This might be a good time to mention that from what I've personally seen there is more road rash, breaking of bones, and loss of lives in USCF/UCI cycling than in alley cats. This is partially due to road speed, pack size, and drug use. I'm not sure what to make of this, and not sure it wont change as alley cats popularize, but the fact still remains that I am much more hesitant about riding in a twisty criterium than an alley cat. At least in an alley cat one has more control over the dangers one confronts. Not much you can do when a 30 person criterium peloton goes in front of you and you are cycling at 30+ MPH. That's what makes an alley cat death like the one this week so sad. It was so very easy to prevent. It was a matter of the rider's own error, and not a matter of anything beyond his control. In the end, it is why I don't really dig pack racing at all anymore, criteriums, alley cats, road races, or otherwise. I may think about playing with time trails, pursuits, and kilos in the summer, but my pack racing days are largely over. I take enough risks in life, I don't need to tempt karma.