Fun Ride

CitiCat

October 6, 2019

WHO:

When I first met this city I was astonished by the energy that runs through it’s veins.

It’s something that I’ve always admired (even when I couldn’t fully interpret it).

After being transplanted multiple times, I was surprised to find myself freshly potted in this concrete jungle. I felt uprooted and lost in the vast urban wilderness. The discomfort foretold that I had a lot to learn from this colossal entity.

In a city stacked to the brim—it seemed nearly impossible that it could provide a home to another.

Like this empire that was built on dreams (well.. some portions were built on offset rubble and waste)—I was pushed here by dreams of my own. There isn’t a second chance at opportunity. I was running low on sleep and high on inspiration.

Everywhere I looked there was something of interest. Learning to appreciate this city’s eclectic beauty taught me to appreciate my own beauty.

I loved the creativity and the resourcefulness oozing out of absolutely every crevice. I loved that for the fare of $1.60 (at the time) you could take the same kind of train ride that you would wait in line for hours at Disney World. It’s an immersive experience! The characters are everywhere! & the best performances are free.

From the moment I arrived, I was over the fashionably blazé NYC attitude of being jaded and “over it”. I vowed I would learn from the wisdom of NYC, yet always look at the environment with the naïve amazement of a tourist.

Years before that, I promised myself I would make choices and always try to be the adult my childhood-self would be proud of.

The world is full of wonder if you just look around.

Things haven’t always been all fluffy and dandy. You can’t appreciate the city lights without the darkness that comes with the night. But the nights have taught me to make the most of the days and vice versa.

When I moved here, I wasn’t a cyclist. It was horrible at it. Chris built out a nice Surly fixed gear for me and I, basically, learned here.

When I learned to navigate The City on two wheels. I merely thought that learning to ride a bike was gaining an efficient, healthy and cost-effective means of transportation. I learned how foolish I was with my anticipations of outcome—when does the student get to dictate the teachings?

Time on my vehicle forced me to sit with myself and find my rhythm amongst the flow in a sea of ‘otherness.’

In a place with too many and not enough—where everything is crammed into ‘cozy’ and left wanting more—I learned how to play with the spaces provided in the moment and roll with the ever-changing landscape.

Cycling became a great teacher and an outlet. In playing with pockets of space and time in many conditions, I learned about my limits, my character, my voice, and my pace. I gained a greater appreciation for my ever-changing surroundings, the beauty in each day (even the most unforgiving ones) and how to jive in relation to them.

WHY

Rooted in some harsh experiences that emphasized what we take for granted and fragility and impermanence of everything, seeded a social agenda to convince others to unplug and tune into the moment to experience the capabilities of their bodies and and what the surrounding world has to offer.

I’ve always been committed to be true to myself, to savor everything, lead with love, without regret, and maintain an openness to learn. I believe there is strength in vulnerability. Challenging myself and engaging with others has helped me cope with life’s adversities. As one can only productively heal others in ways that heal themself—the bicycle has, once again, helped me get to the right places.

Everyone who’s stoked on cycling has a story worth hearing about the positivity the tool has provided for them.

I have organized a fundraiser nearly every year since 2015 to raise money for a BikeMS team I Iead for the National MS Society.

I’m learning to accept that nothing I touch will ever turn out “standard issue”. (I’ve started accepting my level of nerdiness this year)

The first year, my friend, Dave Rodebaugh, was stoked to run gold sprints. Gold sprints have never happened as Dave’s last breath was the day before the fundraiser. He expressed his excitement about the fundraiser and helping earlier the night of his accident. It felt like he would come back from the dead and kill me if I cancelled it because of him. So, I ran the event with the Epic Raffle. It was a crazy night. Everyone came out to support a cause—a charity or grievance. His family was there. We packed out Red Lantern. We might have been short a good person, but not a sole could say there was a shortage of love.

I have yet to bring myself to incorporate Dave’s Gold Sprints. By the next year and the Flat Fix contest was born.

I’m still laughing at how funny is it to see people amped and walking it off with their chest puffed out from crushing this nerdy practical skill in front of their piers.

It seems that everyone else who was at the event was so into the moment that they forgot about their “cellular device appendage” & I havant seen a single photo of the Flat Fix Contest floating around …it happened! I promise!

With the support of friends so many amazing features have emerged over the years.

This year, I was infected with an idea: Propelled by the desire to live without regret-when this happens action is a ‘must.’ Who would I be if I wasn’t true to myself?

I wanted to challenge my friends, acquaintances, my neighbors, to try something new, and probe an exploration of the under-appreciated.

I’ve always liked that thing that guy named Gandhi said about being the change you want to be in the world. So, I basically “Frankensteined” a whole race embracing the things I appreciate.

I wanted to create an alleycat provided as close as you could get to “open entry” and leveled out advantages of nice components or a job that provides address knowledge. When stripped down to bare prerequisites, who would surface with resourcefulness, skill, will, humility and a sense of humor?

If I was behind it—it had to be a “dork derby”.

Everyday we are silly—

We are these funny, naked animals that decide what color and shapes of cloth look better than others to make up for our lack of fur coats. We wave our hands furiously in front of not-so-smart technology. We dress for the weather we want not the weather there is. We tend to be nicer to a cashier than someone we love when we’re cranky and need a nap. We let our thumbs make deals, settle our debts, do the arguing, and “say I love you”. We want “to go to space” when we’re in space right now! We panic when things are a little unfamiliar—at the idea of the unknown—yet most of us couldn’t say how many doors are on a subway train car or how many sidewalk tiles are on a block they walk daily. We take deep dives into our time and our wallets to achieve this thing called “cool’. When “cool” is subjective. The truth is—it’s all silly. The event was focused on a collective appreciation and acceptance of how amazing the silliness is.

WHAT

Bike sanction: Participants had to be on a mechanical Citi Bike at all times.

Registration cost: Part of the navigation game was that participants were in charge of their payment strategy. Registration + the most expensive option + taking the tour at a snails pace should have cost less than $20 (which is less than most spend on a bike part or 2 drinks—let alone an immersive experience).

The manifest: Everyone was a tourist—there were no addresses. Participants were given a tour guide with “Points of Interest” and a blank map. Each checkpoint would help complete the map.

The tour was structured around the idea of the most “peculiar tour guide”. I just imagined a small town someone who had spent a lifetime wanting to see the “Big Apple” proclaiming: “Kids! We’re finally in this amazing City! Let’s go see the oldest fence!”

Participants were welcome to site see in any order and at any pace of their choice.

2019 CitiCat Manifest – Please, go site seeing and finish the map!

*CitiCat 2019 Registration – Photo by Maegan Gindi*

THE STATS:

The entire tour was a NYC Half Marathon (13.1 miles) if you took the shortest route.
Hello ladies! …1/3 of registrants were female.
Citi Bikes are 42lbs.
It took the fasted rider 55:24 to complete the race.
The first 3 participants finished 1 min apart.
4th place came in 25 min after 3rd place.
Hosting a race where people are using paid bikes can be disconcerting: People registered & only a couple people went and grabbed their bikes after. I realized people were waiting on me & I was waiting on them. I was “Go get your bikes.” When I turned around, everyone was gone for what felt like an eternity. People were showing up to support and I was saying “I swear the participants! Are coming!” It looked like I organized an imaginary race for a few minutes!