For those of you who don't know, Critical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world.
The ride is usually about 30 miles and lasts from 7:30pm to midnight.
Anywhere from 1500 to 3000 riders show up, sometimes dressed up in costumes and some even on unicycles or rollerblades, to spend their evening stopping traffic and having a good time throughout LA and the surrounding cities
Now this was my first ride and let me tell you, I was pretty nervous. First of all I was scared I wouldn't be able to make it on bike for 30 miles (I can hardly run for 10 minutes) and second, my bike riding days have been very minimal ever since my elementary and middle school days. At first I was very shaky. Not only did I have to worry about staying steady on my own bike, I had to worry about how capable the riders around me were while watching out for pot holes and giant cracks in the road. At first I was sure was going to die or crash, panicking every time someone would get close (which was very often seeing as there were 2000 riders and one lane to all share) but after almost crashing a few times and almost being crashed into multiple times, and having the will to stay alive, I eventually got it.
The ride was filled with characters, hilarious people of all kinds along with motorcycle and bike cops yelling at everyone to keep on the right side of the rode. We biked from downtown LA all the way into Glendale and back. It was uphill a lot of the time so I must say I got a good workout.
I have to admit, I did witness multiple crashes but every time one happened, everyone would start yelling/cheering to let all behind them know what was coming ahead. It was really neat! At one point I felt someone hit my back tire followed by some crashing noises. It was super scary but I couldn't stop to see what was up without causing more problems, so I just carried on. Another incident (when I was still getting the hang of things) happened at a right turn at an intersection and it was my fault this time. I was going faster than I thought I could handle and almost lost control but while trying to regain my composure, I nearly took out two bicycle cops! Let's just say I was a bit of a mess at first. At another point in the ride I witnessed someone bike straight into a sign, that had to have been painful!
All in all it was a rad experience and despite the mishaps throughout, it was all part of the experience. Afterwards we hit up a taco truck and I had the most delicious tacos I have ever tasted.
WE RODE THAT RIDE and that is for sure.
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| kendall's bike was equipped with rope lights and a 5 speaker stereo! we were jammin the whole way! |
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| doesnt do any justice but there were a BUTTLOAD of people! |
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| ohhh yeah |
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| loren got lots of comments on her leopard leggings! |
...until next month!