Last Night's Critical Mass

What a joke. We gathered in Union Square, smaller this time than the ride in March. Kind of weird for a warmer spring day. Where is everyone? There was a double wide tall bike made at Cooper Union's design program...come on, I mean if you can ride that thing at Manhattan Critical Mass, we all should be able to come out and ride. About 150 of broke out and rode down Broadway. The cops began their usual pursuit with scooters and right away began pulling people over who ran red lights with two scooters per ticket. So the ride began to stop at every red light, thus breaking down the ride into little small groups. It seemed as if you didn't have scooters on you, the ride could just proceed forward. The ride broke up into two major groups, one was snaking around Astor Place and the other, about 100 was cruising up 6th and then 8th Ave. Our timid group of 30-50 riders wound up at Washington Square Park and then we made a break for 6th Ave, while the other group was cutting East around the 40's...we were on our own. Weird stuff happened on 6th Ave. A lone cop car pulled over a rider and was trying to put their bike in his trunk. Cops on foot gave a summons to a rider for not being over to the right enough? Huh? One brave fixie made a sprint through a red light and was chased by 2 scooter cops as we stopped at the light and cheered. He made a turn onto oncoming traffic at 13th St. and appeared to get away, we cheered. Then we got up there and made a closer look, he had been caught. He got stopped by plowing into a Mercedes and cracking the windshield. He only got a summons. Sure it was a thrill to see someone make a break for it, but what's the point? I later found out. At 10th Ave and 23rd Street a mob of scooter cops cut off the ride and jumped off their scooters...the light was Green. They began yelling things like, you'd better have ID. One pig tried to grab me and I turned around and got away. I never should have got so close to them, it was sloppy. But why were we being stopped...the light was Green and we were obeying traffic laws? Oh I get it now...it doesn't matter what you do...or what a State or Federal judge says...the NYPD doesn't give a fuck. There orders are to harass the ride, give as many tickets as possible and make people scared...the panic factor. So now I don't blame that guy for trying to get away. Here are a few tips for the next ride: Do not be a sitting duck. Try not to ride near any scooter cops; even if they are being friendly...do not listen to them. One scooter cop was video taped around the 40's repeatedly ramming his ride into a cyclist...is this because the rider didn't stop at a red light? No it is because these cops are ASSHOLES! and are once again willing to injure people and possibly themselves because some MUtherfucker in power wants critical mass to end. Here is a memo NYPD...its NEVER GOING TO STOP!! anyway...enough of my macho bravado. After our ambush, I had enough of this timid rookie shit. I headed over to Washington Square park to wait for people. About 75 people gathered at Washington square park were we had another Mexican standoff with equal numbers of scooter cops waiting for us to move on 5th ave. One of the white shirt pigs in charge came over and wanted to have a 15 minute discussion about why we had a little baby on the ride? God forbid we bring our children along so they can see what assholes our civil servants are. I think the cop was pissed because they couldn't
't try and injure us with their scooters as much if there are children around. I'm so sorry officer. We were trying to figure out what would be the best strategy to get to Brooklyn to support a fellow activist who is facing 30 years in prison on some bullshit charges in the USA Green scare...kind of like the red scare of the 50s only now its against environmentalists. We heard reports that there were tons of cops at each of the lower Manhattan bridges. It was obvious the cops were preparing for us to take one of the car paths on a bridge in Mass. I left the ride, cause I had other plans...but I heard people got to Brooklyn ok. A friend of mine said he'd never seen so many scooter cops waiting at the Brooklyn Bridge...once again a fine usage of tax resources. My middle finger goes out to all of you punk "so-called" police officers. You suck. Get a real job like fighting crime and making our streets safer, not attacking biker riders. Whats the point anyway? You just retire with your pension and live in Westchester and sit around stewing about what animals we all are. Let us have our bike ride...we live here, just barely getting by in a city with the average price of an apartment is 1.2 million dollars. Just let us ride as you make a city that just caters to the rich with big box stores, new stadiums and turn or beloved community into one big shopping mall. Ok I'm a little mad.

Brandon was in San Francisco and had a great time at their critical mass...over 1,000 people, the cops stop traffic for the riders...ahhhh the West Coast. here are a few pictures.

Swedish article about NYC Bike Culture

My spelling is not so good and neither is my Swedish. A friend of one of my favorite blogs suckapants translated this article from a Swedish rag on bike culture in NYC.

If you read swedish check the original article

[Berge, Lars, “Budbärare”, Svenska Dagbladet, 9 April 2006]

A thing to ponder over when you bring out your bicycle for the upcoming spring: Be happy that you do not live in New York. Biking in New York is associated with danger for one’s life and the people riding on two wheels are subject to confinement en masse. To bike in New York is to take a political stance, and a subculture has emerged around the bicycle.

A bicycle painted in white can be found leaning against a lamppost in the intersection of Houston Street and Avenue A on the southeast of Manhattan. Someone has screwed a sign to the lamppost: “Brandie Bailey, 21 years old. Killed by truck, May 8 2005. Rest in peace.” Burned-out candles can be found on the ground. The flowers clinging to the spokes of the wheels have withered. Almost a week has passed since a funeral march of cyclists stopped by. Some of them held their bikes over their heads in silence. Flowers and candles where set out. After a reverence, the formation biked on till the next scene of accident. 21 persons were overrun and killed in the New York traffic during 2005. The number of wounded are counted in the thousands.

L Train takes us over East River. We get off at Montrose. We are here to meet the photographer Tod Seelie, who has followed Brooklyn’s bike scene for several years. The tall-bike gang Black Label Bike Club NYC arranges a costume party over at a run-downed place called Wreck Room. Peculiar bikes stand leaned in hoards towards the building. Some have a saddle height of two meters.

Observant New Yorkers may have read in the Village Voice about “Mutant Bike Gangs of New York”. But it constitutes an unknown phenomenon for the majority. In the article Black Label is designated, possibly rather speculative, as “anarchists who search for bike parts and thrown-away vegetarian food in the dumpsters. On the contrary, the bar turns out to be packed with art school hipsters. The kind of people that live together in attic apartments and work on “own projects” in film, art or music. And wash their hair very seldom. The gang members wear jeans vests with their emblem on the back. An artist who calls himself Mr Andersonic is performing in an adjacent room. It is very likely that Brandie Bailey had been here if it had not been for that garbage truck. Tod Seelie used to meet here on attic parties and gigs in the area. She worked as a waitress in a vegan restaurant on Manhattan during the day hours, a place where Tod used to eat his lunch. As many other young New Yorkers which had chosen the alternative lifestyle, she used to ride her bike wherever she went.
- She was a very kind soul. It was a big loss for all of us, says Seelie whose blog Suckapants.com is one of the most up-to-date sources for activities circling New York’s bike scene.

