Saturday, April 7, 2012
NEW DATE!!! MAY NINETEEN!!!
Alas! There be a storm blowing in next week that's bound to put a damper on our plans to get rad next weekend. Hence, us folks behind the Rally Cat have decided to push the date back to May 19. We consider ourselves to be responsible people and would rather not see our beloved dirt go to shite from the hordes of eager riders blowing through. We apologize to those that might have taken steps to make themselves available next weekend. We promise to make it up to you. Really. See you on the 19th!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Event details
We want you guys to get out to the East Bay and enjoy some great views of the Bay Area, ride some dirt you may have never done before and even learn a little bit of local history.
We are still finalizing the route but we will be starting and finishing near West Oakland BART for several reasons. There will be secure storage for your bags, a clean restroom post race for you to clean up.
As I have overheard over a few years of this event that people were a little disappointed that the ride wasn't MORE DIRT (we all like more dirt, I know) - We are fortunate enough to be able to ride from a city into the wilderness and link together multiple parks to not have to do laps in one place just to get more dirt. So, to emphasize this as to have fewer people be expecting an all off-road ride, the ride will be a mix of road and off road.
What bike do I ride?
Without knowing your technical capabilities, I would say a cross bike is pretty much perfect.
There will be scattered, rocky sections on some of the trails that would be pretty rough on a road bike (although you may be skilled enough to ride one).
If it's wet and soggy on the trails, a bike with some wider tires will help you keep some traction.
Ride stats
Something between 30-40 miles with 2000-3000 ft of ascending.*
Your mileage will vary. Your elevation may vary.
"I don't know my way around"
Maps are prohibitively expensive to print out for everyone at the race for the entire East Bay. If you are very worried about getting lost, bring a smart phone.
We will provide a map with a suggested route between checkpoints and start/finish locations.
The best paper map that covers the area we will be is probably the East Bay Bicycle Coalition Map 1: West of the Hills. REI, Sports Basement, TipTop Bike Shop, The Missing Link and other shops usually have this map for around $10.
If for whatever reason you have any issues, a bus stop or BART stop is usually within a mile or two to bail you out.
What your entry money gets you
We will be providing food and beer at the finish - this includes vegan options. We are collecting up some prizes that will be awarded on a to be decided basis. Note that this isn't an alley cat where everyone gets a prize for finishing. We want you to come for the ride, have a great time, and hang out with old and new friends. We are not here to make money.
We are still finalizing the route but we will be starting and finishing near West Oakland BART for several reasons. There will be secure storage for your bags, a clean restroom post race for you to clean up.
As I have overheard over a few years of this event that people were a little disappointed that the ride wasn't MORE DIRT (we all like more dirt, I know) - We are fortunate enough to be able to ride from a city into the wilderness and link together multiple parks to not have to do laps in one place just to get more dirt. So, to emphasize this as to have fewer people be expecting an all off-road ride, the ride will be a mix of road and off road.
What bike do I ride?
Without knowing your technical capabilities, I would say a cross bike is pretty much perfect.
There will be scattered, rocky sections on some of the trails that would be pretty rough on a road bike (although you may be skilled enough to ride one).
If it's wet and soggy on the trails, a bike with some wider tires will help you keep some traction.
Ride stats
Something between 30-40 miles with 2000-3000 ft of ascending.*
Your mileage will vary. Your elevation may vary.
"I don't know my way around"
Maps are prohibitively expensive to print out for everyone at the race for the entire East Bay. If you are very worried about getting lost, bring a smart phone.
We will provide a map with a suggested route between checkpoints and start/finish locations.
The best paper map that covers the area we will be is probably the East Bay Bicycle Coalition Map 1: West of the Hills. REI, Sports Basement, TipTop Bike Shop, The Missing Link and other shops usually have this map for around $10.
If for whatever reason you have any issues, a bus stop or BART stop is usually within a mile or two to bail you out.
What your entry money gets you
We will be providing food and beer at the finish - this includes vegan options. We are collecting up some prizes that will be awarded on a to be decided basis. Note that this isn't an alley cat where everyone gets a prize for finishing. We want you to come for the ride, have a great time, and hang out with old and new friends. We are not here to make money.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
April 14 May 19! Lock That Date!
