Pittsburgh’s Dirty Dozen bike race moved up a month in hopes of better weather
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The organizers of Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen moved up the annual hill-climbing bike race a month this year in search of more pleasant weather.
Saturday’s forecast predicts rain and temperatures in the 50s for the more than 300 riders attempting to pedal up 13 of the steepest hills in and around Pittsburgh. But that’s better than rolling the dice on possibly colder and more miserable weather on a typical race day over Thanksgiving weekend.
“Last year it was in the 30s and raining,” said Danny Chew, the Squirrel Hill cyclist who started the race 36 years ago with his brother Tom and their friend Bob Gottleib.
The competition started more or less on a lark, a stunt to see if they could climb some of the steepest hills in Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods in one day, Chew said.
“I just wanted to showcase the toughest hills in the city,” Chew said.
The roster includes Beechview’s Canton Avenue, not only the steepest in the city but also the nation. Others include Rialto Street in Troy Hill and Sycamore Street in Mt. Washington.
“I never thought it would grow as big as it has now,” Chew said.
Paralyzed from the chest down since a 2016 crash while cycling in Ohio, Chew continues to be the face of the race. His medical condition has left him wary of being exposed to the cold weather of late November, which is part of the reason for moving the date of the race. Like any other change in Pittsburgh, it was resented by some, Chew said, but he noted that the race has only been consistently held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving since 2000.
Before that, the hills had been biked on days in October, November, December or January.
The rain may halt last-minute challengers from registering, said Chris Helbling, also of Squirrel Hill, who helps Chew with event logistics.
The race that once drew anywhere from a few dozen to about 50 entrants will attract more than 300 people this year, Helbling said.
Aside from seeing more cyclists out than normal, people who live in the neighborhoods used in the course of the race may not even notice something’s going on. Organizers and cyclists work to avoid creating traffic issues.
The race is what’s called an “alleycat race” in the cycling world, meaning it isn’t sanctioned or organized like a typical race. Instead, it’s handled like a group bike ride. The field of racers is broken into smaller groups to avoid congestion on roads, Helbling said.
No roads are closed and the cyclists travel in small groups between hills, Helbling said.
Canton Avenue is the exception, and a crowd generally gathers there with support of the Beechview neighborhood, he said.
Also new this year is an awards ceremony at East End Brewing Co. in Larimer.
Of the weather, “We’ll have to wait and see what happens,” Danny Chew said.
Info: bikereg.com/43625