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.
