The Cat’s Meow

Jen “Hurricane” Nordhem, Denver Bicycle Film Festival producer and former bike messenger and street racer, can easily find her way around what’s generally thought of as a man’s world. But when she entered her first criterium race, she realized that she’d never raced against women. So in an attempt to...

By Susan Froyd

October 29, 2009

Audio By Carbonatix

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Jen “Hurricane” Nordhem, Denver Bicycle Film Festival producer and former bike messenger and street racer, can easily find her way around what’s generally thought of as a man’s world. But when she entered her first criterium race, she realized that she’d never raced against women. So in an attempt to make bike racing less intimidating to the gals, the first Femalley Cat race was conceived: “I want to let my sisters know that they can be badass, too,” she says.

Designed to emulate a bike courier’s work day, the women-only race, which begins today at 1 p.m. at the Millennium Bridge, on 16th Street between Wynkoop and Little Raven streets, will involve riding between mapped checkpoints (all local independent businesses, Nordhem points out), where specific tasks must be completed. Contestants who do that better than anyone else can win cool prizes, from cycling gear or free spin classes to the grand prize, a high-fashion custom-embroidered messenger bag. But the real reward, Nordhem notes, is a really good time. And, besides, after the race proper, guys are invited to compete in a second event, the Femalley Drag, with one minor stipulation. Use your heads, men: It’s Halloween, and that particular requirement is mentioned in the title — so sign up and suit up, dudes. Then it’s off to the DBFF at Starz FilmCenter for an evening of film viewing, if you choose.

Registration is $5, and proceeds benefit the U.S. Women’s Cycling Development Program; get all the details at http://femalleycat.wordpress.com.
Sat., Oct. 31, 1 p.m., 2009

Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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