as the weekend approach I had the thought in my head that I would attend\participate in\race the Sister City Alleycat
Friday and Saturday are my days off... the race was on Saturday... I really had no excuses...
well... not entirely true... there are excuses... there are always excuses... I suffered a quad injury a few months back and it has been slow to heal...sure, I ride daily as a Field Bike Mechanic for Capital BikeShare, so, yes I can ride... but climbing and sprinting are not a good idea... I fear that sprinting or climbing at speed will hurt\tear the quad muscles
and yes...
I am still recovering from a torn achilles
other than that...
I had no real excuses about why I would not attend and race
spent my Friday day off doing yard work and house stuff so that I would be freed up for Big's Race!
Saturday morning came along and I had no real plans other than making sure the bike was ready and rolling down to Thomas Circle for the race start in the late afternoon...
when I woke started my day slowly with some coffee and went to Social Media
before I even get to Facebook I see some text messages...
one message from my buddy Dario... Dario is not making sense... something about a shooting on my block... and it sounded like he was saying that the victim was our friend Joy!
WHAT!!! This does not make sense... rather than text... I go old school and try to call... Dario does not pick up... I NEED CLARIFICATION!!!
I go to the computer... Twitter and Next Door have a basic outline... yet no details... there are several short news blurbs about a fatal shooting at 3rd and Quackenbos St NW... while there are no details on the news outlets Facebook seems to have more answers... many posts about the death of our friend Joy... people are already expressing sadness and grief... the DC Bike Family is in DISBELIEF!
there is some back and forth with Dario about the race...
I question if we should race... Dario offers that decision up to Brian Clark the event organizer for this Sister City Alleycat... Brian deciding makes sense... then Dario tells me that he an Amos have post race plans to lead a ride to 3rd and Quackenbos Street to the spot where Joy was killed to have a memorial
I agreed to the notion to being up to race but not to race if Brian or the momentum of the people were to decide such
the day was spent scanning the web for information and talking to friends
the shock and grief had started
luckily my bike only needed air in the tires and lube on the chain
I searched for something purple to race in, but was only able to find a t-shirt with an Alien on it that I could wear after the race
some time was spent struggling with the classic "what to wear? what to wear?" dance
by the time the bike was ready, gear was selected, I was packed and fueled it was past 4PM... I would have had to had left before 4PM to arrive by 4:20...
my relaxed approach had me on target for arriving shortly before the scheduled 5 PM start
there was the intention of not spending any extra time standing in the shadeless park that is Thomas Circle
left out of the house and realized I forgot something...
pulled out my key and grabbed what I needed...
mounted up on my Gravel Bike with its knobby tires with a pack on my back
trying to access my body and bike as I rolled down towards Thomas Circle
arrived to a packed park with no real stress about being late or missing registration
from the vibe of things I felt I had enough time to pull out the camera and snap some shots of friends
found a spot for my bike... took off my pack... grabbed my camera...
everyone was sad about Joy
sounds weird to say that but it is true
we were all sad about Joy
there was lots of hugging
a good number of people did not feel up to race but were there to support
after some photos and some hugging it was race time
I did not check the time to see if Brian Clark (aka Bigs) had us starting promptly at 5
just the same... there was a call to gather for the start
everyone pulled in closer
there was a pre-race meeting
Brian said some words about the tragic passing of Joy and then asked for a moment of silence
it was a somber moment
a very peaceful moment
then Brian gave a quick explanation of the rules\objective of this Alleycat...
everyone would line up and take a turn
they would roll the dice and then be given a Work Ticket Assignment corresponding with the number on the dice
it would be an out and back
the racer would ride to the address on the Work Ticket
complete the Selfie task on the work ticket
then return to Thomas Circle to roll the dice again to get another ticket
repeating the process for 8 Check Points
the first person to complete the 8 Check Point tasks would be the winner!
sounded quick and clean
it also would resolve some of the rip off artists
then also
it was so straight and to the point
there would be ZERO need for orienteering skills
no special knowledge of navigating of the city
very much a race about legs and efficiency
as it would turn out
each of the 8 Check Points were on one of the roads the fan out from Thomas Circle... even less need for knowledge of the city
after the explanation people were called to line up in order of registration
oh shit... showing up just before the 5 PM race start had its disadvantages
no worries... I got into the queue
people were rolling dice, getting work tickets, and leaving the park...
I was queue up...
