had planned to personally man one of the checkpoints, but turnout was so bad that I decided to ride instead.

The route I took ended up only being about 10 miles. The race started in the parking lot of the high school. I gave everyone a 15 minute head start and then cut through the nature trail at Sweezy’s Pond to get to the checkpoint on Cook Rd. I backtracked and hit the checkpoint at Walnut and Young where I had to remove a tire from a wheel and put it back together. From there I went to Starschool Rd. I got to the checkpoint on Woodlawn by using part of the walking trail along the river, cutting through some back yards, and going through the Hastings Mutual parking lot. The last checkpoint was in Riverside Cemetery. I made a rubbing of the gravestone and headed to the finish at State Grounds.

I was first to the finish line. Gary and Josh finished about 5 minutes later. Tony and Tyler finished a bit later. I awarded Gary a growler of Bee String Honey Rye from the Walldorf. It seemed like everyone enjoyed the route, but I was pretty disappointed with the turnout. I think I may cut back to just doing the Snowcat in the future.

2010 HCAT

It’s more or less official: The second HCAT alleycat will be July 24, 2010 at 5:30 pm. Meet in the high school parking lot, under the big tree with the rocks under it. The route should be less than 20 miles and 95% paved. Road bikes will struggle in a couple sections, but be a huge advantage everywhere else. You’ll need a bag, basket, duct tape, or some other way to carry a small box. As always, this race is free and open to everyone. Slow or fast, you’ll be sure to have a good time.

View Larger Map

As a side note: I’m not giving out any prizes this time. I do this all myself and it’s a ton of work without trying to track down sponsors and spending my own money on shipping and junk. So, if you are only in this for a free wheelset or t-shirts and stickers…I’m sorry, but this race probably isn’t for you.

Snowcat 2010 Wrap-up: Better Late Than Never

The race went really well. The weather was good: not too cold, very little wind, and just a little snow. We had 22 people show up, but only 14 finished the race. Those who did finish came back to the shop with big smiles and stories about near misses, slippery roads, and navigational errors.

The course was a lot tougher than last year’s race. One of the checkpoints was a 5/8 mile hike, up a hill, through a foot of snow, at the back of a graveyard.

Once you got to the checkpoint, the only (sane) option was to go back the way you came. Another checkpoint was a mile down a paved, but unplowed, rail trail. Two of the checkpoints pointed you to another point which was not marked on the map. All totaled, the route was just under twenty-two miles. Add navigational errors and backtracking, and several racers probably road thirty plus miles.

Everyone said that they had a lot of fun. We had a group come in from out of town, and they were really excited about trying to do something like this in the spring. It's fun to see people get as excited about this stuff as I do.

After everyone finished, (2 hours and 15 minutes up to 3 hours 30 minutes) we put everyone's name in a basket and gave away all of the donated prizes. We had prizes from Bagaboo, Clemente Cycles, La Supreme, MER, One Fixed, Spoke Punchers, Urban Hunter, Urban Velo, and Velocity Wheels. We also had a buffet with lots of hot food. Last year we had way to much food, and this year was no different.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the sponsors again. I’d also like to thank Gary and the rest of his family at Dan’s Bike Shop for hosting this event and for putting on the Wednesday Night Rides that inspire these events in Ionia.

Snowcat Recap?

We raced. We got cold. We ate food. We took home prizes! I'll have results and pictures soon. For now, I'm tired.