Every year I get so excited for Babes in Bikeland, the largest all-female and transgender alley cat race in the country. An alley cat race is like a scavenger hunt on a bicycle, where you’re given a list of stops and you have to find your own route between them. Every stop has a challenge or activity, staffed by friendly volunteers.
Nothing beats riding down a street with hundreds of other women and transgender cyclists, hollering and smiling. I call this weekend my “Spiritual Bike Holiday.” I was excited from the start of the Pre-Babes Wanderabout, I woke up at the crack of dawn the day of the race, and I haven’t stopped smiling since.
Pre-Babes Wanderabout
The Pre-Babes Wanderabout on Friday night was about 62 riders strong. We did some go-arounds, gave short introductions to what alley cat racing is all about, and what to expect the day of Babes. Ginny, Lauren and I really want to make this event accessible to all kinds of WTF riders, and especially for people that don’t have many friends that ride, and rookies that have never raced a bike race before. We are so happy to report that about 75% of the wanderers that showed up were rookies! Way to represent, newbies! Totally inspired by your eagerness to try something new and unfamiliar. So cool.
Rookies, I want to give you the highest of fives! You are the reason we are so pumped to wander! Veterans and experienced alley catters, thank you for offering your experiences and offering to answer questions. Thank you to riders that helped us cork intersections and keep communication flowing as we wandered. I can’t say thank you enough for making this a fun event by being fun people. Wanderers, you are great! If you ever see Ginny, Lauren, or me around town- holla!
Thank you to all of the generous dollars in our donation cup, and the people that contributed to Grease Rag fundraisers earlier this year. This is what we spend our money on: building community. (Which sometimes means “pizza” and “beer.”)
Babes in Bikeland
On Saturday, after cleaning my bike, checking the weather radar and then packing some dry clothes and race essentials into a dry bag, I headed to Powderhorn Park. I was on the early side, but there were already so many riders gathered, routing and mingling. I saw so many Wanderers from the night before! I got to talk to a lot of you, and one of you even shared your hot pink lipstick with me. Thank you! Most people were focusing on routing, but there was still a party atmosphere as people said hello to friends and milled around the field.
When all 335 of us lined up at the starting line, Kat (Babes in Bikeland organizer, Grease Rag facilitator) gathered us and said a few words about safety, fun, and asked us to remember the Babes that could not be there with us.
This year, three Minneapolis women have lost their lives in collisions with cars. Elyse Stern, Claudia Rhodes, and Jessica Hanson. Our friend Shaina Briscoe is in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury from a crash with a car which occurred during a bike race. These women were definitely in my mind as the rain started to fall an hour before the race, and didn’t let up until well into the after party. The roads were greasy, and I didn’t let myself take very many chances with my slick tires in traffic. Underneath my red cape I wore the Cinelli jersey that my friend Jennifer gave me after we had ridden BiB together two years in a row. Jennifer died of brain cancer in July of this year. I thought of my friends that are happy and healthy, but unable to race this year because they’ve moved away. (Buzo, Durkee, Charlotte, Recker- you’re my Babes!)
From the word, “GO!” Janni and I were a great team! We only made one costly mistake, and we both had the same attitude and racing style and we accomplished both of our goals, 1. Try hard, and 2. No sad tears. (We added “sad” because I cried about eight times from jubilation and because I always get weepy when I get 100 soggy hugs from people I love.) I’m so proud of us! Smiles for 20 slippery miles!
One thing that makes me proud? 288. Out of the 335 Babes that started the race, 288 finished with complete manifests. TRUE GRIT. And a lot of those Babes were rookies. Chew on that for a moment. True grit, Babes. So proud of you. Pat yourself on the back and know you earned it.
I danced, giggled and laughed my way through the awards and after party. I met new friends and poured a lot of beer. I had wet feet and it didn’t matter. I was so thrilled to see the gigantic smiles on the winner’s faces as Kat presented them with their prizes, and I was really happy to see a “Masters” (50+) category this year! I love the costume prize, and the speed category, but every year my heart melts when a Rookie Wins Babes. Speed is not the most important part of Babes, but to see someone win the first race they’ve ever ridden… I cry every time.
Gratitude, Love, Respect
I want to give a special thank you to Kat. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. I know it takes a village to make Babes happen, and you had help, but let’s celebrate your success! I saw first hand how much heart and energy and attention you gave to organizing this race, and it all paid off. I know you wanted to give the winners the fanfare they deserved at the podium, but you did a good job of getting winners prizes and letting people go home to get dry. Many people stuck around to dance and enjoy the party that you helped make happen, and we had a great time. Can’t wait to see what you come up with for next year.
Thank you, Calhoun Cycle for the great photos at your stop! I also had a great time at Sunrise Cyclery, Twin Town Cross Fit, Alley Cat Cycles, Spokes and Beez Kneez Honey, and Behind Bars Bicycle Shop for being excellent hosts during BiB. I appreciate all of the community spaces and sponsors that make it happen, especially Rollin at Casket Arts for giving us a place to land, and Rob and LADY HEAT for the jams.
We’ve talked about allies, and how to support WTF movements here before. What does an ally look like? They look like the BiB volunteers! You all deserve medals. Everyone was super cool to me and gave high fives when I demanded them, and I even got a few tasty hand-ups. This, despite standing out in the rain for three hours. We were moving and rolling during that time, but they were just standing there waiting to stamp our manifests. I mean, Alex even made homemade treats for the fuel stop. If that doesn’t say love and support, I don’t know what does!
Thank you to our friends that photographed and recorded the race and the stops. There was the photo stop at Calhoun Cycles, and our friend Ellie Kingsbury took photos of the after party!
Other Photos and Links
Babes in Bikeland 7 race results
Robyn shared an excellent race write-up on her blog, Better Than a Stick in the Eye
Bjorn Christianson’s Flickr album
Daniel Patrick Murphy’s Facebook album
Lessons Learned
Our friend Robbie posted on the Babes in Bikeland 7 that they learned the lesson, “I totally spaced out and forgot to hit a stop, so I learned to stay focused and check my route at every stop!” What did you learn? I learned that if there is rain in the forecast, I should bring extra shoes for after the race!