Calvin to my left goes... and then I step forward after Calvin...
Brian calls me out... making mention of my late arrival.. I admit that I have not snaked anyone... I just got into line when my name was called...
Brian allows me to be next in the line
I roll the Dice... EIGHT!
the address is on the the 3400 block of 14th Street NW...
no need to think...
14th and U Street is the 2000 Block... it is further up the hill from there... just point that way and pedal... I figured that address would be in the heart of Columbia Heights...
it was hot... I left out the park and immediately caught up to Calvin Steve
Calvin had rolled an EIGHT as well... I called out to him as I passed... he shouted back... then coughed as he was paused at the intersection of 14th and Rhode Island... at the Red Light Calvin was taking this opportunity to spark up a spliff...
a few coughs and Calvin was along side of me
I noticed that Calvin was rocking an old DCMTB jersey that I had outgrown and passed along to him a few years ago... GO DCMTB!!!
we were hammering pretty good... while not going for any land speed records
gotta pace yourself
I wrestled between which chainring to push in the front...
Spin it to Win It? Or MASH HARD IN THE BIG RING?
I opted for the small ring... better to pace myself... especially in this heat!
my plan was to race hard... race strong... participate... finish..
I was not in it to win it... that is not where my body or mind were at this moment..
Calvin and I did our up and back to our first check point in roughly the same time... in our downhill journey we saw a few racers already headed up towards where we had been... then as I departed out of Thomas Circle with my next assignment Calvin came rolling in and from there our race would deviate... as our rolling of the dice would send us to different destinations...
the body felt pretty good
my momentum was steady
not sprinting
mostly in the saddle
almost entirely in the small ring unless going downhill or the lights allowed for high speed spinning
the race design had me on my own... it would be impossible to guesstimate the standings...
I rolled into Thomas Circle as DannyK was headed out...
Where had DK been? Was he close to being done? No... there was no way of knowing... I just had to stay steady and keep rolling..
it was in one of these tall buildings around Thomas Circle where Mayor Marion Barry was quoted as saying, "That Bitch Set Me Up"
Which was true... she was a bitch... and she did set him up!!!
that was in the Vista International Hotel... which may not be a hotel any more
in an effort to recall the events of the day I have been meaning to grab some images of my camera... but have yet to do such...
there are the images from the race... the Selfies at Each Checkpoint... I already put those on Instagram... maybe Strava will bring some memories to surface?
my STRAVA will tell a tale
there is the map and then there are the Selfies placed on the map where they were taken
cool feature STRAVA!
the first map image includes the ride from home to the race start and the ride to the Vigil for Joy
the bottom image crops in and centers around the Alleycat
you can see how all the lines are STRAIGHT out of Thomas Circle
this was a race of SPEED
not a thinkers game
a game of legs and lungs
not much need for brains
I would have no advantages with my years on these streets today
there would be no quicker routes
there would only be mistakes in an individual's routes
my weakness..
too much time at the checkpoints
not quick enough through the checkpoints
I stop the bike... pull out the camera... I may have to put on my reading glasses.. then I complete the task
I know others took ROLLING SELFIES
which more than likely would not be identifable
sure... not everyone is AZ
and I understand
this is not a Photo Class at the Corcoran
so... if the photo looks something like it should
then you pass
the Dingo and Denis teamed up!
below are their photos...
NICE PHOTOS GUYS!
and
NICE RACE!
during the race I rubbed elbows with these guys as we rolled the dice and got our assignments
it is always good to come out and race because it is a great opportunity to hang with friends
so... that set of photos are what is asked of them
but what about the others?
were the moving selfies readable?
Selfies in Alleycats are Pass\Fail
I would like to review the photos by the people in the Top Five
maybe I could get rescored for the quality of my Selfies?
