You are hereCritical Mardi Gras - TOMORROW!!! Bring your beads!
Critical Mardi Gras - TOMORROW!!! Bring your beads!
We're just 28 short hours away from Critical Mass, and the crowds have been clamoring for a theme...
And now, the wait is over! Annie P in her infinite wisdom has officially come up with the theme for the 2009 February Critical Mass ride, though the flyer was hacked together in 15 minutes by me...
I don't know how many of you made it downtown last Tuesday, but that was some weak sauce! Ever since that riot almost a decade ago, the cops have decided to ruin all our fun surrounding that most holy of February holy-days: MARDI GRAS! FAT TUESDAY! Since this city doesn't seem to be able to drum up the proper amount of revelry and madness, it looks like it's up to us to celebrate its' passing properly, WITH BIKES, BOOBS and BOOZE!
You know the drill. Bring your bike, bring your party clothes, bring your mask, bring your beads, and BE READY TO PARTY! I'll be there with my tall bike and party hat, and if I'm the only one who's topless I'll be real frikkin bummed...
Just checked the replies, glad ya'll agree!
teepee
didnt see the bmw incedent. One of the people involved who happened to spit on the car/occupants and kick the car was a first time rider on critical mass.
for some reason alot of the new folks on the ride tend to take a much more agressive aproach to situations. We need to look out for each other and that means telling people when its time to relax and just let things go. theres no need to escalate situations to the point where property gets damaged that will bring nothing but troubles to critical mass.
time to step up people when you see bikers being jerks call them out and tell them to stop.
fixed gears are like butt holes, every one has one.
You know me, I do a lot of yelling on the rides including at assholes doing shit like blocking all the lanes or fucking with cars. I totally agree that we need to be self-policing, so that the real police don't need to get involved.
Last night at the ACA Art Acevedo sit-down someone asked if the cops would be willing to provide an escort for Critical Mass. Thankfully the boss cop said no, but I can't imagine the nightmare that would be involved if the cops did get involved. Lets just take care of our own, make sure no one gets hurt or causes problems, and if someone's being a fucking asshole, let it be known that their behavior isn't cool.
I love these rides and I'm really digging how they've grown, but we need to make sure no one loses sight of what it's really about: having a good time riding bikes.
I guess what I'm trying to say is...
"CHILL BRO!"
Hello all,
I just wanted to say a few things about last weeks Crit Mass. I wasn't able to attend, so please someone correct me if I am wrong, but I heard some serious negativity was presented at the ride. My best friend and recent introductee to cycling lifestyle was appalled at the ride when two instances of recklessness occured. First, my friend observed a rider taunt a BMW stuck in traffic and then spit inside the car, causing the car to speed up and then get kicked by the rider and taunted by others. Yes, I know hate occurs nearly every Mass, but this whole spitting/kicking a car thing particularly disturbs me as I would hate to think what will happen to my ass while doing home at 1 am after work when I am hunted by a now enraged bike-hater BMW. (The other "instance" was the breaking up off the ride by the racers at the front - oh well, it just happens).
There was a lot of solidarity (from all ends of the bicycle spectrum) at the Austin Bicycle Plan presentation on Wednesday and recent rides have been pretty badass. Everyday/Every Crit Mass this cycling community is gaining massive ground. I respect all other riders/groups (much more than cars) and if asked what I think about cars, I will first respond "seriously? fuck 'em". But seriously, as mad as I have gotten with all the cut-offs, middle fingers, collisions, and the like I still hold strongly that a simple blowing of a kiss to a sad little car driver will do so much more than a spit through the window. So I propose kisses instead of fingers and spitting! Try it, it goes much deeper than a "fuck you" and would be much more respected to our Crit Mass founding forefathers and foremothers.
(oh if any other witnesses could expland on this not-so-lovely spit/blowing kiss on friday, post it up!)
Taylor
ps- I know this is forever on-going issue in the cycling community, but I just had to put in my two cents...
I agree with you on all above points. It pisses me off to see the spitting/kicking/taunting shit. I know a lot of the time people on the ride have a months' worth of car harassment-induced aggression built up from all the shit they've dealt with on the roads, and when they're in a mob of several hundred other riders want to enact vengeance on the vehicles that wronged them. It's not an excuse, but I can understand the mentality. I'm staunchly in the waving/smiling camp. If they're talking shit I wish 'em a "happy Friday" and tell them it'll just be a few more moments. Thanks for the comments.
... most CMers don't do that sort of thing, but a small minority does, and they make everybody look bad. Even if it's justified (and really, it rarely is), it doesn't really gain us anything but enemies.
Personally, I'm fond of just smiling and waving. They're honking because they love bikes, right? Don't annoy the people in the cars -- they're already annoyed just by having to be in their cars in rush hour, so there's no need to add to that. And if they turn out to be in the hostile minority, just smile, wave and leave -- nobody wins that sort of altercation.
(And as always, there's pictures from the last ride..)