Alley Cat racing got its start with big city bicycle messengers. The participants would race to various check points. In order to find the next location a clue was given. Eventually the messengers make their way to the finish line where the reward is usually just bragging rights and beer. This past Thursday night in downtown Greenville that big city alley cat theme was repeated.

The thirty-five or more alley cat racers had to navigate their way around downtown Greenville to locate six landmarks. The first person to find all six and return to the starting point would be declared the “winner”. The racers were asked to donate five dollars which in turn was donated to the fund to create a flow park at Gateway Park in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.

After a quick 35 minutes one rider appeared out of the dark, Andy Davis of Greenville. Davis used his local knowledge of back alleys and side streets to separate himself from the pack. While he did enjoy the adulation Davis said that his motivation was to have fun. “It was a blast.”

Alley Cat promoter Jeff Papenfus decided to organize an Alley Cat as a way to contribute to the racing scene. His busy race schedule didn’t allow him to volunteer as much as he would have liked. Greenville hasn’t been the only city in the area to be the location for these underground races. Last week Asheville, North Carolina was the site of the The Southern Comfort Alley Cat. Next week the word on the street is Spartanburg, South Carolina is the next alley cat race location. Naturally these types of races flourish in the bigger cities such as Atlanta. While the location differs the atmosphere is the same – good times followed by beer.