Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Artists On Bikes Drawn To DoodleCat
4.9.10
“At least some old guy pulling his kid on a tag-along didn’t win,” proclaimed an insightful Andrew Ricciardi. He continued, “You know how at some AlleyCats they just give it to the crowd favorite -- not here. This was a real race where the fastest guys won.” Astute observations, indeed; I could not agree more.
DoodleCat marked Round 5 of the hotly contested Atlanta AlleyCat Championship Series. Bryan Stuck designed a terrific course, which was not too abstract for the three dozen artist/competitors. On a picture perfect Friday night, riders gathered in the popular Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta. Sign-up began a little after 5:00, but the business of racing didn’t get going until 6:30, so, the earlier you got there, the more time you had to plot your course. The manifest included seven checkpoints and then finished at Raw Space for the Dodekapus art extravaganza. No street numbers were provided, so many of the racers were working their I-phones or other hand held devices to locate the lesser known checks. As it turned out, riders would be able to circumnavigate the checks in a large loop around downtown. Excellent. Team Dreadnok’s Rob “The Rocket” Evans and Jason “Snot Rocket” Atwood chose, like a majority of the riders, to hit the checks in a clockwise direction. April Fools AlleyCat Champ, Jason Spruill, and Faster Mustache’s “Kan de Man” Dan McCauley bucked the trend, going in the reverse order, counterclockwise. Both Teams had a “Bring It” attitude, as neither Team would be following, chasing, or leading the other. Basically, with Championship points on the line, it was just going to be very exciting to see how this was all going to play out. Four riders, all on the top of the leader board, working as two Teams, racing in opposite directions. SWEET! But wait a minute. What about the thirty two other competitors? Many of them definitely had the skills to create a masterpiece at this race. Mike Woz had turned in impressive rides on his single speed in the previous four rounds, and was sitting Third Overall in the series with consistent racing. Faster Mustache’s Justin Barber is a guy who can never be counted out. “ATL Mayor” Angel Luis Proventud was due for one of his beautiful rides. Several of the top riders were absent. Brian Tester was on injured reserves. Nathan Bolster might have been out doing reconnaissance for next year’s Strip Cat. The whereabouts of Team Shred’s Wes and Dawn was unfortunately a blank canvas.
A Le Mans start had racers scrambling into the busy streets in an absolute balls out, frantic explosion. A fixie guy grabbed the early lead of riders and then got on his cell phone. “I just got passed by two roadies,” was all that was heard. The distance between checks was short enough that it was tough to get a smooth rhythm. Riders would catch each other while they were quickly completing their “Art Projects.” None of the required tasks took more than a minute: spray some paint on a plywood graffiti panel, draw part of a bike, sing a song, have your picture taken in costume.
Before the first check, Barber made the critical mistake of answering his cell phone. It was his work. “Hello? Sir, can you fix my blah blah blah over the phone?” asks clueless client. Correct response, “Fuck No! I’m trying to win The DoodleCat.” But, NO! “Employee of the Month,” Barber, talked him up for twenty minutes. He literally worked his way out of contention, but he may get a gold star from his boss. This is Exactly why I don’t have a cell phone. No, wait, this is Exactly why I don’t have a job. With the race at full volume, Team Dreadnok lost a chunk of time locating the volunteers at the check in front of The High Museum. It is still unclear whether or not the lead riders may have gotten there so fast they beat the volunteers to the check. Anxious to make up time, Evans continued at full speed while Atwood was forced to stop and straighten his rear wheel, which had become off-center in the rear triangle. The Capital City Police later stopped Evans for a little talk, for an undisclosed infraction. With the clock ticking, all these delays ended up possibly costing Team Dreadnok the win. McCauley & Spruill rolled in to Raw Space at 7:21. Scrambling in alone, Atwood was the next to arrive, three minutes later. Seconds after that, coming from the opposite end of the street, Evans charged to the finish for Fourth. A minute later, Ricciardi was the 5th finisher. Next was Mitch Lagneaux who performed “No Hand” balancing acts to celebrate his First Place Fixed No/Brake victory. “It was fun, Dude!” exclaimed Lagneaux. “I lost Stafford somewhere on Marrietta,” concluded Lagneaux. “ATL Mayor” Angel, Michael Mohan, and Russell Owens all finished together in a tie for 7th. Sergio Garzon rounded out the top ten for the first time in the series. Perhaps the most impressive ride of the night was that of Roxanne Likos. She was First Woman, 11th Overall, on her Fixed/No Brake track bike. The spirited Team “YA JINA” tied for second woman. “I took the long route,” said Mike Woz when he finished. D.F.L. went to Shariff. He won a bag of DoodleCat coffee and was told to “Wake The Fuck Up!”
Alexander, who has an uncanny resemblance to Bryan Stuck, and his popular band Meut entertained the growing crowd before the awards were handed out. Roxanne danced away with a really nice RFM bag. SOPO, Holly Mother Tattoo, Sarah Madden Massage, Team Shred, and Ride Dirty all sweetened the pot. A special “Thanks” to Bryan Stuck and J. Trevor Jones’ Dodekapus for making this race great!
