Race Report: Free Gaza Alleycat - The Promoter's Perspective (draft-will read and maybe proof - maybe)

 
last Saturday February 10th was the Free Gaza Alleycat in conjunction with a social ride; The Great Ride of Return... let me try to get some ideas down about the day
months prior I had been making small talk with my friend Guarina of Native Woman Ride
I voiced my interest in hosting a Native themed Alleycat
that would correspond with Guarina hosting a DC Native Bike Ride
 we talked about a number of spots
turns out there is an App created by a professor at AU that included a number of the potential checkpoints
the overlap was extensive
I had seen a film that Guarina had made about US History pertaining to the Native population and boarding schools
so much of that information was new to me
I felt like I wanted to help get the information out
the film is called the Carlisle 200
https://www.nativewomenride.com/films
Native History Month had passed
it was the end of fall and the onset of winter
which means it was not really Group Ride or Alleycat Race Season
so... it was nothing more than the planting of a seed 
then October 7th there were the Hamas attacks and then the Israeli retaliation 
the world looked on as Netanyahu responded aggressively
the attacks... the bombing... the cutting off aid
it was beyond "tit for tat" 
it was clear that Netanyahu was pushing to eliminate the Palestinian state
Netanyahu was pushing for Genocide
or 
so it appeared watching the world news
there were posts by Guarina about the plight of the Palestinian people and the Free Gaza movement
then... Native Women Ride hosted a short bicycle ride
I missed the ride...  but saw some clips online 
when Putin lead his assault on the innocent people of the Ukraine I looked on and wondered what I could do 
I thought that I could try to gather bicycle donations for the people of the Ukraine 
but early in my effort I learned that it would not be so easy
my contact at Bikes for the World said they did not go there
there would be no way for me to attempt this without partnering with a group already lending aid
more searching I learned that it would not be so easy
and then talking to my now dead friend Joy... there was the question... how many Ukrainians remain in the Ukraine? Joy said they had all already evacuated... they said that there would be no Ukrainians to send bikes to... so I shelved the idea...
 
the clips from the Free Gaza Ride\Skateboard event were awesome 
it was a solid gathering of protestors in support of Palestine 
 
then shortly after that event in talking to Guarina there was mention of trying to put a little more planning into the next ride... another Free Gaza bike event.. to make the ride bigger, longer, and to have the message reach more people
I suggested hosting an Alleycat along side the ride
Guarina and I met and talked
it was decided...
I would host a Free Gaza Themed Alleycat that would coincide with the Free Gaza Themed Ride (The Great Ride of Return)
there was a glance at a calendar
two fast approaching dates were considered
the more near date anticipated better weather
Guarina decided that she would host the ride on February 10th
I felt like that date worked for me and I could assemble a QUCK CAT in that amount of time
 
the planning started
in the back of my mind I started to store potential Free Gaza\Palestine themed Alleycat Check Points
first I thought in generalities...
what mosques? what restaurants? what Free Gaza\Free Palestine Graffiti? WHAT ELSE? 
as I worked my bike share mobile mechanic job I rode around the city
collecting potential checkpoints each day
noticing Free Gaza Graffiti here and there
discovering a Mosque I had never noticed before on a street name I had never seen before 
a rough draft was coming together  
 
as I worked on the Alleycat aspect of the day
Guarina worked with a cast of volunteers on the ride
it would be called The Great Ride of Return
simultaneously around the globe on February 10th groups of cyclists would be gathering to ride in support of Gaza
more specifically in support of the Gaza Sunbirds 
 
Check Out the Gaza Sunbirds
a group of Palestinian para athletes who are taking a break from focusing on training\racing 
and have altered their attention to delivering relief to those in need in Gaza
bringing food to people who can not get food due to the cut off of supply chains etc.
both events would be Not for Profit events
asking participants to make a donation to the Gaza Sunbirds 
Check Out the Gaza Sunbirds Page
Donate if you Can 
 