New York is one of the Liberal’s strongest holds. The thought that President Bush was moved into power by the military industry and that the war in Iraq is about securing oil findings is not an uncommon opinion here. At the same time, the city is being filled with more and more cars. The nation’s busiest streets are located in the business district of Manhattan. 830 000 cars pass here each day. You don’t cycle here because it is nice or in order to get a breath of fresh air [Swedes mentality towards biking, translator’s comment]. You bike because it is an efficient, but dead dangerous mean to get through the traffic. For many people in the minority which choose to bike, biking is also a political stance. A protest on two wheels against a bolting consumption culture that is regarded as devastating for people and the environment. They gather every last Friday of the month at Union Square in order to bike along the streets of Manhattan en masse. The phenomenon is called Critical Mass and it grew steadily in popularity during the 90s. It culminated during the Republican convention in August 2004 when over 5,000 bikers rolled south along Broadway. A manifestation that got an abrupt end when NYPD suddenly carried out one of the biggest mass arrests in the history of New York.

The flyer to tonight’s costume party reads: “We have seen the future, and it goes to hell!” And yes, people at the Wreck Room do indeed party like there is no tomorrow. Tod Seelie introduces us to Brendt Barbur. If you are to ask questions about urban bike culture, Brendt is the man to ask. He decided to missionize when he left the hospital. He is determined that the bike may be the answer to many of our time’s biggest problems.
- Take obesity, take our dependence on oil, take environmental pollution. I am not saying that the bike is the sole answer to these problems. But it may very well be on of the answers.
Barbur started the Bicycle Film Festival. It grew from having started out as a local interest with stencilled programmes on a smaller New York cinema. Last year, Barbur took his festival to San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. 17,000 tickets were sold in total.
- I wanted to give the movement a voice. I wanted to do something where the bike was the star, says Barbur.

Among the festival line-up, one can for example find Lucas Brunelle’s embedded coverage from breathtaking illegal bike races with New York’s messengers. The movies where he bikes with his camera mounted to his helmet have been downloaded from the Internet by over one million people. And of course, the movie that Barbur refers to as the best about a bike that has ever been produced: A Sunday in Hell, the Danish producer Jörgen Leth’s in-depth study about lactic acid from the cycle tour Paris-Roubaiz from 1976.
- But what has really engaged many festival visitors is the chaos during the Republican’s convention, says Barbur.
Everything is documented in “Still We Ride”, a movie he himself co-produced.
- Earlier, Critical Mass had been about protesting against car traffic, hook up with girls, the safety of biking together or whatever reason one could have. But that time, it was more political. The fact that the Republican’s selected New York for their convention was a viewed as mockery by many of the city’s inhabitants. Bush is not that popular here. Especially among those who have chosen to bike, says Barbur.

More people than ever turned up. The irritated horns from the cars where drowned by their whistles and cheers.
- We suddenly discovered that there were snipers on the surrounding roofs. The helicopters were hovering in the air. After one hour, the riot police struck. It was brutal, there were people who got one of their arms beaten off.
264 cyclists were arrested and their bikes were confiscated as “evidence”. The monthly manifestations have continued, in despite of the police tougher stance. The police withholds that the bikers interrupts the traffic and order, and that the organisers need to apply for a permit to demonstrate. The participating organisations, such as the environmental rights group Times Up, states that Critical Mass is not at all something that should be viewed as an organised protest. It is just a chance for people who like to bikes to meet up.
- We are treated as terrorists. Agents are spying on us. The police send infiltrators to Critical mass actions. They videotape grieving people during the memorial trips. The stop bikers haphazardly and give them high fines just for nonsense. It recalls harassment, says Barbur.

The fact that the authorities have placed the spotlight on the bikers
instead of chasing the city’s reckless drivers has upset many. Especially Brandie Bailey’s case stirred up bad blood. It was not until 23 blocks until a patrol stopped the garbage truck that killed her. The driver was set free and avoided trial. The death of the girl was considered an accident. In despite of, or maybe thanks to, the increasingly harsher climate, the American bike culture is flourishing. To bike has simply become cool. Like the majority of alternative movements, it has its own movies, music and fashion that have been inspired by the city’s foolhardy messengers. Naturally, it also has its own art. We sit in an enormous warehouse under the Williamsburg Bridge the following day. A gigantic, old dog limps around among at least hundred bikes, all different models. Here, Taliah Lempert lives and works. Her husband runs a bike store on Lower East Side, and most of her friends are bike enthusiasts. She competes on exercise level and she often participates in the city’s rolling manifestations.


She has painted the same motive for nine years. In hundreds of different variations. She has depicted bikes for Olympic champions. For local messengers. For all kinds of people that travel through life on two wheels and she has developed a passionate relationship to her vehicle.
- For me, the bike is liberation. It makes it possible for me to use all my energy to ride fast. In addition, it is beautiful, says Lempert while she carefully paints the metallic reflector on the spokes in green.
- With the bicycle, you can stop and talk to people. It is not like the car that makes people isolated and frustrated. It is really a shame that our whole economy, our culture, is built around it. A statement that Brandie Bailey certainly would put her name to. On the Internet, her memory lives on. Her blogspot on Myspace.com is still active. Still, messages are posted from grieving friends. On the 16th of March, Colette wrote: “I woke up this night, convinced that you were still here among us.” But all that is left of here is a ghost bike. Shiningly white among exhaust fume-grey concrete.

How do we make our city better...look to Bogota, Colombia.

Enrique Penalosa, is the former mayor of Bogota Colombia. In his three year term he made huge strides in making his city, more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. He realized what makes a city great is more access to public space and thus people of all economic backgrounds appreciate their environment and feel more connected with their surroundings. He took charge of once garbage filled land and did something rare with it...he cleaned it up and made it public.

Last week he was touring NYC, giving talks and meeting with people working on sustainability to inspire them on what could be done here.

Andrea Bernstein of WNYC, conducted an interview with the former mayor who was on tour in the South Bronx with Majora Carter, director of sustainable South Bronx.

and Mark Gorton of the Open planning project conducted a 12 minute interview with Mr. Penalosa on bike tv. Rather inspiring of what can be done here.

Here is the text from the WNYC interview:

Bikes Connecting Bogota and the South Bronx
by Andrea Bernstein

NEW YORK, NY April 14, 2006 —City residents are aiming to build an 11-mile network of bikeways and parks in an unexpected place – the South Bronx. And they’re taking as their inspiration from another city you might not immediately think of – Bogota, Colombia. WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein has this report.

