What to bring & sample clue

WHAT DO I BRING TO A BICYCLE TREASURE HUNT?
  1. A bicycle. The more exotic (recumbent, tandem, trike, etc.) the better. You get a distinctive advantage if your velo steed is a two-seater. The captain can steer while the stoker can look at the map, clue sheet, reference materials, etc. Smart idea to tune-up your bike before the hunt.

  2. A pair of comfortable sneakers or shoes. You'll want to shy away from wearing cleated bike shoes (at least ones where the cleats are not recessed) because you'll be getting on and off you bike often and will be walking around on a number of different surfaces.

  3. Some coinage (quarters & dimes) for those unexpected needs.

  4. Bring water & a simple snack to nourish your hard working mind/body machine. You might find certain treats will be found at clue sites. If you do bring gum, YOU better have enough for the whole team.

  5. Any reference materials or gear (books, maps, almanacs, laptops, cell phones, telephone directories, kitchen sinks, etc.) that you deem suitable for helping your team solve the clues or just to weigh down your bike and make your muscles burn.

  6. A chronograph. All watches will be synced at the start to the exact second of current local time as deemd by the hunt master.

  7. A can-do TEAM attitude. You will need to stay with your teammates at ALL times. You can not be more than an earshot away. Our field judges do not take kindly to lack of team cohesion--you can be docked time or worse! The only reason for a member to leave the team is either to sit out of the rest of the hunt or they had a MAJOR bike problem like, say--frame failure. I flat tire is a minor repair is the hollowed halls of velo sleuthing.

  8. An understanding of the Rules of the Road. The State of California has deemed bicycles as vehicles. You have the full benefits AND responsibilities that this entails. Please obey all traffic laws.

  9. Elementary protection. A helmet on top of the old thinking cap to start. It might also be good idea to wear sunblock & sunglasses. Of course for all those lounging tandem stokers, maybe just twirl a real fancy-dancy sun parasol over your head.

  10. A sense of excitement for the unknown and a very, very good sense of humor.
**This bike event is more about brain power and good velo group dynamics than it is about swiftness of spinning cranks. Think of this bicycle extravaganza as a mix between scavenger hunt, road rally and utter human zaniness.

SAMPLE CLUE:
This clue is from a bicycle treasure hunt that might have been held in the Marina District of SF.

"Sans San Francisco, you'll run into the twinkling aqua truck. Chat with a gentleman of stature."

Solution: Well the first thing you spot is that the "San" in "San Francisco" has been repeated twice. But the first word isn't "San" it's "Sans". Was this a typo? Well actually, there is a word "sans" in the dictionary which means "without" -- so "sans san" or "without san" just leaves "Francisco" as in Francisco street? The next part is about a certain "twinkling aqua truck."

"Aqua" means water and is also a certain blue color. The Alhambra water company has blue twinkling colored dots on the backs of all their trucks. Then you realize looking at the map provided, there's an "Alhambra" street that crosses Francisco St.--BINGO. When you bike to that location, you find a man on stilts! When you get up the nerve for your team, you start talking with this gentleman. He then reveals the answer you needed to fill in your clue manifest sheet. As you can tell from this sample clue, some of the clue sites will be interactive in nature. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Good luck and good hunting!

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