(I know you were kidding so don't take this as an attack. Your comment was a catlyst that I needed to get myself back into this discussion)

In the case that I was talking about there actually wasn't a set route, but I knew full well that the shortest way to go from the start to the first (mandatory) checkpoint was to go through this intersection. I admit that I planned it that way on purpose. In this particular case, much of the pack stopped. A few went through on the red. One of them got hit.

The funny thing was that I knew that there was an alternate route that was slightly longer but involved fewer intersections. When I rode them before the race, the alternate was always faster unless I got a green on the intersection in question. I thought that people that knew the area would see the same thing (they were given time to review the manifest before the race). Aparently no one did. They were only interested in the shortest route. I fear that this is beginning to take precident over more intelligent planning.

I look at intersections like obstacles. Maybe like someone planning a cross race looks at stairs or hurdles. People deal with them in different ways. When I plan a race that doesn't have a set route, I try to look at how people will run it. I try to get people to negotiate certain situations, but thier actual path is untimately up to them. Some are intersections, some are bad roads, etc... Last year (same race as was referenced above) I made a manifest where taking the freeway for one exit was a massive shortcut between two checkpoints, thinking that no one in their right mind would do this (of course I never reveal my intentions for the route before the race). I was wrong. There were no incidents.

Taking current developments in racing tactics into account, I intend to re-evaluate my strategies before I plan another race.

Maybe most; not all. Include me out. I find riding a bike exhilirating in and of itself, and I'd like to continue for many years. I'm truly sorry for everyone involved in this tragic death, whether directly or peripherally.

I don't think there is much we can do. Some people just push the limits too far and don't realize until its too late. Maybe some sort of screening process would help. A big problem is inexperienced riders trying to keep up with faster guys by riding reckless. If you had a staggered start where the experienced riders started first then the inexperienced riders started second then maybe inexperienced riders would be less likely to get baited into keeping up with experienced riders. Different checkpoints for different levels of riders could send less experienced people on safer routes. The biggest thing that could be done would be to stress safety over speed but we all know that some people don't listen to that kind of stuff. Those are my suggestions to help newer riders. All of those suggestions are probably already in use in some alleycats.

Let the messengers and big shots keep doing what they are doing. Its sad when people get hurt/killed in races but it is ultimately the doing of the rider. We all know the risks associated with street racing. If it wasn't dangerous half the racers would quit.

Interesting. Having never "raced" professionally or otherwise, I have nothing to compare to and probably shouldn't even be posting in this thread, but doing that type of a race in traffic in winter has to be riskier than your daily ride. That said, I know there have been times when I am out riding where I get in that "zone" where the endorphins are flowing and you are running on pure energy and you just concentrate on riding and lose track of your surroundings.

I would really like to do an alley cat race, but I know my daily bicycle commute and weekend rides do not come near to providing me with the reflexes and experience needed to dart through traffic in the middle of a city at night at an acceptable level of risk.

I think that is the key here--we all take risks and do "dangerous" things to some degree or another for the thrill or ego, or whatever reason----but the people I know who have done these types of races know the difficulty and risks before going in, and to them, given their experience and the thrill they get, it is worth the risk. I feel horribly saddened by that tragic story in the other thread. I don't blame anyone for that, but riding in that type of a race is certainly riskier than a morning spin on your local bike trail.

However, the people I feel really sorrow for/angry at are the highschool/college kids I know that are into the "hipster" scene that are trying to do these races without really appreciating the risk involved. Whether through naivette or that youthfull sense of indestructibility, it just never occurs to them what they are doing is dangerous or that they are endangering others. I have a younger cousin that was all amped to do an alley cat even though he just started riding fixed 6 mo ago and had moved into the city 1 yr ago. He won't be able to now because he broke his shoulder 3 blocks from his house the other day when he slipped on ice while trying to ride to work in the morning on his brakeless "fixie."

STOP SAYING "FIXIE"



please?



my bike is not a toy.



back on topic...

If we start applying rules to alleycats, there will inevitably be new races made without rules. You can't stop them; as long as there is there is the desire for outlaw races there will always be outlaw races. If you put sanctioned routes and required brakes and helmets in MonsterTrack, there will be a new race with the old rules.

And about the technology aspect: I for one appreciate the technological advancement that comes with the lack of regulations over equipment. Trying to get the advantage is what fuels progress. If rules like that were made in automotive racing when it first started, we'd still be using carbeurated engines that get 10 mpg and 30 hp in our everyday cars.

Thanks for posting this. I'm sorry, as I always am, to hear of a cyclist being killed. But I also feel for the others involved - his wife, his family, witnesses, and the driver of the vehicle, who will never forget the day he/she ended someone's life, albeit through no fault of his/her own. Understanding that point is a key to comprehending why lots of people are "intolerant" of street racing and unpredictable riding in general.