TheGearJunkie reveals some insider's views from the center of a Critical Mass pod in Minneapolis. Run red lights and block traffic while surrounded by police with Stephen Regenold as you get a rider's eye view in this expose' piece.
As a serious bicyclist myself, this issue strikes close to home. Critical Mass is an exercise in civil disobedience that goes beyond just bike awareness in an automotive world. It seems to bring out the best and the worst in many who are taking part.
Editor
Critically Debatable
By STEPHEN REGENOLD
published September 23, 2008
The car revved its engine from behind as I signaled a turn, my arm outstretched to motion a left. It was just before 5p.m., the last Friday in July, and I was riding my bike to a gathering in Loring Park at the edge of downtown Minneapolis. “Go get yourself killed!” came a shout from the driver as I bumped off the road.
Thus was my introduction to Critical Mass, a monthly gathering where cyclists meet in cities around the world — from Sao Paulo to St. Paul — in a show of solidarity on city streets clogged with cars.
Since its inception in the early 1990s in San Francisco — and the subsequent adoption by bikers around the globe — Critical Mass has no doubt brought... [ more ]
Stu Marks
Editor-in-Chief, Adventure-Space.com
Travel Editor, Adventure-Zone
Field Producer - Team Two