the notion on my part was this
I would throw the Alleycat part of the day
but
I would work to promote both events
spending more of my attention on promoting the ride rather than the Alleycat
as the Alleycat is for Alleycat racers 
and the social ride no drop ride would be better suited for everyone 
the Alleycat and its Free Gaza theme was coming together 
I started to share Clues on Instagram
but
I also shared Not Clues on Instagram...
photos of a distant mosque was shared
then a photo of the Cairo building
etc.
would my Instagram help with clues... it might
but do not depend on it giving up the full manifest 
in the early days of planning there was a bit of a question mark
I was not sure of the ride was a sure thing
this late planning made my Alleycat seem to be a bit of a maybe
as I planned I kept the thought that it was a maybe in my mind
one day early in the planning I ran into Sleazy Greg
Greg came straight out and asked
WHEN IS THE NEXT ALLEYCAT?
I was not ready to announce the Free Gaza event
so we talked
Greg talked about a Valentine's Day theme Alleycat... having perfume bottles, roses, and heart shaped chocolates as prizes instead of bicycle themed stuff 
as much as I might like the idea
I rolled my eyes
as I know from hosting races in the past... it is best for the promoter not to spend much of their own money... as it is tough to break even... the more you spend... the less you get back
and then of course
Valentine's Day theme implies women
How many woman race Alleycats these days?
What women would be racing this Valentine's Day race?
sounds more like a Lonely Hearts Club Alleycat than Valentines Day
so... I poo poo'ed Greg's suggestion
then tried to pick his brain
I was curious about the semi political spin to the Alleycat
I was wondering what people thought about the situation in the Middle East
how people felt about Palestine 
what people thought about this Free Gaza movement
Greg (who just got back from a trip to Egypt) was in support of the Free Gaza movement and the notion of Ceasefire Now
(I think... not trying to put words in someone's mouth or claim to know the ideas in their heads)
we rolled off in our separate directions
me off to repair more Bike Share bikes
him off to make more deliveries 
more and more checkpoints came to mind
although there is no current Palestinian Embassy 
there is a plaque at the previous Embassy of Palestine in the 1700 block of Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown
there were many Middle Eastern restaurants in the District
several boasting Palestinian dishes
some claiming Palestinian descent
more potential check points
the Alleycat... the potential Allecyat was coming together
I shared ideas with Guarina
mentioning the weather... how the selected date had warm temps but chance of rain
mentioning conflicts... like the approach of Valentine's Day taking would be participants who would be working overtime delivering Valentines in the days before and after the 14th of the month
 
these things seemed worth considering
these ideas were taking into consideration
the maybe ride was starting to sound more definite
which made the would be Alleycat more definite
in anticipation of the day I though about prizes and such
sure... I have a few items in the basement that could work as prizes
but I did not think I could pair these companies with this Free Gaza themed event without their consent
again...
although I am in support of a Ceasefire and the Free Gaza agenda
what do potential Alleycat racers believe?
on Facebook I posted about the event
some high school and college friends commented with UNFOLLOW when I posted a post in support of Gaza
a friend from the cyclocross race community commented UNFOLLOW
I felt that this topic was causing a trigger response
this is a topic that is polarizing
yet I maintained
I saw my support of Gaza and the Gaza Sunbirds more as a Humanitarian effort than a political effort
I developed a come back for the hair trigger response of FREE THE HOSTAGES when I said FREE GAZA
there were two standard responses
"Free Gaza... Free the Hostages... Free Pizza
I want all three
but right now we are talking about Free Gaza"
and also... I told people...
"To say Free the Hostages when I say Free Gaza is like saying All Lives Matter when I say Black Lives Matter"
not sure if these efforts dispelled the intensity of the attacks
maybe I have been UNFOLLOWED by these people
it is a shame to not have a civil conversation about something so important
 
in my daily travels I passed an artist in an alley off P Street near Logan Circle 
the artist was finishing up a beautiful Free Gaza mural
we talked... I was in awe...
many people passed
for every 20 positive responses there was maybe one negative
one man came up with an Anti Palestine agenda
the artist and the opposition debated
the artist spoke circles around the man
the man sounded like a Holocaust denier in the way he spoke against the Palestinians 
too much propaganda confusing the truth 
the mural was finish... yet almost immediately
in under 24 hours after completion the mural was covered over in black spray paint
what a shame!
the artist came back days later
after long days and long nights of creation 
the artist came back and cleaned up the mural
but again... almost immediately...
the mural was vandalized with black spray paint again
the back and forth was frustrating 
not only was this a beautiful piece of art
but a beautiful message
and of course
I wanted this spot as a checkpoint in my Alleycat 
sure enough...
the counter people returned with black spray paint
vandalizing the art
blacking out the message
forcing the artist to return and clean it up again
luckily... the mural would be clean on Race\Ride Day!
 
