Bike! Bike!, the international annual gathering organized by community bike projects, for community bike projects, is coming to New Orleans, October 3-6. As an opening ceremony to the 4 days of workshops, events, and activities that will comprise Bike! Bike!, our good friend Drew Stephan has organized the Book! Book! Alleycat. Popping off Wednesday, October 2, Book! Book! will benefit local book arts incubator SIFT. Registration opens at 5PM at Lee Circle, and costs $10 for the public at large, but is FREE for anyone already registered for Bike! Bike! Race is slated to start at 6 SHARP.

Drew has been organizing alleycats since I first started racing them a few years ago, and knows what he is doing. He knows some odd spots that will even challenge locals and those well acquainted with the city. Expect a well planned course with really fun checkpoints. Historically, they are around the river side of the city . The last alleycat of his I did was just a hair under 20 miles. So, take all that as you may, but don’t hold me accountable when he completely flips the script this time.

For those that don’t remember, and for those that do, I won the last alleycat in town (my first win) and will be pulling no punches to get back on the podium, if not on top of it. Boedi has a pretty good record in New Orleans alleycats, and will not be letting me win just to be a nice guy. Expect to see some serious competition between the two halves of YYR, and perhaps some good-spirited brotherly aggression.

But by no means is this a two-horse race. Expectations are high for Robinson Sudan, who, after proving himself a formidable road racer, is foaming at the mouth to race his first alleycat. Consistently a contender since his arrival in New Orleans, and his ‘1st Fixed Gear’ victory less than 24 hours later, Roberto Puig will be one to watch out for in the Fixed class. Hannah Jegart dominated the women’s category (as well as a good portion of the men’s) at 2 Broke 4 The Worlds, and will not easily go home empty handed.

As always, there is no shortage of sponsors offering up righteous prizes to fan the flames of competition. Racers will duke it out for goodies from The Bike Shop (on Freret), Lost Love Lounge, Gerkins Bike Shop, NOBS, Crescent City Cruzers, Shake Sugary, Theo’s Pizza, Bicycle Michaels, Half Moon, and many many more to come! Handsome Willy’s will host the afterparty, which will be raucous.

The race’s beneficiary, SIFT, is basically like a community bike project, but for books. A community book project, if you will (Plan ABC?). Their mission is to provide support in the form of materials, training, and exposure for artists, writers, and creators in general who are experimenting locally in bookmaking arts. Among other things, they are responsible for the propagation of a billion awesome zines. YYR is stoked to support them, as we love zines, and one day may even aspire to publish one of our own.

Drew is still in need of volunteers and checkpoint workers, so if you would like to get involved on a non-racing level, by all means, please get in touch with us and we will make the proper arrangements. Alternatively, you could post your good intentions on the Facebook event.

This race will be super fly. Super duper fly. I can’t stand the wait.

Eeeeeek!,
Rich
Yeah You Ride!