Assuming all things go as planned and we don't get a ton more rain, the Rally Cat will go down Saturday,
Thursday, February 2, 2012
It's that time of the year again...
... and the locals are getting restless. Rest assured that the Rally Cat will go down again this year. Stay tuned for more info soon.
For now, our buddies over at the Spoke Cyclery are busy working on a race that'll go down Saturday, March 18 at Mosswood Park. Check out the flyer below for more info.
For now, our buddies over at the Spoke Cyclery are busy working on a race that'll go down Saturday, March 18 at Mosswood Park. Check out the flyer below for more info.
Monday, April 18, 2011
We Rode Bikes, Got Dirty, and Had a Party
Thank you everyone for coming out on Saturday to the Rally Cat and helping to raise money for Spokeland! Together, we raised $300 to help the fledgling bicycle cooperative build out their new space located in North Oakland. Keep posted to their website for information on the shop grand opening.
Huge thanks to the event sponsors - All Hail the Black Market, Box Dog Bikes, Chuey Brand, De La Paz Coffee, and MashSF - for donating prizes to the top finishers. And of course, a very special thank you to all the folks that came through on Saturday to work checkpoints, cook food, and help clean up after the event. We couldn't have made it happen with you! Check out the links below for some photos of the event:
plattyjo's flickr
Bici Girl's flickr
78 people registered for the event this year, 74 finished, and the rest were all accounted for. And in case you were wondering, check out some of the top finishers below:
Men
1. Scott K.
2. Dustin W.
3. Ricardo M.
4. Murphy M.
5. Blake V.K.
6. Kea H.
7. Sasha M.
8. Christon D.
9. Sam B.
10. Fred C. (singlespeed)
11. James J.
12. Jonathan W.
13. Chas C.
14. Kevin L.
15. Tom R.
16. Thomas H.
17. Bryan C.
18. Adam S. (singlespeed)
19. Max H. (singlespeed)
20. Eric T.
Women
1. Romany M.
2. Katie S.
3. Sam B.
4/5/6/7. Jenny O./Leah P./Bridget M./Alia S.
8. Amanda L. (singlespeed)
9. Ulrika
10. Arena and May
King/Queen of the Mountain
Walton B. and Leah P.!
Thanks again everyone! See you next year (if not sooner)!
Huge thanks to the event sponsors - All Hail the Black Market, Box Dog Bikes, Chuey Brand, De La Paz Coffee, and MashSF - for donating prizes to the top finishers. And of course, a very special thank you to all the folks that came through on Saturday to work checkpoints, cook food, and help clean up after the event. We couldn't have made it happen with you! Check out the links below for some photos of the event:
plattyjo's flickr
Bici Girl's flickr
78 people registered for the event this year, 74 finished, and the rest were all accounted for. And in case you were wondering, check out some of the top finishers below:
Men
1. Scott K.
2. Dustin W.
3. Ricardo M.
4. Murphy M.
5. Blake V.K.
6. Kea H.
7. Sasha M.
8. Christon D.
9. Sam B.
10. Fred C. (singlespeed)
11. James J.
12. Jonathan W.
13. Chas C.
14. Kevin L.
15. Tom R.
16. Thomas H.
17. Bryan C.
18. Adam S. (singlespeed)
19. Max H. (singlespeed)
20. Eric T.
Women
1. Romany M.
2. Katie S.
3. Sam B.
4/5/6/7. Jenny O./Leah P./Bridget M./Alia S.
8. Amanda L. (singlespeed)
9. Ulrika
10. Arena and May
King/Queen of the Mountain
Walton B. and Leah P.!
Thanks again everyone! See you next year (if not sooner)!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Get Ready to Get Rad
At last, the Rally Cat is finally only two days away and we couldn't be in better shape. As a reminder to folks, registration will open at 11.30am at the Mosswood Park Amphitheater. $10 signs you up for the ride, gets you a map of the route, food and refreshments at the end of the ride, and includes a donation to Spokeland. The ride will start promptly at 12.30pm. I expect the speediest among you to finish the ride in close to 2.5 hours, with the rest trickling in for the next couple hours. The after party will be held at the starting location in Mosswood Park.