REPORTER: Right now, there’s not much at the future home of the Hunts Point Riverside Park on the Bronx River just above where it empties into the sound. There’s swirling dust, which quickly fills your shoes and gets underneath your clothes. But to Majora Carter, the Director of Sustainable South Bronx, this sliver of a park is a jewel.

CARTER: Cause its actually kind of pretty down here.

REPORTER: Carter got a seed grant, which she leveraged into 20 million dollars to build a park in this former junkyard, sandwiched between a recycling facility and the Hunts Point food market.

CARTER: Wow, I never noticed this before, this is new, this is really exciting, we actually have a dock, a floating dock. This was such a mess before, you cannot understand what this place used to look like.

REPORTER: The park is at the end of a spit of land that runs from the Bruckner expressway down to the food market. But it’s dense. There are 12,000 people living here. By summer, Carter hopes, some of them will be launching kayaks from this dock. For her, that’s not just a pleasant thought. Advocates of the poor used to only focus on things like housing, or schools, or jobs. And Carter thinks those things are important, too. It’s just that she sees parks as the prerequisite for all those other things to happen.

CARTER: Because you gotta make it friendlier for people to feel as though a part of a city. If you make it unfriendly for them, then no, they retreat into their homes/edit here/and you can’t build a community from inside your house, you just can’t.

REPORTER: Carter grew up here, and for her work fighting pollution she won a MacArthur “genius” grant. But reinforcement for the idea that she needed to do more came thousands of miles away – in Bogota, Colombia. She was on a tour, standing in a small plaza with a fountain running through it. And her tour guide told her a few years earlier, he would never have come to that part of town.

CARTER: Because it was so dangerous, because it was so drug infested, and now, of course, I’m coming here, and I was you know what, that is exactly what I want to hear folks in my neighborhood saying.

REPORTER: In Bogota, Carter saw dozens of miles of bikeways. Where there had been fields of mud, there were soccer fields, and playgrounds for children. Hillsides once strewn with rubble became neat stairways, with benches and flowering trees. All of this was constructed during the single three-year term of Enrique Penalosa, the former Mayor of Bogota.

PENALOSA: The only place where we really are a society, the only place where really are a society of equals, the only space that really belongs to us as a nation, is public pedestrian space.

REPORTER: In Bogota, Penalosa bucked the accepted wisdom that more highways and roads for cars would bring economic health to his city. Instead, he jettisoned a plan to build an elevated beltway around Bogota, and instead spent the money instead on paved bikeways, sports facilities, and parks. Cars drive in the mud. Since leaving office – he was term-limited out – Penalosa has been traveling the world, spreading his gospel to cities like Mexico City, Jakarta, and Dar Es Salaam. Not long ago, he met with community groups in the South Bronx.

PENALOSA: The least of the least that a democratic society should have is have is quality public pedestrian space for people at least to be able to go out and see their city. These things are not some sort of luxury, this is the beginning of compensation for the enormous inequality that there is in society.

REPORTER: Walter Hook agrees. Hook directs the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, a group that helps third world cities install sustainable transit systems. He visited Penalosa when he was Mayor of Bogota

HOOK: What’s astonishing about this is not only has it brought down the crime rates in low income communities because the kids actually have a place to play. If you go through these neighborhoods you feel totally safe. The kids all coming running out in the street to you they all recognize Penalosa. They’re like hi, Mr. Penalosa!

REPORTER: In Bogota, Hook says, Penalosa took him on a helicopter ride to tour the bike highways, called alamedas.

HOOK: And he flies us up in the air. And he flies us up over the city of Bogota, and he goes: “There, there you see that bike lane, it’s 50 km, I built that!” He goes: “Look at that, you see that, that used to be a garbage dump, now look at it, it’s a beautiful park.” He goes “Look at this, look at these alamedas, they go 20 km into the countryside.”

REPORTER: Now there are housing and businesses along the alamedas. In Bogota now, neighborhoods for the poor are planned. And this is exactly the kind of transformation that south Bronx groups are hoping to emulate. Darting between trucks and past chop shops and waste treatment plants, members of the Southern Bronx River Watershed alliance invited Penalosa to come and visit. And they took Penalosa on a bike tour.
He critiqued their plan.

PENALOSA: I don’t think this is a very good design. CARTER: Okay, now tell me why. PENALOSA: I would not put these trees here in the middle of the sidewalk like this you know and here it needs a very physical protection for a cyclist.

REPORTER: As in most of New York City, there’s no barrier between the bike lane and traffic.

PENALOSA: Because you would not send your child along here.

REPORTER: The tour continued around Hunts points, and up to an overlook near the Sheridan expressway. The idea of reclaiming automobile space for pedestrians is an about face for the Bronx. But it’s being taken very seriously by people like Joan Byron, a planner from the Pratt Center for Communtiy Development.

BYRON: The place we’re standing right now could be the best example or it could become the worst example.
Instead, Byron and others want to tear down the Sheridan Expressway, and build affordable housing and a park going right down to the Bronx River. The state Department of Transportation has been planning a bigger interchange.
BYRON: And if the interchange is placed here it will cut people off from the waterfront even more than we really are and it will compromise and undermine everything both the city and the community have been trying to achieve.

REPORTER: Byron says the mile and a quarter expressway is little used, and is a barrier between three schools and several small baseball fields on the river. Neither the state nor the city has ruled out tearing it down.
There’s a story Enrique Penalosa likes to tell when he speaks in front of audiences, about a flock of birds on a swamp in Brazil. If the young birds learning to fly accidentally drop into the swamp, they are devoured crocodiles. He compares the herons to children in most cities today.

PENALOSA: That’s exactly the predicament our children face, they grow in terror of being killed and we have come to think that this is totally normal!

REPORTER: Creating more green space is an idea that has found a receptive ear in the Bloomberg administration. Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff says in poor neighborhoods like the South Bronx, it’s the city’s obligation to pay for the upkeep of parks. Doctoroff, a bike-rider himself, says he was impressed after a recent at New York City Hall with Penalosa.

DOCTOROFF: The former Mayor of Bogota, who in a very short period of time managed to achieve something that that nobody ever would have thought possible which is a dramatic improvement in the pedestrian usage of the city and I think it’s an excellent example for us.

REPORTER: Back over across the street from the future Hunts Point Riverside Park, there’s a small bakery selling cakes and rolls to a line of truck drivers passing through. But much of the time, says manager William Bonilla, its pretty dead. He’s counting on the park to liven up his business.

