RaceToTheDeath2010
Introduction/Definition/etc
Old guy enters
DeadCityHalloween.BlogSpot.com
and tries to just finish, but really, like Marines,
running the Marathon this early am, or not,
in a far far land, just make it out alive,
and with honor...
20101031 6.58 am by Anonymous Guest
Photos
Videos
Body
You might wonder WTF, is this a Trick or a Treat?
Well, bike culture, like Marine and running culture,
has it's ups and downs 8-/
In the Mental Health world, there is anti-Psychiatry.
In the other worlds, there is Anti-War movements,
and like most anti-s, there is anti-Car.
Alley Cat races are the messengers equivalent of a road race.
Set in urban environments, you basically play messenger,
and get signatures, like pickups at various ill defined locations,
through the traffic, across intersections, and race to the death.
As an old guy, I wanted to go find out what it was like,
I considered being a spectator, but that's just not my style,
so I went as a pumpkin (Disclaimer: no pumpkins were smashed in this race,
or as in Turning Into A Pumpkin at the end
(didn't find the finish bar, 5th and Eye, Eye is not E,
and I'm not a bar person, so, well, I just didn't finish.
Did the stops, didn't find the 1st and North Capital stop,
but found a really nice photo of the sunset from the Capital building
over the Restore Sanity/ Revive Fear Rally remains, and well,
went 40 some miles, back and forth, starting at Thomas Circle,
signing a release (lawyers do alleycats? WTF?),
paid my $5 and found hanging around with young fit messengers
and their significant others (yes, there was a tandem fixie couple,
and someone on a SmartBike who didn't race,)
as waiting there was a Dragon float/ party boat on land
with police parade permit, likely,
and having recently done a protest ride,
where police on bicycle tried to join us, or arrest us,
"No, Not a Costume" and blew his little whistle,
we all have our protests, and civil disobedience...
As someone who once wore custom shirts, put on a suit,
"Suited Up", which I was allergic to, and
developed an allergy to the whole business,
Suit Up and Shut Up culture, the money was nice,
but it was killing me, and I didn't kill others, figuratively,
wanted to literally, not sure about economically,
but I digress...
It would be fun to say we did a Cemetery Tour,
nice and leasurely pace, but it was a race,
for the first couple of stops, I was told I was doing OK,
or well, I guess knowing the town has it's perks.
But later on, despite not taking my usual load of baggage,
I joke it's my Handicap, anyone seeing hoarding shows, knows the truth,
leaving the chain whip, wrench and cassette removal tool behind,
stashed safely (hopefully) to pickup at the end,
I shed some bags, and felt a little more free, lighter,
and was a little faster than my soccer mom speed,
distracted somewhat by my camera, taking a few photos,
that may make it up here as a link, and well,
it kept my mind occupied some thinking how to report
on this adventure, because in the end, the goal was not
to dress up in a costume, though I looked, I'm sure like
the winner of the Worst Dressed, I joked as they told
me to leave the bike and race up the Poltergeist steps
at M St and Whitehurst Freeway (Behind the Gas Station)
even the other guy was checking his GPS cell phone with data
plan for a clue, I had make the first couple of stops
with others around, and took Whitehurst Freeway,
It's 35 MPH expressway, and doesn't say No Bikes
That funny little 0/ symbol superimposed, like on the
Interstate the night before, which I also wanted to do,
but had to yell at people ("You're No Fun!",
which just made them laugh even more)...
You see, I'm a joke in the bike community too...
Even the coops don't like me, and I some of them,
some individuals don't know that they really aren't
in charge, despite their egos and titles,
it's about All The People, not just them,
or just being a control freak like me...
I'm old, odd and baggy, but still make the scene, occasionally,
people avoid me there too, but those that don't REALLY know,
get a kick out of asking me questions, and I talk with the kids
on MetroRail and on the street, parents obviously around,
"I'm a miner" I say showing the helmet light on MetroRail
(meant something different without miners trapped for 30+ days,
in a South American country)
or "I've only got 2 wheels" to the 3 or 4 wheel scooter
kids, or trikes, Big Wheels, we all like the thrill of movement,
like a wheelchaired basketball player, just making the playing ground level,
like the Family Guy old cop, paraplegic, there may be more, one guy/gal/
young kid to me? they all seemed half my age,
probably got hit by a car, like the BikeFilmFestival09
or '10 Brooklyn Bombers races, looking back,
someone got hurt, or looking forward, I didn't
get numbers/ places/ ranking at each stop,
they could have counted the entries as they made it there,
[or arrival times, for later processing?]
