Monster Mash Photo Gallery

Review: Monster Mash Monopoly Edition

It was a cold dark night...

Cheryl and I showed up to the Veteran's Memorial Plaza just a shade after 7:30pm. Within the next hour 80+ race participants were signed up and ready to race. The turn out was quite stunning and definitely put excitement in the air. There was a short rule session with Q&A and then the manifest packets were handed out. We were off.

This race in its entirety was a blast! The checkpoints were creative and the stunts people were pulling were hilarious. At one point we thought we were actually doing well, until we rolled up to a checkpoint where a certain cyclist was puking down his own bike shorts for a large sum of monopoly money. Instantly we knew we should step up our game, however we were easily outnumbered by completely insane people.

A feature that I’ve enjoyed in alleycats is the "Assassin" type characters. Rogue cyclists roaming the city.. if they catch you, you receive a penalty of some sort. I think this is a great equalizer and just a fun feature to have. Monster Mash implemented this with "Zombies." If a Zombie were to catch you, you had to visit a particular checkpoint to receive the "Antidote" which was simply the check point worker signing your manifest. Definitely a pain in the ass if it happens to you, and of course it did on our first stop... A bit disheartening considering the zombie was basically hanging out at the entrance of the hotel. Yeah, I complained.

The second thing I noticed was that the checkpoints were a little far apart, at least for an alley cat that was supposedly designed to be for "everyone." At one point we were sent on a rush from Illinois & Washington to 21st & Pennsylvania. Originally each delivery had a 30-minute time allotment, and a rush was 15 minutes. A last minute rule change put the rush at 5 minutes. It was virtually impossible to travel 2 miles in 5 minutes, especially when you were starting at the 9th floor of a hotel.

Neither of these issues were really deal breakers though. This race was very well organized and all of the checkpoint workers were very helpful.

Monster Mash Monopoly Edition was easily the best and most successful alleycat to date in Indianapolis. As far as I'm concerned, the standard has been set. I greatly look forward to future races.

Great work!


An Unabridged Edition - Monster Mash Monopoly Edition

Halloween: Monster Mash + Afterparty = AWESOME

If you don't have plans for Halloween yet, consider them made. Hell, if you have plans, cancel them.. this is where you should be!

Go to http://www.unabridgededition.com/ for more information!

Monster Mash Monopoly Edition - 10/31/09

Click Here for details.

This race sounds totally rad and is designed so that ANYONE can participate... SPEED is non-factor with this race. All bikes are welcome and be sure to click the link to get all the details and rules for the race.

boosh.

Really is a busy weekend for bikes!

In my post about things to do this Friday, I completely spaced Dano's race. She posted a bit more info about it in the comments section of that post:

same format as the last race. [grab and go]
more mileage this time around.

come out and race!
cash prizes for top 3.

Sorry, Dano!

And, don't forget the Mass Ave. Crit on Saturday as well! Here's some info from their site:

Presented by NUVO newsweekly and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, the 2nd annual Mass Ave Criterium will be held on Sat., Aug. 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the heart of the Mass Ave Cultural District. See European-style racing up close and personal as cyclists from around the Midwest compete at speeds up to 35 mph for cash prizes.

It's a FREE family-friendly event with a free bicycle safety rodeo and race just for kids.

Join Mayor Greg Ballard in the Rathskeller Biergarten at 2:00 p.m. for award announcements and a post-race party.

Best of luck to all the racers in Dano's cat and in the Mass Ave. Crit!

Another race by Dano, somewhat impromptu

Our friend, Dano, is pitchin' another race. No name or anything. Just a picture of a skyline and some standard info. And, it's coming up quick--as in, this Friday. They're meeting at Pan Am at 6:30 p.m. and hauling ass from there.

The last race she put on was super fun, at least the first leg of it, since I blew out my back tire about 200 yards from the first check point. But, I heard nothing but the awesome from all of the other riders. That race was a simple snatch-and-go format, with no hoops to jump through or anything at the checkpoints. Not sure if this is going to be a similar format, but considering the traffic that will be in full effect with the Colts game that night, I imagine it's going to be pretty hectic.

B.R.A. Bloomington: Hell of the Midwest - 6/27/09

The race will be two person teams drawn at random from your entry number ( helping eliminate a ringer team ). Meet at 505 South Maple at 11 AM for registration. Registration is 5$. The race won't get underway until mid-afternoon, but get there early to get your stuff and we can take a laid back cruise around town or get some lunch. It's going to be a long race, so you're gonna need all the fuel you can get ! Once everyone has registered we will ride to the starting point as a group. After the race has ended the awards will be given out back at 505 South Maple ...probably followed by a group nap !

Click here for more details and info on B.R.A. Bloomington

Map Posted!

Some photos of the Piss On It Alleycat

One of the checkpoint workers, Jaclyn, snapped a few photos of racers coming in at her checkpoint at the alleycat a couple weeks ago.

Check them out here.

Again, fun race, Dano. Sucks that my tire blew, but I heard nothing but great things about the race afterwards.