the timeline to this story is jumping around
writing the story off the top of my head
and
I am not so good with timelines sometimes
 
as I was trying to sort out the notion of prizes
a Graphic Artist\Street Artist friend of mine announced on Instagram that he was working on some Free Gaza themed posters for an event in Baltimore 
Han Key was getting together with a few like minded friends to create some posters for an event that would be bringing together a long list of artists each with a Ceasefire - Pro-Palestine message
I saw Han Key's FREE GAZA DC Flag poster using the poppy flower as the stars to make the DC flag
that poster looked perfect as a prize for the Free Gaza Alleycat
I awkwardly invited myself along
Key Han invited me along without awkwardness
offering up for me to copy his stencil and make some posters in his art space
so after work... I met up with Key Han and others to make some posters
Key Han ask Key Han Solo on Instagram
 
the posters came out nicely
the planning was coming together nicely 
I was getting more and more potential checkpoints on my potential manifest
but I was waiting...
I was waiting to find out the the start point and finishing point of the Native Women Ride ride
so that the Alleycat could start and finish with the ride
but Start and Finish had yet to be decided
the event date was getting closer
closer than I would usually be without making any announcement of event day specifics
there had been no real announcement for the ride
there had been planning 
but no formal announcement of start location or start time
I took the ride start date and start time and started to create flyers saying "details to come"
it was all feeling a little last minute for me
although I am not very good at planning ahead
I would normally be this far into the planning a month out
when things were still being decided a week out 
I tired to give the ride organizers space
the ride would be there thing
the alleycat would be mine
it would be a collaboration 
 
but it did not feel like a collaboration 
by this time...
my manifest was all but finalized
all I needed was the ride start point and the ride finishing point
so that I could finalize the manifest and then do a test of the Alleycat route
but... but...
that information was uncertain
they were not sure where they were going to start or where they were going to finish
there was a Ride Organization electronic forum that was created
I was on that Internet Chat
there was some banter 
not all productive
there was a poll that was less than a poll
and well... 
in many ways those chats were counter productive 
just distractions 
those chats did not bring the information I needed
 
and all I needed was the Start and Finish location 
it was awkward...
I waited for an Instagram post about the ride event
it was yet to surface
one ride loop map was shared with me
but soon it was said that the route was not final and that map was not the actual ride loop
there was talk about a Dupont Circle start but still not a finish
I went ahead and did a pre-race ride 
needed to get an estimate that my Alleycat could be complete in under an hour
sure enough...
45 Minutes with the unofficial start and finish points
I did the course in 45 minutes 
not quite at race pace
not taking selfies and not making pick ups at each location
figured racers on race day would still hit that 45 minute mark while completing the tasks
I was set... well almost
for this to be a collaboration
the intent was for people for both the ride and the race to meet at the start to hang out
and then get on their bikes
move at different paces
then end at the same location at roughly the same time
I felt that I had done that
I created a short Free Gaza themed manifest that COULD be done in 45 minutes to an hour
longer to those that create a bad route or get lost
it was awkward 
I felt a little left out
although I did not want to plan the ride
I did feel that I needed the Start and Finish locations to collaborate with the ride
that information was late to be decided
that information was late to be shared with me
then... Guarina gave me an invite to join her to pre-ride the ride with her the day prior to the event
YES! PERFECT! THIS COULD ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!
the Friday before the Saturday Event I met Guarina, David, and Stephen at Dupont Circle for a pre-ride of The Great Ride of Return
I was on my Niner Single Speed geared for dirt
a gear slower than a beach cruiser on the street
I spun around the city and followed David and Guarina as they rode the route 
great... this would be the FINAL information that I needed
we started at Dupont and we were looping around the city with the goal of ending at El Tamarindo 
David was the route creator
Guarina had offered for me to make suggestions
David had it covered
David had factored in a large ride that was to take the streets in protest
avoiding bike lanes
holding the lane in the street
personally... I think we could have ridden in the available Bike Lanes knowing that on event day the parade of cyclists would be in the street... but oh well...  I rode where I was most safe on the pre-ride
we rode... I tried to take a few photos as we rode
but... being on the slower bike not knowing where we were going
all the photos were of the other three riders' backs
so... as we rolled up 18th Street from Dupont area towards El Tamarindo on Florida Ave in Adams Morgan I spun ahead
I rolled up ahead to the Museum of the Palestinian People at 18th and T Street
ahead of the three riders I pulled out my camera ready to snap a few shots
I waited... I waited...
wow... I must be fast...
then David rolled past solo
I snapped a few photos as David passed the museum then as he kept rolling I motioned for him to come back
with some persuasion David came back
when David returned I mentioned the Museum of the Palestinian People
instead of listening David talked about how he went there two weeks ago
I started again... saying how I had met with the curator and how she had invited the ride to come to the museum for water or tea... I voiced question how the ride might pause there... questioning where all the bikes would go... but left it as something to consider... 
David and I then rolled forward to the finish without Stephen and Guiana
the ride loop would go up 18th past El Tamarindo on the right
only to loop back and approach El Tamarindo from other direction
DONE!
David and I talked on the sidewalk out front of El Tamarindo
I withheld any suggestions as it was his group ride and my Alleycat
no need to offer up suggestions
all I needed was the ride Start and the ride Finish locations
and well... it seemed as it now I had them
Manifest Done
Manifest Ready for Print 
 