BONILLA: Creo que va ser bueno.

REPORTER: He says that he thinks a lot of people are going to come in the summer, because now, on the weekends they don’t have anything to do. So they’ll come to park and have a good time…and buy his cakes and coffee. This is exactly what planners like Majora Carter – and Enrique Penalosa –expect will happen. For WNYC, I’m Andrea Bernstein.

Meeting to help with Freewheels Fundraiser

Freewheels who organizes the Bicycle Defense Fund is having a big fundraiser on May 20th and they need people to
help make this event BIG!

Here in NYC,
the bicycle defense fun, as you know, is important to EVERYONE who
rides in the mass. Raising cash to pay lawyers is a vital part of
keeping the mass alive. A core of people, mostly from FreeWheels,
have been trying to pull this thing off, but we need more people. We
would like to invite anyone who wants to volunteer in ANY capacity to
come to the next meeting, which won't be some wonky meeting at all,
but will be all about plugging people into taking on specific tasks,
on the night of the party, or, hopefully, in a few key roles that we
need leading up to the party, specifically: we need someone, or a
couple of people, to take on some PR aspects of this thing. Getting
notices into papers mainly, and getting flyers copied (we have
designers) and distributed. Not a huge job, but we don't have anyone
yet. Also need some help finding bands, cuz some of our bands fell
through, and we need help putting together this little art show that
we want to be a part of the party.

The next meeting is on Wednesday, May 3rd. At the Time's Up Space (49 East Houston) if available. If not, we will likely gather at subtonic, at 7:30pm

More details to come. We need help with this one, so please get involved for the benefitt of the NYC cycling community

Article on Pittsburgh Messengers

Forgot to include this article about that other city in Pennsylvania.
Renegade cyclists stay edgy

Pittsburgh Tribune Review, April 17, 2006

By Andrew Johnson

Gothic black bottoms, down-the-back dreadlocks and pierced septums
don't exactly mesh with Lance Armstrong's image.
Michael Camp, 29, of Rochester, is no Armstrong. He likes to combine
his bike rides with a trip to the 31st Street Pub, a Strip District
staple.

Camp recently downed a Presque Isle Pilsner before riding in The
Caffeinator Alleycat, an organized bike race around the city. Other
participants of the same race prepared for the aerobic test by smoking.


An "alleycat" is a bike messenger-style race, where renegade riders
compete in an urban setting at breakneck, red-light defying speeds.
It's one of the last remaining vestiges for these mostly male cyclists,
whose profession is disappearing in a digital world where electronic
court filings have replaced hard copy documents.

Ian Newell, 27, works for Quick Messenger on the South Side and said
the trade is down in Pittsburgh.

Triangle Messenger Service lasted in the city nearly 20 years and grew
to 25 bike messengers, before closing four years ago. Newell said he's
one of four messengers at Quick, one of the city's bigger companies,
among several small ones.

Brad Kenner, 27, of the South Side, said he biked briefly for Jet
Messenger Service, Uptown, before quitting. He said after an eight-hour
shift, he sometimes pulled in $40. Kenner blamed technology for the
dwindling need for bike messengers.

With the Caffeinator Alleycat earlier this month, they brought the
street spirit of maverick bicycle riding back to Pittsburgh -- at least
for the day.

In this race, about 40 bikers tried to navigate the quickest way to
seven coffeehouses -- downing beverages at each -- between Mellon Park
and the Mexican War Streets.

Alleycat races, in general, are a nod to bike messengers' creativity in
finding their city targets, organizer Brian Janaszek said. Janaszek
said there are about six to eight of these under-the-radar local races
a year. They are advertised in a magazine called Dirt Rag and on blogs.


The group at this alleycat was more Social Distortion than Tour de
France.

Frank Elia, 41, brought eight members from BABE -- Beaver Area Bike
Enthusiasts. Elia drank a Pabst Blue Ribbon and wore a utility man's
blue workshirt that said "Kirk."

He said his group loves the fixed-gear bikes popular among messengers.
The stripped-down bike, with super-skinny tires, gets him close to the
road, producing a "Zen"-like ride.

"It's a pure feeling," Elia said.

A fixed-gear bike doesn't shift, not even into neutral, and a biker
can't coast on one, even downhill. If the cyclist stops pedaling, a
heels-over-head handlebar flip often follows. Some at the alleycat
added brakes to their rigs, but many bike messengers slow down solely
using their pedals.

Camp, a child therapist in Beaver County, has a burgundy-colored
Schwinn Traveler steel frame, dating back to the time of President
Reagan's near-assassination. The bike cost him $55 to construct.

Adam McNeish, 28, of Butler, crashed the single-speed party with
something more elaborate. It still fit the category of low-tech,
though. McNeish used a section of gray plastic outdoor floor mat for a
super-long banana seat for his recumbent bicycle. He said the gray mat
was better than the green mats with flowers on them. He had to look
hard to find it.

A recumbent bicycle is the kind of extended low-rider bike one sits
down in. It looks like something made for circus performers.

McNeish, after a wobbly start, went missing from the finishing line.

But Brian Rayburn, 20, a University of Pittsburgh sophomore, was there.
Rayburn crossed the finish line first. He ditched his bike and ran into
Beleza Community Coffeehouse on Buena Vista Street in the Mexican War
Streets, practically heaving.

Rayburn was the only non-courier who said he aspired to be a full-time,
bike messenger.



Endurance renegade racing

There will be a weekend-long Alleycat starting April 28, from the
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to Point State Park in Pittsburgh.
Visit Crushing The Commonwealth for more information

Pittsburgh Alley Cat and Bike Scene

So a few people have contacted me from Pittsburgh PA to tell me about their bike scene.

Brian Janaszek writes about their first Alley Cat of 2006 the Caffeinator.
"There were seven checkpoints, all at various coffeehouses around the city. At four of the stops, the racers would have to drink a shot of coffee and bring their little dixie cup as proof of the stop. Two other stops simply had tags hanging on the facade. One checkpoint was a "dummy"--that is, unmanned, with nothing for the racers. It was up to them figure that one out on their own. The checkpoints were:

* Tazzo d'Oro, Highland Avenue in Highland Park
* Quiet Storm, Penn Avenue, Garfield
* Crazy Mocha, Butler Street, Lawrenceville
* Crazy Mocha, Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield
* Crazy Mocha, Oakland Avenue, Oakland
* Beehive, Carson Street, South Side
* Beleza, Buena Vista Street, Mexican War Streets (the finish line)

By the time 2:00PM came around, there were 40 riders milling around the tennis bubble in Mellon Park, trying to stay warm. Not a bad turnout at all, though, oddly, few riders were messengers. It's interesting, because alleycats, at least here in Pittsburgh, have become citizen events, which, ultimately, is a good thing, because it draws a larger, more diverse crowd..."

flickr page pix
Also:

Jake K wrote me about:
Bike Fest
BIKEFEST 2006 is a project of Bike Pittsburgh, the organization working to make Pittsburgh more bicycle-friendly. Our goal is to show off Pittsburgh's unique beauty, while celebrating bicycle culture and safe riding. Last year’s fest was a huge success, so we decided to do it again!

