Placing first at first of its kind
Alley cat race through city focuses on women, trans and femme-identifying riders
Sitting in circles in TrinityBell woods Park with their bikes splayed out on the grass around them, the cyclists seemed excited and a little nervous. Some knew each other, some didn’t. For the vast majority, Saturday’s race was a first.
Even the race’s organizers, Kiki Knox and Ashley Hurrle, were keyed up. It was a first for them, too — and for the city. Toronto has never had an alley cat race for women, transgender, femme and gender nonconforming riders only, as far as they knew.
Alley cats are DIY bike races that require cyclists to hit a certain number of checkpoints throughout the city before speeding to the finish — checkpoints that remain a secret until the race starts. The races are unsanctioned, meaning the streets are open to traffic. Alley cats are a test of urban navigation and street-riding savvy as well as speed, with a bit of scavenger hunt mixed in.
“Races are dominated by fast guys,” Knox said. Professional bike couriers often compete in them and the vibe can be intense, even aggressive, others say. “It’s male-dominated and it looks closed off from the outside . . . (we) wanted to make it a much more open experience.”
Knox and Hurrle began organizing the W.T.F. Alley Cat — Women, Trans, Femme-identifying — in March. Similar races have been organized in U.S. cities, but not in Toronto.
“I talked to a lot of older couriers in the scene and they said they’ve never heard of anything like this,” Knox said. “Ashley and I were so stoked. We were like, let’s do it. Let’s organize the first one. Especially one in time for Pride weekend.”
As riders cycled up on Saturday evening, they exchanged a $10 registration fee for a spoke card, a laminated square with the race’s logo that would be tucked into a wheel and serve as a racing bib.
At 6:30 p.m., Knox and Hurrle called everyone together; thirty racers had signed up.
Despite alley cats’ reputation for lawlessness, the duo began with an exhortation. “We don’t want anyone to have a bad time or get hurt. Please ride safely, ride considerately.”
The pair start passing out a printed sheet with a list of the eight checkpoints. Some hopped on their bikes immediately. Others huddled around maps, plotting out the ideal route.
The checkpoints spanned the city, from Wychwood Barns to Corktown Common and the West Toronto Railpath to Liberty Village. The race would be about 30 kilometres depending on the route.
The final checkpoint — the finish line — was Bike Pirates, the volunteer-run, DIY workspace in Parkdale. At 7:30, cheers went up as three riders came into view, but they passed by shaking their heads. They still had another checkpoint to hit.
Minutes later, three riders coasted to the door of the shop, flushed and sweaty. They dumped their manifests, shredded and soaked with sweat.
“And you did it in a dress?!” one volunteer said to Amber Urbshas, who finished in first place. “So good.”
Most of the riders worked in groups, helping each other out with routing and strategy. But this wasn’t a Little League game where everyone gets a trophy.
“I was planning on going a little softer, but I’m too competitive,” Urbshas said.
“It’s so nice to bike with a bunch of girls who are going super quickly. It feels really good,” said Lily HansenGillis, a first-time racer who came in second.
Close to 10 p.m., Knox and Hurrle handed out awards inside Bike Pirates. After the top three spots, prizes were handed out for the first singlespeed bike, first geared bike and first out-of-towner. There were awards for first first-timer, first mullet and DFL — a colourful expression for dead last. The winners got prize bags filled with gear donated by the race’s more than 30 sponsors: bike shops, sex shops, pie stores and more.