This year's course is roughly 10 miles longer than the previous course and includes a similar amount of climbing. The course will include the usual mix of city riding, semi-rural roads, fire roads and "singletrack". Of course, all trails included on the map are bike legal. The East Bay is very hilly, and this ride is no exception. There will be steep hill climbs, bumpy downhill dirt descents, dirt climbs and whatever else I can throw at you. Choose a bike that you will have fun on and will get you through the course safely. A cross bike would do the trick, but so would a nice hardtail with skinny tires. Hell, even a road bike with fatty tires will suffice, although not my recommendation.
Things to look out for include crazy Berkeley/Oakland motorists and motorcyclists on the roads and hikers, dog walkers and park rangers on the trails. *Be safe and considerate when passing anyone on trails. Anyone caught acting like an asshole will be automatically DQ'd.*
What to bring?
Layers, water, and tools - including a spare tube, patch kit, mini-pump and multi-tool. If you want to bring a bag with a change of clothes, there will be a bag check at registration. Maybe a snack or two.
What are the prize categories?
While we hope people turn out for the ride with the intent to have fun and support Spokeland, there will be small prizes from our generous sponsors for the "top" finishers. Categories will include geared and singlespeed classes for both men and women. And as is tradition, we'll have a klunker class and of course, the lanterne rouge (DFL)*.
I've got a few tricks up my sleeve this year, so expect some changes from previous Rally Cats. I guess that's all you need to know. Ride safe and see you on Saturday!
* Categories subject to last minute additions according to the whims of the organizer and amount of drink consumed.
This year's course is roughly 10 miles longer than the previous course and includes a similar amount of climbing. The course will include the usual mix of city riding, semi-rural roads, fire roads and "singletrack". Of course, all trails included on the map are bike legal. The East Bay is very hilly, and this ride is no exception. There will be steep hill climbs, bumpy downhill dirt descents, dirt climbs and whatever else I can throw at you. Choose a bike that you will have fun on and will get you through the course safely. A cross bike would do the trick, but so would a nice hardtail with skinny tires. Hell, even a road bike with fatty tires will suffice, although not my recommendation.
Things to look out for include crazy Berkeley/Oakland motorists and motorcyclists on the roads and hikers, dog walkers and park rangers on the trails. *Be safe and considerate when passing anyone on trails. Anyone caught acting like an asshole will be automatically DQ'd.*
What to bring?
Layers, water, and tools - including a spare tube, patch kit, mini-pump and multi-tool. If you want to bring a bag with a change of clothes, there will be a bag check at registration. Maybe a snack or two.
What are the prize categories?
While we hope people turn out for the ride with the intent to have fun and support Spokeland, there will be small prizes from our generous sponsors for the "top" finishers. Categories will include geared and singlespeed classes for both men and women. And as is tradition, we'll have a klunker class and of course, the lanterne rouge (DFL)*.
I've got a few tricks up my sleeve this year, so expect some changes from previous Rally Cats. I guess that's all you need to know. Ride safe and see you on Saturday!
* Categories subject to last minute additions according to the whims of the organizer and amount of drink consumed.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Location! Location! Location! - Mosswood Park Amphitheater
Thank you everyone for being so patient with me on announcing the start/finish location for this year's Rally Cat. After two years of hosting the event at beautiful Lake Temescal, I've decided to move it down the hill to friendly Mosswood Park, which is located at the corner of Broadway and West MacArthur Boulevard in North Oakland. Look for us down in the amphitheater at the southeast corner of the park next to the tennis courts.
Registration will open at 11:30 am Saturday morning. Ride will start at 12:30 pm sharp. Keep posted for another blog update this week with more event details. See y'all this weekend!
Registration will open at 11:30 am Saturday morning. Ride will start at 12:30 pm sharp. Keep posted for another blog update this week with more event details. See y'all this weekend!
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