April Critical Mass and Fund Raiser-After Party for Daniel McGowan

April 28th is Critical Mass, Union Square North 7:00pm. Last Friday of the Month.

There is also a Fund Raiser and Party for Daniel McGowan

Daniel McGowan is an environmental and social justice activist, unjustly arrested and charged in federal court on multiple counts of arson, property destruction, and conspiracy, relating to two incidents that occurred in Oregon in 2001. Daniel has asserted his innocence by pleading not guilty to all charges. He is facing a minimum of life in prison if convicted.

Here are the Details:
Friday April 28th, 9pm
Brooklyn Benefit Party & Critical Mass After Party!
Bands, DJ's, Food and Booze!
Bands/DJs confirmed:

*Your 33 Black Angels, http://www.myspace.com/your33blackangels
*David Rovics, http://www.davidrovics.com
*Gloryhole, http://www.myspace.com/gloryholeroolz
*Oogle Orphanage rocking your socks off!*
*DJ Opus spinning dancehall, salsa, klezmer and hip hop!*
*DJ Thadeaus pumping out the jams!*

Location: 84 Clinton Ave Apt 1
Between Myrtle Ave and Park Ave in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Ride Yr Bike! or Take the G train to Clinton-Washington.

We are encouraging small groups of bike riders to make their way to the party using the bike paths on the bridges.

Bike: [from Manhattan] Take the Manhattan Bridge from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn. It dumps you on Flatbush [well, near Flatbush avenue]. Take Flatbush for a few blocks, make a left on Myrtle Avenue and take that until you hit Clinton and the party is right there. OR

Alternatively: Coming from the bike path on the north side of the Manhattan bridge, bust a U-turn at the bottom of the "on/off ramp" so that you are riding east with the bridge. Go straight past the BQE on-ramps, straight through a light until the road dead-ends at the Navy Yard. Take a right. Go through the first light (Flushing), then take a left on the other side of the BQE as you ride under it. This is Park. Clinton is the block after Vanderbilt. Park is wider than Myrtle and usually has far less traffic.

Subway: Take the G train to Clinton-Washington. Exit on Clinton and walk down the hill 4 blocks to 84 Clinton

Bus: Take the B54 bus along Myrtle or the B61 along park.

Donation $10 or more, no one turned away for lack of funds

I don't know all the details of this case but I do know this. Although property was destroyed, no one was hurt in the alleged arson incident. Murders and Rapists get less of a sentence than what Daniel and the others are facing. In my opinion this is the continued abuse of power of a government with nothing better to do then to illegally spy on us and harass environmentalists for giving a shit about the planet. They call it Domestic Terrorists just like they say "Anarchists" have taken over Critical Mass. All lies, just like Saddam having ties to 911. They should use all that time and resources to stop attacking those who sit in Red wood tries and sit down in front of Army recruiting stations and throw raves...and work so we can breathe clean air and drink clean water. Then spend a five year investigation on the corporate vandals who destroy or planet so they can buy a 4th home and roll around in their billions of our tax dollars.

Cool videos of racin

Carlos, of Team Puma and organizer of Monster Track 7 has some cool videos up that he shot and edited. The guy does it all.

videos

April 27-29 Energy Solutions Conference

Gas prices topping $4.00 a gallon, Oil wars by an bunch of oil barrons who say we're addicted to oil? And the science fiction writer of that Dinosaur movie claims global warming is a myth? What is a planet to do?

Can I put solar panels on my roof, can I run my diesel engine bmw on McDonalds fry grease or should I just ride my bike to work to help save the planet...

Find out and discuss renewable energy, solar power and other solutions at the Energry Solutins Conference

Next week, April 27-29th. Tickets are on sale now. ($35.00 for a day pass) or volunteer and get in free. Student and Senior passes available for $25.00

The conference locations are:

April 27th, 2006 (Thursday) NYC
The Community Church of NY
40 East 35th Street
New York, NY 10016

April 28 and 29th (Friday and Saturday), 2006 NYC
The Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom
311 West 34th Street
New York, NY, 10001

MAY is Bike Month

I mean April ain't over yet, but the new calender is coming out for MAY which is of course BIKE MONTH. The calender I speak of is from Time's Up and it looks like there are a #%#$ load of great events here in NYC. Look for it soon.

Here is an interview with Wendy Brawer of Green Map. Check out the amazing things she's been doing:

interview

An Alleycat you can't refuse

Trackstar, NYC hottest bike shop on 34 East 1st street is hosting an Alleycat on Saturday the 22nd. It's a 3 person team race so I suggest you enter it and ride for the familia or you might get whacked. I'm not one to miss alleycats based on movies, but once again I'll be out of town. GRRRRR! Come dressed in your pin stipe suit like in the 1972 classic NYC film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and it's always a good idea to brush up on your triva about Don Vito, Michael and Sonny Corleone. For more info on the race call: (212) 982-2553.

Saturday the 22nd is EARTH DAY, lets ride our bikes

This Saturday is Earth Day and times upwill host a bike ride and hang out in Central Park.

This Earth Day Action for bicyclists and skaters will be promoting non-polluting transportation and renewable energy. Dress festively. Bring signs and noise makers!

The ride will end at Central Park at a huge Earth Day Fair at the 72nd Street Bandshell. There'll be music, entertainment, our bicycle blender, and free valet bike parking. TIME'S UP! is working with the Central Park Conservancy on this event. The picnic will be plenty of fun, relaxing and musical.

Earth Day Ride Sat, Apr 22nd, 12:00 pm, Union Square Park South on the steps at 14th Street. If you want to meet us at the festival, go to the 72nd Street Transverse in Central Park. Rain Date: April 23.

