Critical Mass, Denver, June 2006

The Denver Police won't let Critical Mass get out of 1st gear while cities worldwide accept the bicyclists like the French countryside in July. Critical Mass takes place on the last Friday of the month; it's not so much a group of bikers as it is a group of people riding bikes. You might think that a bike friendly, environmental place like Denver would support this activity, the community supports it...the police and the mayor do not.

It was my first ride with Critical Mass this past June 2006. The group organizes at Civic Center Park around 6pm; they discuss routes, traffic, do's and don'ts, police action, how to be courteous to public transportation, etc. They then begin to pedal around the fountain and pool at Civic Center Park, a signal that it is getting to the point of departure. Lap after lap they pedal; the cruisers, single speeds, fixed gear, Schwinns from decades ago, banana seats, 10 speeds and 3 speeds. It's eye candy galore for those of us that view a bicycle as much more than transportation (see my entry "Personal Significance"). The bikes are a statement about the person who rides them, they are personalized and detailed similar to a motorcycle, car and even what you might do with your living room.

It didn't help the cause or my situation when I showed up with two of Denver's motorcycle police officers in tow. Seems that even though my vision may be 20/20 those police officers blend in very well, they must teach them camouflage techniques at the academy. As a bicyclist, I think most of the time that if I run a red light I am pretty much just putting my self in danger (look for a future entry "7 Stitches and the Dumb Things Dave Does on a Bike"), cars on the other hand put others in danger. I am not trying to justify my actions; I know I ran that light; there is no "PINK" or "RELLOW" traffic light. But it was a placid Friday night in Denver; I had perfect vision of traffic left and right of me, so I pedaled through the intersection. About ¾ of the way through, an SUV passes me. If I ran this light, this guy really ran it! Like I said earlier, there is no gray area here, you are either pregnant or you are NOT pregnant! Both of us are guilty. I pull up to the guy at the next light and motion to roll down his window in order to have a polite exchange of ideas regarding the previous traffic light. He shakes his head "no", I point my finger (not the middle one) and shake my head. The light goes to green and as he takes off those motorcycle officers pass me and pull him over. YEAH! I leave the scene and head over to Civic Center Park a few minutes later and pull up with…you guessed it, those same two officers on my tail. It went something like this:
PO: "You know you ran that light. It was just as red for that guy as it was for you."
DE: "Yes officer I know, I apologize"
That was about it, he gave me a stern look and that was the end of it.

The group of about 150 pedals through downtown Denver at a leisurely 5 MPH pace. Obeying traffic laws as best they can and splitting up when lights turn red. They always keep one lane of traffic open when it is possible so that they don't hold up traffic. The police need their room to get by also. After 45 minutes or so I thought about how this scene resembled a western cattle drive; the bikes as the cattle and the police on their iron horses keeping us in check, rounding us up. How apropos for a town that's biggest draw is the Western Stock Show and a football team with a wild stallion as its mascot.

I was photographing this event and was trying to be very careful about where I was and how I got there. The end of the group usually had a police car and a few motorcycles, they didn't approve of me riding among them. I captured a few frames from the corner, started pedaling again and got stuck with the police officers. One of them rode up to me and said "Don't ride with us, ride with them." I know these people are doing their jobs and it takes a certain person to be law enforcement and I am not criticizing anyone, I am criticizing their technique. The motorcycles followed and boxed us in at very close range, some within the group felt dangerously close. They also accelerated for one reason or another to speeds past the posted speed limit that would put them in the midst of a pack of riders traveling at 1/6 their speed. It felt like high school prom with a chaperone tethered tightly to your side. I think 6 or so tickets were handed out that night, primarily for running red lights at 5 MPH or failure to signal. In other cities like San Francisco where Critical Mass originated the bikes stay together as one mass. When the light turns red they keep moving and vehicular traffic now with the right of way stays put. From what I understand, the police will get in front of the mass in order to hold up traffic and keep the mass safe.

Google "Critical Mass" if you want to learn more about how this ride operates in other cities. I am not sure why Denver does not want to cooperate but it seems as though they want to take the air out of the sails, I mean tires, of Critical Mass Denver. I'll see you July 28th at Civic Center Park. Strength in numbers! -DE