Critical Mass July 2008 and afterparty

I think there were somewhere around 35 people with a good mix of new faces and regulars as well as everyone in between. Two tandems! One bride with veil. And no flats this time! I really like riding in the parks, though the streets have been fine lately; very few cars beeping horns, no death threats etc. We have been much better about corking intersections by talking to the drivers while blocking side traffic. A smile and explanation works wonders and 99.99% of cars are mad cool with the bicycles riding by in our mass. Critical Mass isn’t a protest…it’s a celebration!

Please y’all, please stay stopped at red lights when we arrive as a group and have to stop! It’s a great chance to regroup the ride and keep the mass together for safety and traffic. Let everyone catch up and redensify the group; no stragglers trying to pass cars to get back to everyone. We all seem to understand keeping the group together when the light turns in the middle, but don’t take off on a red! We have to be responsible for each other and look out for each other as a group. Taking off from a red light during a slow section of traffic will only split the group when the traffic picks up in a few seconds. Please think about this and remember, just because a few take off, you can make a better decision and stay!

Check karma’s post from a few days ago for the play by play. I’m just soapboxing this one and posting lots of eye candy.

By the way, why is it that teenagers in the South End seem to yell much more foul shit at us than any other neighborhood? Why? What is the appropriate response to a porch of kids yelling, “White Power!!!” That happens like every single ride down that way.

Well, here's a few photos to get started. I think I tend to take photos of people I know cuz I am horrible with names and spelling; so gimme a hollerrrr if i butchered yer name or got it wrong or something like that.

There's a crapload more if ya click on READ MORE!


Carole, AmyZ and Lindsey chillin' in the park before the ride.


Franklin Avenue.


I love this photo! ChillWill (me!), my 40 and the always fashionable Mary Lynn! So classy.


Krash felt comfortable leaving his Bianci unlocked in the friendly crowd of bikers. Sucka! About 40 minutes later he had to turn his back and go inside to pee and we quickly moved into action and relocated his bike someplace much safer. It took him a bit to find it, even though it was the shortest tree on the block!


I wish we did this twice a month. Mid-month ice cream ride anyone? yeah baby!

click below for many more photos:





More Franklin Avenue


Ben, brakeless and ahead of the pack in Cedar Hill Cemetary


Critical Wedding!


Find the beer!


Bianca is very safe. She drinks with a helmet. After what happened to Krash's Bianci, i don't blame Bianca for playing it safe!


Cheers mates!


Robin and Steve discussing his warm 40!?!?


Rich is like, "No Fair! i don't smoke!"


We know how to dress in The Beat.








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Being a Badass Bike Cop Takes Hard Work

Last week, I saw Bridgeport bicycle cops training in the art of two-wheeled kung-fu and was actually fairly impressed. But we all know that riding the beat entails more than just dispensing beat-downs; it's also important to have massive shows of force. Luckily, the Bridgeport bike cop training regimen has that covered, as I witnessed yesterday afternoon:



Because I love freedom, justice, bikes, and Bridgeport, I feel I should offer a few tips to these new constables concerning the laws of the great state of Connecticut:

• Connecticut General Statutes Section 14-286b(b): "Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles."
• Connecticut General Statutes Section 14-286a(a): "Every person riding a bicycle, as defined by section 14-286, upon the traveled portion of a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of any vehicle . . ." So, like, stopping at the white line so as not to obstruct the crosswalk - that's something bikes have to do.
• If you guys think you're exempt from the rules just 'cause you're cops, you're only half right: Connecticut General Statutes Section 286e(a) tells us that "Any police officer, firefighter or emergency service personnel operating a bicycle in response to an emergency call or while engaged in rescue operations or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law shall be exempt from the provisions of sections 14-286, 14-286a, 14-286b, 14-286c and 14-289 . . ." but, "The exemptions granted in subsection (a) of this section shall apply only when such bicycle is making use of an audible warning signal device, including, but not limited to a siren, whistle or bell."

So next time, my dear Bridgeport bike cops, ride double file, stop at the stop line, and only break the rules while tooting on a whistle. See you on the streets!
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Critical Mass: Southbound

So while most of us will still be fuming from the post I put up earlier today we can still appreciate the fact that our own (albeit much smaller, yet growing) Critical Mass was celebrated this past Friday with little police fanfare.

The crew met up for the standard pre-ride libations and found the riverfront well flooded...

We sat and watched the river race by full of debris from upstream and waited for it to wash away Will's ride...