Here is the wikipedia discrpition of Earthday

In January 1970, the Environmental Teach-In, decided to call their one-off event on 22 April Earth Day. The successes of that day led to it becoming a regular event. Gaylord Nelson, an environmental activist in the U.S. Senate, took a leading role in organizing the celebration, to demonstrate popular political support for an environmental agenda. Senator Nelson staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes (a Harvard student and Stanford graduate) as coordinator of activities. It was the era of student political activism and outdoor protests that attracted news cameras.
According to Senator Nelson, Earth Day "worked" because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. Though he felt his committee had neither the time nor resources to organize the 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated, these things did happen. According to the Senator, "It organized itself."
The "holiday" proved extremely popular in the United States. The first Earth Day, in 1970, had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the U.S. Senator Nelson directly credited the first Earth Day with persuading U.S. politicians that environmental legislation had a substantial, lasting constituency. In 1971 Senator Gaylord Nelson announced an 'Earth Week' — for the third week of April — as a yearly event.
Many important laws were passed by the Congress in the wake of the 1970 Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, laws to protect drinking water, wild lands and the ocean. The EPA was created within three years of the first Earth Day.
Earth Day leadership fractured over the years, with Hayes and Nelson and other widely-known Earth Day leaders favoring more programmatic and conventional public relations approaches to the observance(s), while grassroots groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action which changes human behavior and provokes policy changes. Most people know about Earth Day from a 30-second blurb on their evening news of kids at school planting trees or doing a trash cleanup.
During Earth Day 2000, the event's 30th anniversary, actor Leonardo DiCaprio was chosen by Hayes to be the spokesperson of the event, despite the fact that DiCaprio drove a large SUV at the time and was viewed as wanting to rehabilitate his public image in the wake of clever Thai environmental protesters targeting him during the filming of the actor's film The Beach in 1999 (which was filmed in part in a precious Thai national park).

The date chosen for Earth Day is coincident with the historical date of Arbor Day, a national tree-planting holiday started in the late 1800's. Arbor Day is celebrated on the birthday of its founder, Julius Sterling Morton. Another reading of the April 22 date understood by Earth Day organizers notes that the 1970 event took place between college students' Spring Break and final exams, enabling students to participate on campuses across the country.

New site and magazine for Urban cyclist

MESSNYC.NET is a site dedicated to the urban cyclist. This includes messengers, commuters, bmx'ers, chopper clubs, and any other freakhow we might be interested in. All content is submission based, so we're looking for contributions in the form of photos, interviews, scene reports, videos, news articles, profiles (of people, bands, or collectives), and feature length articles. Those who regularly contribute quality work can become staff and/or bloggers on the site."
"Every three months, MESS will take the best material that we've received, and release it as a high-quality print issue. This will be a full color newsstand quality magazine, complete with a DVD. The DVD will feature Hi-res footage of bicycle related events both large and small, live music footage OR produced videos, and more than likely a fair dose of hilarious hijinks."

"We plan on doing a bi-coastal launch party Memorial Day weekend, at the Triple Crown (MAYHEM) in Washington DC, and at the West Side Invite in Portland. By signing up for our email list, you'll receive updates about these and other events of note."

In case you missed these...

Tod Seelie, amazing photographer at sucka pants and everydayilive submited these photos of Richmond Virgina's mutant bike fest Slaughterama 3.




slaughterama pix

Austin Wins Dumbo Scramble

So this guy, John "Chombo" Siers

Organizes a fun race in Dumbo Brooklyn, April 15th, 2006. 69 riders make a mad scramble around town and this guy, Austin takes the crown (not the guy in the white Chunk 666 shirt)

Check out race results with commentary by Chombo and links to flickr pages I missed at nybma/dumboscramble

---Meanwhile this guy, Squid
along with Team Puma from NYC, was getting in shape at the veledrome in Leigh Valley, in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania
Messengers from NY, DC, and Richmond came out to mix it up with a bunch of Cat 5's. Also there was a big Womens field, Cat 4, 3's and 2's, Masters, and Juniors.
Amy took great photos of the event.
Everyone is getting ready for these three track eventsIt's a series hosted by Squid and team Puma in three cities: LA, Chicago and NYC. Top Male and Top Female win tickets to Australia for the Cycle Messenger World Championships in Sydney-October 2006. Last time I checked airfare alone was something like $1200 bucks, so start cranking!
John Campo and the people at Kissena's veledromein Queens are gearing up for opening day: April 29th and 30th (Saturday and Sunday)
Yes, NYC has a veledrome and will be hosting races all Spring and Summer. More info to come. If you've never raced a track before, come check it out. You could win tickets to the world championships in October.

Some Pix from Dumbo Race

chimbly sweeps flickr set
You gotta love tallbikes in alleycats...Greg BLBC

More photos from mexicanknifefights flickr page
Some more pictures off bike forums:







and Austin

My Vote for best Easter Bonnet

Here is my vote for Sunday's best Easter Bonnet...

Yes that is Smolka arresting the Easter Bunny on bike...somehow he dropped his coffee.

Thanks Eva for sending the pics.

So what went on with the Brooklyn CM? Freewheels After Party? Dumbo Scramble Race? Vs Brooklyn Party?
Send me stories, pictures...whatever.

Next weekend is EarthDAY!!! (should be everyday)

What to do this weekend.

April 14th, 2006

Brooklyn Critical Mass:

Leaves Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn 7:00pm or Start of Williamsburg Bridge bike path (George Washington Park) Brooklyn Side 7:00pm. The two rides generally meet up. This ride is left alone by the police accept for a few scooters who ride along as chaperones. Lets make it Big!!! Look for the double tallbike tandeem bike and sound bike!! WOOP WOOP!

then go to the Freewheels After-Party Fundraiser at the South Side Lounge (41 Broadway at Wythe)

April 15th, 2006

Dumbo Scramble alleycat (see flyer below)

and

Party at Wild Wild Brooklyn.

Have a great weekend!!

Love
Bike Blog

Alley Cats and more.

I've been slacking on bike blog a bit...All these wedding plans, who knew this would be such a big production. We are hoping to register for a tandem bike and ride off after the ceremony with cans clinking to the back, maybe we could get a pedi-cab upstate?

Alley cat this weekend in Dumbo.

New Brunswick, New Jersey had a nice race last Saturday, NYBMA has the race results.

1st place: Dan from New Jersey who won Deep V's wheels with Miche Primatos hubs
2nd Place: Andrew M, also from NJ
3rd Place: Andrew T, who won a pair of Continetal 3000 GP tires also won a copy of the Warriors DVD (that I made with Jesse Epstein and Chris Ryan of Team Spider)


go here for some pix.