it was interesting to me that Stephen and Guarina did not ride the final 4 blocks of the ride
oh well... no worries... I tried not to give it much thought...
the Start and Finish locations had been determined
I rode off for home to eat some dinner and finalize the manifest 
that night would be pretty chill
everything was pretty much all set
I created a few small prize bags and then had the Free Gaza posters created with Han Key's stencil as prizes
I WAS GOOD!
now all I would need would be racers
racers?
racers are often the missing component of a bicycle racer
there needs to be "buy in"
I knew that there was some waffling 
in addition to the messengers doing Valentine's Day messenger work on that day
some would be racers would be traveling or whatever
there were a handful of would be racer volunteering for the ride
and of course
there was the notion that the Alleycat was political
some people were not sure where they stood on the Free Gaza discussion 
so that also brought some racer hesitation 
at least I had the Start and Finish information and could finalize the manifest
 
RACE DAY!
DUPONT CIRCLE!
1:00 Meet Up!
Saturday Morning was greeted with warm weather in the District of Columbia
a wonderful day to be out on the bike
woke up slow and I went to Fed Ex in Silver Spring and printed out the manifest
then I worked with my son Dean to handle food pick up from Falafel Inc
after that I jumped on the bike and headed to Dupont for the start
at Dupont I was excited to see all the people
but honestly.... I was a little surprised
there were people... but I expected more people
I had SPAMMED the Internet
I had shared Guardian's Native Woman Ride Flyer's ALL OVER the INTERNET
any regional Palestinian group on Facebook
all sorts of bike groups on Facebook
shared multiple times on Instagram and Twitter
reached out to individuals "one on one" through DMs
I even approached ANYONE wearing and Keffiyah and invited them with a "Hey Nice Keffiyah, do you ride bikes? There is a Free Gaza bike event this weekend"
where I had a conversation sharing more detail
pointing them to the Native Women Ride page
telling them about Opera Girl singing at the finish etc.
there seemed to be a positive response
most everyone I spoke to seemed elated about the protest opportunity 
at the ride start point the volunteers were working like Gaza's Little Helpers
the signs that were made earlier were being attached to bikes
riders were showing up
it was getting exciting
the ride would leave at 1:30
the Alleycat would have registration at 1:30
again I was met with Waffling about racing
I tried to sway some "maybe racers" into racing
I thought I had
at 1:40 I had a pre-race meeting to shoot for a 1:45 Start
fearing that waiting until 2 would be too much time
Biggs was torn... Biggs thought he might want to just do the ride
but then Bruce rolled in just in time for the pre-race meeting
WE HAD A RACE!
with Biggs\Bruce\and Sleazy we had a fight for first
then with Dave P\Hawken\Stephen etc. and a list of others
we had a full list of racers
I handed out manifests and answered any questions
the wannabes were confused
as other racers moved off quickly to their first checkpoint
there were people standing around reading the manifest 
looking confused
sure enough... it was over their head
over their paygrade
most of these late to leave the park racers would flake on the Alleycat shortly after leaving the circle 
of course I would not know this til later
still in the circle late riders showed up
I sent riders to catch the ride
"Head Down Connecticut Ave... Right on H Street... Right on 15th"
I tried to get the would be Alleycat racers motivated
they were not motivated
the action of these "would be racers" reminded me of when my boys were kids and I would try to get the other kids to join in on kickball or ultimate
