FYXD305, Miami's Newest Bike Posse, Launches Underground Alleycat Race

Courtesy of FYXD305

Life as a cyclist in Miami is on the ups. There's still the risk of getting run down on a causeway or facing the wrath of irate drivers, but at least a solid network is growing in support of two-wheeled transportation.

"We have a lot of people riding bikes and urban cyclists here in Miami so we're trying to gather all of them and do team rides ride every Wednesday. I wanted to gather people together to ride together because we know each other. We see each other riding the opposite way but we never ride together -- we're always on our way to work or on our way to do something," says Mandy Echevarria, the group's founder.

The team has already been hosting Wednesday night bike rides. These casual 12-20 mile jaunts start at Omni Station and include several "pit/beer stops."

Echevarria was part of a massive urban cycling scene in Puerto Rico, and moved to Miami about a year ago only to discover that there was a serious lack of groups and events for bicycling enthusiasts such as himself. So he decided to launch FYXD305.

"I didn't expect the response to be this big, but since day one on the Wednesday night ride people keep coming and coming," he says.

The fledgling group's first major event, dubbed the Underground Alleycat Race, kicks off on Saturday, October 20. Echevarria modeled this race after the informal alleycat races launched by bike messengers in Toronto. The popular races, which consist of competitions where the participants speed from checkpoint to checkpoint, soon spread to other cities. And now, Echevarria is bringing them to Miami.