You Know the Feeling

While hanging and chatting with some of the local fixie flair prior to the alleycat, I quickly became motivated. I had tossed and turned the idea of racing all day. The night prior I was up way beyond my bed time, and my eyes actually hurt at 4 in the afternoon. I know, I know - "BooHoo, WaaWaa" you say. I say, it's all relative.

Whine all I may, I'm still going to give it a go. I mean, $5 is all it takes. Aside from thee Trans-Iowa, you can't race for any less coin. Plus there remains a few perks that I may not necessarily always take advantage of as well - No helmet (we all know how "cool" it is to NOT wear a helmet when riding you fixie), No bike rules, No rules period. hm. Pretty nice.

Got the manifest just 5min prior to start. I was looking at like a 3year old trying to make sense of the language. 8 stops ordered by number, but not in the given numbered order. Addresses were giving me a headache. What does one do when they don't know what to do? Tail Mr. Eric Von Munz.

This man single handedly got me into the fixed gear scene years and years ago.

Outside of my current favorite restaurant Sala Da Pranzo (The one in which Eric used to work part time at). I would stare and stare at that bike of his locked up outside. One day, he said hop on. I rode it to the corner and back. Boom, I was hooked.

Tail Eric. Something he certainly is used to. So much so, he always manages to "trick" his followers into making some type of mistake. I stayed a good block back of him(I actually couldn't reel him in). I don't think I made a mistake. I just wouldn't trust his ways. So, I'd stop and try to reason the route out. Loose Eric and loose my mind. I was done, in a "I'm done" kind of way. Met up with another rider and passed him my manifest with three stop left for me. I was left with a lonely ride home. Physically I was "good enough", but mentally I wasn't in it. I couldn't get my brain to treat me right. So I rode home with the first true "bad race" feeling of the year. The best part about that is I can say I already got one of mine out of the way. Have you?

I guess this is what makes alleycats what they are. Cyclocross/mtbXC type intensity with a mind game that no other cycling can bring. There isn't much else out there to give you a total workout like that.

Get out there today.