Quick reminder: AM and I are hosting a group ride to Riis Beach on Friday. You should join! RSVP on Partiful.
Every once in a while, you see something on Instagram that makes your jaw hit the floor. For me these days, it’s usually a pair of pants or a beautiful couch. A few weeks ago though, it was the absolutely insane flier.
In case it also took your eyes a minute to adjust to this tripped out color palette, you’re looking at an advertisement to the “Race to the End of The World.” On Saturday, September 7th, a group of riders in teams of up to six will be making their way from the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge to Hither Hills State Park in Montauk. The event is being co-hosted by Dead Fucking Last, an amateur bike racing team that also owns at graphic design (Exhibit B), and Amelia Iaia, a Brooklyn based bike racer.
The race itself, it turns out, is actually just a commitment to a bit. “My friend and I had this ongoing joke,” said Iaia, 22, when I interviewed her last week. Whenever they’d bag on each others abilities on the bike, the other would say “Well, if you’re so fast, why don’t you race me to Montauk!”
After racing Warriors and doing the Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder, she realized there was a big hole in New York for races that were actual endurance events, but didn’t require you to drive outside the city or pay hundreds of dollars to register. “I realized I wanted it to exist, I would have to throw it,” she said1.
Thus, the Race to the End of the World was born. If you want to sign up, register here. You must join in a team of at least two. Ideally, you’d ride the entire route as a group. The event is a race, and Iaia expects it to be pretty spicy and fast, especially since there’s no defined route between the start of the race and the first checkpoint. “I designed it to really encourage people, maybe even force people, to learn how to draft, learn how to work together. That’s so important in cycling,” she said.
I will sadly not be in town for the event. But!! If you, dear reader, want to get a team together and do it, let me know. I’d love to sponsor a team!!
Some housekeeping: Usually on Mondays, I post a list of upcoming bike events. Honestly though, doing three full posts a week is feeling like too much work right now. So … I’ll ask … are those posts helpful? Do you want me to keep doing it?? I might just create a master list instead of doing an updated version each week.
One such super pricey ride: the “We Ride for Pie” 60th Anniversary Ride to Montauk … registration is $365*, though the ride looks p epic … beautiful, fully-supported route … legit food along the way, including pie and fresh fruit and hummus and pickles … there’s also hot showers and massages … also if you’re under-30, you can get half-off registration … shit, should I sign up for this year …