Tomorrow I’ll be biking from Arnhem to Amsterdam to ride the Annick van Hardeveld. I’ll be leaving Arnhem around 11am to be in Utrecht around 2pm. Does anybody like to join me and Koen?

Cheers, Votske

Here are the results according to the manifests I got. I miss some names like Hattara. Strange cause this time he didn’t have to pay anything to race and get included into the results. And I’m sure he raced but I can’t find a manifest with his name on it. And there are a couple of names at the registration form that I didn’t get the manifest from. Anyway I had 60 manifests and 60 roses all the roses are gone and I got four blank manifests left. So there must be like 56 or 60 competitors and I miss some names.

But this is what I got:

1. Siep
2. Michael P
3. Tomas G
4. Kees (KC)
5. Jur (74)
6. Marco
7. Rob (first out of towner)
8. Thomas B
9. Bram Schilham (FUCCIT)
10. Job (25cm I say fucc it) van den Plas
11. Thomas (36×18) Arnhem
12. Michael V
13. Rinus
14. Thijs
15. Cavin
16. Ali
17. Ian
18. Jeremy
19. Thomas
20. Sander
21. Vis
22. Ralf
23. James
24. Steven
25. Jochem
26. Peter
27. Dictus
28. Jaap
29. Daniel
30. Bram (Tall Boy)
31. Wietske
32. John
33. Arthur
34. Jeroen H
35. Vitor
36. David
37. Daan (Kap. Roodbaard)
38. Ab (Kees)
39. Alexis
40. Keng
41. Donny
42. Pier (hardcore with a broken elbow)
43. Hare ????
44. Evelyn
45. Joaquim
46. Bep (wrong answer 34 instead of 33)
47. Cindy (only one answer)
48. “Meneer” Eddie (had a day of)
49. Ashley (DQ cause I just don’t like here)
50. Ralf (DQ because he fucced up his manifest)

Anyway I had a great time organizing this alleycat and look forward to the one next year when Siep is going to organize it.

Damn those were three day’s. And I ask my self where to begin. Yes of course with the first one but what the fucc shall I wright? I suppose this is gonna be a long post.

• Saturday, Cinellicat

Vincent and myself took the train to Eindhoven around 13:00 because Vince had to arrange some miner things for the alleycat and we could meet our friend Tommie (Tour de Ville) early. In the train I realized that a strange day started for me not only did I had a fully geared bike with two brakes with me. But this was gonna be the first visit to Eindhoven (TdV) that I started sober and I was planning to end sober.

So Vince did his things we meet Tommie and went to his place to eat some delicious home made pasta Tom and Laura prepared for us. Cause like Tom said; “it’s koers (dutch cycling language) tonight, so we got to eat good”. After our meal we went to the TdV headquarters and soon the alley besides it was packed with bikes. A lot of guy’s and girls I knew where there but also a lot I didn’t and that was good to see.

And then it was time to start the race. I wasn’t going to do the whole race because the last couple of years I only did the first checkpoint and went to the finish to continue drinking. But I had my new bike I was sober and when I was heading to the first checkpoint I got “moraal” (moral) dutch cycling language)). And I thought I was going fast again. Then Robert and Kees past me and I joined theme easily and even could do some work up front. So we where speeding to that first checkpoint and also the farthest checkpoint in no time. But there my chain fell of and I had to ride alone but it felt so good that I decided to complete the alleycat. And it was like in the good old day’s I had the best time of my life alone on my bike. I only had to check my Google maps once when I had to go to the old office of TdV while I’ve been there 80 times or so but only drunk as hell. And that’s why I couldn’t find it this time I think. And of course there was that child daycare center where everybody was complaining about, not really complaining but it was hard to find. But although it toke me about 10 min. I thought it was a really good checkpoint. Because as a messenger you sometimes get a address (street and number) and it is still hard to find. This was a checkpoint like that. First I was looking for that checkpoint with a group of fakengers (and we like them) and were getting nowhere then I began to think for myself and within a minute I had the right route to that checkpoint. The rest of this brilliant alleycat went smooth and I finished as 12th (of 52), surprising everybody but most of all myself. And even won a price for “best dressed”, a hot pink San Marco Rolls saddle and Cinelli shirt.
The rest of the evening I drunk together with Vince all the Fristi and stayed sober for the first time in Eindhoven.

And it was especially good to see al lot of old time Tour de Villers from way back. And talk about the old day’s, “remember the old TdV office?. Yeah bla drunk bla wrestling bla drunk bla and beer…. good times.

And I want to thank Laura en Tom (Tour de Ville), Vincent (Haute Courier, race organizer), EHVFXD, Dings  and last but not least Willem “The Guy from Cinelli” Schwaner!

And I stole some pictures.

Two broken frames.

Damn sexy guy.

Party!