they were not all there
if they are not all there... I can not make them want to be there
they may not have the capacity to be there 
oh well... I tired...
with the ride off riding
and 
the racer off racing
I rode to a few of the checkpoints to try and snap a few shots of racers
to the Peace Vigil across from the White House
talked with the protestors
snapped a few shots
saw Bruce roll through
then off to the FREE GAZA mural at P Street near Logan Circle
snapped a shot of Biggs as he rolled through
then thought I best get to the finish before the first finisher arrives
so off to El Tamarindo
at El Tamarindo I hung out with a few of my friends and a few other stragglers... all of which showed up of the Ride, but were minutes late and could not catch the ride... so they went to the finish
I coordinated with Dean who was at Falafel Inc at that moment getting food for the finish
then... like clockwork
the first racer rolled in
in almost exactly 45 minutes the first 4 racers with complete manifest finished and then a 5th without a complete manifest 
I started grading manifest straight away
there were selfies... there were pick ups... there were selfies and pick ups
the selfies and photos had specific instructions
I felt that the manifest was simple and clean
typed... not hand written
card stock paper... not standard printer paper
there were options...
Pick a Mosque had 3 options...  The Islamic Center on Mass. Ave being the most sensible... the mosque on Islamic Way was close... but did not lure anyone in that direction as it was in the opposite direction of the rest of the checkpoints
Pick a Falafel Inc. had three options... I felt that the GW Location would make the most sense.. but thought people could create a route where the Georgetown location made sense... but a trip to Maine Avenue would have been foolish
and then the selfies and photos had a few specific instructions
A Selfie with aPeace Sign at the Free Gaza Mural
 
Your Reflection in the doorway at the former Embassy of Palestine
etc... etc...
it made scoring difficult...
in Alleycats past I have been frustrated that the scoring is not more strict
sure... this is not a photo class at the Corcoran 
heck... it is not even a photo class at UDC
BUT... it is an Alleycat
and to emulate the day of the messenger... there can be instructions
a filing could ask for a signature or a time stamp... or both
failure to complete the task... well.. failure to do such is not doing the job
Sleazy did not do the Peace Sign and went back to the Free Gaza mural to correct his error... which took him from the first finisher slot... but it was not clear if Biggs had his reflection at the Embassy of Palestine...
I tried to grade things strictly... I tried to be fair... I tried to be as strict with everyone... but... it is a game... I also wanted it to be fun... I did not want to ruin their fun...
as I finish scoring the five racers around one or two more racers rolled passed... told me their dilemma
how they came to do the ride... started the Alleycat... saw the ride and jumped in with the ride
sure... whatever... you be you
that was a similar story for a number of the people I tried to enlist to race at the last minute 
I get it... no worries...
somewhere in the scoring of the manifest we saw David leading the ride
they were doing the path up 18th
the ride looked smaller than the group that left Dupont Circle
sure enough... the ride went up a few blocks 
then made their approach towards El Tamarindo
the riders approached
riders smiled... riders waved... riders rode past...
that was weird?
where are they going I thought?
my son Dean rolled up with food from Falafel Inc.
100 Falafel Sandwiches
100 Tangerines 
THANK YOU FALAFEL INC.
 
WE ATE! 
 
