With roots in the bike messenger community, the advent of the alley cat race phenomenon is something that on the surface appears to be just about having fun when in fact, local organizers believe it can have far deeper meaning for our community.
The skinny on the event format is quite simple: bicyclists start at a single location before racing across the city to a series of secret locations getting their card punched at as many stops as possible before returning to the starting point.
Once back at the starting point, racers will trade in their punched cards in the hopes of winning by a random drawing any one of the more than $300 in prizes being offered this evening, including a Velocity wheel set.
And unlike most alley cat events you might have witnessed in the past, this one is quite unique in that it is shorter and is welcoming to participants of all abilities.
For starters, the organizers of the Local Trades Alley Cat event will allow the participants to choose which stops they want to visit with some ranging from as short as a mile away to as high as 25 miles depending on how many stops you want to add to your night’s goal (you get a raffle entry for every stop you make).
Organizers believe that this weekday, short-form version of an alley cat, which can be four or more hours, is a great introduction to bicycling in Grand Rapids as this teaches folks how to navigate the city on a bike.
“We keep the event in the valley to keep people from climbing too many hills,” says Brian Swem, an organizer from the Local Trades Alley Cat. “The course will lead people down streets with dedicated bicycle infrastructure, multi-use paths, neighborhood streets, and along areas where the cycling infrastructure doesn't yet make good connections or doesn't yet exist.”
Seem believes that this alley cat is ideal because “participants will all be able to walk away with a better understanding of the importance and function of our cycling infrastructure and the importance of continuing to make the connections that do not yet exist.”
If you have been waiting for a biking event that is fun but also educational, then the Local Trades Alley Cat is the perfect event to help you meet your goals. Happy racing, alley cats!
Local Trades Alley Cat is sponsored by Lott3Metz Architecture and Central District Cyclery.
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