Alley Cat: From Styer to You

Alley Cat: as defined by Dictionary.com (who uses Webster anymore anyway?) is either a stray cat, or a promiscuous woman. According to Wikipedia, Alley Cat is a digital game for computers or Atari.

It seems that none of these understandings are appropriate for what has been going on in Harrisonburg recently. If you would go to any city large enough to support a healthy (defined quantitatively, not qualitatively) population of bicycle messengers, and asked one of them what an Alley Cat is, you would get an answer very close to what has been happening here in town, but with slight, though important differences.

The main difference in the Harrisonburg alley cat series is our obvious lack of bicycle messengers. So, without a strong courier scene, how are there regular alley cat rides in town? Simply put, because Matt Styer wanted them. He decided to put on an Alley Cat in Harrisonburg after spending much time in Washington D.C. working on his senior project: a photo documentary book of the city's messengers and their alley cat races (a beautiful book, which you should ask him about).

Seeing the fun in the simple pleasures of these races he decided Harrisonburg didn't need a large courier population for a successful Alley Cat, so long as there was a group of people who could find fun in these types of bike rides.

Given that Styer was already club advisor for the EMU cycling club, he knew exactly the people to make his dream come true. A little tweaking of the format to take even more of the emphasis off of speed, and more on general good time, and the Alley Cat was ready for Harrisonburg. Was Harrisonburg ready for it? Emphatically Yes!

Knowing Styer, he would be quick to mention that the work was not his alone, but that true credit goes to all the help received from other community members, a couple of bike shops and local stores and restaurants providing prizes and help, plus other members helping with organizing and planning.

Most recently Kaytea Thompson planned the course and organized prizes for last Saturday's Alley Cat. Real credit, however, goes to all the participation from those who come out to enjoy themselves. The consistent crowds are evidence that the Alley Cat rides are just another event which represents Harrisonburg's rich cycling culture.

There is no real need to give insignificant details like who won, and what the prizes were, or even how many people show up for these rides. What is significant is the community built, the fun had, and the alternative these rides provide. There will be more events coming up in the months to come, but you'll hear about them later.