In case you guys are feeling the need to spin out again, get to Dylan's Race to The Hangover race this Friday.

Race this Friday, June 5th

From Dylan James:

Since dano's race was such a success and a whole lot of fun, I thought we could get together for another fun race.

So let's all race to go see The Hangover at Circle Center Theaters on this Friday, June 5th!

Here's the skinny: 6 checkpoint race, 2-3 miles, last person there buys the first person's ticket into the movie. We're starting at the Pedestrian Bridge around 7 pm and the finish is in front of the theater on the 3rd floor of circle center mall. It'll be fast paced and you shouldn't have to get off your bike, except to lock it up outside the mall and head to the movie.

So obviously locks are a must but bags are not.

Click here for more info.

Piss On It Alleycat this Friday, May 22nd!

Well, we've gone an sponsored a race. Our friend Dano is organizing the Piss On It Alleycat, happening this Friday as a tribute to Morrow, a cyclist friend of ours who was picked up by the fuzz last year on May 22nd for, well, pissing on it, in both the American and British meanings of the word. If you want more details, just ask Morrow. Good chance he'll be at the race.

All bikes and riders welcome. Messenger bags aren't required but might be helpful. I don't know anything about the checkpoints or race format, so I don't know exactly how helpful they might be. IndyCog has pitched in a little cash to help the prize pot, so get on your bikes and ride.

Show Up Classic pt. II

Despite the rain, the second race of the Show Up Classic happened last Saturday in Bloomington. Masi Mark took first in the sprints, and Mike (formerly of Joe's Cycles) took first in the hill climb, giving them both a pretty substantial lead over everyone going into the last race. Best Trick was evidently postponed due to rain.

More info (including point standings) and photo highlights of the day and the Classic can be found at the Show Up Alleycats blog.

Awesome stuff that the Show Up guys are doing down in Bloomington. I keep meaning to get down to these races but something always ends up being in the way. I hear nothing but positives from everyone who makes the drive.

Mark your calendars, update your Blackberries, or whatever you have to do for Part III, the Alleycat, on April 18th. Again, I would be there, but I've an annual meeting of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition to attend. We'll be posting the flyer and more info for Part III as we hear it.

Bike Fright Recap

Fake blood
You scare me like the real thing
And if you were the real thing
You'd scare me more

So pour it on
Like it's the real thing
Fake blood
You rock me like the real thing, yeah

Bloomington, IN: The Show Up Classic Part II

Part II of the Show Up Classic is right around the corner. The cost will be $5 for part II, or $8 for parts II and III. If you've already registered for all 3 events, bring your spoke card, we've got your names.

* The Sprints will be about 1/10 to 1/5 of a mile. We'll run heats of 3-4 riders until everyone has ridden 1 heat. The fastest 4 riders after heat 1 will all race a longer 2nd heat. First rider to cross the line of heat 2 wins top points.

* For the Hill Climb, riders will start from a standstill, and have a certain amount of time to ride as high as they can. The rider who gets the furthest up the hill wins top points.

* For the Trick Off, riders will have 1 minute to do their thing, winners will be judged by crowd reaction, Tom, and myself. Points assigned accordingly.


After the event, we're going to be cooking out at the park. So, bring whatever food/beverages you care to enjoy.

Meet and register at 3pm, Sprints begin at 4pm.
A simple map will soon be posted to aid out-of-towners.

An updated points breakdown will soon be posted as well.

Check out http://showupalleycats.blogspot.com/ for updates and more info.

Oaks Day Alleycat - Louisville, 1 May 2008

Oaks Day Alleycat
Friday, 1 May 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Registration $5

Meet at Hogan's Fountain in Cherokee Park.

Registration starts at 5pm, race starts at 6pm, from the fountain, and finishes at Nachbar, (Charles x Krieger Streets.)

A checkpoint and task race. Awards for top finishers and best "Horse and Rider" costume.

<----Last Year's Spoke Card

First Indy Alleycat of '09

Any B-town kids coming up for this? Skumlife? Muncie Bang-a-Rang/Bike Gang (it was great to see that you guys are still "kepsin' it rill")?

I know $10 seems steep for a cat, but word is there is some great loot to be had for the podium, so get out and race. Oh, and don't forget a bag. Based on the flyer, I've a feeling jersey pockets won't be enough.

Happening tomorrow in Bloomington, IN

Bloomington is having a 3 event series called the Show Up Classic, the first of which is on Friday Feb 13th. There will be a pairs relay (come paired, or be prepared to be paired), trackstand-off, and skid comp. Most probably it is going to be held entirely in a parking garage, but everyone is meeting at 7pm at People's Park (Kirkwood Ave & Dunn St).

Prizes will be given to winners of the day, and all riders will be competing for points. The points earned carry over to the subsequent 2 events, sprints and an alleycat. After all 3 events, the riders with the most accumulated points will win some substantial prizes. We've been fortunate to get some awesome sponsors.

This is going to be a lot of fun, and we'd love to see a good Indy turnout.

More info at Show Up Alleycats.