RACE REPORT: Triple Crown 2025 - DC Leg One of the Three Day Race Weekend

 it is Monday morning... Memorial Day
today will be day three of the Triple Crown with a race in Philly

me... I only participated in the DC Leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday
others raced yesterday in Baltimore

me... I went for a road ride yesterday and plan to mountain bike today
but before that ride 
I will do a quick glance at this "race report" 
do a few edits and then Publish and Post

hope there are some details that make this moderately interesting 



2025 Triple Crown
DC Leg
hosted by PJ aka Paul Joyner

The Triple Crown is a LEGACY event in the Mid Atlantic Bicycle Messenger Culture
 
in short
the Triple Crown bicycle messenger event follows the simple format of the horse race triple crown
three races in three different locations
total points earned are tallied 
points for attendance 
and then also 
points for top finishes
and finishing order

actually... I am not sure if the Triple Crown horse races runs a points series 

in the Bike Messenger Triple Crown - who ever scores the most combined points for race placement over the three day race weekend wins the Triple Crown 

PJ is STOKED to bring back some of the old school messenger energy
last year PJ brought back the Triple Crown after a few year hiatus
then also he hosted an additional messenger event in the summer 
which had him hungry for hosting more Alleycats 

although I am not certain
it sounds like Paul has taken control of some of some of the DC Bicycle Messenger Admin items
like the DCMTB page 
and maybe the instagram page
maybe not

I will borrow some still photos from Sleazy G to help tell my story
Kevin Dillard also snapped a few photos
I did not take any photos 
I did use the Insta360 X5 for some of the race

Sleazy G on Instagram
also Sleazy G - but more travel photos than DC stuff 

Kevin Dillard on Instagram
no photos up from Kevin as of Yet

I also added some older photos to help tell more details of the story 
not images from race day
images that apply to the words


RACE REPORT: DC Leg of the 2025 Triple Crown 
ah... Memorial Day Weekend
a three day weekend
no more Rolling Thunder in DC for Memorial Day Weekend
but
 The Triple Crown Has returned to the DC Messenger Culture

Paul Joyner (PJ) worked behind the scenes to connect the DC Messenger culture in Baltimore and Philly for Triple Crown ACTION!
not sure how it was decided
sometimes the Triple Crown is Baltimore - DC - Richmond 
this year it would be 
DC - Baltimore - Philly

I have been out of "the loop"
my work schedule has been somewhat irregular 
not working as much as I should
which has me not downtown as much as I should be 
so... I am not in the "know"

I had no idea what the response was to this event
I could see the "likes" on Instagram
but really
"Likes" or "Interested" on Social Media are not the same as Pre-Registration

in my mind it seemed the DC Leg would work for me
Baltimore or Philly?
sure... that would be an awesome adventure
I just do not think I have the "bandwidth" for all that 

so... Memorial Day Weekend arrived

PJ threw a Friday night Time Trial event
I was interested... but my day did not unfold such that I would be able to make it to Pierce Mill in Rock Creek Park for a Time Trial
the Rock Creek location was close to home 
I just lacked the motivation 
as it had been a tough week
several days of rain broke my motivation for Uber Food Delivery
a broken phone crippled me from doing Uber Food Delivery after the rain ended

I spent a full day troubleshooting and trying to get my iPhone out of an endless loop 
eventually I was able to find an iPhone with a cracked screen in my older son Dean
the emotional relief of having a phone and being connected again was a sensation of relief that displays our phone dependency

the phone was set up and ready for action just in time for Saturday's event that would more than likely require use of a cell phone... at least for the camera... and maybe the map feature for unknown or less familiar addresses 




by me there was very little prep before the event
in fact
I did nothing to prepare for the event
I waited until is was nearly time to leave out for the race start to gather things
not only did I plan to race
I planned to try and film some of the day on my Insta360
without doing any preparation

a glance at Accuweather for the forecast for the afternoon
cool temps - no rain
suited up
I would wear shorts and short sleeves 
pack a windbreaker in my Chrome Sling bag as I figured the temperature would drop in the evening

I would race light 
as the race flyer instructed
I would race with a LOCK - BAG - and PEN
it did not mention Phone
we would end up needing a phone

the bike of choice of the day would be my decade old Trek road bike
a bike that I purchased for a hundred dollars from one of my Mount Pleasant neighbors
the bike has Time pedals
so... I would be racing in my Sidi shoes 
rather than Adidas Sambas and mountain bike flat pedals 
as I have gotten comfortable with on a number of my bikes 

dang... mistakenly I forgot to wear a belt with a hip pouch

for efficient Alleycat Action I like to race with a hip pouch
that way my manifest and phone are always readily available 

