If you have been wondering about the lack of posts here on the ol' ECBB myspace- I'll try and break it down real simple like:

The efforts that been going into Emerald City Bike Bloc have been redirected towards a new platform. GO MEANS GO is working to bring more bike events to Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest as a whole. Expanding beyond alleycat races, get ready for indoor roller racing, movie premieres, scavenger hunts, all things bicycle. The goal is to bring together and grow the bike community world wide. Let's ride bikes.

You can check out the blog at http://gomeansgo.org

Check out the calendar that you can keep up to date on NW bike events at http://gomeansgo.org/calendar

As always, if you have an event coming up and would like to get the word out, email a flier to ryan@gomeansgo.org


See you on the road.

Thanks to everyone that came out to the Race of Shame. Another
successful race, with a lot of fun to be had at the finish. We followed
the race with Bike film shorts from NYC, and the Seattle premier of Council of Doom.
The weather was mostly cooperative, with a beautiful morning and light
sprinkles starting just as the race began. It didn't deter the 44
racers in their efforts to compete for first in what may be one of our
more memorable races to date. If you have photos, please upload them to
the Seattle Alley Cats Flickr group
A big huge thanks goes out to all of the sponsors, not least of which was Four.
Through their support, we were able to procure other, more exciting
locations to have our checkpoints. All were excited to experience the
drink that at least in Seattle, is growing in popularity, especially
within three user groups: bicyclists, college students and homeless
people. If you have not tasted Four Maxed, or Four Loko, then we
encourage you to do so. It tastes a little like success, a little like
defeat. It's almost poetic.
Of course it couldn't have happened without the support of the
people that were at the checkpoints. Ali, Amy, Heidi, Laila, Brandon,
John, Mackenzie, Greg, Karl, Amanda, Christauf, Ryan O, and a couple
more that I didn't get their names. Make sure you thank these folks
when you see them. The effort that that put forth help to make these
events run smoothly. Hanging out outside, sometimes in the rain for a
couple hours can be brutal. Buy them a drink when you see them. It's
well deserved.
We'd also like to thank the sponsors that supported this race with prizes in the non liquid form: Brouwers, Squid & Ink, Subrosa, Shadow Conspiracy, Rickshaw Bagworks, Cognition Caps, Blaq, Partybots, Feetbelts, Better Not Die Riding (BNDR), Traitor Cycles, Soma Fab, and Urban Velo
Luke in NYC deserves a big thanks for making the Bike Shorts happen. And of course Council of Doom:
keep ripping. Thanks for doing what you do- can't wait to see what's
next! Also a thanks goes out to the Boxcar Alehouse, that has been
supportive of us, and has let us run a muck for a couple events now.
The race started at the I-5 Colonnade/Bike Park. Manifests were
handed out at 3pm, and the scatter began. Many racers took off in
whatever direction they saw first on their manifest, others studying
and route planning before the rubber hit the road.
The stops that were involved, which could be done in any order:

• Thunderbird motel room #17: "Who the Fuck did I wake up with"
  
  • Have your photo taken in a very shady motel on Aurora, with a half naked man in a Luchador mask
  
  
• Golden Gardens: "If the shirt fits"
  
  • Grab an article of clothing from the pile, and wear it to the finish- as it was intended to be worn
  
  
• Post Alley Gum Wall: "So about last night..."
  
  • Leave an awkward text message at a given number regarding your "experience" from the previous night
  
  
• Twilight Exit: "Well, maybe just one more"
  
  • have your manifest signed
  
  
• Wall of Death: "Wall of Shame"
  
  • Ode to Bubba: write a love poem to Bubba, who's birthday is Feb. 16th, and has been down since day one.
  
  
• Dexter Ave N. @ Galer St.: "Walk of Shame"
  
  • Carry your bike. Use the stairs.
  
  

And now for the results:
1st- #10 Mike O'Malley
2nd- #27 Zach
3rd- #17 Ponch
1st Girl- #20 Rae Anne
1st to cross with an Bike Bloc shirt- #41 Tall (B)ryan
Biggest Bar tab (coincidently the only one submitted)- #13 Langston
Best txt- "If you get prego- down the stairs oh" - #22 Aaron
Best Ode to Bubba- " -#30 Mike D.
DFL- #37 Freiburger
4th- #12 Kevin
5th- #8 Dung
6th- #2 Allender
7th- #4 Nick
8th- #41 (B)ryan
9th- #31 Joshua
10th- #30 Mike D.
11th- #13 Langston
12th- #28 Sean S.
13th- #7 Rob
14th- #19 Chris C.
15th- #9 Becker
16th- #23 Mickey
17th- #6 Matt "the Badger"
18th- #29 Jeff
19th- #42 Ethan
20th-#20 Rae Ann
21st- #24 Joe
22nd- #16 Beau
23rd- #3 Vince
24th- #22 Aaron
25th- #1 Andrew
26th- #11 Chase
27th- #26 Margaret
28th- #40 Dave
29th- #5 Ian
30th- #25 Nick
31st- #36 John
32nd- #33 Dave B
33rd- #18 Tariq (spelling?)
34th- #39 Xander
35th- #35 Robbie
36th- #34 Ignorant Brian
37th- #43 Felix
38th- #30 Bubba
39th- #37 Freiburger

