Before the horses race in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday evening, Baltimore had an annual race of its own with a poodle, a crocodile and other sculptures trekking around the city through sand, water and mud.
Celebrating its 25th year, Baltimore’s favorite spectator sport, the Kinetic Sculpture Race, took to the streets Saturday. Upward of 30 sculpture teams navigated the citywide obstacle course, testing their engineering skills and patience.
The rules are simple: Build a human-powered bike from recycled materials and make it through the 15-mile course in one piece. Themes are encouraged, as are bribes to race judges — they’ll be happy to look the other way during a cheat for some homemade cookies or a unique piece of art.
Participants began at the American Visionary Art Museum and climbed the steep hill at the base of Federal Hill Park. They continued to Canton Waterfront Park, where they tested their flotation calculations by doing a U-Turn around the singular pier.
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After surviving the tides of the bay, they went to Patterson Park to see if they could outsmart the sand and mud pits. It’s here where many tears are shed — it’s said, if you listen closely, you can hear the frustrated screams of cyclists past.
At the end of the day, they’ll make their way back to the AVAM for a celebration and award ceremony, ranging from “Grand Mediocre Champion,” celebrating the sculpture that finishes in the middle of the pack, to the “Golden Dinosaur,” awarded to the vehicle that experiences the most memorable malfunction.
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