After a little while we headed over to the park and gathered our ranks.

Click "Read More" because there is much more after the break!!!

The weather was gorgeous and we looked to have the solid 30+ riders we have averaged the past couple months (tell your friends folks we'd love to see more!)

Joe agrees!


So does Ben!

After everyone was assembled we headed South out of Bushnell Park onto Elm St. and into Pulaski Circle. Its always fun to do things on your bike that people only usually do in cars so it was inevitable that the crew would have a good roundabout in the rotary...

Around...


And around...


And around...

Until we took a quick glimpse at the street signs. Lets see, New York, New Haven, Springfield, no thanks. The Bushnell, Hartford Hospital, and Trinity, yes please.


We headed down Hudson St. Turned onto Jefferson, and then cut across to Maple Ave.

When I first saw this shot I thought Medusa was chasing me but realized through the blurriness that it was only T.J. looking super mean on the tandem.

After rolling down Maple Ave. we turned onto Franklin and made our way through the South End...

Your standard over-the-shoulder-shot (yes mom I wore my helmet)...

And what this? A bike lane?


I do appreciate the attempt but the whole lack of connectivity of Hartford's bikeways is at times frustrating. We headed down Franklin Ave. until we neared the Hartford line where we turned onto Victoria Rd. This little residential street headed straight into Goodwin Park and was lined with people who waved and honked cheerfully as we passed.




After heading down Victoria we cruised through Goodwin Park (check another Hartford Park off the list)...



We promised blurry pics... I think im just moving so fast the camera can't pick it up.

After departing Goodwin Park we turned South on Maple Ave. and headed into Cedar Hill Cemetery.


Its a gorgeous cemetery equal in aesthetics to any of Hartford's parks.

Here is Ben soaking in the views of the pond.


Dead people. Not a bad final resting spot (if your views are in accordance with this belief).

We rode around Cedar Hill for a bit traversing up and down the rolling hills. The living parted from the dead and we cut through Trinity...


and popped out on Broad St...


One of my favorite parts of Critical Mass is getting a bunch of poeple into parts of the city that they might otherwise never get to go to. As such, I loved seeing this picture of the crew at the intersection of Park and Broad...


We headed back towards Bushnell park and caught a glimse of a group taking wedding photos, nice spot!


And finally cruised under our own Arc de triomphe.


Par usual post-ride drinks were held at a local watering hole which always appeals to the anti-auto, biking crowd...

While I cant support their beer choice, I like their argument.

We even caught a glimpse of two Hartford bike cops NOT riding on the sidewalk but rather in the middle of the road, perhaps carrying out their own mini-crit. I think they were jealous.


After a few beers Kenny's bike, which hadn't been locked, took off and climbed into a tree. we were kind enough to throw a u-lock on it so it would attempt any other shenanigans.


He explained that this happens a lot and that we shouldn't worry about it. We tossed back a couple more beers and faded on our individual ways into the night. See you all next month!

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Noticing the details

Truly, the little, fleeting details of our busy lives are the things that make it all worthwhile. Case in point, this bumper sticker:

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Police Brutality

So waking up this morning I had planned on finally posting all the pics and beta from Critical Mass this past Friday only to come across this article. As many of you know NYC's Critical Mass and its barbarous police force have increasingly clashed over the event and it has gotten to the point where inclusion in the ride is grounds for immediate and unquestioned arrest. As the article states, however, and as the Youtube video shows, these hosilities are also manifested as physical violence on the part of police. As can be seen in the video a cyclist participating in this Friday's ride was selected from the crowd and bodychecked from his bike onto the sidewalk and immediately arrested. The brutal calm in the officer's behavior is enough to make one sick.

On a positive note this singluar event just happened to be captured on camera and a sliver of justice was served as the officer was "stripped of his badge and gun." The article notes, however, that the officer remained on police duty relegated to desk work most likely until this event falls out of media attention. As of publication the charges to the cyclist still stand. Read more!

¡Exito! La carrera Wear Your Rubbers estuvo caliente

[A member of the BBB crew decided it would be fun to have a version of my previous post in Spanish. So I translated it. Enjoy.]

