Last night, I finally made it out to the Thursday Night Urban Ride, a weekly social ride put on by Brooks Goldsmith through the Facebook group Social Cycling ATX. These rides have been going on for a couple months now and have grown to from three folks on the first ride to well over 100 last night.
For those who have done Daniel Sato’s Thursday Night Road Ride (now on hiatus until fall), this ride was a welcome change from the hammerfest. The ride itself is done at a social pace and varies by location each week but always start at the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge on Lady Bird Lake around sunset. This week’s ride was around downtown ending at The Jackalope for free Lone Stars. The ride continued after the watering hole stop to the Barton Springs water hole, but I was starting to turn into a pumpkin after a few Lone Stars and cut the evening short.
Cycle Bum author James Zapata sporting some retro cool shades
It may have been the beautiful weather or the free beer, but the crowd last night was massive reminding me at times of Critical Mass with quite a bit of corking going on at the intersections to allow the large group to get through. The group was a nice mix of fixies, roadies, mountain bikers, and just regular folks on bikes making the ride welcoming to all. There was even a rider who wanted to be a fixie but couldn’t quite commit as she was still sporting a freewheel but no brakes. Watching her go down hill with literally a shoe brake, her shoe touching the rear tire, was quite nerve racking.
The ride was a blast and I got to meet several new cyclists I had never met before. If you are in the vicinity of the Lamar Blvd. Pedestrian Bridge on Thursday nights, join the cycling community for a great social ride.
About:
Urban Night Ride
Thursdays, 7:30 PM, Festival Beach (north side of Lady Bird Lake just east of I-35)
A new ride from the Facebook group Social Cycling ATX. Meet at Plaza Saltillo at 7:30p.m. leave at 8:00p.m. sharp. Bring a lock and lights for your bike.
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 11:59 am
SHOE BRAKING? What on earth… why just why? So dangerous, I cannot even wrap my head around it.
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Yes, well it was pretty scary to watch. I wish people realized that you are way more faster on the bike with good brakes.
on Sep 10th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
You should change the name of this ride to “Thursday Night Give All Cyclists a Bad Name Ride”. I was driving 10mph out of respect for all the cyclists giving everyone ample room on the road and a rider made it a point to cut me off and cause me to almost hit him. He was riding the wrong way up the other lane of traffic. He did this with beer in hand, cussed me out as he passed my bumper, and tried to create a situation in front of everyone. This is no way to promote cycling safety or acceptance by the public. Grow up people. Tell your “social riders” that when they ride their bikes and act like idiots they’re putting other cyclists in harms way. If you want some respect, give it. Don’t break the law on your bicycles and then expect to be taken seriously. I have worked in the bicycle industry for over eight years, and I have never been more disappointed in a group of fellow cyclists. It’s because of this “social ride” that I now feel at danger in my own neighborhood riding my bike. Thanks a lot.
on Sep 10th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Not Impressed,
The Thursday Night Social Ride has been happening for a year and a half averaging 200-300 people on a ride every week. You cannot have that many people participating that often without some member of the group behaving badly I’ve witnessed worse behavior in a roadie group a 1/10th of the size. Are we to blame the bike shop I rode with giving all cyclists a bad name because one person in the group was a jackass? When a driver cuts you off or tailgates, do you assume that all drivers do that?
The fact that TNSR has been doing this so successfully so long a weekly basis without issues with police says a lot about how the ride is run. The ride leaders work very hard to avoid blocking traffic and make sure people obey stop signs and lights.
They are getting lots of people on bikes that are into racing or fitness. You simply cannot avoid all bad behavior, but getting lots more people on bikes goes a long way to undercutting the prejudice that all cyclists are the same or to be judged by a single bad apple.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
is it at the pedestrian bridge at 7:30pm or is it at Plaza Satillo at 7:00pm? totally confused. sounds like fun…
on Apr 15th, 2011 at 8:57 am
I was with out-of-town friends last night and saw this group moving through downtown, (building in size after the first pass). They were polite; laughing; and most of them were obeying traffic laws.
Elliot is correct, if we began to credit all Austin car drivers with the behavior of the too many MoPac drivers during rush hour, there would be a call for banning the use of cars in downtown Austin, (hey – there’s a thought).
Seriously, these folks last night were a great representation of how cyclists can and should behave and served as ambassadors for our visiting friend from Phoenix, (who was admittedly jealous that we had such an inviting downtown).
This is the kinder-gentler critical mass the city needs; not the one who thinks it is cool to hit the decks of IH35 during the evening rush hour.
Keep up the great rides.