Monstertrack 2007
What? Alleycat--a type of race based on what bike messengers do, with checkpoints in an urban setting. Also, only fixed gear, no brakes (!).
When: Sat., Feb. 17, 2007
Where: Across Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, NY
Here are some pictures that I took. A telephoto lens would have come in handy.
Checking in at Seward Park in Manhattan's Chinatown.
Two spectators on bikes.
Getting ready to release the hounds. The event organizers kept telling the competitors to get back against the wall.
The participants run for their bikes and take off.
Prior to the beginning of the race, we waited around for about an hour. I'm not sure what caused the delay. Consequently, the race didn't start until 4 or so. I believe the fastest racers finished in about two hours.
Once the racers took off, I couldn't get any good pictures. I lost sight of them as they raced into the distance, but a cacophony of honking car horns took their place.
Monstertrack competitor robotikon posted footage taken from a helmet cam:
Crazy, crazy! Notice how the racers didn't stop for traffic (auto or pedestrian). As far as I know, no one got hurt. I also understand that they took advantage of some non-bike-sanctioned paths. The last part of the race took competitors across the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn. Savvy racers biked across the bridge with auto traffic, a faster route than the elevated pedestrian/bike walkway.
posted by mlliu at 10:43 PM
2 Comments:
That is INSANE!! I can barely ride a bicycle, I can't imagine doing any of that!
I imagine a lot of it has to do with building up an immunity to auto traffic. But I also think a fair amount of it is bravado, whether a person is on a bike or in a car.
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