There were a couple incomplete manifests, therefore putting a few people in the Did Not Finish
Category. Out of the 44 that started, there were a couple mechanical
issues, some seriously poor route choices, and a bit of exhaustion from
the night before, but all in all, climbing in bed with a luchador can
really put a fire under your ass and get you going again.
Stay tuned for pictures to surface, which can be found on the Seattle Alley Cats Flickr pool
As always, we are pushing ahead, and moving forward towards good fun on two wheels. Now go put some fun between your legs.
xoxo,
ECBB

Sponsors have really come through with this race, and we appreciate it in a big way:

Here it is: Seattle bringing the magic to the big screen.



The doors open at 9pm. There will be door prizes, and a raffle. One free raffle ticket with entry. Proceeds from the admission fee goes to help with production costs of the Macaframa DVD. The raffle ticket sales will benefit Bikeworks, a community based program in Columbia city working with kids and bikes. There will also be a race on Saturday 12/20 to benefit Bikeworks. So much benefiting, tis the season I guess.

The Central Cinema is located in the Central District at 21st and Union, around the corner from 2020 Cycles. You can purchase tickets at brown paper tickets. Just search for Macaframa. It is all ages. Beer, wine, and food is available in the Cinema. There are only 120 seats in the place, and we've got only one showing, so buy your tickets early.

If you aren't familiar with Macaframa, you should be. Five of the riders are from Seattle, so come support your scene! Check out some trailers here

MACAFRAMA PRODUCTIONS is a dynamic duo comprised of aspiring filmmakers Colin Arlen and Colby Elrick. Together they managed to form a diverse group of track bike riders gathered from various locations throughout the West Coast now recognized as simply MACAFRAMA. They then went on to create a full-length, high definition film that showcased the progression of track bike riding on the streets of San Francisco. With several premieres already down, countless showings on the way, numerous shorts displayed in film festivals throughout the world, popular YouTube and Vimeo favorites, and an HD DVD due out this winter - MACAFRAMA has only just begun.

Stay tuned for more info on the race set for Saturday December 20th. It's going to be fun!

Thanks to everyone that came out, we had 49 racers come out, and some really good times. A few were slowed by bridges, trains, flats, and fatigue, but beers at the Boxcar seemed to put a smile back on everyones face. The weather, though sunny, was brutally cold in the shade, so a BIG thanks goes out to all the folks that braved the cold weather to help this race happen.


Our sponsors really helped us out bringing a bunch of great stuff to the table, so much thanks goes out to all of them: Traitor Cycles, Second Ascent, FessUP! bags, Minds Eye Tattoo, Urban Velo, Other Coast Cafe, and Cupcake Royale