I ended up using a Feedbag on the stem for that process 
which worked - but not as I like
it had me STUFFING my manifest with phone and glasses in the feed bag
instead of the more orderly hip pouch system

then also - having to get the lock out and then back into the Chrome Sling Bag backpack at various checkpoints that asked that racers "Lock the Bike" would be a delay that forced me to chase my ride group out of a few checkpoints throughout the day 


I left out for Hains Point with the notion that I would arrive a ten or so minutes before the four o clock start 
I arrived
I did not look at my watch
I was there before registration
I was there before the start

Where was PJ?

PJ was no where to be found!!!

this was to be expected 
this is PJ's routine
last minute routine
the previous races that PJ hosted also had a late start

that said
I did the exact same thing for my approach to today's race
I could have gathered my Insta360 along with its mount and selfie stick the night prior 
instead 
I was scrambling to find things when I should already be out the door 

the race promoter?
I guess they have a different set of time commitments to meet

come on... gotta try to start on time 
as I like to say... "the bike messenger who prides to get the package there on time is starting their messenger race late again"

it was a beautiful day
there was a solid showing 
lots of friends and familiar faces 
a good number of fast legs 

in that horse race style I took a measure of who was in attendance 
who is racing?
who is hanging out?
who is working a checkpoint?
and
who is shooting for the podium?

in talking to some unfamiliar faces from out of town I asked about race strategy 
then pointed out some riders who I thought would make sense to chase 
Andrew - Bigs - and Sleazy G would be my "bet" for the top three to Win Place and Show

there was a bit of grumbling

where is pj?
what is pj doing?

Printing Manifests?
Making Spoke Cards?

just like me and my gathering of gear 
this all should have been done the day prior 



we waited... time passed... there was grumbling... there was dissension...
some grumbling could be heard 
there was talk of packing it in
heading home 
doing a group ride instead of the race 

more time passed 

eventually PJ arrived 
but still not ready to start
there was more race prep to be handled 
more time to wait

do we get paid for wait time?

then... the much awaited start time arrived
we set our bikes up and walked as a group away from our bikes 
Paul put manifests on each bike in the grass
then he gave a pre-race meeting

there was some comic relief when some of the manifests blew off the bikes 
it was a laugh and live moment 
after the frustratingly long wait it was good to have some levity 
I said to myself and to others 
it is always better on the bike 
when the race starts and the legs are moving I will feel better

I think that Paul told too much in the pre-race meeting
suggesting the Anacostia stop first may have been too much information 
as it would dictate that we all create a similar loop
if people set the route on their own it would have had a potentially different outcome

that said
leaving out from Hains Point allowed for people to chase as a group
having everyone go the same way 
even if they did not look at the manifest
they could trust that the pack in front of them was going the right direction

I recall chasing the lead group in an previous Alleycat
I broke from the Ameboid Mass lead group at the Messenger Appreciation Day Alleycat along with Cassidy 
and well
my routing got me second on that day
second to Coach is like first place 


following the pack does not always prove correct
people need to run their own race


the race started
people ran to their bikes
I walked
I was going to take a look at the manifest and take a second to plan my route 
had less than a second to glance at the manifest and then leave out of the start last
I was walking my bike on the grass as all of the racers were already on the road hammering ahead

I sprinted forward to catch my would be race partners Bruce and Morgan

Legend Bruce invited me to ride with him and Morgan  
Morgan is a long time messengers
one time DC Messenger 
who moved to Richmond and worked as a messenger in various capacities for many many years 


I had raced with Morgan before
it seemed like a good trio
our engines are similar

those allegiances made at the start were broken early 
Morgan was out at the front of the pack 
racing hard with the fast wheels 
chasing Brian Clark and Sleazy G
who were chasing Andrew\Drew 
who pulled away from other riders and raced the day alone 

it was fine being last in line 
no need to burn myself out in the first seconds of what could be a long race 


Bruce and I chatted as we rode out of Hains Point

I asked Bruce to confirm the Anacostia Address 
it was on the 22 hundred Block of Martin Luther King Blvd.
Bruce and others were taking the 11th Street Bridge 
Bruce did not have any familiarity with the destination
he deferred to me
it was my feeling that we could do better to cross over the Anacostia sooner

why not South Capital Street\Frederick Douglas Bridge? 

