West Side Invite

This weekend brings the legendary Westside Invite to Seattle for the first time. The "Westside" is a series of races, demonstrations and parties by and for the Urban Bike Community. For eight straight years the Invite has taken place in Portland, and it has taken an incredible effort from a dedicated local crew to bring this event to the Emerald City. The insanely ambitious weekend-long series of events begins on Friday May 22nd with two Alley Cat races - one co-ed and one for women only. Saturday brings the city-wide time trial and a group ride through the urban core. The biggest event of all - "The Main Race"- starts on Sunday, taking riders from Georgetown to Lake Washington to Lake City, over to Ballard and back to Georgetown. Hard core. Other events over the weekend include a bike polo tournament, fixed gear freestyle, bike messenger time trials, stationary bike sprints and much much more.

For lovers of bike gear, the weekend also has an amazing list of sponsors, from Knog to Raleigh to Phil Wood to Chrome Bags, all of whom are providing both money for the shindig itself and bitchin' prizes for the race winners. The unprecedented level of organization is paying off in spades - individuals and teams are coming from Portland, San Francisco, Vancouver BC, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia to compete for prizes and bragging rights.

Even if you can't quite keep up with the bikers, there are many opportunities over the long weekend to party, drink, and check out some of the baddest bikes on the west coast. Check out the full website here and the Westside blog here.