And now, the results

Top 3 men's

1. 25 Jamie 42:12

2. 12 Nat 42:16

3. 20 Tall (B)ryan 42:49

Top 3 women's

1. 1 Kerry 49:30

2. 7 Ali 50:12

3. 41 Rae Anne 51:50

DFL

Evan (37) 1hr 17 min 58 seconds

And the other racers

4. 44 Joe 43:19

5. 9 Daniel 44:38

6. 23 Mike O' 44.54

7. 2 Felix 45:12

8. 31 Ben B. 45:22

9. 43 Ian 45:55

10. 21 Zach 46:03

11. 24 Dung 46:41

12. 29 Dave H. 47:00

13. 30 Brian B. 48:28

14. 17 Beau 48:49

15. 5 Ponch 48:58

16. 4 Chad 49:10

17. 1 Kerry 49:30

18. 18 Alastair 49:57

19. 7 Ali 50:12

20. 10 Chris 50:31

21. 49 Peter 50:58

22. 3 Bubba 51:33

23. 33 Pavel 51:37

24. 34 Brandon S. 51:38

25. 41 Rae Anne 51:50

26. 13 Greg 51:52

27. 26 Corey 51:54

28. 36 (no name) 51:58

29. 28 Blake 52:28

30. 39 Paul D. 53:15

31. 32 Mike D. 53:21

32. 6 Tarik 53:45

33. 14 Nick 54:14

34. 19 Ben 54:46

35. 45 Larry 55:05

36. 47 Joel 55:08

37. 48 Minjae 55:34

38. 35 Karl A. 56:01

39. 8 Anna 56:35

40. 27 John C. 56:37

41. 22 Becca O' (spelling?) 57:36

42. 11 James 1:00:36

43. 16 Jose 1:02:41

44. 15 Jenna 1:04:22

45. 46 Will 1:06:00

46. 38 Monica G. 1:08:01

47. 42 Christine 1:10:15

48. 40 Codie 1:11:48

49. 37 Evan 1:17:58

Also, thanks to the Boxcar Alehouse for letting host the afterparty, it was far warmer inside, than out.

All in all, it was a successful race. Once again, thanks to all that helped with running stops we really appreciate all the time you spent out there. You are awesome.

The Locks to Locks Guerilla Time Trial is open to all bikes. The race will start at 2PM SHARP with a rider leaving every 5 minutes. Each rider will be racing against the clock. Fastest rider from each category wins. Simple as syrup.

Ride the route, learn it well. Route info will also be at the start, but your familiarity with the course has much to do with how quickly you finish. You'll be on roads + paths choked with traffic, pedestrians, and other cyclists, so ride safe, ride smart.

There will be men's and a women's categories. $5 gets you in the race, w/ fun to follow. Pass it on - we'll see you there.

Hit up the Emerald City Bike Bloc webpage here.

This just in: There will be awards/afterparty at the Boxcar Alehouse, located on the route, a couple short miles from the finish. Racers will be given drink tickets. After party starts at 5pm, and the prizes will be given out at 6pm. If you are not there when the times are announced, you will not be able to claim your prize. That's it. No one can claim it for you.

The Boxcar Alehouse is ALL AGES until 10pm. Food is served until 10pm as well.
The address is 3407 Gilman Ave W. (at W. Bertona St.)

View Larger Map">Google map of Boxcar Alehouse


And please give big thanks to our sponsors, by supporting them!

Friday Night Race September 19th. Registration starts at 6pm, Race at 7pm Sharp. Registration and Race start will be at the I-5 Colonnade, the Mt. Bike Park located under I-5 off of Lakeview Blvd. You can Googlemap it HERE
It's $5. Bring a bag, a map, a pen, please wear lights, and helmets save to your brains from leaking in the unfortunate event that you fall down. Drooling on yourself is not sexy. There will be an all-ages after party on Capital Hill.

We've got some Great Sponsors, be sure to support them, and let them know that you come to our races. It will help ensure sponsorships for future events. That, and well, they are just good people that like bikes!
Seattle Powdercoat
Counterbalance bicycles
Zombie Hearts Bag Co.
FESSup!
Swift Industries
Swobo Clothing
Partybots!
Chicken Kid

POST RACE RESULTS!!!
Thanks so much to everyone that came out to race, hang out, and supported the Monument Race in whatever way you did. The stops were Chief Seattle downtown, Lady Rainier in Georgetown, Lenin in Fremont, Husky Spirit in the U-district, the Statue of Liberty in West Seattle, and Jimi Hendrix on Capital Hill. The finish was at the Healthy Times Fun Club on Pike.
28 miles was the fastest route one could choose. The manifest listed questions that had to be answered correctly in order to win. So many were turned in without names or numbers on them, that the first place rider was the only one that could be confirmed. 2nd place on are listed in the order that they came in. Remember kids, no name on your homework means no credit

Race Results (38 Registered Racers)
1st- Robin (First to finish with completed, correct manifest, 8th to cross finish line.  the remaining riders are listed in order of crossing finish line.)
2nd- Daniel (First to finish line)
3rd- Ponch
4th- Mike O'
5th- Jake
6th- Tall (B)ryan
7th- Felix
8th- Greg B
9th- Pavel
10th- Zach
11th- Clayton
12th- Dung
13th- Dave B.
14th- Mike D.
15th- Rob
16th- Ignorant Brian
17th- Brian W
18th- Troy H.
19th- Rae-Anne (first girl)
20th- Koos
21st- James A.
22nd- Beau
23rd- Matt B.
24th- Brian B.
25th- Brian K.
26th- Chris C.
27th- Russell
28th- Renai
29th- Kyle A.
30th- Mark
31st- Matt S.
32nd- Minjae
33rd- Tarik

The rest did not finish.