I had a good "intuitive sense" of where the first checkpoint was
I was not certain
as we rode there I was in the lead of our little group
my confidence faltered as I saw that I was now leading 4-5 racers

the roads looked a little different than the last time I had ridden across this fairly new bridge 
perhaps had we crossed the bridge on the other side it would have unfolded differently in my mind
perhaps being on the far side of the bridge confused me
last time I rode here the roads were still under construction 
things had changed 
I doubted my intuition

Harriet pulled up the destination on their phone

I glanced at the map on Harriet's phone without my reading glasses - ignored the suggestion for a route
rolling ten yards forward and less than a block away I could see where we needed to be 

we got back on course 
on into Anacostia and onto MLK Blvd.

ABG Mart on MLK
not far from THE BIG CHAIR

we all rode so focused on the race 
none of us even saw the massive chair on the side of the road 


photo of the Big Chair from another day in another time
working for Capitol Bike Share as a Mobile Field Mechanic 

the earlier bridge was the correct choice
but having to stop and check the phone altered our approach 
allowing the faster riders to arrive and depart before we us

ah... reading a manifest without readers is a difficult task!

since I was in a group
there was a glance at a manifest 
I would have a suggestion 
then we would find agreement 

I just tried to confirm that there were no more Southeast destinations 
or any Southwest locations we may have missed before we went over to Northeast

OAKIE STREET\BICYCLE SPACE 

Oakie Street?
Bicycle Space?

that would be our next stop
not close

who is the dispatcher?
this is not a hook up?

this is a long haul!!!

SE to NE

I lead pointing us in that basic direction 
I had a rough idea of Oakie Street
then Amos took the lead as he was certain where Bicycle Space was on that part of town

Ivy City?
NOMA?
SUNNY DELIGHT?

I am not familiar with all this "new DC"
I had never been to this Bicycle Space location 
maybe the only remaining location of Bicycle Space 

Amos got us there
GOOD WORK AMOS!
thanks Amos!

we had lost a member of our pack 
Harriet dipped off after the 11th Street Bridge
not sure... 
maybe a different route - maybe wanted to go to a different checkpoint next 
maybe they wanted to go home

we arrived at Bicycle Space 
snapped a photo 
a Selfie with the Bicycle Space sign out front
Bruce and Amos went inside
Bicycle Space owner Phil K chased Bruce and Amos back outside the shop
then Phil came out to greet us

it was fun to see Phil
Phil greeted me with a smile and a hearty hug



I have known Phil for decades 
Phil was the one time co owner of City Bikes bicycle shop
City Bikes sponsored the mountain bike team (DCMTB) I am on for decades
Phil and I share many wonderful interactions over the years 
often volunteering at bicycle events side by side 

 then we were off 

FERC was our next stop
888 First Street 

New York Avenue was right there
it would be a fast road 
more than likely we would take the sidewalk
that route would take us too far north 

again... intuitively I knew the way to go
no glance at the phone
no GPS 
just an internal sense of the city 
no knowledge of the street names 
just a vague understanding of the interconnectiveness 

we did some zigging and zagging to get out of Ivy City 
we popped onto West Virginia along side Gallaudet University 
we hammered on West Virginia until we got to Florida 

not sure what happened
I took a right and then a left and then a right

we were all together
and then
we were not 

Bruce was on my tail
Amos must have peeled off 
we were guessing around
maybe he guessed at a different path 

we looked back
Amos was not within view

Bruce and I took L Street in NE towards First Street 
number streets counting down 
figuring Amos would catch us or meet up with us at FERC

CHECKPOINT!

we rolled up

PJ was at FERC
Bruce and I got Signatures 
no sign of Amos
we were off 

just as with Bicycle Space at FERC we asked the checkpoint volunteer how many racers had been through 
it is not a measure of anything
as racers can do this race in any order 
it is fun to try and get a feel how we might be doing 
I felt we were moving fast and fluid 
we very well could be moving at competitive pace 

if Bruce and I were to do efficient routing 
we might be able to out wit the faster legs of the lead group


it is the Triple Crown 
each Alleycat offers the notion of a horse race 
WIN SHOW OR PLACE
at the start point I took a measure of the racers in attendance 
my BET for the Top Three would be Drew\Bigs\SleazyG

maybe in that order
my goal would be to try and crack the Top Five 


unfortunately I do not have my manifest with me as I type
or should I say manifests
which frees readers from having to hear a play by play of each stage of the race 
((stepping away - gotta start my day - walk the dog etc))



((back from walking the dog etc.))

