More Catch-Up, The Alley Kitten

Friday, September 22nd, world car free day, after I raced off leaving my blog in mid-post (bloggus interuptus if you will) to catch the 351. Made it in the nick of time (again)(well, actually, if the bus had been on time it would have been in the nick of time, as it was I had to wait 10 mins for it). I arrived outside The Devil's place (666 Burrard)18:50 to watch the start of the inaugural Vancouver "Alley Kitten".

Just in case you didn't check it out from my link, it is/was a bicycle courier style race on little bikes. The Rules being no wheel/tire larger than 18" average diameter (yes, average. But can you imagine a competitor with elliptical wheels!!! The Rules Committee obviously has GSOH). So there was this massive horde of cyclists, big a small bikes, forming on the plaza outside "Park Plaza", a pair of parallel tape lines (black/yellow diagonal bars pattern, like "caution" tape without the "caution") about 15' apart, and as more people start gathering (last minute participants and more spectators) a puzzled and confused security guard comes out. You see, nobody told him, or any "authority" at the building what was going on, nor "asked permission" (as if!!).

He was standing off to the side, befuddled, when one of the organiseres dumps out a whole pile of tiny boxes on the ground between the tape lines. It will turn out that these boxes are single serving cereal packages (various flavours. Fruit Loops, Rice Krispies, etc.) with a sheet of paper attached to their outsides. The courier "manifest" for the race and map (after all, there were out of towners in this race). He came up to the pile and was going to pick one up, so somebody ran over to intercede, explaining that it was all part of the fun and that we'd all be gone shortly. I guess it worked, 'cuz he stayed off to the side. I suppose the guy with the big video camera asking him questions and the size of the throng probably helped ("discretion is the better part of valour" and all that jazz).

Anyway, settup was the participants put their rides on the ground outside one tape line, while they mass outside the other for the start( racers| packages |bikes ). The gun! they run into the middle, grab a cereal packet, remove the manifest, eat the cereal BEFORE they go get their bikes (remember, these are little kid bikes, for age about 5YO) and race of as per manifest instructions (multiple routes of equal distances and terrain) to the various stations/checkpoints where tasks had to be performed, and then on to the secret local for the finish (The Gazebo at Science World).

I didn't have time to secure a little bike, so I wasn't a participant. So after the start I helped to clean up the plaza of the scattered bits of cereal packets (security dude still watching) and other detritus (we left the cereal bits for the birds) and a pack of us went with the "trophy" (in a bin in a trailer) down Burrard to Pender, east to Shanghai Alley, south past Science World to the gazebo, raising a rukus the whole time, hooting and hollering etc. One of our number was the Reverend Phil (yes, an ordained minister) up from Portland. He was quite the sight riding along one-leggedly, crutches in a holster behind his saddle, the other leg in a huge cast (the result of a nasty mini-bike accident, bombing downhill in Portland).

After setting up the trophy in the Winner's Circle (or in this case octogon, the gazebo), were set about waiting for the racers by socialising. Liquid refreshments being the favoured time passer. It didn't take long for the first few to arrive, and I haven't the foggiest idea how long we were there befor we left (I could check the time stamps on my pictures, but who cares. Not I. I had plenty of refreshments, and lots to share. I had more takers than the previous night. We left, where/why I had no idea (I was pretty "refreshed", as were most of the others), but we were heading East on Terminal.

We ended at a little plaza on Clark rear the SkyTrain crossing and set up a little outdoor party with music (amplified. powered by a battery, battery voltage maintained by 3 bicycle/generator combos. People took turns pedalling). When the outdoor party started to break up, I checked my watch, it was about 23:30 and the last 351 home would be at Granville & Broadway around 00:15. HMMMMM, go to the 351 or the next party (at Midnight Simon's place) if I go to Simon's I know I will be up all night. You see, I have to be at work in 6.5hrs. It just didn't make sense either to go home because I wouldn't get there till 01:20, and would have to get up 2 hrs later to leave at 04:00 riding to Richmond. Ifny saw me checking my watch and asked if I was coming to the party. I briefly mentioned the choices/logistics (under 10 sec.) and she thought going to work from Simons rather than home sounded better. So did I (BTW, Ifny won the Alley Kitten, on "The Tickler". It has a fake-fur cover on its banana seat). Ahhhh, the party! It wasn't until 36hrs later that I remembered the evening's list of events included an item marked "Midnight -> late, Mini-Bike Madness". And What madness it was. I'll tell you about it later.

Catching up

Well, it does seem rather silly blogging about something 4.5 days after the fact, but here it goes (abridged, not expurgated). Thurs Sept 21st, shortly before midnight, Grandview Park. Chit-chatting with the various people I met last week, encountering new people this week. Finding out a little of what the Portlanders (and what a "ZooBomb" is) are like, meet a Sprockette (mmmmm, chili mango from Agent Lapis) and their various rides. Saying hi to some of the people I recognised from other Critical Mass rides, but who were not at last week's M.M. Eventually we hit the road (Midnight is not a time, but a state of mind, appearently, as departure was around 00:30) heading downtown to showcase the core to our visitors, and give the night-lifers a side show. First down Commercial to Adanac/Union, onto Main to Waterfront Rd via the overpass, under Canada Place, through a parkade (fun to hoot and holler in the dead of night in places that echo)and to the Coal Harbour seawall path. Stop for a bit of socialising, ride down the ramp to a floating walkway (like marinas hve for boat moorage, but no mooring here. About 2.5 ft wide, no railings, and the harbour to either side) and back up the other ramp. Ride up Broughton to Robson,over to Granville, wave at all the crowds OUTSIDE the nightclubs (gee, it must be fun to go clubbing, just think of all that wild time spent lined up outside, sheep lined up to be fleeced), down to Drake, up Hornby, along Davie to English Bay for a long stop. Refreshment time. Considerable quantities consumed of various domestic and recently imported types, plus homegrown. I hope we didn't disturb too badly the guy trying to sleep under the small tarp. The numbers had thinned a little by the time we left for food (after the discussion of where to get what, and some whiners about least elevation gain as possible). I didn't hear where we were going, but it didn't matter to me. We went along Pacific and across the Burrard Bridge, onto Cornwall to Cypress...Siegels Bagels. It was pretty funny, some 30 or so of us descending upon the shop, only 1 guy working there, but eventually everyone had some eats. Some bike games in the parking lot and eventually head east. Cypress, 2nd, lamey's Mill and under Cambie Bridge to 1st, through a parking lot south of Science World, and at Science World I called out my good-byes to those carrying on back to "The Drive", as it was now 03:17, and the last NightBus to Whalley would be coming soon down Main (schedulled to leave Broadway & Kingsway @ 03:30). So I wait for the bus. It arrives. An articulated one, lots and lots of capacity, about 8 passengers on board, but 2 bmx's filling the bike-rack and an unsympathetique driver. So now you know how I know how long it takes to ride to White Rock from downtown Vancouver. And incidentally, before I left I checked the bus' ETA for Surrey Central. When the bus got to Whalley, I was on the Alex Fraser Bridge. So had I been able to board it, I might have arrived home 10 mins earlier than I did.