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pghbabesonbikes · 3 months

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FBX

by Sara Khalil

Alleycats are a fun, low-pressure way to race. That’s why I always try and get people to do them, ha. First, you’ll receive checkpoints & a spokecard. Next, you’ll make a plan to bike to one, many, or all of the checkpoints. Lastly, you’ll follow the spectacular race directors instructions to complete the alleycat and bonus, you’ll feel like a million bucks. You’ll leave the race day with your delicately positioned spokecard in your front wheel for years to come, a small yet important token proving you kick ass.

Every alleycat is organized a little bit differently. Sometimes the checkpoints are literally an address which is definitely a win for the navigation nerds. Other times they’re mediocre riddles or even just a spot on a map (that’s not even drawn to scale 🙃). It’s likely you’ll find all the things you need at them, like rad people to keep you motivated, snacks/drinks, cheerful signs, a much needed floor pump, among other things…

The strategy for attacking an alleycat can also really vary. Buddy up with people, you can do it in a group! If you’re worried about navigating or simply just want to have fun then rely on everyone’s brain for navigation (at your own risk!) and see where you place! More competitive? Wanna see if you have the street cred to really do the thing?? Try and rely on your own navigation to get you through it, whether that is google maps or your experience driving Uber. Honestly, sometimes I just follow the tire tracks and hope for the best…

I work for a local bike share company that hosts 2 alley-cat-style rides each year. I call these alley-cat-style because they aren't races, but more multi-destination rides that are designed to get folks of all comfort levels out for fun, social, urban rides. Even though these rides lack the big race mentality, these rides are really fun for riders of all levels, and ultimately, you can bring whatever energy you want! Bike or Treat is our Halloween alleycat that takes place the Saturday before Halloween every year (a fun scavenger hunt race), and Le Tour De Donut is our April alleycat with 4 checkpoints each stocked up with donuts from local bakeries and coffee.

We don't have registration up yet for Le Tour, but folks can see all of our upcoming events here: https://pogoh.com/events/

My favorite kind of alleycat is the “go fast get there first” classic style - the Frigid Bitch way!

Every year I plan to do it solo, and if someone tries to tag on I always let them know there’s a non zero chance I might ditch them because I’m in it to win it. When the checkpoints drop, I usually bust out a paper BikePGH map to get a feel for where the checkpoints are across the city, highlighting potential routes between each. I’m confident in my ability to navigate most neighborways and bike lanes. I never use technology to navigate because it kinda takes forever to be honest! If I’m gonna skip a few, it’s usually the ones that are on hills, because I’m a slow-ish climber. I have a side plan that if I make it to a certain point by a certain time, then I’ll go for them!

The plan, roughly

This year when the checkpoints dropped, I was kicking myself because I knew almost all the checkpoints from doing the training rides, but I missed the training ride that hit Climax St! Of course it was a stop for FBX. And the south side slopes are kind of my kryptonite - I almost never climb them. This meant I really had no idea how much time Climax st was going to add to my route. I decided to nix Climax and Rialto from my gameplan for the day. I didn’t think I would have time to make them.

Jo at the lake

My first stop was the lake. From there, I promptly guided my pal to a staircase that no longer existed, then to what I believed to be the checkpoint, but what was really the weird statue/shrine in South Oakland. Once we finally found Romeo St, it was a real vibe - we ditched our bikes and ran up the stairs to someone holding a sign that said “You’re a bitch!” which warmed my soul and spotted a friend Jarrod taking photos. We quickly said hi and bye before heading down the new-to-us, fully functioning staircase that connects to Bates and swiftly hiked our bikes down it. We crossed Hot Metal Bridge to hit OTB as fast as possible. Our plan was Grandview next, but somewhere along the way my bud egged me on to try Climax and we split. Turns out, it wasn’t a bad climb (the memory is distant now, ha) ANDDD Venture Outdoors had a s’mores stop at the top. Score.

Photo by Murphy Moschetta

I like to move quickly, so I bombed back down to south side and made my way over to climb back up PJ McCardle. I noticed my front tire was going flat when I got to the overlook and a volunteer, Bobby, helped me pump it up. Thankfully it didn’t give me any trouble for the rest of the race. I continued on, at this point feeling a little beat from climbing up two big hills. I was solo. I hit the point and kept on rolling. Somewhere in the Strip I linked back up with Jo and she encouraged me, yet again, to go for it. I sped up to hit Rialto. The next few checkpoints are kind of a blur. I slid through Polish Hill before heading to the button to see my friend Erin, and roped my way down to the official checkpoint near the water.

Last up, I rushed up to hit the last stop, Bananna-lenaville. I felt an emotional burst because the volunteers were counting down “10… 9… 8…” as I rolled up. I found out later, they did that for a lot of folks… good call team Bananna-lenaville! I started off to the Wheel Mill in hopes I’d get there quick! I ditched my bike on the sidewalk, ran up the stairs, and politely threw my manifest at the volunteer. FBX was in the books. I took a look around to see who was back (though it’s impossible to tell how you did) and started swapping stories. A few popular questions were floating around - “How many checkpoints did you hit?” “Who did you ride with?” “Did you hit Rialto?” Everyone had a different day.

Proof I did it

I finished in 25th place and got ALL the checkpoints. I was pretty stoked about how I finished, but even more excited to announce a little secret my friends and I were a part of - the brand new Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes Racing team! We’re a couple of badass babes who are introducing racing to more women and under repped gender identities, organizing group rides/clinics, and generally getting more folks to get out together to try more on two wheels. Our team aims to add more novice riders as time goes on.

photo by Monica Garrison

If you’ve ever thought about racing mountain bikes, well, this is your year! We’re hosting a bunch of pre-rides out at Yellow Creek State Park in anticipation of one of my favorite races, the YC Monthly Grassroots series. The first pre-ride is March 23rd and the race follows the next weekend. There are three routes available - beginners tackle 8 miles, sport riders hit a 16 mile out and back with a few creek crossings, and experts go after the full 23 mile loop which has some rocky bits. Pick your distance and come check it out with us in March! Frigid Bitch racers get a discount code for race registration.

My most prized collection

I’m looking forward to another year of Frigid Bitch. Less than a month out, I’m full of excitement wondering if I’ll get any new friends or flats along the way. What will the weather be like? What bike will I ride? Am I even going to know where the fucking checkpoints are?? Anything can happen! But it’s nice to know it’s gonna be a surprise.

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pghbabesonbikes · 4 months

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2024 Frigid Bitch Training Rides

Tryin to prep for FBXI? Need to bone up on your cuts around the city? Gotta practice layering up in various weather conditions? Hopin’ to meet some FB vets race crews you might be able to slide into?

Every Sunday til race day we’ll be holding training rides around the city. Each week will ride the route of a previous Frigid Bitch. Full routes will likely feature stairs, cobbles, long flats, and a few steep hills. We will have multiple groups:

- A pace: fast drop ride with longer mileage and more elevation. Will regroup at the tops of long/steep hills but generally will not wait long for stragglers. ~16+ mph avg - B pace: ‘fit commuter’ pace, semi-drop, mid-level mileage and elevation. Will regroup at various points but may not wait for extended times. ~12-15 mpg avg - C pace: conversational social pace, no-drop, shorter routes, relatively few big hills. ~10-12 mph avg

If you are interested in leading or sweeping a pace group, please check out the 2024 Training Ride spreadsheet (includes route links!) and drop your name/email on the slot you wanna nab!

Routes are posted below - cue sheets are set up for most rides to make almost any/all of the features skippable if you’re not feeling it. Choose a route and pace that is challenging to you, and have fun bopping around the city seeing who you catch & who catches you!

All routes will also be posted as events on our Ride w GPS Club & Strava Club page

Two Frays Brewing will have space for bikes on their patio, outside heaters, indoor bathrooms, and hot drinks for sale. They’ll also have a couple new non-alcoholic beers (including a FRIGID BITCH SPECIFIC collab fundraiser NA!) on tap as well as their regular rotation. Stick around after the ride to hang out and compare ride recaps!

BEWARE: These rides are run in full Pgh Winter, so weather may mean routes take us over ice and snow. We may need to re-route mid ride depending on the conditions! Be ready for an adventure.

Start/finish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

ROLLING TIMES (please arrive at least 15 min early!) B-pace: 12:30pm A-pace: 1:00 pm C-pace: 1:30 pm

Sunday Feb 4th - Frigid Bitch 2021

Full A-pace route: Takes us into the North Hills, from the Highland Park Br over to the Millvale softball fields. A steep climb up Geyer Rd takes us across mainly rolling roads to the observatory, where we’ll drop back down Perrysville punctuated with a short climb up (and then very much down) Federal. A climb to Polish Hill is next, topped by a city step loop and the beloved blast down Gold Way into Oakland to the bullet descent down Fifth. Birmingham, then Hot Metal, then the Greenfield Ave climb into Schenley Park. The finish is a residential roll through the East End.

B-pace route: Cuts out the trek across the HP Br and the roady north hills chunk, but tacks on some mileage (and a staircase!) heading up into Riverview. This B route is similar mileage to the full route, but with slightly less climbing.

C-pace route: Piling on the mileage for C-pace this week but keeping the elevation down, the ride will head thru tried and true East End roads, a mild uphill pump on Wilkins/Beechwood, a lovely roll through Schenley Park before one of the best winding downhills around. Sneak through Oakland and onto the cyclists’ best friend back alley (Gold Way) to pop out at the Melwood staircase, before dropping down into the Strip and practicing your stop and starts along Spring Way. The 16th St Bridge takes you over the river to the North Shore trail where you can relax until the one final uphill along the bike lane on 40th. Finish @ Two Frays and catch B&A group rolling in behind you!

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Sunday Feb 11th - Frigid Bitch 2022

Full A-pace route: We'll head down the cemetery drop to the trail, roll some gravel and hike over some train tracks, take railroad to the strip before crossing the 16th St Bridge into the North Shore and up some gorgeous steps (feat a fancy wheel rail!). From there it's a back-street shimmy to the penitentiary trail, a double-bridge cross over the Point, another trail! before we start climbing up into the south slopes. Get ready because this climb gets harder as you go, and ends on cobbles. Naturally we'll bomb back down to the Hot Metal Bridge, get on yet another trail up the hollow, hit the Joncaire cobbles and a staircase, and take the golf course up through Squirrel Hill. The fancy new Fern Hollow Bridge pops us out on Braddock Ave where we'll roll some gravel through Frick Park before shooting back to the start via Shadyside.

B-pace route: Identical to the A-pace route, except it cuts out the killer climb into the South Side Slopes! B-pace will keep on the trail instead, straight from Station Square to Hot Metal.

C-pace route: Almost all trail (Strip District, Station Square, South Side, Panther Hollow) until the Joncaire staircase into Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and back!

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Previous weeks:

Sunday Jan 7th - Frigid Bitch 2017

Full A-pace route: 2017 was the only year that the FB featured split timed checkpoints, reflected on this route by the double loop we make around the East End. Start with a quick up-and-down to the Bud Harris Cycling track (we’ll do a lap cuz why not), then a relatively flat long rev-up on our first hit of the East End before dropping down 31st St Br for the first real challenge: Rialto St (the easiest of the Dirty Dozen hills!). Take a breather thru the North Side til a nice steady climb up Brighton, a fun descent down Woods Run where we’ll take the Penitentiary Trail over the Duq Br to the Point. Back on that inescapable Eliza Furnace Trail to hit Phipps, then one last swing out to the East End to the Highland Park Reservoir.

B-pace route: Cuts out the steady climb up Brighton and the long way back on the Penitentiary Trail, heading thru downtown instead to catch the Eliza Furnace. Optional end of ride cut: anyone done before the HP Res can swing left on Coral from Negley and head straight back to Two Frays.

C-pace route: 10-mile no-drop loop through the East End, featuring 2 mild hills - short and punchy up Bunker Hill to the Highland Park Reservoir and a longer steady climb up Wilkins into Oakland.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 14th - Frigid Bitch 2018

Full A-pace route: Starts with some easy rolling hills through the East End before climbing up Stanton and descending to Butler St, where we’ll do a little back-roading before popping over to the rt 28 side of the Allegheny River and hoisting our bikes up the Troy Hill steps. Why stop there? More steps!: The West End Br pedestrian tunnel is next, taking us to the Station Square trail, to the South Side trail, across the Birmingham Br and up to the Hill District Water Tower. A final winding descent down Herron drops us at a final climb up Liberty and back to Two Frays.

B-pace route: Cuts out the West End Br and entire South Side chunk of the route. Instead, riders will take the 16th St Br and climb the backside of Polish Hill to the Water Tower. From there, the route drops down Blessing St to the Bloomfield Br - at the bottom of Blessing, hike your bike up the steps to the pedestrian over pass to access the Bloomfield Br sidewalk!

C-pace route: From Two Frays to the Wheel Mill via the Neighborway, Negley and the East Liberty Ave bike lanes. Swing back around for a steady climb up and then down Stanton Ave to the Button, then back up to Two Frays via the Allegheny Cemetery.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 21th - Frigid Bitch 2019

Full A-pace route: Features some fun winding roady sections and some long climbs to city overlooks with glorious downhills. Start with a secret cut thru the Allegheny Cemetery, to a short steep cobbled hill on the outskirts of Chatham University, a quick offroad dip into Frick Park and a long time trial down Beechwood Blvd. A super fun fast windy downhill thru Schenley takes us back to Oakland, where a super fun straight blast down Fifth Ave stops on a dime to hike up the Mohawk St steps, turn around and cross the Birmingham Br. The South Side trail pops us out at a sidewalk slog up PJ McArdle to the most famous overlook, then drop down one of the nicest Dirty Dozen hills (Sycamore) to cut through downtown and back up to another overlook. Oops we’re going down a Dirty Dozen hill again! Suffolk takes us to East St, the trail, a really lovely pedestrian bridge to Herrs Island where we’ll off-road a little bit to the park at the point (not The Point). Once more over 31st but instead of Liberty-ing it back just yet, we’ve got some back roads (pothole alert) swooping us under the Bloomfield Br before we cut across Bloomfield back to Two Frays.

B-pace route: Cuts out the cemetery jaunt, the off-roading in Frick Park, replaces the bomb down Fifth Ave with a less dramatic but still fun bomb down Swineburn, keeps the Grandview Overlook climb but cuts out the Fineview Overlook climb.

C-pace route: Hit 5 checkpoints this week by sneaking down the Neighborway and Negley Ave to a cobbled climb up Murray Hill, then a quick out-and-back for a Frick Park choose-your-own-adventure (on/off bike) on the trail. Cut through Shadyside and swoop under the Bloomfield Bridge for a backroad pothole wonderland, then a one-two punch of bridges (30th&31st). A nice interim of flat trail before oh, it’s another bridge (40th) and a zig zag cut up Lawrenceville takes us back towards Two Frays. Optional cemetery add-on to hit the Boob Tomb for the voyeuristic.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 28th - Frigid Bitch 2020

Full A-pace route: First, a descent - towards downtown, under the convention center, via the rainbow waterfall underpass. Then, a flat - to Bicycle Heaven, home of the Peewee Herman bike. Next, a climb - up the South Side slopes, to the St Michael’s Cemetery. From there, another descent! This time through a backway down to the park and back into the SS Flats. Hot Metal takes us back up thru the Hallow, clear across the East End, across the Highland Park bridge and up to the Aspinwall Firestation, at the foothills of another DD hill. Back across the river, a short steep climb to some city steps, then a long steady climb thru the cemetery brings us back to Two Frays.

B-pace route: Cuts out the Aspinwall Fire Station. Opts to climb Stanton instead, and drops down the hill to the take the Duncan St steps in reverse.

C-pace route: Dirty Jones returns for a short jaunt around the East End. Optional addition of the Highland Park loop.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

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pghbabesonbikes · 6 months

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Mighty Moraine Women's Triathlon

by Laura Davidson-Brienza

Wait, I’m reading about a triathlon on the Pgh Babes on Bikes Blog? Yes, yes you are.

I have heard over the years that cyclists tend to knock triathletes. (Things I hear: poor bike handling, bizarre gear, lack of teamwork, etc.) But could it also be fear of the unknown or lack of understanding why anyone would want to do any other sport than biking!?

I’m here to say that I proudly claim both of these titles- cyclist & triathlete- and was excited to have the opportunity to bring some other cyclists into the fun of triathlons this past summer at the Mighty Moraine Women’s Triathlon on Aug 19, hosted by Get Fit Families & Joella Baker.

With a push from Anna-Lena, our team captain, I set out to recruit and support friends, teammates, and folks from the cycling community to try out a tri. With a Babes on Bikes discount code and by spreading the word, before we knew it we had a whole crew of women signed up for the race. I set up an “Intro to Triathlon for Cyclists” Q&A session, helped organize weekly lap swimming either at the city pools or brought folks to the established open water swim practices at the lake, and then organized a group course preview ride at Moraine a few weeks before (which also turned into a fun lake picnic day!)

Snapshot from the course preview ride day at Moraine State Park.

Training for triathlons does include a lot of biking (yay!) and of course adding swimming and running into your routine. While many are intimidated by triathlon training plans, it can be simplified a great deal. I helped set up some training plans for folks, made sure they were catching all 3 sports regularly, and had them do just a few specific workouts that make race-day run more smoothly. I’m not a triathlon coach, but these tips are fairly common knowledge in the triathlon world and I wanted to make sure our group of cyclists was in the know.

Race morning was forecasted to be an unusually chilly August day, and we had lots of text threads about what to wear and what gear to bring. As I was driving the short distance up I-79, the temperature on my car was dropping from 60s to 50s and even dipped into the 40s the further north I went!

Once we were there, all bundled up at dawn, the excitement and nerves outweighed the cold. I had another friend who had recruited a newbie triathlete, and with the combined effort we had a group of 10 of us racing in the event of about 60 total participants. And just in our crew of 10, we ranged from ages in each decade- women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Most of us were connected with Pgh Babes on Bikes, and many were competing in their first triathlon in many years (20+ years for some!) or had never competed in one at all. We’d all gotten to know each other at the Q&A, swim sessions, or preview ride, and were gathered together ready to show our stuff. There was a buzz of excitement and nerves - the best feelings on race day. I’ve come to know that triathlon race day buzz well, but it was amplified so much more by having a great group of women there to share it with.

While triathlons start EARLY, it’s worth it for arguably the most magical part of the race: the swim. Triathletes often have a love-hate relationship with the swim portion of the race (I certainly do). It’s by far my most challenging sport of the three for me. Occasionally hyperventilating mid-swim and knowing that it’s my weaker sport, it’s always a huge accomplishment for me to finish it. BUT THE LAKE. It is so gorgeous at any time and especially at sunrise. When else would I be swimming at this hour? While the air was very cold that day, the water felt like a bath because it had warmed up all summer. I had the most relaxed swim I’ve ever had at a triathlon. I took my time getting acclimated and got into a steady pace, using the sighting buoys and the swimmers in front of me to guide me. The swim is 750M, which takes folks anywhere from 10-25 minutes to complete depending on your pace.

7:05 AM: Swim is about to start. 📸: Mighty Moraine Triathlon

Next up, the transition from swimming to biking. Many cyclists are unsure of how the logistics of a triathlon work. It’s different from a bike race where you have your bike with you the whole time, so most cyclists are most concerned about where their precious bike will be kept safe. Triathlons always have a transition area (TA), which is often a roped-off parking lot, where participants put all of their equipment they need in a designated personal area for the race and revisit this spot between the sports (see pic below). Whether the swim is in a pool, a lake, an ocean, or a sound, the swim finishes near the TA so that you can get your bike and head out to ride. The bike is some style of loop or out-and-back that has you return to the TA again, so that you can drop your bike off and pick up whatever you need to go run. The run finishes near the TA, but set up more like a typical finish line for a running race. What this all means is that you leave all of your equipment in your designated spot in the TA, and you return to this area between each sport. Races are very good about allowing only participants in the TA, and the culture is set up that it’s expected to not touch anyone else’s stuff, including your favorite bike!

Transition Area. 📸:Sarah Jurgovic, racing her first triathlon.

I finished the swim and went into the transition area to drop off my goggles and swim cap and pick up the bike and helmet. And now it was time for my favorite part: The Bike! I personally think cyclists have an advantage in multisport because it’s by far the largest portion, at 75% of the total race mileage and about half of the total time. The swimming time is so short and so there is less of a gap for the rockstar swimmers and us who struggle with it. And while folks can make up some serious time in the run, I believe the bike is really where one can shine.

I set out on the route, tackling the climb to the east first thing, which quickly dried my kit and warmed me up. Then it was a descent near the lake and a brief climb up to a U-turn, before looping back to pass the start. Then it's out and back to the west, with some pretty decent climbs. All of it is gorgeous, rolling, wooded roads through Moraine State Park. That morning the roads were dry and the sun was very bright. There is no drafting in most triathlons, so it allows riders to be in their element and do their own race. The other participants' pace doesn’t affect you, and there isn’t much race strategy on the bike route like I’ve been learning about in crit and road racing. It’s pure riding, and at this race, there are lots of opportunities for showing off your Pittsburgh hill-crushing skills. I got to see all of the women in our crew at some point on the bike course and cheered them on (and vise versa!). And since triathletes have the age written on their calves, it was fun to see the various abilities, ages, and riders out there doing their thing. I felt strong on the 12 Miles and 918 ft elevation and before I knew it, the beautiful ride was over, and I headed back to the transition area to drop off my bike and helmet, change shoes, and head out to run.

The bike course, pic from our Preview Ride

The Run: The run is an out and back along rolling hills. Like all of the other 3 sports, there are huge ranges of paces in running, as one can imagine. The cyclists that passed everyone on the bike course may be getting picked off here by the track stars who spend the entire 5K sprinting the course. And there are always some people who walk some – or even all – of the course. I again got to see most of my friends on the course since it was another out and back, cheering & high-fiving them. While it was my slowest run segment, I did keep running nearly the whole time, which was a goal of mine. I was pretty dang proud of myself for finishing this race at 7 months pregnant, crossing the finish line with a smile on my face.

And because, for me, this race was more about supporting others, it was so much fun to see that our group sure did clean up the podiums, with the majority of our group taking medals and awards left and right. Sadly, we had one gal who had a bike mechanical issue and wasn’t able to finish. One gal in our group knew ahead of time that she was walking the run course, and ended up finishing last in the whole race, but the race director came out and met her at the finish line, giving her one of the large prizes for being the last to finish. That shows you the supportive environment of this race. Personally, I had so much fun being there as our group found their bike joy (and run and swim joy!) that day. Helping folks find that joy is a passion of mine, and it was a new experience for me to take that to the world of triathlons.

About half of our crew, showing off their finisher medals.

After driving back down I-79 (after a lovely stop for eggs & Belgian waffles with the group), I did my usual post-race routine of a bath and electrolytes, reflecting on the day, as well as the season. That was officially my last race of my first year on the Pgh Babes on Bikes Racing Team. I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks before my first race on the team - the very cold Hillman Hustle gravel in early March, where I was battling intense first trimester nausea. Following that, I got to experience my first local and non-local crit races (I even podiumed at one in Ohio!). In addition, I experienced several long days of road races in Maryland (including a super scorcher road race Giro di Coppi in June that I admitted defeat for my first ever DNF), a humbling gravel race in the lush gorgeous central PA woods, and a triathlon in each season, capping it off with this race late in my pregnancy.

Race at the Lake, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Next year, I’m looking forward to returning to bike racing without growing another human in me, and I’m excited to include triathlons in the list. I will especially look forward to bringing others into the sport, because cyclists can be triathletes too! I even bugged Anna-Lena about working with our gear site to get a Pgh Babes on Bikes triathlon kit, so I can rep our team out there on the tri course– colorful animal print, cat skulls, & all. The women and non-binary cycling contingency, known as Pgh Babes on Bikes, is growing and growing in the racing world and I can’t wait to see where we go next!

The Inaugural Mighty Women’s Triathlon 📸: Mighty Moraine Triathlon FB Group

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pghbabesonbikes · 9 months

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Hillman Hustle

By Sawyer Sidelinger

It was a cold morning, excited to begin racing with a shorter gravel race. Two laps, eight miles a piece, making my race a total of 16 miles. I had scouted the route the weekend prior but was coming off of having covid and was still recovering when doing the pre-ride. I was feeling strong today despite having taken time off from being sick. Despite how cold it was, I was feeling well rested and excited to take on this first race. There were two groups, the first was doing 32 miles, or four laps on the course. The second, was 16 miles, going for two laps on this mostly gravel course. Three major climbs per lap. I knew all I needed to do was do a countdown of the climbs and that would put me in a mindset to conquer this race. Six total climbs, the first lap was to feel out the track, the second lap I would hammer it. I was ready to ride. I positioned myself at the front of the pack at the start. I noticed almost immediately my breathing and my heart rate sky-rocketing. I took a few deep breaths and felt my body calm. I reminded myself, this was my race and I needed to sustain. “Get through the first lap” I reminded myself, “the second lap is when you turn the power on.” My power and cadence felt consistent.

My legs were cold to the touch but my muscles were warm from the start. I could feel myself get into a nice rhythm. I noticed a person pass me, I was able to maintain a fair distance from them for a time until they eventually pulled away, the second person coming behind me. We fought back and forth for most of the first lap, until they eventually pulled away through the climbs. The descents were fast, I was able to fully send them without much braking, packed gravel and hardly any traffic allowed me to be speedy through the downhills. I had fun with this ride, catching air on a bridge, taking corners fast. On the second lap I noticed a third rider behind me, I could tell they wanted to catch me, they were able to catch my back wheel and hold on to draft for a little off of me. I held them off, climbing hard, and keeping the strength coming out of downhills into climbs. I turned into the final stretch and it felt like an eternity, a gradual climb to a punchy uphill to a small grassy section made it feel like my wheels were moving through sludge. I finished third in my group of riders and took first place in the Non-Binary category.

It was clear that the race director wanted to ensure a good time had by all racers, providing coffee, fires, and delicious chili. As we waited for the last finishers of the race to pull through they maintained the fire. The Babes on Bikes crew rallied as they waited for the non-binary podium to take place. We spoke about how the rides went for each of us, what we loved, what we would do differently. When the non-binary podium came around I was so excited to celebrate the other rider in my category in us finishing the race, but to also celebrate the fact that we were able to be honored by this race and not forced into a category that didn’t fit us as people.

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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FBX Results

The tenth anniversary Frigid Bitch was a celebration of a decade’s worth of toughing out any shit the world had handy to throw your way, grabbing your bike and slogging through the elements with whatever ragtag badass crew you managed to scrape together. Vet racers worth their salt noticed that the checkpoints on their home-printed manifests were labeled by year instead of the classic cheesy conundrum codes. What could it possibly mean???

The start being remote, cyclists all over the city strategized their initial locations and prepared their maps, gear, & breakfast buffets. Clogging up cafe floors, squeezing into friends’ conveniently located apartments, or heading to the highest place they thought in likely proximity to a checkpoint; email inboxes were repeatedly refreshed as they waited for the location drop.

Then bam, there they were - in chronological order, the 9 best checkpoints from previous years’ races starting with the heart of the city and cycling down through social hubs, cliffside staircase intersections, riverside punk spots, aggressive cobbles, off road hike-your-bike sites, and of course: big ass hills. The tenth checkpoint was this year’s addition, the crown on the brow of FBX: The House of Raging Women.

The Point

The heart of the city that everyone knows, the only location to have already been used twice before including in the first Frigid Bitch frozen fountain race.

photos by Alex Diese

OTB

Longtime sponsor of the race and the original South Side cyclist social hub, home of the unforgettable Go Red Gold Sprints; the volunteers at OTB set up a Trek mechanic station stocked with all the typical tools of the trade.

photos by Murphy Moschetta

Romeo

One of the best/worst checkpoints of all time, anyone following the hand drawn manifest map found themselves riding down a deserted-lookin dead end street, discovering a set of steps apparently running through resident’s backyards and flowing into a massive staircase culminating in a full-on street-signed intersection in the middle of the urban wooded cliffside and then back up the adjacent staircase to find a host of members of Yinz Run Club cheering and slinging snacks & shots. Anyone clever enough to approach from the other side had to run or ride down and up one of Pittsburgh’s infinite steep cobbled hillsides.

photos by Matt Desmond

Rialto

The best known urban Dirty Dozen hill, clocking in at about a 20% grade average but hitting over 30% in spots. The narrow near-one-lane road shoots straight up into Troy Hill from Route 28. A brand new set up steps was a life saver for the racers not brave enough to attempt the ride up, while others resolutely blocked astounded drivers stuck behind them. Bike Pgh staff met them at the top with a hard cider reward.

photos by Monica Garrison

The Button v2

The last time the actual Button down the train tracks from 43rd street was a checkpoint for the Frigid Bitch, race day had it completely submerged by the icy floodwaters of that winter’s thaw. This year the stop migrated slightly west and featured a mechanic and ride-your-own-margarita station sponsored by SweetWater Bikes in front of a steep gravel descent onto rocky Allegheny Riverbed that only one cyclist dared ride down. A few others bypassed the gravel entirely by scaling the weedy cliff behind the margarita machine. Volunteers waited under the glorious looming presence of the 40th St Bridge, smoke-set with tiki torches and watching to make sure no roadie-shoe-shod babes slipped into the river.

photos by Ben Filio & Joel Levine

Grandview Overlook

The classic photo spot of the city, it is, of course, up a big ass hill.

photos by Himanshu Dedge

The Schenley Lake

Train tracks criss cross all over this town, and racers had to cut through another set in Schenley Park to get to Panther Hollow Lake. Volunteers at this checkpoint made all the early arrivees throw down their bikes and wait til go time before cowbelling them off in a run for their manifest stamps. Many ran, some jogged, a few sauntered, and one was heard to say “I’m not running just because some dude told me to.” Rock on.

photos by Evan Burlew

Melwood Steps

Oh hello, it’s another set of steps. Carrying your bike is a skill, they say. A couple racers self-penalized their time on this one by blasting down the Herron Ave S-bends without catching the turn to the Melwood Staircase just across the street from the RockRoom.

photos by Scott Kowalski

Climax St

Probably the best checkpoint of all time, back again from last year for double the fun. This time the overgrown sidewalks directed riders straight up to a crew of Venture Outdoors volunteers stationed at the apex of the small but mighty cobbled bump in our South Hills.

photos by Valerie Beichner

The House of Raging Women

The premier checkpoint of FBX! The HORW was never before used as a Frigid Bitch checkpoint but was once included in the first alleycat we ever hosted: the infamous Ladies’ Night race. Transformed to a surreal and dada-like celebration of the Frigid Bitch director, Bananna-LenaVille could only be found by the semi-secret back-alley entrance behind a flush of rowhouses under the shadow of Children’s Hospital. One group of riders spent precious clock time sniffing around up and down the hill block on 44th before the local post man hollered “Yinz looking for a party??? It’s in the alley!!”

photos by Keith Watson

The Finish

Back at the Wheel Mill a rush of racers threw their bikes on the ground and their bodies up the stairs to find the race official and fling their manifests into her hands. They celebrated, they chowed down on Revival Chili, they gabbed, changed clothes, grabbed a Necromancer Brew, and hunkered down to wait for the results. When the darling FBX MC picked up the microphone though, it was to announce something else first....

The Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes Racing Team Debut

There’s a brand new team in Pittsburgh and it’s pulled from the crew of women and under-represented gender identity cyclists that make up the massive pool of Frigid Bitch bad-asses. Powerhouse hitters in the cycling scene, the team is ready to rejuvenate racing in Pittsburgh and beyond. These babes are here, some of them are queer, and they’re out to have a damn good time racing bikes and taking you with them.

from left to right: Anna-Lena Kempen, Bonnie Gilbery, Laura Davidson-Brienza, Sara Khalil, Sawyer Sidelinger, and Shequaya Bailey.

The FBX Podium

If the debut of a brand sparkling new team of killers wasn’t enough, FBX was ready to pull out the celebratory stops with the first podium announcement. ALK took over the mic to haul up the best, the brightest, the bitchiest - the longest running Frigid Bitch contenders of all time.

In first place, with ten years under her belt, having booked a back-up airplane ticket just to make sure she had a way to get to the race:

1 - Ngani Ndimbie

In second place, having missed only the first frozen fountain Frigid Bitch, here cuz she cut short a California vacation with her wife:

2 - Katharine Jordan

In third place, holding an 8 race record starting with the 2015 Frigid Bitch that only *6* people raced, the gorgeous MC:

3 - Alexandra Korshin

Honorable mention going to the 8-race record holders starting in 2016:

- Two-time tandem contestant Lauryn Stalter

- Masters category killer Frankie Montenegro

- Uncontested holder of the 9-month pregnant record and half of the banana tandem Alyssa Crawford.

And finally, the moment the crowds were waiting for: the official announcement of the category podiums and results.

Masters 60+

1 - Laurie Plummer 2 - Lynda Stucky 3 - Cheryl Ritts

Masters 40+

1 - Hazel Shockey 2 - Jen Damon 3 - Melissa Celani 4 - Suz Falvey 5 - Courtney Ehrlichman

Single Speed/Fixed Gear

1 - Sky K 2 - Stevie Gallo 3 - Lavender Sedlock

Out of Town

1 - Kirsten Hoogenakker 2 - Adelaide Kelly 3 - Betsy Lewis

Mountain Bike

1 - Natalie Boehm 2 - Jodi Rafalko 3 - Betsy Lewis

Tandem

1 - Sol Moure & Lauryn Stalter 2 - Alyssa Crawford & Mo Riddle 3 - Ru Emmons & Tahel Axel

Open

1 - Acadia Klain 2 - Paige Anderson 3 - Bonnie Gilbery 4 - Eva Kloiber 5 - Hazel Shockey

check out the full rankings at Road Results

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to race, to all the volunteers that are dead set on making sure the annual stoke level chart runs exponential, thank you to the Wheel Mill for being such incredibly gracious and helpful hosts and to Necromancer Brewing for once again slinging our signature can, to Jarrod from Hope Cyclery for running the sag vehicle, to all of the photographers for immortalizing the race in 2 dimensions, and Brad Q for the portaits I can’t show yinz yet, kudos to Courtney E who smashed her bike into a car and broke it but finished anyway, and to Caitlin L who flew in FROM ALASKA and borrowed a bike from a stranger, to Judy D who was that stranger and also competitively raced in a BOOT, to Beth L and Deanna G who met at Frigid Bitch 9 and celebrated their anniversary by winning the SweetWater Bikes’ E-Bike, to SweetWater Bikes for donating an e-bike to raffle!, to Kiki who come in fron Minnesota, the Baltimore Bicycle Works team and all the other out-of-towners, to Christine Y who accidentally took a crew of those out-of-towners up Logan St instead of Rialto, to Two Frays Brewing for hosting all the winter training rides, THANK YOU to all of the sponsors who stack the prize table for us every year and HELL YES TO THE NEW TEAM! We can’t wait to race with you!

see you next year

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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2023 Checkpoint Drop!

-----------------------> link to map <-----------------------

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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February Happy Hours @ Two Frays

$1 from every draft sold during the Happy Hour will benefit the Women’s Shelter and Center of Greater Pgh. $1 of every NA Tangerine Sour sold all month will also benefit the WS!

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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Frigid Bitch X

Frigid Bitch is back - for year 10! February 11th, 2023. A classic style alley-cat. Women and under-repped gender identities only. 100% of the registration benefits the Greater Pittsburgh Women’s Shelter and Center. Event details and registration on Bike Reg. Training rides will happen every weekend til race day. Buy your 10 year celebration swag here. Follow us on instagram for updates. Find like-minded bad asses, ask questions or stoke the hype on the facebook event page. Check out last year’s race synopsis and results.

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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2023 Frigid Bitch Training Rides

Tryin to prep for FBX? Need to bone up on your cuts around the city? Gotta practice layering up in various weather conditions? Hopin’ to meet some FB vets race crews you might be able to slide into?

- A pace: fast drop ride with longer mileage and more elevation. Will regroup at the tops of long/steep hills but generally will not wait for stragglers. ~16+ mph avg - B pace: ‘fit commuter’ pace, semi-drop, mid-level mileage and elevation. Will regroup at various points but may not wait for extended times. ~12-15 mpg avg - C pace: conversational social pace, no-drop, shorter routes, relatively few big hills. ~10-12 mph avg

If you are interested in leading or sweeping a pace group, please email us @ [email protected]!

All routes will also be posted as events on our Ride w GPS Club & Strava Club page

Two Frays Brewing will have space for bikes on their patio, outside heaters, indoor bathrooms, and coffee for sale. They’ll also have a couple new non-alcoholic beers on tap as well as their regular rotation. Stick around after the ride to hang out and compare ride recaps!

BEWARE: These rides are run in full Pgh Winter, so weather may mean routes take us over ice and snow. We may need to re-route mid ride depending on the conditions! Be ready for an adventure.

Sunday Feb 5th - Frigid Bitch 2021

Start/finish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

Meet at 1pm, leave at 1:30pm!

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Previous routes:

Sunday Jan 1st - Frigid Bitch 2016

Start/finish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

Meet at 1pm, leave at 1:30pm!

Full A-pace route: We’ll warm up by climbing Negley Ave (just a little big city hill), swing down Panther Hollow to hit the most obvious Pgh cobbles, take a dip into S Oakland and run the dead end of Romeo St staircase before climbing back up through Schenley Park for the pleasant commuter downhill of Pocusset St. Remember when the Greenfield Bridge was just rubble? From here we’ve got easy peasy double trail time from the Eliza Furnace, a quick jaunt thru the North Side, and back to the East End via the 3 Rivers Heritage Trail to 31st St Br. One more slog as we finish with a cobbled climb up McCandless and a fast downhill on Stanton back to Two Frays.

B-pace route: Cuts out the Romeo staircase and the North Side roads, keeping steady from the Eliza Furnace to the 3 Rivers trail. Optional end of ride cut: anyone who doesn’t fancy the cobbled climb up McCandless can stay on Penn after the 31st St Br and head back to Two Frays.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 8th - Frigid Bitch 2017

Start/finish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

Meet at 1pm, leave at 1:30pm!

C-pace route: 10-mile no-drop loop through the East End, featuring 2 mild hills - short and punchy up Bunker Hill to the Highland Park Reservoir and a longer steady climb up Wilkins into Oakland.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 15th - Frigid Bitch 2018

Start/finish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

Meet at 1pm, leave at 1:30pm!

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 22th - Frigid Bitch 2019

Start: Corner of Penn & Winebiddle

Fnish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

Meet at 1pm, leave at 1:30pm!

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

Sunday Jan 29th - Frigid Bitch 2020

Start/finish: Two Frays Brewing - 5113 Penn Ave in Garfield

Meet at 1pm, leave at 1:30pm!

B-pace route: Cuts out the Aspinwall Fire Station. Opts to climb Stanton instead, and drops down the hill to the take the Duncan St steps in reverse.

C-pace route: Dirty Jones returns for a short jaunt around the East End. Optional addition of the Highland Park loop.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

C-pace route here

Full route cue sheet here

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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2022 Group Rides

...will be posted here!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 18th: GAP and back

Meet at TWO FRAYS Brewing in Garfield!

1pm meet/1:15 roll: A-pace ride starting with the ‘classic’ roll down the GAP trail to McKeesport, but coming back on the other side of the river, through Braddock/Rankin/Edgewood etc. A fun up-and-down at the end via Wilkins/Beechwood.

1pm meet/1:15 roll: B-pace ride will follow the same route at a 12-15 mph pace. The ride will feature an optional route shortening at the Homestead Greys or Ranking Bridge, depending on the consensus of the group.

If you would like to lead a C pace ride, please email us @ [email protected]

Route here.

Group ride events are also posted to our Strava Club linked here

SUNDAY AUGUST 14th: Back-to-back A-pace Highland Park sprint + B-pace North Hills loop

Meet at Friendship Park in Bloomfield!

8:45 meet/9am roll: A-pace: a quick 10 mile sprint around the Highland Park Res (outer loop), up Butler St into Lville and through the Allegheny Cemetery back to Friendship Park to meet:

9:45 meet/10am roll: B-pace: a longer route thru Polish Hill, across the 31st bridge, up into Spring Hill (long climb) and back down East St where we’ll cut through the North Side on the way up Brighton and back down the Northshore Trail to the 40th Br.

Route here

Group ride events are also posted to our Strava Club linked here

SATURDAY JULY 9th: North Hills B+ pace

Meet at Friendship Park in Bloomfield!

8:45 meet / 9am roll: B+ pace (~14mph): 25 mile route heading north. Not a no-drop ride but will regroup at the top of hills. Cross the 40th Br into Millvale, up a steep climb on Seavy Rd and then a long beautiful climb up Middle. A couple steep punches in the middle and then rollers until we drop down Kittaning Pike and back into the city.

Route here

Group ride events are also posted to our Strava Club linked here

SUNDAY MAY 29th: Back-to-Back A&B rides

Meet at Friendship Park in Bloomfield!

8:45 meet / 9am roll: A-route: 24 miles heading northeast. Flat leading out of the city, a steady climb up Frankstown, and then we’ll wiggle back roads rollercoaster til we drop down Coal Hollow Road. Allegheny River Blvd takes us to the Hulton Bridge, and then a fast flat on Freeport Road back to the city and up One Wild Place. We’ll be doing this route within a 2 hr time window to make it back for the B ride.

10:45 meet / 11:00 am roll: B-route: Nice 20 mile city route east before dropping south through the Homewood Cemetery, then winding along Beechwood Blvd before hopping into the trail system from Hazelwood to the Strip District. Ride will kiss but not cross the Open Streets route in case anyone wants to hop off around Downtown to check it out.

Full route: The A pace group will meet back up at Friendship park prior to the B group roll time, so anyone is free to double up for the full 44 mile loop.

A-pace route here

B-pace route here

Full route here

Group ride events are also posted to our Strava Club linked here

SUNDAY MAY 8: Riverview

Meet @ Trace Brewing @ 12pm, ride leaves @ 12:15.

We’ll cross the 40th st bridge where the A&B groups will split - A group heads into Millvale and up some long roads, a steep up and long fun descent down Spring Garden, B group takes the trail over to the pedestrian connector and both groups will head up Brighton Rd into Riverview park and wiggle back down into the North Side.

A pace route here

B pace route here

Group ride events are also posted to our Strava Club linked here

SATURDAY APRIL 2: GAP out and back

Meet @ Trace Brewing @ 12pm, ride leaves @ 12:15.

We’ll head through the East End to a regroup spot at Madeline’s Bakery in Regent Square (bring $ and a mask if you plan on buying). Cross the Rankin Bridge, then once we hit the GAP trail it will be a straight out and back. Take the opportunity to slam it, OR chill cruise until you turn around and regroup. Return will be along the GAP through the Waterfront to the Hot Metal Bridge and up Panther Hollow

A&B pace route here

SATURDAY MAR 5: Bakery Ride!!

Meet @ Trace Brewing @ 12pm, ride leaves @ 12:15.

Take advantage of the warm weather! Ride features a regroup point half way through (at the Point, how lovely) and will hit Allegro Hearth Bakery in Sqrl Hill, Madeline’s in Regent Square, and end at Butterwood in Lawrenceville. Bring cookie/sandwich/cake $!

A-pace group will feature some extra hills.

C-pace route drops Madeline’s.

A-pace Ride with GPS file here

B-pace Ride with GPS file here

C-pace Ride with GPS file here

SUNDAY FEB 27:

Meet @ Trace Brewing @ 12pm, ride leaves @ 12:15.

Will feature A-pace (long route), B-pace (long route), and Caboose Crew (short route) ride leaders.

Long route Ride w GPS file here

Short route Ride w GPS file here

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pghbabesonbikes · 1 year

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Winter Postcards

Let your friends & fam know how jazzed you are to ride around in snow, ice, wind and freezing temps! Dash off a quick “can’t wait” on the back of our first-ever Winter Postcards, featuring 9 images of stoked baddies from this past year’s Frigid Bitch.

Pick em up at our Winter Merch Market - along with some other OG items from past Frigid Bitches (once those babies are gone, they’re gone!)

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pghbabesonbikes · 2 years

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Frigid Bitch X Swag

....has dropped!

We’re going all out for year 10 - jerseys, shorts, jackets, wind vests, sports bras, socks, neck gaitors, cycling caps, towels....we’ve got it all.

A percentage of all sales go to Pgh Babes on Bikes to fund our future projects.

Check out the store link and place your order before race day! Items will ship directly to you.

It’s always safest to size up - race cuts and shoe covers etc run real tight!

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pghbabesonbikes · 2 years

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Skills Clinic @ the Wheel Mill

Frigid Bitches get free entry to the bike park, free mountain bike skills clinic led by the indomitable Karen Brooks & Carley Young, and free MTB rental from Venture Outdoors*

A women & underrepped gender identifying individuals skills clinic for those of any skill level:

- Never been to the Wheel Mill? This is a great time to come get a tour of the massive, cavernous facilities with a group of rad, supportive humans - Need to get a basic understanding of the skills involved in mountain biking but afraid Frick Park will eat you alive? The Wheel Mill hosts a load of obstacles, ramps, pump tracks, flow tracks that you can try out at exactly your preferred level of gentle--aggro, without having to worry about collapsing bridges, giant snakes, and off-leash dogs - Already really good at mountain biking and just want to come hang out and ride? Yeah, absolutely do that, for freee 6pm - bike rentals start and free entry for 2022 Frigid Bitch racers begins 6:30 - tour of the park7pm - Skills clinic with Karen Brooks and Carley Young 10pm - Park closes. Tired yet?!

Non Frigid Bitch racers who also would like to participate are welcome! The Wheel Mill hosts weekly women+nonbin ary nights on Mondays, featuring $5 off park entry fee (=$20) and free entry to the women's+ clinic.

HELMETS REQUIRED

*Free rentals are limited and on a first-come first-serve bases. If you have a bike, bring it!

see who else is coming on the facebook event page

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pghbabesonbikes · 2 years

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Frigid Bitch 9 Results

Frigid Bitch 2022 didnt bother to wait until race day; we kicked off at the stroke of midnight New Years Day. Well, almost - for 6 weeks leading up to Feb 12th, training rides were hosted based on the loose routes of previous years’ races. Through hail or clear skies the race director wrangled bedraggled cyclists who had mostly spent the holidays wishing they were on wheels to the frozen-over patio of a local brewery/coffee-house combo and slowly converted them to the excellence of winter riding. They ice-skated on cleats past the cold fire pits, debated half-remembered layering techniques, tried to find their ski goggles and inspected the knob-level of each other’s tire treads. The rides were split into multiple-pace groups, and sometimes into snowy vs a-bit-less-snowy routes. There were cobbles, there were stairs, there were optional extra checkpoints and massive hills. It became apparent to the race director that the Frigid Bitch, which she’d always concocted from the safety of her computer screen and only managed to ride a single time way, way back in the day, was in fact a pretty fucking hard race. So she booted up her computer and made this year a little bit harder. Pittsburgh’s crumbling infrastructure decided to do some leg work of its own - a few weeks shy of race day a monumental bridge spanning over a park full of Pittsburgh’s best urban mountain biking trails and a crucial traffic avenue collapsed from the weight of accumulated ice, taking a few cars and a bus with it. The shock settled, zero fatalities were confirmed, and with a heavy hand of curses the map was taken out to be redrawn. But lo, the ping of an email - Bike Pgh was a beat faster. A local Frigid Bitch superstar volunteer who had a year previously tried to shovel the entire Highland Park Bridge sidewalk crafted a cyclist-specific treasure map leading them around the rubble of the Fern Hollow Bridge. Right past one of the as-yet secret checkpoints. A big red X was dropped on the manifest map and the race day checkpoint drop draft was updated with a link to the route addendum.

The day came with a record number of pre-registered racers - 178 - and gathered in pockets all over the city to check their gear and chatter strategy. They waited for the second hand to hit that sweet spot on the clock when the badly-coded checkpoint locations would drop and they could start frantically planning their route. The time came. The time went. The race director’s computer froze in the freezing wind at the optional race start location and the tables turned: it was she who was frantically trying to reconstruct that mass email blast. A few minutes later, it came through. The race was on.

THE CHECKPOINTS Jagger Path

On the outskirts of Frick Park lies a gravel and dirt connector between the bowling greens and the crumbled remains of the Fern Hollow Bridge. Somewhere along the trail - the map didnt say exactly where - volunteers were waiting with hot apple cider and fireball for the crowds of racers to roll through a river of ice and puddles of mud.

Pedestrian Central

Every Frigid Bitch has a spot that’s well known and easy to get to, and this was it. The pedestrian bridge spanning over the tracks between Shadyside and East Liberty connects the two neighborhoods that have historically been sliced apart by crumbling infrastructure and local politics.

Clever Together

One of Pittsburgh’s newest bike shops is tucked away in the Terminal Building in Station Square and under the shadow of giants - the city skyline, rusted rail trestles, and Dirty Dozen Hill #8: Sycamore St. It’s also surrounded by cobbled streets, city steps and graffitied trail paraphernalia. Unison Bike labs came out in full-volunteer-force, with a veritable festival of hot bevs and Pgh cookie tables. One long-time competitive cyclist but first-time Frigid Bitch racer limped her bike over to the shop with a mechanical and DNFed the race with two broken spokes.

Double Whammy

There’s a pseudo-secret staircase behind the Frick Fine Arts building that drops down the cliff into Panther Hollow and for some reason splits off into the tightly contained wilderness under the University of Pittsburgh, where volunteers were waiting in the shrubs and mud. What’s the DW? Shlepping your bike down a staircase and then getting dumped on the Joncaire St cobbled to climb back up, maybe.

Drop Even

Serpentine Drive is a quick steep wiggle of practical U turns up the hill into Schenley Park, and since the sidewall of the road collapsed a few years ago the city decided in lieu of fixing it they would just block off the dangerous parts, skinny up the road and open it to cyclists and pedestrians exclusively. Comical but we aren’t complaining. A small army of East End Cycling volunteers waited on one of the snakey bends with a fire pit, s’mores, and checkpoint stamps.

Half a Bernie

There’s always one distinct party stop and this was it. Under the 40th St Bridge at the end of the trail leading to the Bernard Run Dog Park racers found themselves transported to the Frigid Beach. There was an inflatable swan, there were flamingos, volunteers had a cook out with shrimp and hot dogs and margaritas. Tired souls could lounge in reclining chairs or perch pool-side and play tunes on the ukulele. Audience members included Bruce the Cheetah Batman, common garden gnomes, and a baby.

The Nice Steps

They’re new, they’re wide, they’re not falling apart, and they have a wheel-track for cyclists who just wanna push their ride up the city stairs. They’re The Nice Steps, and we can hardly believe they’ve come to Pittsburgh.

Prost

The checkpoint for those who don’t mind a haul but would rather ditch the cobbles, stairs and steep hills - volunteer veterans parked themselves in the gravel lot of a summertime brew spot and served up picklebacks for one and for all.

Hot N Bumpy

Truly the queen stop of this year’s race, the apex of Climax Street almost didn’t happen. Added on as the last lick of icing to take the cake, this checkpoint had a two-part split - racers turning off Arlington onto Climax had their manifests stamped with a pink heart, and were then directed up the steep cobbled hill to the other side - where another group of volunteers were waiting with a black arrow stamp to complete the set. The sidewalks were too shitty to ride so options were pushing the bike or biking the bumps. Climax is a pretty long road; anyone who didn’t pay particular attention to the implicit instructions embedded in the map turned the wrong way down it and found themselves back tracking to the right spot and spending a lot of valuable time riding up and down the other end of the street. The map never lies, but that doesn’t mean you can trust it not to lead you astray.

FINISH

The race ended at GristHouse Brewery where a veritable horde of cyclists banged their manifests on the finish table, grabbed a spokecard, fence-mountained their rides, and collapsed in piles of joyful tears. Barrel fires were lit to warm their frozen fingers and beers were swilled before most of the crowd managed to find their way further north to Necromancer Brewing for the...

PODIUMS

The party room at Necromancer filled up with bright eyes oogling the prize table and thawed hands ready to snag the small batch, special event collab ale brewed just for us, a crowd of hangry Pittsburgh zombie cyclists.

We saw the 3rd year return of our youngest rider (she’s 13 and loves wearing Frigid Bitch shirts to school), the arrival of our second ever tandem team, a healthy city-ride competition, and a massive masters field featuring a whole crew of ladies from Asheville, NC with an age top out in the high 70s.

RESULTS JUNIORS 1. Frances Young

TANDEM 1. Sol Moure 2. Lauryn Stalter SS/FIXED 1. Sky K 2. Jen Damon 3. Molly Orzechowski 4. MaryAlice Ryan

HEALTHY RIDE 1. Sara Khalil 2. Paula Zamora 3. Jessica Tacka

MOUNTAINBIKE 1. Katy McGuire 2. Natalie Boehm 3. Jessi Ruscher

4. Alyssa Crawford 5. Julia Shatten 6. Rachel Sportellu 7. Raney Lee 8. Shannon Frishkorn 9. Elana Szymkowiak 10. Elizabeth Klevens 11. Erin McLaughlin 12. Samantha Striner 13. Carley Young 14. Andrew ONeill 15. Ashley Martin 16. Taylor Berg 17. Sarah Pearman MASTERS 1. Barbara Jensen 2. Jodi Luedemann 3. Shannon Arlauckas 4. Francesca Montenegro 5. Courtney Ehrlichman

6. Gina Moon 7. Jen Damon 8. Stacie Truszkowski 9. Leslie Frattaroli 10. Anne-Marie Oswald 11. Suzanne Kinsky 12. Snow Wellington 13. Mary Ellen Griffin 14. Wendy Coin 15. Lauren Skrabala 16. Laura Shivell 17. Sarah Ross 18. Tamara Dubowitz 19. Cindy Billisits 20. Ashley Aiken 21. Marcia Haberman 22. Christie Smith 23. Elizabeth Klevens 24. Corinne Schneider 25. Caitlin Lenahan 26. Erin McLaughlin 27. Lauren Hughes 28. Gloria Mou 29. Jolynn Gibson 30. Maureen Duncan 31. Dirty Jones 32. Sangeetha Ramakrishna 33. Heather Kelley OPEN 1. Acadia Klain 2. Jamie Martina 3. Paige Anderson 4. Angela Martinez 5. Lindsay Dill

6. Leah Nicolich-Henkin 7. Elise Rowe 8. Barbara Jensen 9. Mel Bryan 10. Jennifer Stevens 11. Jodi Luedemann 12. Shannon Arlauckas 13. Francesca Montenegro 14. Alicia Hull 15. Katharine Jordan 16. Alexandra Korshin 17. Courtney Ehrlichman 18. Sarah Woshe 19. Ania Jaroszewicz 20. Alexander McCarthy 21. Ze Starr 22. Sawyer Sidelinger 23. Samone Riddle 24. Valerie Murray 25. Shannon Dern 26. Gina Moon 27. Sky K 28. Dani Kramer 29. Lauren Pearman 30. Sarah Sindler 31. Jen Damon 32. Megan Gallagher 33. Robyn Brewer 34. Katy McGuire 35. Stacie Truszkowski 36. Shequaya Bailey 37. Allison Glick 38. Natalie Boehm 39. Sara Khalil 40. Leslie Frattaroli 41. Elysar Naja 42. Deanna Guarnaccio 43. Jessi Ruscher 44. Janelle Maloch 45. Alyssa Crawford 46. Julia Shatten 47. Colby Neubauer 48. Lindsay McCord 49. Rachel Sportellu 50. Jennifer Glick 51. Emily Potoczny 52. Stevie Gallo 53. Miche Riches 54. Sara Horsey 55. Anne-Marie Oswald 56. Marjorie Drake 57. Suzanne Kinsky 58. Snow Wellington 59. Mary Ellen Griffin 60. Wendy Coin 61. Raney Lee 62. Emily Biermann 63. Jamie Martines 64. Lauren Bilsky 65. Paula Zamora 66. Julia Mericle 67. Joanna Haneman 68. Betsy Lewis 69. Emma O'Brien 70. Lora Matway 71. jules walker 72. spencer burrito 73. Mona Meszar 74. Lauren Delorenze 75. Lauren Skrabala 76. Chelsea Rumbaugh 77. Ngani Ndimbie 78. Marie Barcic 79. Kristin Saunders 80. Anusha Sinha 81. Bonnie Weibel 82. Mary Jackson 83. casey maher 84. Laura Shivell 85. Lauren Nolfi 86. Sarah Ross 87. Tamara Dubowitz 88. Milo Spiders 89. Laura Everhart 90. Alex Herisko 91. Cindy Billisits 92. Shannon Frishkorn 93. Brittany Eltman 94. Hannah Berg 95. Lou Deemer 96. Erin Potts 97. Molly Orzechowski 98. Emily Hughes 99. MaryAlice Ryan 100. Fine Han 101. Brenna Lynam 102. sol moure 103. Michele Abbott 104. Laura Short 105. Megan Laychak 106. Ashley Aiken 107. Tara Monfrediv 108. Marcia Haberman 109. Christie Smith 110. Elana Szymkowiak 111. Sam Smith 112. Bridget Ward 113. Karolina Lach 114. charlie left 115. Elizabeth Klevens 116. Corinne Schneider 117. Caitlin Lenahan 118. Erin McLaughlin 119. Danica Schneider 120. Morgan Sulik 121. Samantha Striner 122. Catherine Wick 123. Carley Young 124. Rita Johnson 125. Lauren Hughes 126. Gloria Mou 127. Frances Young 128. Morgan Tunstall 129. Jolynn Gibson 130. Lauryn Statler 131. Megan Andrews 132. Michelle McArtor 133. Maureen Duncan 134. Sarah E. Scherk 135. Kimberly Garrett 136. Andrew ONeill 137. Gillian Prater-Lee 138. Caitlin Yeager 139. Elise Fanto 140. Kelsey McNaul 141. Jane Kaminski 142. amanda Gates 143. Mo Gordon 144. Gina Moss 145. Jennifer Ramsey 146. Kelly Sarkis 147. Ashley Martin 148. Jessica Tacka 149. Mary Hatch 150. Taylor Berg 151. Dirty Jones 152. Sarah Pearman 153. Shani Rosenthal 154. Bridget McCoy 155. Nicole Sinwell 156. Jennifer Mazzocco 157. Linnea Warren May 158. Jess Cox 159. Kate Greuel 160. Sangeetha Ramakrishna 161. Katie Bordner 162. Ellie Hazlett 163. Heather Kelley 164. Juliette Crellin 165. Mikayla Cortese

THANK YOU to everyone who made Frigid Bitch 2022 possible!! Especially to Elise W & Di-ay who are never too swamped to bring their boss skills to the table, to Robyn B who is forever one-upping herself in the design department, Chris M for waiting patiently to hopefully never do anything too important, Josh P for always being an available dork, to Necromancer Brewing for making one of my secret dreams come true, to all the 165+ coolest most kick ass humans who let me gleefully design this snowed over city treasure map every year and jump through all the idiot hoops i can think of to throw at them, to ALL THE VOLUNTEERS who just keep bringing more stoke! (i will repeat that we can't do this without you til the end of time), to every single photographer who saves my ass on race day and definitely never gets the actual attention and gratitude you deserve (love you forever), and of course TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS, who joyfully throw more prizes at all yinz than i even ask for! Can't wait for Frigid Bitch X - ten years comin up hot!!!*

*probably freezing actually

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!

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