Norwich AlleyCat 2013

This just in on the Facebook AlleyCat page:
Cargo Cycles > Norwich AlleyCat
Norwich AlleyCat 2pm (14.00hr) Start point outside the Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich on Sunday 29th of September 2013................ finish point TBA and confirmed.......£1 per person entry fee, and you will need bring pen and digital camera or camera phone. A map of Norwich or an A-Z and a sense of direction and knowing your left from right may give you an advantage!
Spread the word folks and if it is successful I will organise a last Sunday of the month series of AlleyCats throughout the winter.

Sam and I are in, hopefully see some of you there.

I'm in!

Awesome!

sounds like a blast, hope to see lots of you guys there!

I'm in! Link to the Facebook page?

Check it here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/123729774394931?refid=48

Hmm, the alleycats got a bit weird towards the end of the last run - trick questions, vague checkpoints, questions that can [only] be answered by googling, no scoring system or "winner" - more like a family treasure hunt kind of thing, which I think was the intention. Not competitive enough to be fun for me. I might check it out, still.

Hmmm if oneless is correct I may opt out too - don't have a smart phone so no googling available, and I wanted a proper chance to see how quick I could get around the city with other fixed riders, not a family friendly glorified easter egg hunt.

Could we not devise our own, a proper simple point-point manifest to test speed and city knowledge?

I think as long as there are a few people willing to man checkpoints, we could do something with a bit of effort.

I don't even think we need that - you just need proof - so a camera would do to snap pics of the checkpoints surely? And having a camera isn't too big an ask I don't think.

Fair point. Maybe just somebody at the start/finish point though?

Yeah, yeah.

My brother did a couple of the last few alleycats with mixed feelings. I'm up for going along to this one to see what it's like and if it's gash then yeah, putting on our own could be good. The problem I have with that is that after the initial interest would it not just disappear into the ether? Bike Tag dies off quite often, no one turned up to bike polo, would an alleycat end up the same?
This isn't a dig, more an observation, honest!

Totally agree! We just need I get out and actually do some riding. I swear my last tag wasn't even that hard :-(

I know where so many of the tag's are, I just don't want to appear over-keen!

All very true Vickstein - it's sad really, but I just think most people don't quite have the spare time on their hands for messing around on bikes that I do!

I have a fair amount of time, me and Sam are out riding now!
I'm not riding as I'm typing this though, we just left the Wood's End heading towards Surlingham Ferry and Sam's managed to get the mother of all punctures through his tyre. :/

I have a few friends and some people at work i could ask if they would be interested, just so we have more numbers, I know at least 2 of my mates would be interested in this kinda thing

Hmmm if oneless is correct I may opt out too - don't have a smart phone so no googling available, and I wanted a proper chance to see how quick I could get around the city with other fixed riders, not a family friendly glorified easter egg hunt.

Could we not devise our own, a proper simple point-point manifest to test speed and city knowledge?

The first few, this time of year in 2010, were much more like that - very fast navigation and riding required and while most checkpoints involved some kind of action (e.g. there was one where you a) picked up a postcard and then b) got it stamped and c) dropped it off somewhere) the structure of them was pretty decent, and it was obvious what someone had to do in order to win or place well (if that was their intention).

To be fair, my complaints about those alleycats I found somehow lacking are relatively small things that become big issues in practice - and I just took it all a bit too seriously, lol. But it's easy to learn from it and dial it in for the next event.

I don't even think we need that - you just need proof - so a camera would do to snap pics of the checkpoints surely? And having a camera isn't too big an ask I don't think.

I think as long as there are a few people willing to man checkpoints, we could do something with a bit of effort.

Yea, I have no idea how they got so many checkpoint staff for the first few - I think the organisers actually had friends and stuff. I don't, so I agree that some kind of fact-finding can be used instead, to prove attendance.

Commonly we just used things like reading a date off a statue here, the name of the solicitors on the plaque there, the car number plate at a certain address (a friend of the event, ideally!), and so on. Quick things to scribble down and get moving. Putting up a small sign with, say, a number or word - that works as well, but then you risk losing a sign (people like to tamper with things) and no one knowing what the fuck they're supposed to be looking for at that checkpoint.

Fair point. Maybe just somebody at the start/finish point though?

There will be for this one as well, for sure.

The problem I have with that is that after the initial interest would it not just disappear into the ether? Bike Tag dies off quite often, no one turned up to bike polo, would an alleycat end up the same?
This isn't a dig, more an observation, honest!

Almost certainly - in fact it's been, what, two years now since the last one here? I don't remember any last year but maybe there were. But that's OK, every so often another one pops up. I don't think a truly regular thing will ever keep going, but a few every now and then is still cool.

Since I complain so much, I'm definitely up for organising some myself - but I don't want to interfere or compete with Gareth's. I'm sure he wouldn't see it like that, anyway - and would almost certainly come along himself.

To be honest I think that if we all turn up and support it the thats a good start.
If its all far to family fun day orienteering then we can always say we would prefer something more competitive.
Pretty sure that Gareth will pay more heed to constructive critism after the event especially if we turn up en masse.
If 3 of us turn up and we are in the minority then we can't really say a lot.

That's my 2 pence anyway

Well ill be there for sure!

Yeah, it'll be good to get a load of us down, even if it's just to be show offs!

I didn't know a few of you knew the chap organising it, that might bode well for subsequent events.

Longest skid completion at the end then for showing off ha ha

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Hmm, the alleycats got a bit weird towards the end of the last run - trick questions, vague checkpoints, questions that can only be answered by googling, no scoring system or "winner" - more like a family treasure hunt kind of thing, which I think was the intention. Not competitive enough to be fun for me. I might check it out, still.

^ I kinda stopped going for this reason (although nothing against Cargo's organisation - a lot of work goes into them) they just didn't include enough riding for me.

I know where so many of the tag's are, I just don't want to appear over-keen!

Just do them. The faster they change the better.

Just had a thought that I had an idea for a Bike Tag style alleycat a while ago and did nothing with it.

Basically you take 5 bike tag style photos of locations and then post them up. Riders have to do them in order (using phone tagging data to confirm order if you're that anal) and take a photo in exactly the same position.

Chuck in two non photo clues (one in the middle and one at the end) that riders have to work out on the fly, which will break it up a bit.

Basically you have a fast "race" element from the photos and a "geographical" element from the non photo clues. Do it as fixed only (and chuck in a clue that's on top of Gas Hill purely for masochistic reasons) and hopefully you have a fast point to point alleycat.