Los dioses del clima estuvieron de buen humor el sábado, de tal manera que la misma tarde rogaba a los ciclistas de Hartford, "¡Sal a andar en bicicleta en mí! ¡Hay una mezcla embriagadora de sol y brisas refrescantes!" Afortunadamente, había una carrera fijada para esa tarde, nuestra propia carrera Wear Your Rubbers (eso no lo voy a traducir, porque no logro captar en español el sentido doble de "Rubbers," cual palabra significa botas de hule para lluvia y condones), y fue, según lo que cuentan todos, muy divertida. En este espacio habrá varios reportes y fotos (inclusive una lista de los ganadores), y pueden ver todas las fotos que saqué en mi sitio de flickr. Además, muy pronto haré disponible el video que saqué de todos los ciclistas rapeando espontáneamente, trabajo que les obligué a realizar antes de que yo firmara sus papeles en en la parada de la carrera sobre la cual presidía. (Tengo que decir que de veras, nadie estuvo muy bueno en eso de rapear, así que quizás tendré que intentar hacer un remix con un ritmo llevadero, para que sea más fácil de escuchar. Eso ya vendrá.)

Mientras tanto, aquí les brindo unas fotos del jangueo antes de la carrera y la fiesta después de ella. Además, mando mucho amor a nuestros patrones, Manhattan Portage, quien proveyó la bolsa de mensajero que fue el premio de primer lugar, Play in Traffic Productions, quien proveyó los DVDs de Monster Track, 5-Boro Generals, quien proveyó las camisetas, y CCBA quien proveyó las botellas de agua no cancerígenas de acero inoxidable. Y mucho amor a las bandas que tocaron en la fiesta después de la carrera (y pedimos mil perdones a los vecinos que tuvieron que aguantar el ruido).


Llega T.J. (en la bicleta, con el pelo de rasta) antes de la carrera, mientras que Ken distribuye las listas de paradas y recauda el dinero. T.J. más tarde ganaría la carrera.

¡Haga clik para más fotos!



Siendo casi abogado, Ken obligó a todos los participantes a firmar una renuncia del derecho de demandar en caso de heridas. Por suerte, no hubo ninguna herida al terminar la carrera. (Todavía se desconoce si hubo nuevos casos de enfermedades venéreas provenientes de vínculos amistosos emprendidos en la fiesta.)



Presidí sobre una parada de la carrera al lado del lago en Keney Park, cual sitio era una belleza. También había una fiesta familiar muy animada en la Pond House, la cual aseguró que yo pudiera disfrutar de buena música mientras hacía mi trabajo allí.



La fiesta después de la carrera tuvo por atracción principal una gran cantidad del rocanrol estridente preferido por los jóvenes de hoy. También había cerveza y deliciosos batidos de fruta preparados por Ken.


Muchas de las personas que acudieron a la fiesta estaban muy dedicadas a reducir su impacto ambiental y por ello eligieron viajar al evento en bicicleta.
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Success! The Wear Your Rubbers race was hot

The weather gods were feeling good on Saturday, to the point where the late afternoon was practically begging Hartford's cyclists, "Come out and ride in me! There is an intoxicating mix of sun and cool breezes!" Luckily, there was a race going on, our own Wear Your Rubbers alleycat, and it was, by all accounts, a good time. You can expect a number of posts and pictures here (including a list of winners and such), and you can see all the pictures I took on my flickr site. Also, I will soon upload the video of all the freestyle rapping that I required of the racers before I would sign their manifests at my checkpoint. (I have to tell you that nobody really brought their freestyle A game, so I might try to re-mix it and lay it over a hot beat to make it more tolerable. Stay tuned for that.)

In the mean time, here are a few shots of pre-race hanging around and the post-race festivities. Also, mad love to our sponsors, Manhattan Portage, for the 1st prize messenger bag, Play in Traffic Productions, for the Monster Track DVDs, 5-Boro Generals, for the t-shirts, and CCBA for the stainless steel, non-carcinogenic water bottles. And mad love to the bands who played at the afterparty (and mad apologies to the neighbors for the noise).


T.J. (on the bike, with the dreads) arrives pre-race while Ken gives out manifests and collects cash money. T.J. would go on to win.

More pictures after the jump!



Being a good almost-lawyer, Ken required all racers to sign a waiver of liability. Luckily, there were no injuries reported at the close of the race. (No word yet on post-afterparty cases of the clap.)


I manned the checkpoint at Keney Park Pond, which was idyllic. There was also a lively family reunion going on at the Pond House with a live band, so I could chill out with some hot tunes.


The afterparty featured a healthy dose of that raucous rock-and-roll music that all the young kids are listening to these days. Also beer and delicious fruit smoothies prepared by Ken.


Many of those in attendance at the afterparty cared deeply about reducing their carbon footprints and thus elected to travel to the event on bicycles.
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