Let me explain. These races are fun competitions/actions organised by a group of activist cyclists called λοκαλ (local), with the premise that its a fun way to reclaim our public space, by actually using it rather than just passing through in hermetically sealed cars. If you read greek, you can check out their site.
So what exactly is an alleycat race? It's a cycle race through Athens without a set itinerary. Starting off from the starting point you are given the location of the first check-point. Once there, you are told the location of the second check-point, and so forth. So you end up going in circles and zig-zags through the city never knowing where you'll end up, every one choosing their own route from one check-point to the next.
Only this alleycat race (my maiden one, but hopefully not my last!) had a twist. It's the second Sunday of the Apokries (Mardigras), so it was a masked race! Being my usual procrastinating self, I left it till last minute to decide what to dress up as. I ended up making myself a pair of wings late last night and this morning before the race. I almost missed the race because of the damn wings! They ended up a bodged job because I was in such a hurry.
Word of advice - when cycling in fancy dress avoid wings! They catch the wind and slow you down, they make it difficult to look over your shoulder at the cars behind you, they don't let you easily fit through narrow spaces. I originally made the wings to fall outwards like real ones. They looked great, but were hardly practical, so I had to stitch them up to sit behind my back. On the final leg of the race the stitching came undone and I found myself flapping down the street, wings stretched wide!
For those who want to know exactly how much of Athens I cycled through today, here are the check-points:
Start point: Zappeio Megaro
--> Omonoia Square
--> Syntagma Square
--> Hilton Hotel
--> Katechaki Metro Station (on top of the Calatrava Footbridge!)
--> Kolumbitirio (the swimming pool opposite the Kallimarmaro Stadium)
--> Syggroy-Fix
--> the workers housing on the Filoppapou ring road
Finish point: Gazi on the pedestrian street opposite Technopolis.
I didn't properly count but I think it took me about an hour and a half.