Round Six: of The Atlanta AlleyCat Championship Series has yet to be announced. Until then, it’s time for a road trip. Many of the riders in this Series are headed to Athens on 4.24.10 for The Gambler and The Twilight. What’s more fun than Bikes, Poker, and Beer? See Ya There.
Kan de Man Dan
Results Posted Below Photos
Sunday, April 11, 2010
RESULTS OF ROUND FIVE: DOODLECAT 4.9.10
Place Name Team Points
1 tie “Kan de Man” Dan McCauley Faster Mustache 25
1 Jason Spruill 25
3 Jason “Snot Rocket” Atwood Team Dreadnok 17
4 Rob “The Rocket” Evans Team Dreadnok 15
5 Andrew Ricciardi 13
6 Mitch Lagneaux *Fixed / No Brakes 11
7 tie “ATL Mayor” Angel Luis Poventud 9
7 Michael Mohan 9
7 Russell Owens 9
10 Sergio Garzon 3
11 Roxanne Likos *Fixed / No Brakes 1
DFL Shariff
OVERALL SERIES RESULTS FOLLOWING ROUND FIVE:
DOODLECAT 4.9.10
1 “Kan de Man” Dan McCauley Faster Mustache 103
2 Rob "The Rocket" Evans Team Dreadnok 73
3 Jason Spruill 63
4 Mike Woz *S/S 57
5 Jason “Snot Rocket” Atwood Team Dreadnok 54
6 Nathan Bolster *S/S Solo Fish 39
7 “ATL Mayor” Angel Luis Poventud 31
8 Justin Barber Faster Mustache 29
9 Wes Summerhill *Fixed Team Shred 28
9 Dawn S. *Fixed Team Shred 28
11 Brian Tester Illuminati 25
11 Eli McCauley Who’s Your Daddy 25
13 Andrew Ricciardi 16
14 Reverend Phil 15
14 Ryan James 15
14 Dan Martinez 15
14 Babski 15
18 Jordan Shepler *Fixed/No Brakes Solo Fish 14
19 Mike Gerke 13
19 Team Sarz 13
19 Adam 13
22 Mitch Lagneaux *Fixed/No Brakes 11
22 Cody 11
22 Mike 11
25 Michael Mohan 9
25 Russell Owens 9
25 David McKenzie 9
25 Stewart Haddock Race Riot! 9
29 Ben Arrington 7
29 Robert Arrington 7
29 Tylar * Fixed/No Brakes 7
32 Bob “thatsnogood” Donlan Faster Mustache 5
32 Howard Buckley Illuminati 5
34 Sergio Garzon 3
34 Andrew Mullen 3
34 Justin Cain Brew Crew 3
34 Daniel Eume Brew Crew 3
34 Kay 3
39 Roxanne Likos *Fixed/No Brakes 1
39 Erin Sanders Loose Nuts 1
39 Anna Carrigan B’Ham / ATL 1
39 Chris Schwartz B’Ham / ATL 1
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
April Fools Socked By Spruill
Round Four: Atlanta AlleyCat Series 4.3.10
Jason Spruill was the Overall Winner of the highly anticipated April Fools AlleyCat on Saturday night in downtown Atlanta. Matthew Reeves and The Dirty South Messengers put together this race as a benefit for the 2010 North American Cycle Courier Championships. This event also marked Round 4 of the Atlanta AlleyCat Series. Historically, the strongest rider wins a Reeves race, as Matt focuses on hard core racing rather than shenanigans.
On Saturday, everyone began to gather slowly for the 6:00pm start in Woodruff Park. “Why can’t AlleyCat racers ever be on time?” asked Reeves. At six on the dot, he handed out the manifest, which included five check points spread out from Downtown to upper Midtown. Riders were pre-warned, “I-Phones won’t help with this one; bring a map.” Ten minutes were allotted for riders to plan their courses. At 6:10, it was “GO.” As promised, several of the checkpoints were a little tough to locate, and many riders seemed to follow a similar route in the beginning. With the first four checkpoints out of the way, many assumed Woodruff Plaza was in the general vicinity of the High Museum and the Woodruff Arts Center, but it was not to be found. “Atlanta Mayor” Angel Luis Poventud thought he had figured out the April Fools joke to this event. “There is no Woodruff Plaza,” he decided, as he headed to the finish at the Highlander. Wrong! There is a Woodruff Plaza, but riders were scrambling across the city to find it. Jason Spruill and “Kan de Man” Dan McCauley headed toward The Coke Building. Justin Barber and Mike Woz, although not riding together, were also aiming toward the same area. All four finally came upon The Plaza within seconds of each other. “It was a race within the race to find The Plaza,” said Barber. “OK, Guys, leave your bikes here and RUN 5 laps around The Park!” ordered one of the Dirty South Messengers. You have got to be fuckin’ kidding me. Spruill and McCauley pulled off their road shoes and ran in their socks. Barber and Woz were hoofin’ it at the same time. “Hey, I only run when I’m being chased,” declared Barber. Running Ultra Marathons made this a piece of cake for Spruill. When he was done, he relaxed and waited for McCauley, and the pair rode off in one direction with Barber going a different way. Woz continued on his own route, pushing a massive 52 X 18 on his single speed to get as quickly as possible to the finish at the Highlander.