okay... not really
I am not challenging the race
I do not want to see anyone else's selfies as an effort to dispute my finishing spot
it is more a matter of curiousity
a glance at the manifest brings up some memories
it is hard to recall the details
some things come to surface
yet hard to piece things together
as mentioned my race started with the LONG HAUL up 14th Street to Columbia Heights
some say it was good to get that out of the way
not sure if it changed things one way or another
the Embassy of Mexico on Mass. Ave was less of a hill but a long sprint in one direction
while Mission Muffins on Mass. Ave in the opposite was a another lengthy sprint up and back
then there were a series of shorter Work Tickets
the water fountain at Logan Circle
just blocks away... but had me confused
took me a minute to find
District Taco on M Street was a quick up and back that had me going the wrong way on a one way for a few blocks in an effort to keep things moving
for the most part I was able to take good routes to each checkpoint
there was one restaurant that I may have been off course for a block or two
but resolved that without my time delay
again... my slow rotation through the checkpoints is what caused me to be so far down the list of finishers
at the District Taco checkpoint on M Street I was taking my selfie
while I was taking the perfect photo Veek rolled through
without stopping the bike... Week\Vik snapped a selfie and rolled on his merry way
while I was still trying to crop the image to my liking
time wasted on trying to get a half decent photo that fulfilled the Work Ticket task
US Customs was a location that I did not stumble with
but I am curious about the others
it is a weird one
as it is a 1300 block address
while the entrance is on 14th Street
then the Drinking Fountain at Logan Circle was a little bit of a stutter as I had to search for it
as I was mislead by the image on the manifest
it gave me the impression that it was a historic water fountain
I thought maybe it was in the brick park by the Capital BikeShare Station at Vermont and Logan Circle
but instead it was in the inner circle of the park itself
DUH.
no... there were no real tricks
the only trick was that each individual had to run their own race
NO RIP OFF ARTISTS
no fast legs chasing knowledgeable racers
it played out similarly to how I thought
DannyK took first...
DK was the horse to bet on
Jordon had Bike Polo
which reminds me that Bruce also had Bike Polo
so those are two top three contenders I did not have to fight with
I landed in 5th
not sure of the order other than DK and then me in 5th
Sister City Alleycat Top Five
(2-4th order is not confirmed)
DK
Dario
Nicole
Dreamy Nick
Me
Bigs was hosting
Gabe retired from bikes
that was two more slots that I did not have to fight for
it felt good to race
having the race was the right choice
it was a day to be alive
I felt alive
it was a wonderful race
quick and clean
no glitches
well... the releasing of racers in order of registration
with each racer having to wait for the other racers to roll the dice and get their assignment
well... that sort of gave an advantage
well.. not sort of
the release of the racers one by one gave an advantage to first people to register
this was not entirely dissimilar to Bigs' 420 Race
where racers had to roll a joint before they started the race
not being able to roll a joint had me leaving the park last
while Paul can roll a joint in his sleep won the race by an advantage that may have been similar to the time gap between each racer leaving the park
okay... that sounds like sour grapes
because honestly
10 seconds is 15 wait time in courier terms
so... the order of the release was not that much of a factor
but the photos... just kidding
it is an over simplification
but maybe a bit of truth there
IT WAS A FANTASTIC RACE!
a good time was had by all
there were beers and sodas
we hung out
there was a mini awards ceremony
apparently there is going to be an awards swap
Mexico City is going to send prizes for the DC Race
and
you can figure this one out
DC is going to send prizes to Mexico City for their top racers
today I put together a few bags of prizes from my Alleycat Cornucopia in the basement
just some SWAG
a few cool prizes
but mainly filler SWAG
water bottles\coozies\chocolate bars\etc
then after the race and the results were tallied and announced people split off
a good number of people at the race joined together for a slow roll to the spot where Joy was killed
3rd and Quackenbos
down the block from my house
we gathered
again we paused for silence
again we hugged
so much shock
so much grief
everyone just trying to piece it all together
it was an awesome race
I got 5th
DK got First
Dario\Nicole\Nick Not Stavely and I am not sure who else were in the 2-3-4 slots
I do not think Brian recorded the racers finishing times
just the order
it was a good day
a sad day
a very very sad day
and unfortunately
there will be many more sad days
the reality will become greater
yet still there is joy
there have been multiple gatherings and group rides for Joy
and there will be another one this Thursday
Peace to Joy
Love to Joy
and
thanks Brian Clark for putting together such a great event
your events are not just great races
your events are also great gatherings for the community
BIGS IS DAH MAN!
LOVE TO THE DC BIKE FAMILY
RIP Joy
RIP Dzhoy Zuckerman
Real last name Murakevich
Dzhoy Murakevich
and
Dzhoy used the pronoun they
Dzhoy was an original... an original draped in purple
sad that they are gone
happy that they were here
"so this is how it is going to go?"
apparently there are porch cameras that captured the WHOLE encounter on the sidewalk that lead to Dzhoy's death
hopefully this will lead to the arrest and conviction of the three murderers