MAR '06 RIDE: The Biggest Ever
The last ride before Daylight Savings! Got there at 7:15 pm. In the dim light I saw Brian. There was a guy w/ blinking Christmas lights on his bike, so I went up to him and it was Drew! Brad showed up a bit later, equipped with a camcorder. He said next time he'll show up with a helmet-cam to record the whole ride.
I never stopped -- just went right into circling the fountain. By 7:30 most riders were up and circling, then with a single yell we poured down the main promenade towards Laurel Street Bridge. People were very conscientious about keeping it together.We went up 5th to Hillcrest, down University to North Park, then down 30th to Golden Hill. Shooting down the steep section of Broadway just east of the I-5 was cool. But scary. Lots of people shouting and cheering in support. Rode past many police cars. One policeman said through his window, "Hey won't anyone stop and talk to me?" Another was invited to join us, and he replied, "I gotta work. I gotta get paid!"
The fun began in Gaslamp. Circling in intersections, sometimes with cars trapped in the center. Once right in the middle of Gaslamp circling began, with two cars trapped in the middle. Two cops on foot patrol happened to be near. At first they looked amused, then within 30 seconds they walked over to the circle and told people to get out of the intersection, and seemed to grab at a couple of the bicycles. The bikers got away.
We went through Little Italy (where there is always good cheering from bystanders). I had a chance there to count the number of riders: we were 60, exactly. That's the biggest group I've seen there. And this is after we had already lost a few.
Instead of turning up Hawthorn or Grape, some genius led us to Laurel St., where we had to bike up one of the steepest roads in San Diego. What goes around comes around.
posted by lghtslpr at 11:31 PM
2 Comments:
how many people were there?
and did you really invite a cop to join the ride? wtf?!
12:17 PM, April 03, 2006
60, as I wrote.
I didn't invite a cop, but someone else did.
I want to add two things, after getting an email from one of the riders. One, upon more careful reflection, I realize that although we were better than other nights, we didn't cork the procession all that well. There were several occasions when bikers were clearly endangered by crossing an intersection under a red light (not to mention the illegality of it). The only way to stay safe is to stay tight.
Two, although most people enjoy circling -- and I think I would do on a very self-centered level -- I stopped participating in them because I believe most of the time they are counter-productive. I think it's a matter of balance. Doing one or two in Gaslamp where the traffic is already jammed is ok, but doing them all the time and blocking traffic just pisses off more people than gaining allies. To me, pissing off people deliberate does not make a celebration.
10:09 PM, April 03, 2006
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