Photo Report: Getting Weird at The 2023 Bham Alleycat

Words: Lacy Kemp

Every year on the Saturday prior to Halloween, Bellingham transcends from a bike town to freak show, and, I mean that in the best way possible. The ghouls, zombies, wild animals and trolls on tandems take over downtown and Galbraith Mountain in a frenzy of madness. It's Alleycat time!

If you're new to Alleycats, the short version is: it's a race with checkpoints, but there's usually no set course. Our version of an Alleycat race is essentially a scavenger hunt that takes you all over the riding haven of Galbraith Mountain and all through the town of Bellingham. You can choose one bike to ride for the day and teams can be up to four people. Costumes are required or you don't get to compete. Points are assigned to tasks listed on an extensive manifest. Teams have four hours to score as many points as possible. The manifest is written in a way so that it's impossible to do everything, so strategy is critical. Will teams focus their efforts primarily in town or on the mountain or will it be a mix of both?





Tasks on the manifest included a proper beer run, where riders had to tape a full, open beer to their bikes and the team with the most beer at the bottom received extra points. Riders also had to partake in a mini CX race at the Evil Bikes HQ, make leftover parts medallions at Tim's Bike Shop, swap bikes with a teammate and ride one of our favorite trails, post photos of adoptable dogs that came out to cheer us on, and blow a wad of slime across a bench.










The creativity was not lacking, and neither was the courage. Jackson Dove and Sam Larson opted to run the entire race on this old Ellsworth Tandem. They hit some of the more technical sections of the race and somehow managed to mostly keep it upright.


In the end, last year's champs from Transition Outpost couldn't quite hang with the winning team of Jaime Friedrich, Dan Pearl, Jann Eberharter, and Shelly Cousins. The Running of the Bulls took the title, and the $400 cash prize by 1 point.


If you're looking for a rowdy time on bikes with your pals, be sure to come on up to Bellingham at the end next October. The party keeps getting bigger and bigger and there's really nothing quite like running into a bunch of your friends dressed in wild costumes all over town all day long. It's a perfect blend of silliness and competition. But, don't take my word for it. Check out the day's recap from Tanya Zarling and her team, Barbie and Some *Duckers*. (Seriously, check it out. It has a squirrel flipping onto an airbag and into the ocean.)

Huge thanks to everyone who helped set up and tear down the course, manage the stops, and keep the stoke high all day long.

Big thanks also to Sydney Papritz for snapping the best of the above photos. Hire her for your event needs!

Last but not least, thanks to all the racers! Can't wait to do it all again next year!

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Racing and Events Photography Race Reports