I passed out Falafel Sandwiches to the racers who had finished
my friends and others that had missed the start had falafel sandwiches and tangerines as well
I figured I knew where the people from the ride were
the manifest were graded 
people needed to be fed
I drove my son's car with the Falafel Inc sandwiches and tangerines to the Museum of the Palestinian People 
I gave out sandwiches to riders
we smiled we laughed
short exchanges about the day as I passed out the food
saw Dario and Opera Girl
learned that I missed the performance and that I could see it online
(which I did... the poem is moving and the singing is glorious)
after I handed out the remainder or the food I headed back to El Tamarindo to finalize the race
we did awards
top five
Biggs\Sleazy\Bruce\Davep\and Mordie in 5th
NICE! GOOD STUFF!!!
who went where first? what was the most logical route? 
who used the WHITEHAVEN SHORTCUT? Which Falafel Inc. did you go to? Which mosque did you select?
in the end... Biggs was first.. but it was sort of maybe a tie between Sleazy and Biggs... as the photos were a little less than perfect... but... let the chips fall... let them fall where they may
that is how it was scored... that it how it was scored 
 
DANG ALLEYCAT SCORING!
ALLEYCATS AND THEIR GLITCHES 
 
all in all it was a wonderful day
we learned more about Palestine and Gaza
we got to show our support of the Free Gaza movement
we increased exposure of the Gaza Sunbirds
we raised money for the Gaza Sunbirds
the Ride\Race Collaboration was a Success
not without its glitches
a bit of a communication breakdown
some unnecessary confusion
but all in all... it was a major success
 
PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
CEASEFIRE NOW
FREE GAZA
Native Women Ride on Instagram
thanks everyone who volunteered for The Great Ride of Return
thanks to everyone who came out and Rode or Race 
thanks to all the sponsors and supports
Falafel Inc 
thanks for being a Checkpoint
and
thanks for all the food
thanks Museum of the Palestinian People for being a Checkpoint Pick Up and for hosting the ride end 
thanks Middle Eastern Book Store for being a Checkpoint Pick Up

not all of the places on the App would be part of the Alleycat... but some

it was an idea... a suggestion... something to be considered for later 

just the talking stages  

a collaboration of sorts all the FREE GAZA spray painted messages 

the planning on the ride seemed a little behind schedule

the event date was rapidly approaching... it seemed that the ride route had not yet been created 

I have heard an excess of propaganda from both sides... the lost lives are enough truth for me to wish for a Ceasefire 

surprised anyone has read this far... has anyone read this far? 

those chats did not bring their ride any closer to being created 

those chats were more like hecklers than constructive contributors

the poll that was created... it did not poll the masses but only a few people... that poll was just a frustrating distraction as was the chat room  

using somewhat arbitrary starting and finishing points 

which meant... all I needed was for the ride to share their Start and Finish Locations and for them to create a ride route that would take roughly the same amount of time  

it was not clear to me if this was in fact a collaboration

I was working to promote the ride... but I did not feel as if there was help to promote the Alleycat

there was a undercurrent of chatter in the city... I could not read what was going on... what were people saying? what were people thinking? It seemed that people did not understand that this was a collaboration. That the Alleycat happening WITH the ride was an effort to have a bigger gathering... more exposure... higher energy... and more fun... I was trying to ADD TO THE DAY... but I felt like I was being left out of the planning  

where are Stephen and Guarina? 

maybe the Social Ride could pause a the museum as it headed to the finish  

in my mind... I was all set...

it seemed to me that the route had been finalized

the ride would start at Dupont Circle and then end at El Tamarindo 

which means... the Alleycat would do the same... I was ready to complete and print my manifests... 

Dupont Circle and El Tamarindo 

the house of cards was starting to fall... I moved about enlisting people who often race Alleycats to race the Alleycat instead of the ride... people seemed to be swayed in the Alleycat direction... I had a dozen or so racers

BRUCE!!! 

not just a Selfie... but a Selfie with a Peace Sign... READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS! 

I thought I might know 

Glad I could help to promote The Great Ride of Return

Glad that I could bring in Falafel Inc to UP THE FUN FACTOR and feed the masses

Glad I hosted this FREE GAZA ALLEYCAT

Glad it is Done 

nearly a week has passed since hosting the event
it is all still a bit of a question mark 
not sure why the collaboration went the way it did
not sure why someone would agree to a collaboration and then not collaborate 

glad I participate
I worked hard to spread the message about The Great Ride of Return 
in spreading the message about that ride... I got the Free Gaza message out
I also spread the word about the Gaza Sunbirds
and...
I threw a cool Alleycat in support of the Gaza Sunbirds
and
I was able to lend support for The Great Ride of Return
it was good... glad it is done

Why is the Watermelon used as a symbol of Palestine?