more time has passed since the race 
more details have been forgotten 
yes... seeing photos or looking at the manifest would bring details to the surface 
onto the keyboard 


we will fast forward

I have yet to look at the Insta360 footage
I think I might have a few moments of fun in the an hour plus of filming
the mount shifted a few times
I thought the battery had died
so at one of the checkpoints where we had to lock our bike before getting a signature
I used that opportunity to pull the camera and the selfie stick off the handlebars 
and 
tucked the Insta360 in my pack

things had changed
we left out as a trio
Bruce - Morgan - Myself
that allegiance was broken early 
I think those allegiances broke at the start line

we became 
Bruce - Amos - Harriet - Myself and maybe another one or two
by the time we were done with SE\Anacostia and into NE were were down to just Bruce - Amos and Myself

leaving Northeast heading into Northwest
it was just Bruce and Me

then at the 1513 P Street Checkpoint manned by StevenCitgo aka Jose we picked up another racer
Baltimore Mathematician Ex Messenger on a Bishop Bike was twiddling his thumbs
he had been chasing Bigs
but let him slip away

assuming the routing was the same for him and Biggs
we left out with the this racer in tow
a racer who won last year's Triple Crown

last year I placed 3rd in the DC Leg of the Triple Crown 

there was some argument
there was some discussion
we had to knock out the rest of this manifest

there were a handful of NW DC addresses 
before we had to get the second manifest from Lyman's Tavern

we knocked those out fast enough

it was exciting to finish the first manifest and be starting the second
there is something psychological about it

then also
in a smart move of efficiency 
we were scored at Lyman's

Paul had enlisted Marcia and Lucy as the Lyman's Checkpoint Volunteers
Marcia was a long time messenger
in fact - Bruce ended the first alleycat he ever hosted in the backyard of Marcia's group house 
and then... I also know Lucy
her son Luke and my son Grant were friends in elementary school


we were scored
we had to show a series of photos
we had to show Selfies at Checkpoints 
and then also
we had to spell out the word DOPE with selfies with Street Signs

luckily Bruce and Baltimore dude told me we just needed to spell DOPE
I thought we had to spell DOPE STREET
in the pre-race meeting it sounded like PJ wanted us to spell out DOPE STREET 
with all the Letter Street Signs
D Street
P Street
etc so on and so forth
any quadrant
they made I clear 

JUST DOPE
no need to take photos of any more Street Signs
we already snapped those when we were on Capital Hill

first manifest done... second manifest in hand

the second manifest was short
a handful of the checkpoints were the NW DC manned checkpoints we had just visited for the first manifest 

the first stop after picking up the manifest at Lyman's was on the 3500 Block of 13th Street
actually... around back of this address


this was where Baltimore Danny lived 
sadly... this was also where Baltimore Danny died
former DC Messenger "Duck" was running the checkpoint with a blonde woman in a wheel chair and two very excited pit bulls 

we got our signatures and moved on as a group

we made an error
on our way downhill... 
Bus Boys and Poets should have been our first stop after stopping at Duck's House
instead we went to the 1200 block of 11th first

realizing the error - I wanted to go to Bus Boys and Poets next
Bruce wanted to go to 1513 P Street 
then 1913 Eye Street

we went Bruce's way

we should have hit Bus Boys and Poets on 14th Street First
since we did not hit it first
we should get it second

Bruce thought we could get it on the way back up the hill
no need to go through it 
I felt that  from 19th and Eye we could have climbed to the two Adams Morgan Checkpoints as a better route 
oh well
there are flaws to Democracy

in hindsight
maybe I should have broken allegiances at that moment 
I could have finished the second manifest with my routing and let Bruce finish with his routing
we went through this before
and it played to my favor to split away


it is not all about winning
I enjoy riding with Bruce 
it is more fun to navigate the city with friends than alone 

Bruce and I have raced all sorts of Alleycats together
and as mentioned
Morgan and I raced a number of Alleycats together years and years ago 

so... sticking with "teammates" was the plan for the day
even if it may make for slower transitions through each check point

instead of getting a signature on the manifest and then sprinting off
each person would get a signature 
no one leaving until all of us got signatures 
this added time at each checkpoint 

although I disagreed with the decision of when to go to Bus Boys and Poets
I rolled with my teammate (s)


we knocked out the addresses together
until we didn't

at Bus Boys and Poets after 1913 Eye Street we had to go to two Adam's Morgan Addresses 

an old school head shop and magazine store 
and then 
DC Hemp
which was new school now old as well store as it has been open for quite some time as well now 

at Bus Boys and Poets I had taken my selfie and was ready to roll as Bruce Pulled up
I turned to Bruce and spoke
as I spoke Bruce spoke to me 
our words were different
our understanding was the same