--A new flick about a cargo bike-
the cargo bike movie

--There is going to be a hot party this weekend from the folks at Black Cat and Complacent in the vein of the Warriors Alley Cat...
"There are things worth fighting for.

Have you noticed? Brooklyn is slipping. The storefronts
are getting cleaner. The buildings are getting taller. The
rents are getting cruel and our culture is being repackaged
and sold back to us at a premium.

This is a call to arms.

This is a call to defend the simple things: days of
dreaming; nights of lust; big art in big spaces; dancing
through dawn; fire and moonshine; kisses from strangers;
indelible street art; raging dance floors; cheap booze;
inspired artists; choosing risk over reason in a night full
of fire as we explode our inhibition in the Wilds of
Brooklyn. Against a world gone awry we find meaning in
these moments of passion.

This is what we fight for.

More than a party, this will be the first full-exploration
of what we've been building in our 9,000sqft. warehouse of
wild. Expect doses of bliss with touches of bedlam mixed
into a classic Brooklyn Bacchanal. We've been working
tirelessly to bring back events that seemed to have died
out, spaces where anything can happen and everything does.
Hundreds of you have seen our space, but you haven't seen
anything yet. We are debuting two new areas to complete
an experience deeper than anything we've presented before.

This is a gathering of tribes.

This event is about more than just you. This is about you
and your tribe competing and conspiring in a battle of party
pleasures and feats of daring. From welders to hipsters,
artists and activists, roller derby girls and tall bike
makers, MC's and danger artists, groovers and rock kids and
everyone in between, gather your self-defined posse, invent
a name and matching costume (think: the gangs of the Warriors)
and come ready to compete.

Throughout the night your tribe will be challenged to earn
points in carney games and costume competitions, along with
random awards for great dancing, drinking and spontaneous
feats of fearlessness. At the end of the night, the most
successful tribe will be awarded a box of champagne and the
Key to Brooklyn, an intimidating trophy welded by Hackett
from the Madagascar Institute.

Why?

Because when we look for excitement, we want feverish
teetering on the brink of mania; we want to step over that
edge in a way we will never return from. On this night
Brooklyn is a metaphor for the grit that we miss, for nights
full of fire, for the anything-is-possible. This is what is
worth fighting for.

This is the Battle for Brooklyn.

The full invite and performer listings will be sent at the
end of the week. Expect four live bands from raging rock to
conscious hip-hop to big marching brass, and a dozen dj's
playing hip-hop to electro to classic house to breaks to the
lofi techno that leaves you damp.

Saturday April 15th
7pm to long past sunrise @ the Wild Space
313 Meserole St. on the corner of Bogart St.
3 blocks from the Montrose stop on the L train.

$10 with your tribe (plus a free kiss of liquor)
$15 for the tribeless

--In an unrelated story, Our dear friends at Team Spider, NYC's most influential punk band...got a story about their ring leader Zak, the oldest punk rocker...Check it out:
NBC/Universal made the video on Revver.com
video about Zak

NJ Alleycat

Alleycat race in New Brunswick New Jersey...Saturday, April 8th, 2006

Ever been to New Brunswick New Jersey? Well now is your chance. It's located in Middlesex County, 31 miles southwest of NYC on the Raritan River. 48,573 people live there according to the 2000 US Census, for those keeping score at home. When I looked it up on the free encyclopedia site, wikipedia on New B...I discovered a few cool fact. In the Transportation section it says New Brunswick has a note-worthy bicycle community, including a co-op and tool collective...
New Brunswick Bike Library
The Bike Library is a program to share bicycles with members of the New Brunswick community by means of direct participation instead of buying and selling. It is just like the concept of a library where books are borrowed for a certain period of time, combined with the concept of a co-op where ownership and reponsibility is a collective among its members.

Located at 154 Commercial Ave. New Bruswick, NJ
intersection of Commercial Ave. and Seaman St.
enter at Seaman St. side gate

CURRENT STAFFED DROP-IN HOURS:
Wednesday 4:00pm to 8:00pm
Thursday 1:00pm to 8:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Also--
Random Triva:
In the movie "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle," the main characters attempt to go to the White Castle in New Brunswick, however find it shuttered. In actuality, the New Brunswick White Castle is operating 24 hours a day and is located at 680 Somerset Street

and it is home to the Bouncing Souls, basement punk band.
-------
Naked Footdown at the Schlitz and giggles alleycat event in Boston, MA.


Check the website for more pictures. Lauren Trout and Jill Rogers who work for independent fabrications put on a great show in February.
------

7th Annual Blessing of the Bicycles
The Catherdral Church of St. John the Devine
107 Amsterdam Ave.
Sat., Apr. 22 at 9:30 a.m.
All cyclists and their friends, including bike messengers, bike racers, bike commuters, recreational bikers, and, of course, children, are invited to this colorful service, which includes a blessing to kick off a safe cycling season.

This event is promoted by Glen Goldstein of the NYC bicycle show.
which, after 6 solid years at the NY armory on 23rd street, is not happening this year cause it got too expensive to put on.

So go to the Cathedral and get blessed and then we all will have a kick ass 2006 on the road! AIIGHT!

Freewheels and bike laws

People have been asking what is legal and what is not in regards to equipment on a bicycle in NYC. A lot of this stems from the March critical Mass, the second ride in which the police changed tactics and issued summons to people instead of just making an arrest. The summons were often for failure to stop at a red light, which is part of the law that bicycles are subject to the same rules as motor vehicles.

Freewheels...has these laws listed on their website, bike law nyc The laws talk about what equipment you bicycle should have such as a warning devise or lights.
Of course this may not help you with the whims of the NYPD, but it is good to be prepared.

Their website is full of information about laws, what to do if your bike is confiscated and how to deal with these summons.

In support of Freewheels, the organization that started the bicycle defense fund, they are having a fundraiser after the next Brooklyn Critical...April 14th, 2005
***************
AFTER-PARTY FUNDRAISER
Friday, Apr. 14, after the ride
South Side Lounge in Williamsburg
(41 Broadway at Wythe)

Funds raised go toward fighting appeals for the January and February 2005 Critical Mass arrestees. Raffle, fun, prizes!

Bike TV with new video and Time's Up wants you to Hang out.

Clarence Eckerson, of bike tv has been hanging out in Portland Oregon, documenting transportation issues and the greatest bike city in America.
Here is his latest 4 minute piece about "Breakfast on the Bridge" a monthly ritual where cyclists hand out free coffee and pastries to fellow bike riders on their morning commute. It features my good friend Ken Southerland of shift to bikes.
you can also catch all the other bike tv pieces on this page.