Once there, riders discovered the real April Fools joke. “Here you go, guys,” they were told as Reeves handed out an additional “surprise” manifest. Luckily, the two check points on this second manifest had been previously visited. They were, however, on opposite sides of Atlanta. Upon arriving at the finish for a second time, each rider’s time was recorded. Race over? Not. Here’s where a bit of Lady Luck was thrown into the pot of pain. Any riders who came in within 18 minutes of the first finisher, Spruill, were given the opportunity to sprint back to the checkpoint at W. Peachtree St. & W. Peachtree Pl. There, they would roll a single die, multiply that number by three, and use the total as the number of minutes to be deducted from their recorded finishing time. Oh, and they had 30 minutes to complete this task. Spruill, McCauley, Barber, Woz, and Mike Gerke were eligible for this challenge. Spruill rolled a 4 and McCauley a 3, so Spruill earned the overall by 3 minutes. Barber ‘s 4 was all he needed to tie with his Faster Mustache Teammate for second overall. Woz rolled a 4, which secured his fourth overall. “That was a long ride. That’s all I know,” said Woz. 5th overall went to the hard riding Gerke. Perhaps the most impressive ride of the night was turned in by the duo of Dawn and Wes, both on fixed gears. Dawn, the first woman, exclaimed, “I’m totally stoked!” In addition, the pair also shared 6th overall. “I think we are very evenly matched,” added Wes. The Strip Cat Champ, Nathan Bolster, was forced to settle for 8th tonight. In a self-fulfilling prophecy, FM’s Bob “thatsnogood” Donlan carried a floor pump with him on his back for the entire race. Sure enough, after a puncture, Donlan put the pump to good use. ”It had been a long time since I had last had a flat,” Donlan explained. Andrew Riccardi broke into the top ten for the first time in the Series, so congrats. In the end, Spruill not only rode the fastest, but he also ran around The Plaza the quickest, a deadly combination which rocketed him up to 5th place in the overall Series standings. I’m just thankful Reeves didn’t find any open water, as Triathlons Suck. The Doodle Cat is Round 5 of The Atlanta AlleyCat Series this Friday in Woodruff Park. See you there.
Kan de Man Dan
Results posted below photos
Monday, April 5, 2010
ROUND FOUR: APRIL FOOLS ALLEYCAT 4.3.10
Place Name Team Points
1 Jason Spruill 25 points
2 “Kan de Man” Dan McCauley Faster Mustache 20
2 Justin Barber Faster Mustache 20
4 Mike Woz *single/speed 15
5 Mike Gerke 13
6 Dawn S. *fixed Team Shred 11
6 Wes Summerhill *fixed Team Shred 11
8 Nathan Bolster *single/speed 7
9 Bob “Thatsnogood” Donlan Faster Mustache 5
10 Andrew Riccardi 3
OVERALL SERIES RESULTS FOLLOWING ROUND FOUR:
APRIL FOOLS ALLEYCAT 4.3.10
Place Name Team Points
1 “Kan de Man” Dan McCauley Faster Mustache 78 points
2 Rob "The Rocket" Evans Team Dreadnok 58
3 Mike Woz *S/S 57
4 Nathan Bolster *S/S Solo Fish 39
5 Jason Spruill 38
6 Jason “Snot Rocket” Atwood Team Dreadnok 37
7 Justin Barber Faster Mustache 29
8 Wes Summerhill *Fixed Team Shred 28
8 Dawn S. *Fixed Team Shred 28
10 Brian Tester Illuminati 25
10 Eli McCauley Who’s Your Daddy 25
12 "ATL Mayor" Angel Luis Poventud 22
13 Reverend Phil 15
13 Ryan James 15
13 Dan Martinez 15
13 Babski 15
17 Jordan Shepler *Fixed SoloFish 14
18 Mike Gerke 13
18 Team Sarz 13
18 Adam 13
21 Cody 11
21 Mike 11
23 David McKenzie 9
23 Stewart Haddock Race Riot! 9
25 Ben Arrington 7
25 Robert Arrington 7
25 Tylar * Fixed/No Brakes 7
28 Bob “Thatsnogood” Donlan Faster Mustache 5
28 Howard Buckley Illuminati 5
30 Andrew Riccardi 3
30 Andrew Mullen 3
30 Justin Cain Brew Crew 3
30 Daniel Eume Brew Crew 3
30 Kay 3
35 Erin Sanders Loose Nuts 1
35 Anna Carrigan B’Ham / ATL 1
35 Chris Schwartz B’Ham / ATL 1
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