Critical Mass

Have you ever sat at a traffic light, even a green one, wondering when the endless parade of bicycles was going to end? If so, you have experienced the other side of Critical Mass. Well, not YOU Maya, you can't even drive yet. But I bet (and hope) you will ride bikes, a lot of bikes, over the course of your life. Critical Mass is a happening, so they say, for the bikers by the bikers.

Bart is darn near a regular in the San Francisco Critical Mass events. He is always inviting me along, and once we even tried to go, but (ironically enough) traffic on my way to the city from work made us late, and we didn't find them. Even more ironic, that failed attempt also included Ronny from LA, who was up this weekend with his girlfriend. This time, ALL of us made it early, nice job of organizing the troops Mister Haney.

Biker Chris, fresh back from his European Vacation, took some time to come out with us, sporting a single speed. Yes, no changing gears on this bike, even for the hills. Chris is a bad-ass.

Critical Mass is not organized, per se, nor is it 'led' in the classic sense. Yet, in cities all over the world it happens, mostly on the last Friday of every month. For some great pictures of events all over the world, check out the Critical Mass tag on Flickr. Or to learn more about it, check out this 'unofficial' site.

So in essence Critical Mass is a movement. A demonstration, say some. I prefer to think of it as a reminder, a reminder that in a city a bike is a great way to get around. Sometimes faster than driving. Especially when riding with several hundred (or thousand) other bikers. This is us in the Broadway Tunnel. Not a lot of room for cars in this lane! And very strange to ride through a tunnel with no sidewalks, not worried about being mangled by a Suburban or BMW.

It is not always a friendly demonstration, as some of the motorists 'stuck' in the middle of the event do not take kindly to their unforeseen delay. But as an urban biker myself, I can attest to the fact that motorized traffic ALWAYS impacts my concrete and asphalt-based rides, it is good to remind the car-bound that the streets belong to all of us. Above the ride moves through the Marina on the way to the Presideo. Isn't that on the other side of town, you say? Yes, this is a RIDE not a ride around the block!

Plus, quite frankly, you tend to see some really kick-ass bikes, and some very interesting people.

This Critical Mass corresponded with the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Union Square, right smack in front of Macy's. Not hard to guess where Critical Mass went first. Yeah, not a great picture in terms of composition or focus or exposure. Tough to do in the middle of several hundred bikes, in the middle of several hundred pedestrians and SUV's. Just trying to illustrate the point that Critical Mass can be a surreal experience to say the very least! And twenty miles of riding in a city with its fair share of hills, it counts as good cardio too. And big fun with friends and strangers alike!