Pica’s stolen from ErikFontanel and EHVFXD

• Sunday, Spartan girly girl alleycat

This one was for the good cause . Vince and I game straight from Eindhoven to Utrecht and although it was the first time I sat at the dinner table at Tom and Laura’s place. And even eat some egg and bacon, sober remember. I was a bit broken from the night before. Anyway we started the race and soon I got the same feeling as the night before, I’m gonna finish this alleycat. But half way I lost the map and manifest so I went to the finish and it was all over for me.
The alleycat was a long one (three hours or so) and I got to wait a while before Vince would finish. But in the meanwhile Pier came in with a broken fork. And it looked like he was ok and didn’t had a scratch later (the next day) it was clear he had broken his elbow.  But after Vince did finish we only wanted to go home and take a shower before going to bed early. So we missed the prices. And the first price in the messenger category was for Vince “Le Haute“. Next time we stay till after the price ceremony but this time we where to tired and to cold, sorry.

But thanks to Gijs, Evelyn and Joaquim!

Not manny pictures I could find but still the one of Pier holding up his bicycle with a broken elbow will do.

• And at last monday, Amsterdam Annick van Hardeveld alleycat

This one I organized myself. And I was really nervous how it would go because for the Dutch messenger it is a really important one. On a alleycat wise day difficult day because of all the remembrances in the city. And I’m from Arnhem and don’t know Amsterdam that well. But I did my homework so I also was convinced that nothing would go wrong.
I had a poll on this site so I could estimate how many people would show up. This had to do with how manny roses I had to buy because it is custom that in this alleycat there is one checkpoint where you get a rose. That you bring to the finish and put that one between a inner tube around the memorial. I think 40 or so clicked ”yes I will come to the alleycat” so I bought 60 roses (because I also know that not everyone has internet, Jur). And because ‘we’ from FUCCIT were asked to organize this years ‘Annick’ we also invited the so called ‘fakengers’ (because we like them). And it turned out that around 60 guy’s and girls did the alleycat. 

Now I quid for today, typing in dutch isn’t my hobby so english is…..
Respect to Ab, Vincent and Pier for doing all the three alleycats, Pier did even finished this with a broken elbow.
Tomorrow I will try to put up the complete ranking online. But for now I wanna thank everyone for showing.

And last but not least, huge thanks to my flower girl Sophia Janatti!

And Bram thank you for the pictures!

Probably I forgot a lot and is my english fucced up but I try to read it back tomorrow and make some changes or whatever.

With all those alleycats.

• Saturday

First one I’m going to is the Cinellicat in Eindhoven. But winning that race is no problem because my good friend and co-founder of the FUCCIT, Le Haute is doing the race planning.

Start is at Tour de Ville Head Quarters (20:00) and finish will be at DINGS Pakhuis, Bergstraat 12.

• Sunday

Second one is the Spartan Girly Girl Alleycat in Utrecht.

Spartan Girly Girl alleycat 
Zondag 3 mei 14.00 uur (start 14.30) 
Muziektent – Lepelenburg – Utrecht 
Bring your friend, bike & € 10,-

• Monday

And the third (and most important one) is the Annick van Hardeveld alleycat in Amsterdam. The allecat will start at 19:00 on the “Koeriersterplein” precise!

So the posting on this site will be low for a couple of days I think.

Monday 4 may, Annick van Hardeveld alleycat

[poll id="3"]

First of all I want to say that FUCCIT is really proud to be asked to organize this alleycat. It’s Holland’s longest running alleycat which is never organized by someone outside Amsterdam. And then we have the theme of the alleycat. It is always held on the 4th of may which in Holland is “Nationale Dodenherdenking” (Remembrance Day), which is held annually in memory of all those who have died since the outbreak of the Second World War. 

The  finish will be at “Hekelveld” where there is a monument for Annick van Hardeveld. She was a messenger for the resistance who is killed on that spot by the Germans on the last day of the war.

The allecat will start at 19:00 on the “Koeriersterplein” precise! And everyone should be able to finish before 20:00. Because everyone is expected to keep two minutes of silence at 20:00.

So this is not you “normal” alleycat but a way to show our respect and gratitude to all those who gave there life for our freedom. And normally it is a “messenger” race but now that we from FUCCIT are organizing it I hope everyone comes on any kind of bike.

p.s. Ill also put a poll on the site and kindly ask you to let us know if you’re coming. This has to do with organizing this alleycat because I love to know how many will start this alleycat. And you will find out why.

Tjeerd

The Annick van Hardeveld Memorial alleycat is a annual return race on the Dutch calender. Yesterday was the 10th edition of this ride. Annick van Hardeveld was a courier for the resistance during World War II. Unfortunately, she was shot just days before the ending of the war. 
Every year the Amsterdam messengers organise a Memorial ride in remembrance of this girl. Next year, Fuccit is going to organise the alleycat on the 4th of may 2009. Start will be at the koeriersterplein at 19:00 and finish before 20:00 at the monument at Hekelveld. There we’ll have a 2 minute silence for all those who lost their lives fighting for freedom.