OCT '05 RIDE: Minimum Mass

How many people make a critical mass? It depends on what/where/when, but we teetered on the threshold on Friday.

The ride was my first this year to begin after sunset. Daylight savings was to end on Sunday. After a long hot summer, it felt like a dark curtain coming down on a brightly lit stage. It was still twilight when I got to the fountain a few minutes late. I circled the fountain, and heard my name called out.

That was the fastest start: I saw two bikers circle the fountain, and within a minute we were all moving. South on Park to east on B. Just on that leg we lost 2 slow riders. I tried to keep them trailing, but the front just took off.

Within 15 minutes we were at the parking lot next to the Midway Aircraft Carrier. It's beautiful to look out over the water, but I was puzzled and annoyed that we'd stay there so long. Then somebody organized an impromptu "no rules" cross-town bike race. When the dust cleared, there was just a handful of us.

We rode down Harbor Dr., then up 5th. The I-5 on ramp on 5th is dangerous. Even further up 5th, halfway to Hillcrest, morons in SUV's roared past us at 50 mph. How many of us is enough to be seen? To be safe? We were on the borderline that night.