01 November, 2011

Smash for Cash/ Fixie Fest: Recap

This past Saturday, an event was held. Fixie Fest and the Smash for Cash Alleycat. Since I was racing, I really didn't take too many photos, but got some good ones of the top three finishers. Team Chubby Boob podium Sandwich with a MASH filling! It was a super fun race, once it started... The ending prizes and other things were kind of the fail part of the day. First, the race took well over three hours to get started. Checkpoint volunteers bagged out on their duties, manifests weren't done, and maybe the organizers wanted more people to show up. Once it got started it was fun and fast. A solid group of us pace lined for the first five miles or so, then of course we got split up, and it was ever man for himself. First checkpoint, top of La Brea, in the deep south. Second checkpoint, Pan pacific park. Third Checkpoint, Top of Angels point, Elysian park. Then back to the start/end at Graf Lab, Venice/ Union for about a total of 25 miles or more depending on route. Riccardo won 1st place/ 1st roadie and was supposed to get $100, didn't happen. Hern came in 2nd overall/ 1st fixed and was supposed to get $250, didn't happen. I came in 3rd place overall/ 2nd fixed and got a t-shirt (lulz). Originally, the winners of the road and fixed category were told (by flyer and internet posts) the winnings were gonna be $400 dollars each ($25 dollar entry fee, knocked down to $10) with 2nd place in each of those categories getting $100 each. Non of that happened, and thats pretty weak, if you're gonna bill cash prizes as winnings on flyers and posts you should be able to back that up. I don't know why the cash didn't come through and there was no explantion, and really it just left a poor taste in our mouths as racers and as organizers of our own events (we would never let this happen). This was supposed to be a "fixed gear" event, with things based around bikes. In the end it just felt like a group of people trying capitalize on bike (fixie) culture without having any clue on how to throw a successful bike event. It was a hip hop show, that just happened to have a bike race. That's what it should have been billed as. I had a great time racing, big thanks to Kevin H. for throwing a race under such strain! In the end, it was all about street cred for the prizes, I'm happy with that, HA, Holla!

Riccardo winning his first street race under TeaM Chubby Boob! Welcome to the team!

Hern 2nd overall/ 1st fixed on his new Cinelli Mash. Good shit.

Sean (me) Gettin 3rd overall/ 2nd fixed on that Yung Affinty street machine.

1 comment:

  1. Sean, your opinion and review is what I highly expected. It was definitely outsiders, aka non fixed gear riders who organized this wack event. Guess there was no bike films either. Of course u wasn't gonna get no cash for racing. Shit was a hoax from the start. For never ever throwing race and trying to a event catering to the fixed gear culture with under a month equals failed attempt. Also leaves a very bad impression and reputation for the organizers that had no clue what they were doing from the jump. To top it off, hard the promoter rides a mountain bike....haha so classic! And he wondered why fools was hating?? What a idiot!

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