Critical Mass

The air was alive with excited energy.  Bells, horns,  and other claxons echoed around me and my party.  We took some pictures of ourselves in front of the horde of cyclists and chatted with a few nearby.

Suddenly the front of the mass surged forward.  People hurried onto their bikes and joined the queue.  I pedaled the cruiser I was riding toward the current.  Critical Mass had begun.

We headed up the main street, pedaling past street cars, the flashing blue lights of San Francisco's finest as our guides.  Quickly we became a massive snake of people and bicycles, slithering through the streets and causing automobile traffic to halt.

We rode up the streets, following the riders ahead of us.  There was no planned course.  Whoever is in the front leads the group.  Occasionally we would form a roundabout allowing those in the rear to catch up.  There was some talk that it was also a form of protest against auto traffic.

I personally conquered some of San Francisco's legendary hills.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  But it could have been better.  I was riding a little road cruiser that only had a couple gears on it.  It definitely not meant for hills, but I made it work.  At one point I was chugging along and the guy in front of me stopped causing me to stop and lose my momentum.  I had to walk the rest of the way up the hill.

Something that struck me was that we seemed to travel great distances in relatively little time.  I remember passing the San Francisco City Hall and what felt like only about 5 minutes later we were on a hill about 2 miles away.  It was very strange and awesome.

The spirit and the energy of Critical Mass is perhaps the best part of the event.  Everyone was charged with positive energy and fun.  I highly recommend this for anyone who goes to San Francisco.

Critical Mass is held every last Friday of the month and starts at 5pm.  Take a good bike and your helmet and enjoy!