Bruce said something to the effect
"go ahead - you will be faster on the climbs"
and I said something like
"Hey Bruce - maybe now is a good time to break allegiances"

sure... my words are cryptic 
that is how I talk sometimes 

it was agreed we would disband and regroup at the finish

from Bus Boys and Poets onto Adams Morgan
I was on the bike sometimes struggling to clip into my Time pedals as I am out of practice riding with cleats 
a glance back and the Baltimore dude on the Bishop was rolling with me 

Chris Bishop 
Bishop Bikes 


over and across a few blocks
flowing pretty good with the lights

on the first manifest we had to go to Capital Hemp 
in that moment I lead our group up 14th Street and then onto Euclid 
although Euclid was one way... it was fast and efficient 

the second manifest had a second Adams Morgan address 
B And K Newstand
it was on the 2400
rather than go Euclid this time
we took a different route so we could hit the newsstand first

went across on maybe V Street or W 
then fought in my head between taking 18th or Champlain
we took Champlain and then a left at the Mural by Miss Che Love 
and 
then a right on 18th

pausing to take a selfie at the magazine shop

which left us with one more checkpoint 
and then onto the finish
now... this was not my intention
but this is how it unfolded




after the 2400 Block of 18th Street Checkpoint I continued up 18th towards Columbia Road 
then on Columbia Road I pointed towards DC Hemp
a checkpoint that we went to on the previous manifest

Baltimore Bishop Bike Guy and I were side by side mashing pretty good
we were in the street along side each other
then I dipped onto the sidewalk via the handicap ramp
B to the Third kept straight

as I locked my bike and started to get a signature 
B to the Third had turned around and was looking right at me
I was focused on getting my signature
unlocking my bike
putting my lock in my bag 

glancing at B to the Third as I put my lock back in my bag 
not knowing his name left me silent 
he was looking right at me
yet he did not see me or the checkpoint volunteer he had visited just 15 minutes prior

thinking B to the Third would be on the sidewalk along side of me and I could start rolling as soon as I got my manifest
so... as soon as I got my manifest I sprinted off
wanting to put my rear wheel out of view

knowing that B to the Third is WAY FASTER THAN ME
and
could nip me at the finish 
I took the slight advantage and took off

Columbia to 16th Street - to Newton - to 14th



off of 14th Street
onto the sidewalk
slowly rolling to Lyman's where Lucy and Marcia were taking manifests and keeping score

I could see a number of racers had already finished
it was a lot of racers
lots of bikes and lots of people

my heart dropped
how did all these racers finish in front of me
sure... those were the expected top three
yet there seem to be more bodies than just the top three
oh no... I was not as competitive as I had hoped to be
then Marcia told me I finished 4th

FOURTH!

HELL YES!

on point - on target 
my signatures and my selfies were verified
4th it was

B to the Third and then Bruce shortly after me 

Amos came in a little after them 
and well
my man Amos seems to be a little miffed 
as did B to the Third 

but really 
losing Amos was no one's intention 
and well
B to the Third
I wanted to finish as far up the line as I could
and I knew I could not out sprint him

it is a race


as expected 
ONE TWO THREE
Andrew - Bigs - Sleazy G 

then a little time gap
me...  in 4th
B to the 3rd in 5th
and Bruce 6th

not sure of the rest after that

good time
nice race
dug the two manifest format 
the "recycling" of the volunteers was a nice touch

great nod to Baltimore Danny
although I am not sure which checkpoints were part of the Baltimore Danny Theme 
other than the group house and the head shops

here are a few photos of Checkpoint volunteer Marcia 
from some of her days as a DC Bike Messenger 


Gwadzilla Book on Blurb
Best of Women Messengers


and then also
I created a small book of Marcia and only Marcia
in an effort to let her know the intention of this project 
as she was a little hesitant in my creating a DC Bike Messenger Photo Book Series 



RIP Baltimore Danny
I never knew you well
I always enjoyed hanging out when we ran into each other
there are some late night post race parties where I have blurred memories of chilling - talking shit - and having a laugh 

sorry you left so soon 
sorry that life often seemed to do you wrong 
respect 
you took it all in stride 




it was a great race 
once things got going
everyone ALMOST forget about the late start 

PJ throws a great race 
personally... I feel that starting on time would be a great improvement 

all in all
PJ throws a great race and a great party 
thanks Paul
Appreciate You!


LINK TO KEVIN DILLARDS PHOTOS OF THE DC LEG OF THE TRIPLE CROWN 

Kevin Dillard Demoncats Shots from Instagram