Los Angeles Critical Mass July 2011

Last night was the last friday of July in the year 2011, which is why a thousand plus riders gathered to celebrate their right to exist as traffic on the streets of Los Angeles. I missed the start as I was helping a fellow rider repair a flat tire,

but it didn't matter. I could easily find the ride by looking into the sky and seeing a police helicopter hovering over Western and Olympic.

I rode fast thru the pack so that I could get to the front and shoot a static shot of the entire ride passing by.

Needless to say, Critical Mass was a very visible addition to the regular goings on about town last night.



People came out of their homes to marvel at the sight.



Tigger was a favorite with the children.



Some cyclists were spooked by the rollerblader



This is the normal operating procedure for this fellow



and his friend



This fellow had the coolest bike of the night, and he was riding fast!



A Unicyclist was assisting newer riders as part of the recently formed Critical Mass Support Team



LAPD and cyclists have joined forces to ensure the ride is safe and fun for cyclists of every ability.



Riding thru downtown, we came across an NYPD police cruiser, which can only mean 1 thing, we just rode 3000 miles



or a TV show was being filmed. Looks of joy from the crew ensued.



No ride is complete without a sound system



which I caught up to right at the entrance to the tunnel



On we rode to Mariachi Plaza for a rest stop with snacks for hungry riders



including ice cream for yours truly



a few minutes to take in the scenery





and off we rode back into downtown







I forget what happened next, but we ended up in Macarthur Park



and waited and waited. Finally the ride seemed to fizzle out (perhaps by design LAPD?)



While riders called it a night and dispersed, a small group continued to Hollywood.







Where we saw police engaged in non bike riding duties



FIN!