--Time's Up is begining to kick off their BBQ season as the Spring weather begins to get nicer, despite the April showers.

Here is a space update (49 East Houston) from Bill, executive director of Time's Up: (Come by and help out)

"The weather is getting better and we're switching into summer mode,
which means we are opening up the back garden. It is a little tougher
this year because we don't have the luxury of the lot next door to
store bikes and other stuff. So we are hoping more people will chip in
to fix the collective's bikes. This is a good project for an intern or
for someone who wants to learn how to fix bikes.

We've been selling a lot of bikes this past week, but we are now sold
out. Mack talked to his super and got us some great bike donations
that were abandoned in his building's basement. Let's put the word out
to all the supers in the world.

This Thursday, we will be using the garden for our volunteer meet and
greet BBQ. At last Sunday's volunteer work day, a couple of super
volunteers helped move stuff around in the back yard and build some
steps. Now we're looking to plant some greenery. Do you have any
outdoor plants to donate, or would you like to help? We also have a
relationship with Trader Joe's on 14th street where we can get regular
donations of food. If anyone can help pick food up, let me know. We're
also going to start phasing out the Sunday volunteer day and focus
more on the outdoor BBQ and possible Brooklyn Committee picnics(??).

As far as saving the space or finding a new one, there will be a
space/fundraising meeting on the third Tuesday of every month at 7pm,
starting April 18. You are welcome to join in.

We are still looking for more solid volunteers for movie night, a few
more mechanics, and our computers at the space seem to be in a
constant state of disrepair. The original idea for these computers was
that they would be used for Time's Up!-related activity, including
promoting event"

Interested in a new bike

I'm looking for a Road bike. Something in the $800-900 range. I'm looking for a bike I can keep up with Alleycats for video and make long rides on. Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone selling a bike, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant...don't need campy, just need a solid work horse. Let me know.

I'm still going off about April First weekend!

If what happened on the first few days of April is any indication of what’s in store for the bike/messenger culture scene...we are in for some serious kick ass action!

Let's review:

--An amazing NYC critical mass on the last day of March with the reconvene in Washington Square park and a most defiant crowd daring to continue to ride, despite the divide and conquer tactics of the NYPD.

--In Philadelphia there was the 6th annual April fool's Alleycat hosted by R.E.Load bags, makers of custom designed backpacks and messengers style goods.

--NYC had it's annual mixed bag alleycat hosted by Steve Klien and had the participants going all over town.


--Paris had an alley cat, apparently it's first...More details to follow and a flickr page of picts form Paris


Here are the race results:

Here are the results of the 1st international Paris alley-cat taking place april 1st:

1-YVES 1H01
2-gautier 1H01
3-jahboud 1H04
4-makwa 1H07
5-tonio 1H08
6-reno 1H08
7-juanito 1H16
8-gab 1H16
9-max 1H17
10-phil 1H18
11-raoul 1H30
12-olivier 1H30 premier non coursier
13-vladimir 1H41
14-lapin_marron 1H41 2e non coursier
15-coco 2H00 3e non coursier
16-karot 2H08 4e non coursier
17-gwenou 2H11 5e non coursier
18-axel 2H20 premier fixie
————-
***Some miss check point because they got arrested by the police
19-rob 2H43 2e fixie/San Fransisco
20-josephine 2H43 team vélocité/lausanne
21-blaize 2H43 team vélocité/lausanne
22-agata 2H43 3e fixie/London/Poland
23-ckqrisse 2H43

***Not sure what all the numbers mean, but people missed check points because they got arrested by the police? Sounds like they are starting their messenger race scene off just right.

--New Haven, CT had a race as well on April 1st. The "Go Straight to Hell" alleycat.
Monique had this to say:

"Since it was april fools, there were alot of tricks involved. The racers started off giving their bags and their bikes to the volunteers where they placed the bags in the middle of the new haven green in a pile and their bikes were placed 200 ft. away from their bags on top of a stage that they had to climb onto to get them. They had to run to get thier bags and then their bikes. Throughout the race, they were given new manifests so it was unclear how many stops there were and when and where was the end.
there weren't too many tasks. there was one where the riders had to blow a balloon and dance at the same time. Then bring the balloon unpopped to the finish line.
there were 24 riders total. so, it was an alright turnout. the first place prize was a monkey statue holding a plate. plus, there was a four dollar entrance fee and the first place male got half and so did the first lady. the last place racer got his four dollars back.
thats about it.....


She also mentioned four ladies raced and others worked the checkpoints. Nice to see the ladies involved.

Check out the New Haven myspace page


She also has a flickr page

--Then there was a crazy mutant bike fest in Richmond VA, hosted by the cutthroats. Perhaps you missed "Slaughtertrama 3" and the creation of the "whiplash" where two bikers are tied together by bungee cords and take off in different directions. The first person to fall off loses.

Priratelove has a pictures up and wrote this about the event:
"The photos are of the Cutthroats Slaughterama 3...
It's on an island in the middle of the river here in Richmond.. there's a large paved area that it's held on.. lots of bike games, etc."

pics

--Did I miss anything?

While in Philly...

I was a one man army in Philly, armed with a dvx100a and a helmet cam. Not easy.

Before the R.E.Load Bag sponsered 6th annual April Fool's race, I stopped for Green Tea at 733 N. 2nd St. (just down the street from the Reload shop)

David Kessler works there and silkscreened these t-shirts...great minds think alike...weird that it was the same color I had.

I hope to make a short video about the race and have it on line soon...but I may switch to google video instead of You tube.

Thanks to Kevin at demoncats for taking great photos. Check out the site.

Team Brutaltron

April Fool's Mixed Bag Alleycat

Know where these streets are in Manhattan?

1. Lincoln Center (the start. Not obscure)
2. Edgar St. (financial district)
3. Stone St. (financial district)
4. Rose St.
5. Freeman's Alley
6. Cherokee St. (77th & York)
7. Grant's Tomb
8. Sylvan Terrace (168th & St. Nicholas)
9. The Little Red Lighthouse underneath the George Washington Bridge
10. The Cloisters
11. 245th & Broadway in the Bronx: Finish.

Steve Klien did. He's been hosting the mixed bag Alleycat race on April 1st for years now. This is a low-tech race...you get a xeroxed black and white flyer and then your at Steve's mercy. Looking at these streets, the racers had to put on some serious milage...not a great race for those with a too hard a saddle.
Steve's in the Pirate hat.

Time's Up's own:
Austin won the race as top male and Jamie won as top female...two racers to watch for. Also a tough competator Izumi, posted some pictures. izumi's photos
Austin
Izumi