Critical Mass

Posted Mar 1, 2003
20,410

"We're not disrupting traffic. We ARE traffic."

Even the cold temperatures of an Iowa February couldn't keep 60+ cyclists from showing up at the State Capitol in Des Moines for the 1st 'organized' Critical Mass Ride. RIDE DETAILS: Riders departed approx. 5:45pm on Friday February 28th. They made their way to Grand Avenue and headed west until 31st street. From there a quick block down 31st street and then they headed back downtown via Ingersol, to Locust and then back to the Capitol building. The 5+ mile route was chosen by the cyclists who attended. Traffic was par for the course on a Friday, and just a tab after peak rush hour. All attempts were made to obey all traffic signals, etc. No confrontations were reported. NOTE: This event will re-occur several times this year!! We all would love to see this grow to several hundred cyclists! Keep tuned to BIKEIOWA for future Ride info! A BIG Thanks to Jane for organizing!!! View the Ride Details View the pictures (For those who took pics during Critical Mass, please send to biker@bikeiowa.com! My camera batteries went dead too soon!)

What is CRITCAL MASS? Critical Mass is bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and to take back the streets. "We're not disrupting traffic. We ARE traffic." Everyone had their own reasons for riding on Critical Mass. Some see it as a protest of cars, others just like to go on a fun bike ride. After being menaced every day by cars, many of us find it exhilirating to ride with 50-100 other cyclists in a fun, supportive atmosphere. Critical Mass doesn't have any specific agenda or goals. While most of us would like to see an end to the car culture, Critical Mass doesn't have a specific plan to hasten that goal; it's just a bike ride.