and would have done play by play,
for the players and less for the spectators,
some congregated at each stop, mostly people
there to give signatures, or yelling so that we find it,
I guess like water handed out to marathoners,
close enough to be within earshot,
but finding Chinatown Coffee at 5th and H,
behind a bus, or truck, it probably was,
talking to those sitting at an outside bar,
watching all the traffic, probably the pack way ahead,
with fixies, fixed gear track bikes,
taken to the urban environment,
Yeah, I've got one I'm working on, LAUGH,
to be like the kewl kids, mine an old Peugot,
the late 70's, 80's era bike I had as a kid,
later broke a frame (coming down a hill when couch surfing),
and picked up another
when my first mountain bike was stolen,
(while living in a shelter) the 10 speed no longer the top of the line,
from 3 speed tech to 10 speed, then mountain bikes
came in and chains got thinner, and more speeds,
and more complexity, until the simplicity movement
hit bikes, and well take all that crap off and just ride,
you have to keep pedalling, NO COASTING,
but for urban environments less complexity means less failure points,
and more speed control, you can pace yourself in pedestrians
("JUST BE PREDICTABLE, NOT SCARED!" or Angry)
and car traffic by how hard you push on the pedals,
instead of riding the brakes, real track bikes don't even
have brakes, they aren't planning on stopping,
just full force ahead, to the finish...
And remember 27 inch (700cc) wheels,
they went out of style, or are a classic, retro, still around,
like a Tweed Ride coming up soon,
now Presta Valves (needly), or always were Shraeder, (car like),
but stop the jargon, and back to the race...
Across from Dupont Circle area, to Arlington Cemetery,
it's a big place, but local and messengers know there
are only a few entrances and cross flow over Memorial Bridge,
and first signature, (heard about an accident, and confused it with
someone else stopped at the park across the White House )
then down the Parkway grass to the trail and beat the guy
going the other way, who said "not that way", but I wasn't hit
crossing the GW Parkway, and took a leak in the bushes,
near the hill, had not found a place at the start,
not leaving stuff, even with other bikers around,
only one guy I knew, probably how they said "He'll Sue!"
objecting to the old guy, or not knowing I take photos,
not from the helmet cam, like headlight,
which most confuse, but don't realize its' just survival
on 3-5x lanes 45 MPH and beltway crossings,
I'm used to hills, I go slow, Grannie speed, and breathing heavy,
losing feeling in my hands, and had some chest type pains
the other night, or was that indigestion / heatburn from not eating all day,
can't afford to buy food while out, too rushed to pack and skipping meals,
then eating too much, too late in the day, or is it the heart problems,
like my Dead Dad, he probably had his first heart attack by my age,
but I don't smoke, never did, unless you count that cigar on a boat cruise,
nor drink, well, did some in college, and before underage, but as I was learning
at detox training to be a CSAC, I can't very well ask others not to drink,
if I still drink myself, but I don't have the cravings for alcohol,
like those jonesing for a drink all the time, so didn't really fit in that crowd,
either. If I had kept at it, I would have, but I can relate,
just don't fit there either...
Anyway, Breaking Away, the cult bike film while I was growing up,
the young kids are much faster, I almost lost it on my first curb,
looking for the cutout like a wheel chaired old person, hoping my
back wheel doesn't blow a spoke like it did two days before,
you only get 3 before the wheel tells you it's done,
or the mechanic at the shop where I bought the spares,
says, maybe trying to sell me more wheels, than I have money for,
so I skipped that too, paying for stuff I c an't afford,
disabled, and don't have the cell phone data plan to look locations
up while racing, messengers get paid, don't bike for free
and are probably enjoying the drinks and prizes of messenger
bag, etc, at the bar I didn't find, doing all but the last
one, taking photos, but not finishing, more cemeteries,
clues, to the clueless, I'm from different age, different abilities
and disabilities, and well, it's an honor just to enter,
if not to win, I was in it to learn and just try finishing,
and well, I have the memories, and a few nice photos,
soon to be uploaded, and you kids have fun drinking,
just watch out for the masked people, and drunk drivers,
tonight and all the time...
Conclusion
Summary of experience or similar
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
Page History
20101031 Jerry
- Jerry created this page to drown his sorrows, by writing instead of toasting to winning/ losing ...
- spell checking, just for the fun of it 8-/
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