+ Gold Sprints Party: sweat, booze, art, music and bikes. Monster Track may be canceled, but the party goes on. (Third Ward, 195 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn)
+ Prepare for Glory: photos, paintings, illustration, shenanigans and merriment. (Saved Gallery, 3 Hope St, Brooklyn)
Know something happening? Add it to the calendar.
The main race of Monster Track 2008 has been canceled. “Our reasons are many but the overall factor was that the race has become unmanageable due to the large participation and our concern for the participant’s safety.” Though disappointing, we’re confident the organizers have the best intentions with this difficult decision. Full press release from Squid:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The organizers of Monster Track 2008 have decided, after careful consideration, to cancel this year’s main race.
152 cyclists took to the streets this past Saturday for Monster Track 8, New York City’s premier track bike only alleycat race. Racers from as far as Tokyo started off in Sara D. Roosevelt Park with a 65 block sprint up 1st Avenue to the first checkpoint on 61st Street.
With three manifests in play, racers hit four checkpoints at a time before returning to the start for a new set. After covering Midtown and Downtown, racers stopped in at Trackstar’s party checkpoint to get their manifests stamped and asses tagged with the mark of the beast. Then it was a mad dash across the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn.
When your legs are burning and vomit is creeping up your throat, riding across the Williamsburg Bridge with a big white van creeping on your tail might be the last place you want to be. Fortunately, the van was filming the race and graciously offered our crew a skitch over the bridge towards King Kog and the finish at East River Bar.
In the end, Alfred took first place for the third time, with Felipe and Austin finishing second and third. Heidi, Dagga, and Heather, the top 3 women, killed it with 26th, 30th, and 34th place finishes. And Shino from Tokyo, Luke and Eric from Boston were the top 3 out of towners with 5th, 10th and 15th place finishes. With every bike and body covered in dirty snow and salt, Monster Track 8 was quick and dirty but not easy — nearly a third of the racers didn’t finish. The full results have been posted online.
Thanks to the work of Victor and countless others, this was a really great race. A lot of people were filming and shooting photos throughout the day and we can’t wait to see the final products. Until that glorious day, enjoy some 1st Avenue mayhem from Nick James.
Check out more coverage over at BikeBlog.
Illustration by Greg Ugalde.
Monster Track weekend is here and you had better be ready. Whether or not temperatures peek above freezing, the streets will be a beautiful mess for the 8th annual race. This schedule may change, so go with the flow, keep your eyes open and your legs moving. And watch the highlight reel from Monster Track 7 while you have the chance.