A big thanks goes out to Healthy Times Fun Club, who's residents were nice enough to let us have an afterparty there, with a projector playing such gems as Rad, American Flyers, MASH, and BMX Bandits.

The sponsors of this race were also very generous, with Robin picking up the $100 towards a powder coat from Seattle Powdercoat! Zombie Hearts, FessUP!, Swift Industries, Counterbalance, Party Bots, Swobo, and Chicken Kid- Thanks so much for your support in the race!

It's so important to support the companies that help these races happen. Please stop in and say hi- let them know you race our races, and you appreciate what they do.

Please upload any photos you might have of the race and afterparty to the Seattle Alley Cats Flickr Pool: Flickr Pool here

Thanks to all the sponsors, please support those that support us. These are awesome people, doing amazing things, please support them by buying their stuff!

Liberty Tattoo

Zombie Hearts bags

Bicycle Film Festival

FESSup! bags

Swrve Clothing

Spokepunchers

Rain City Fix

Ride Relax Productions (Bootleg Sessions)

Wright Brothers Cyclery

Vain Salon

U BRDO Cycle & Mountain Supply

Here is the list of the results:
1st finish - Gretchen
most points - Ali
best dressed - Sonja
DFL - Niki and Sarah

1 - Gretchen
2 - Rebecca
3 - Ali
4 - Melissa
5 - Mary
6 - Kelsey
7 - Raeanne
8 - Renee
9 - Sonja
10 - Jennifer
11 - Jen
12 - Renai
13 - Bonnie
14 - Kinoko
15 - Monica
16 - Carmen
17 - Jessica
18 - Tori
19 - Missy
20 - Margaret
21 - Sarah
22 - Nora
23 - Mackenzie
24 - Heidi (Didn't finish but Mac turned her finished manifest in for her)
25 - Sarah
26 - Niki

Thanks to everyone that came out and raced- 43 racers. There was some police presence down in the south end, giving out tickets to a few racers that took the chance in blowing lights, and stopping lots of them. Your tax dollars at work. Here are the results:
1st Place: Adam
2nd Place: Nick K.
3rd Place: Billy
4th Place: (B)ryan
5th Place: Ponch
6th Place: Chris C.
7th Place: Joe First out of Town
8th Place: Allender
1st Place Women's: Rae Anne
2nd Place Women's: MacKenzie
3rd Place Women's: Jen
1st Place Tag: MacKenzie
2nd Place Tag: Koos
3rd Place Tag: Rob
Most SWASS: Zach
DFL: Kerry & Felix
And the others:
9th: Robin
10th: Dan
11th: Mike O. First Ticketed Rider
12th: Evan
13th: Rae Anne
14th: Matt
15th: Zach H.
16th: Maya
17th: Ralph
18th: MacKenzie
19th: Koos
20th: Matt S.
21st: Chris
22nd: Robby
23rd: Marshal
24th: Marcus
25th: Bubba
26th: Jen
27th: Rob
28th: Mike D.
29th: Jesse
30th: Brian K.
31st: Greg B.
32nd: Langston
33rd: Kyle J.
34th: Zach
35th: Josiah
36th: Chad
37th: Kerry
38th: Felix
The others did not finish.



Photos of the race can be found in our pics: HERE


Thanks to all of our sponsors! These folks are badass, and you should really support them like they support us, supporting you!

Another Race with sweet success. The skies cleared and it turned out to be another beautiful day in Paradise. 40 riders.
The Race was, of course, based on School being out now. It broke down like this:
Started at Volunteer Park
5 subjects
Math: calculate your gear inches, showing all work
Anatomy: match bike part name with place on bike
English: write a bike haiku
History: A bicycle history question, such as When was the first bike, with a chain, introduced?
Art: draw a bike with chalk
Ended at Gasworks Park

Winners:
Men's 1st: Mike O.
Men's 2nd: Ponch
Men's 3rd: Mike D.
Men's 4th: Evan
Men's 5th: Greg B.
Men's 6th: Rob
Men's 7th Felix
Men's 8th Chad
Men's 9th Jake
Men's 10th Chris

Women's 1st: Laila
Women's 2nd: Jennifer
English Honors (best haiku), with honorable mentions to the two that were written in Japanese: Brian K., Mike D.
Art Honors (best drawing of bicycle): Minjae (Thanks for the spelling correction!)
Valedictorian: Nas

Thanks so much for everyone that supports these races, by giving their time to organize, donating prizes, running stops, and also just kickin' it at the after-party. This is going to be a fun summer!

A big shout out and THANKS to the folks that have given prizes. These are rad people, doing great things, and we encourage everyone to check out what they've got going on: