For those of you who are not aware, an AlleyCat is a treasure hunt on bicycles.
This is fifth one that has been hosted in Norwich, and the organisation of this particular AlleyCat was down to me.
I decided to base most of this AlleyCat around competitors having either a digital camera or a camera phone to take pictures of various things around the city which the cyclists were guided to by clues. We are lucky as there is a comprehensive network of cycle paths, lanes and routes throughout the city, and I chose to run over 85% of this Alleycat on these.
There was one checkpoint that every competitor had to pass through, and the task here was for everyone to grab one of our Polo mallets and hit the tap in gong: if you put your foot down when playing bicycle Polo, you are out of play until you have tapped the gong.
Anyway here are the clues that I set, and the set of control photos that the competitors had to match.
Norwich AlleyCat 27th September 2011.
Start point: The Forum.
Task Checkpoint: Sloughbottom Park.
Finish: Jurnets bar.
Read the clues and instructions very carefully before departing: it is up to you to plan and then cycle your chosen route!
Whose is the red box at the junction of Colegate and St Georges street?
Within sight of the main gates of Wensum Park take a photo of the artistic pile of human trash. (Additional clue: look next to the council litter bin).
Take a photo of the “Wiggly” silver coloured metal Sustrans mile marker post on Bank Plain.
Not exactly the “Mint with the hole” but under the floodlights in Sloughbottom Park you must Tap in. The checkpoint controller is to sign below when you have completed this task.
On Marriotts way: There are no flies on this mile marker; take a photograph or (if too dark) describe this in one word.
On Marriotts way: All across, but only one down; mind the steps and don’t take a dip!..... a nine letter word beginning with K and ending with E.
At the beginning of Marriotts way there is a large piece of sculpture made from steel; but what is on the top of it?
By now you may have cut the Mustard, so take a photograph of the Bull in Jurnets bar.
What Stars begin with the Letter Z outside of the Norwich Playhouse?
On Oak Street, where the Idols, and Statuettes face both the North and East take a photograph of the one in the first alcove on the North wall.
Take a photograph of the Mural on the wall at Wensum Lodge.
Take a photograph of the drinking water fountain at St Georges Church on Colegate.
What are the next two main productions at the Norwich Puppet theatre?
Edith Cavell. Occupation? _ _ _ _ _ Born? _ _ _ _ Died? _ _ _ _
We had 18 teams take part this evening; I am not exactly sure how many competitors in total, and because I deliberately mixed up the order of all the clues (with the exception of the Marriotts way section) to prevent it just becoming a linear race, I have been called a devious so-and-so an awful lot more than once.
I had decided to add a 5 minute penalty for every incorrect answer or photograph, and because of the penalty system we ended up with a tie for first place, but more about the tie breaker later.
Only one team managed to complete the whole sheet and bring to me all of the correct photos and answers, but they came in over 50 minutes later than all the rest, and so were placed last and took the booby prize of a large tin of Mars Celebrations sweets. This was a team of fresher girls from the Norwich University College of Art. However, these girls had their heads screwed on because they used their smart phones to google the answers for Edith cavell, the puppet theatre and the post box, and thus saved themselves almost 2 km of cycling.
I had prepared for a tie breaker, with a handful of Chinese take away menus and had placed them on the table next to me at the final check-in.
When I had collated all the results, I announced that the tie breaker winner would be the first person to hand me a Chinese take away menu.
We had to wait almost 15 minutes for the first one to arrive back, and by then all the others competitors not taking part in this particular sprint task had noticed the take away menus that I had placed on the table next to me, and once again called me a right devious so-and-so.
All in all a fantastic night of bicycle orientated entertainment.