This would be my third halloween race. I am, apparently, getting old. This was going to be an actual night race, which I always enjoy, so I was looking forward to it. The weather looked like it might not cooperate, with high winds and scattered rain, but in the end, it was OK. We got sprinkled on a bit at the start, but otherwise we only had to deal with the winds. But we’ll save that for later.

The race would be pickup-delivery style, with three pickups and three deliveries, with a two more pickups to be given en-route. Pickups were in Bloomfield, the North Side (by PNC Park), and the City-County Building, with deliveries in Lawrenceville, the Strip District (21st and Smallman), and a cemetery of our choice (we had to do a headstone rubbing). We could do the tasks in any order, so right from the start, under the Bloomfield Bridge, I was faced a choice–do I start with Bloomfield or the downtown pickups? I decided on Bloomfield, since the delivery for the Bloomfield pickup was in Lawrenceville. I could avoid climbing out of the valley more than once that way. Turns out I (finally) made a good navigational decision.

At the Lawrenceville delivery, I received a second manifest, which required two additional pickups–a branded bit of McDonald’s stuff and a copy of the Pitt newspaper. These would have to be delivered to the final stop. Heading into town on Penn Avenue, I caught the full force of the wind in my face. Another fixed rider passed me, and quickly put several blocks on me. I was spinning a small gear (39×16) and not really pedaling hard. Oh well, I thought. I’m just out for a ride. I stopped at the McDonald’s on Penn and picked up a straw, then headed for PNC Park.

Traffic in the Cultural District was terrible, so I found myself stuck in traffic. It was thick enough that I couldn’t make much progress around the cars. Oh well,I thought again. Finally through the worst of it, I went across the 6th Street Bridge and got my next pickup. Back across the bridge and through town, I took a chance that there would be a cemetery next to the churches on Fifth Avenue. Oddly, it paid off, and I had a rubbing of headstone that was likely 150 years old. I continued across town to the City-County Building, and then circled back to head through the Strip to the “delivery” at 21st and Smallman (we had to sketch the profile of St. Stan’s church).

Decision time. I had to go to Oakland. It would take too much time to cut back across town to get to Forbes, and heading up Liberty or Penn would leave pretty far away as well. That left one option–Herron Avenue. Though shorter than Liberty or Penn, it is a bit steeper, but by cutting across Melwood Avenue, I could be in Oakland quickly. Once through North Oakland, I locked my bike to the railing outside the tower dorms, and went into lobby for a copy of the paper. This was one of the few points in the race that I saw other racers–a group was leaving just as I pulled up. There were a couple of fast folks among them, so I actually felt OK about my progress, despite the fact I had not been riding quickly or efficiently.

Paper in hand, I headed to South Aiken Avenue in Friendship to drop off the pickups on the second manifest. There I would be given the key for access to the final drop off before the finish. Once that was hand, I cut back across Center to Liberty, to a house in Bloomfield. Memory failed me here, and I actually had to stop and look at the manifest (my headlight had died by this point so I couldn’t look at it while riding)–and this likely cost me a place or two. Soon enough, I was in the house, though, singing a Misfits tune. Yes, that’s right–the final stop required a little hardcore. Fortunately it was in a dark basement.

Once through that ordeal, I followed Brad, the organizer, to the finish at Belvedere’s in Lawrenceville. He said I’d finish in the top five. A few folks showed up at the house faster, but they did not have the proper key since they ignored the instructions on the second manifest. Once at Belvedere’s, I emptied my pockets of the stuff I had collected, and there I was, sitting in fifth place. I was pleasantly surprised, given that I had not ridden quickly or aggressively. I suppose the course awarded savvy navigation over pure speed.

A few equipment notes: yes, my headlight is terrible. The battery weighs too much, and it didn’t last more than 90 minutes. Not good. I also managed to lose another tail light. I’ve got to attach it directly to the frame, as they tend to fall off my bag. The Steamroller performed admirably, as usual, and the new mudguards kept me nice and dry.

Posted on 29 October 2006