Yup. Alleycats are special events. If they were a weekly event people would die. And there wouldn't be enough prizes to go around. You do want prizes, right? And for people not to die.

You could just get together or join some weekly rides. That'll give you an opportunity to get out with some folks and get a sense of how people ride. If you're saying that you were cruising at 13 to 18mph, that's way slow, though a clever and daring rider can outgun a faster rider.