Machka 

Now this would be fascinating!

The Brooks England Blog » Blog Archive » Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Cats ? Jack Thurston

"Dreamed up by Transcontinental Race organisers Mike Hall and Anna Haslock, a Valleycat is “a cross breed of the Alleycat and the traditional Brevet”. The way it works is that at the start – and not a minute before – riders are given a list of control points and have to plan their own route to reach them, in any order they like. According to Hall, “it’s not a race, it’s a game”". - See more at: The Brooks England Blog » Blog Archive » Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Cats ? Jack Thurston



I've supported one alleycat race, and really liked the concept. I'd actually like to race in one. But this would combine the best of both worlds ... alleycat racing + long distance cycling!

Steamer

Kewl. I tried to organize something with a similar format, but had trouble generating interest.

https://rothrockcyrcle.wordpress.com/rules/

thebulls

Seems to me like it combines the worst of all possible worlds. Riders routing themselves on dangerous roads because they don't know that safer ones are available. And riders racing on those roads and taking risks (e.g. running lights, crossing US15 unsafely with oncoming traffic coming at 70mph--broken chain equals dead rider).

Steamer

These sorts of things rely on adults actually acting like adults.

Machka 

If you check the article as well, you see that they do have time to plan their routes ... and of course, this was held in Wales which can be very remote. You'd also go into it with the right equipment ... if you knew you could be riding a gravel track, you wouldn't be on your best carbon fibre road bicycle with the ultra skinny tires.

It's like orienteering or rogaining.

And as they say, “it’s not a race, it’s a game ... the fun is in planning the route and doing it. And taking on challenges and having adventures.

clasher

I thinks it sounds like fun

CliffordK

The DRT cargo races are somewhat like that.

One is given general parameters. 200 lbs of stuff. 30 miles (I don't think it was a full 200 lbs). But, one doesn't really know what the race will be like until actually in the race. Course is given shortly before race time. Show up at a check point, and they give you something to load onto or unload from the bike.

No fixed course, just checkpoints to hit.

New checkpoints added mid-race.

thebulls

If it's set up in a remote region where all the roads are safe--as Machka points out is the case with the race she cited--then OK. Anywhere in the region I administer, a race like this would be a good way to get killed. Too many roads that look OK on the map but when you get onto them they're full of impatient drivers driving at 70 on narrow roads with bad sightlines and no shoulders. Designing brevets that are as safe as possible is challenging, time consuming, and demands a great deal of local knowledge.

So ... you can be as "adult" as you like, but that makes no difference to your survival probabilities unless you know a great deal about the roads in this area and have time to work out a route that takes safe roads so you don't get killed.

Nick Bull
RBA, MD: Capital Region

Machka 

Have you read the article? The article will give you a good idea of the feel and spirit of the event (not really a race). As the article says,

"Besides being a uniquely challenging test of body and mind, what made Valleycat 2 stand out from other bike events was the atmosphere back at the farm, from the good food in the makeshift kitchen to the campfire that burned late into the night. People came to ride big miles but it was as much about enjoying good company on a hill farm in the middle of Wales. - See more at: https://blog.brooksengland.com/wps/beneath-the-valley-of-the-ultra-cats/#sthash.KAdl9toP.dpuf"



And it is about a specific event in a specific place ... a remote place where about the only the traffic jam you might get caught in would be a flock of sheep.

Personally, I'd be interested in travelling to the UK to try an event like that for the challenge, the sense of adventure, the big miles, the scenery (which they talk about in the article), and for that atmosphere. Evidently they are running another one in September, and maybe they'll continue to run them and one day we will be able to try one.


I don't think anyone is suggesting that all Ride Organisers world wide set up such an event in their local areas.

Meanwhile it is interesting (for me, anyway) to think about where we might possibly run something like this, if we were inclined to do so. It wouldn't be anywhere around Hobart (not remote enough), but there is some lovely cycling in the northern part of the state, and there would be an interesting combination of gravel and paved roads.

2manybikes

I'll just have to bring Bailey.

Machka 

He'd take care of that situation for you.

Steamer

You hit the nail on the head, Nick. Locale means a lot. You live in an area that I lived for 5 years and I barely rode my bike while I was there because its such a horrible place to ride a bike. I had lived my life in much more rural places prior to then (and since) and I just simply couldn't enjoy riding there.

While locale means a lot, so does adult-like judgement; as the route is not fixed and every road ridden is a choice. It's not like a fixed route randonnee where riders are compelled to ride the route whether the like it or not. And if you do these kinds of events in rural places, it's a total non issue.

clasher

How do people manage to ride fleches in busier metro areas?

Machka 

When I read the article, I did think the event had some elements of a fleche to it.

thebulls

The DC Randonneurs fleche usually ends at the Key Marriott in Arlington, VA, just across the river from Georgetown. What makes it fairly easy to design a fleche that ends there is 1) there are bike paths coming in from most directions, and 2) at 6am on Sunday morning, most roads are pretty empty. What's a bit trickier is designing routes that avoid seemingly-OK roads out in the countryside that may be high-traffic, unpleasant roads. I help the fleche captains with that as much as I can. Often fleche routes go through several iterations before the captain and I both think it is a qualifying route that goes on acceptable roads.

thebulls

Yes, I read the article after your original response. It does sound like fun to ride an event like that in a remote region where road choice doesn't matter much. I'm not sure I'd want to ride something that sounds quite as awesomely-challenging as they came up with, holy smokes! My legs hurt just reading about it.