Once again the time has come for another April Fools race! Last year we had a whopping 184 racers, continuing the tradition of growing in numbers with every passing year. In this, our 7th year of hosting this event, we plan to once again push the limits of our capabilities and present all registered riders with an unprecedented amount of fun and prizes.
The April Fools event was born out of a desire to stray away a bit from the serious and punishing alley cats that were going on in the late 90's. First and foremost, this event will always be about getting a mass of people together on their bikes for a couple of hours of fun and mayhem. All types of cyclists are welcome; whether you're a seasoned vet with tens of thousands of deliveries under your belt, or a casual three-speed rider, or a weekend warrior, we guarantee you'll have one of the best times you've ever had at a cycling event. The format is absolutely wide open. All riders will be given a whopping manifest with far more stops than any one individual could possibly do in the given time frame. It's basically scavenger hunt-style: All the stops have different amounts of points, you choose where you want to go, in whatever order you want to go in, and hopefully when you get to the stop, you can fulfill whatever duties are necessary to acquire the points for that checkpoint. Tasks can include anything from breakdancing battles, to simply writing down info that you find on a billboard. Sometimes you will be pitted directly against your fellow riders at a checkpoint. And sometimes, since the theme IS April Fools, you might ride to a checkpoint and find that there really is no checkpoint there at all. The person with the most points at the end wins. In this race, "fast" is good, but "lucky" is just as important. The stops will be taking you all around the majority of Philadelphia, so even if you get tired or just plain feel like giving up, you'll most likely be near a participating bar or establishment, and can hang out and watch the rest of the action unfold.
The race is also completely out-of-towner friendly...generally we have riders come out from up and down the east coast, as well as some international locations. You guys will be fine, trust us.
This year's sponsors:
R.E.Load
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Outlaw Print Co.
Level
Fuji
Kryptonite
Depot
Fabric Horse
Gerikmade
Cadence
Deller
Jetsetter
Randl
Giant Dwarf
4916
Bicycle Revolution
Bicycle Therapy
There's gonna be an insane amount of prizes here, folks. Bags, accessories...maybe a bike. Level is doing custom-dipped RED track hubs for the event...clothing, locks, beer, cd's, books...we're hoping to go about 50-deep in the awards presentation, so if you're in it, chances are you'll win something. If you don't, you're just an unlucky person...
Following the race there will be an afterparty with several local dj's, and beer provided by Pabst. Location TBA. And the day after the race, Lex will be hosting the first annual "Bike Bling Parade". Bring your flyest whip and take a cruise around the city! There's a bbq on Lemon Hill afterwards, with more dj's.
Here's the details:
7th Annual R.E.Load April Fools Race
Saturday, April 14th
Registration opens at 2pm, race starts at 3pm.
* Registration is in the back of R.E.Load: Between 2nd and 3rd st, on Green.
Entry fee is $5, which gets you a free event tee shirt, spoke card, and entry to the afterparty. So, pretty much you're not really paying for anything. Even if you don't race, you're getting a three-color printed shirt and a laminated spoke card for only $5. You can't go wrong....
Ok, we hope to see all of you out here in about a month! If you have any questions, feel free to email
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