Claremont Racing III: Surprise

We'd gone down Mills, through the Harvey Mudd concourse, past both Alumnae Field and Parents Field, made the usual jog to the right taking us past the three towers - Fawcett, Stark and Auen Halls without seeing many, if any, bicyclists. The campuses were one big party, everywhere you looked there was something going on. Graduation is just around the corner for some, the end of another year of classes for others, hence all the lettin' loose and perhaps the lack of bicyclis...

wait a minute, what's this?

just as we get to the point we needed to cross Sixth, a very large group of riders came streaming around a turn up the road, along Sixth and through the gate beside the Haldeman Aquatics Center. What is this? was the question on my mind, and the one that the mrs. yelled out loud. More than one person answered, though neither of us could make out the name of the event we were witnessing a small part of, though the word "race" was in there somewhere.

Of course, it made a lot of sense, a natural (as far as i was concerned) extension of the stationary parties taking place, was this mobile party on wheels. I was immediately reminded of the relays that took place here in the 1950s and 1960s, races that i posted about way back in the earlier years of this blog: Claremont Racing II, Tag Team at the Colleges. Previously unaware that this was going on, i was kind of taken aback a bit. I mean i had heard of some of the other traditions - you know, like the Freshman run to start the year, swimming in the fountains, and... well, alright maybe those are the only two i've heard of. But the existence of a big group race like this? How long has this been going on? Does it date to those earlier relays, its form having evolved over the years? Well, whatever the case, i will clearly need to mark my calendar for this weekend in May 2026. Right now though, who can tell me the name of this thing, if indeed there is one?