Enjoying the Ride
Story by Pete Dulin. Photography by Phil Peterson.
2007-10-30

Maybe it's the high gas prices. Maybe it's the decision to get off your tush once a month or more. Maybe it's the appeal of riding for pure pleasure and sharing the adventure with a like-minded group eager to explore Kansas City. For the bike riders in KC Critical Mass, the reasons and motivations for biking may vary, but the outcome seems to be the same. Riding a bike in Kansas City is fun, healthy, and social.

KC Critical Mass is a leisurely bike ride held on the last Friday of every month. The idea is to have fun, and raise awareness of the ever-growing popuation of fuel efficient cyclists in the Kansas City area. All types of riders and bikes are welcome. Interested riders can meet the group on the last Friday of every month at 6 PM in the Westport Sunfresh Market parking lot near Southwest Trafficway.

Critical Mass originated in San Francisco in 1992 when 48 people organized a ride through the city. The popularity grew as more than 500 riders participated annually until it became a full-fledged movement that spread to other cities where people organized local riding events. While the ride was founded with the idea of drawing attention to how unfriendly the city was to bicyclists, the leaderless structure of Critical Mass makes it impossible to assign it any one specific goal. In fact, the purpose of Critical Mass has no formal agenda beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and traveling as a group through city streets. Internationally, Critical Mass rides differ from city to city; there's a variety in size, respect of traffic laws (or lack thereof), interaction with motorists, and intervention by police.

The name "Critical Mass" is taken from Ted White's 1992 documentary film about bicycling, Return of the Scorcher. In the film, George Bliss describes a typical scene in China, where cyclists are unable to cross intersections because there is automobile cross-traffic and no traffic lights. Gradually, more cyclists amass waiting to cross the road. When there is a sufficient number of them––a critical mass, as Bliss called it––they move together with the force of their numbers to make cross traffic yield while they cross the road.

While biking on the streets of Kansas City has its pleasures, the activity requires some caution around our car-crazy town to avoid unwanted pain. For example, cyclist Erick Sharda, band leader of The Popsicles (read more about the band), was involved in a hit-and-run crash in midtown in August and was hospitalized with serious injuries. He has undergone extensive rehabilitation and does not have health insurance. An event is scheduled at recordBar on November 8 to raise funds for his expenses. Other riders, such as John Triggs, are less fortunate in accidents and die.

Public opinion varies on the issue of bikers and automobile drivers sharing the road, whether funds for infrastructure should be spent to increase safety and, if so, what form that spending should take. Ultimately, safety is paramount for all citizens on and off the road. For KC Critical Mass, riding together reinforces social camaraderie and a sense of security since groups of bicyclists are more visible than lone riders.

PresentMagazine.com contacted several bike riders about their experiences with KC Critical Mass.

See the end of this article for more online resources about biking

View the KC Critical Mass photo slide show with more images.

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Dickie
KC Critical Mass biker since October 2007.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I saw them riding about a year ago and then began to notice the group more frequently and finally figured out when and where they were meeting.

I Like to Ride
I have a Felt triathlon bike, but use it only when I train or race, it’s red, skinny, and fast. For leisurely rides around midtown, I am riding a Trek mountain bike.

The Ride
Since I only have one ride under my belt thus far, a memorable time would be from the last Critical Mass ride this past Friday. I really enjoyed the extra efforts put forth by those who “dressed” for the occasion. It’s a really creative, diverse gathering of folks and a great way to share exchange with new people and old friends from all different walks.

Biking in KC
There is a nice variety of rides - flat, hilly, roads, trails, etc.

Safe Biking Wish List
We need more roads with wider shoulders or marked bike lanes, though it is nice to see many city buses are outfitted with bike carriers on the front.







Keanon Liggatt
KC Critical Mass biker since March 2007.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I rode by it one Friday on my way to downtown, got curious, and found it on the web through the Acme Bicycle Company site.

I Like to Ride
1980 all-chrome Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 single-speed conversion. I love my bike. I take care of it and it takes care of me.

The Ride
Every ride is memorable for me. Bike people are easily my favorite people. Energetic, social, generous, and generally hilarious. Riding in a group makes giving up an enviable option, particularly if you plan on horning in on your fellow riders' beer at the ride's end.

Biking in KC
I see the city in a different way than you do riding in a car, and I've been to places in the city that I didn't know existed while looking for a better route, riding a race, or riding to a friend's house. Not to mention the fact that commuting by bike means I don't have to go to some awful fucking gym. I love our hilly-ass terrain.

Safer Biking Wish List
Bike lanes. Bike racks. Fewer cars on the road (or at least fewer drivers who are willing to cut you off and/or aggressively threaten you with their vehicles.) Education about traffic laws with regard to cyclist/car interactions. Public shower facilities for summer time!

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Ryan aka Elrod
KC Critical Mass biker for a few years.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
Heard about it through my bike shop.

I Like to Ride
Surly "steam roller" fixed.

The Ride
They are all a blast. it's about coming together and having a good time, and that always happens. Kansas city is an awsome town, with lots to see and do. My felllow riders are all kick ass, and are always willing to go out and have fun on their bikes.





Corinna West aka Reader
KC Critical Mass Biker for one year.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
My nickname is Reader. I read a lot of books. I was the one dressed as MoDOT if you were at Critical Mass this week. My friends told me about it. I shop at the bike store, ACME, where some of the original KC Critical Mass riders came from.

I Like to Ride
I ride a Trek touring bike set up as a commuter. I ride pretty much everywhere I go, so I have a lot of stuff strapped to the bike like tools, a pump, lights, bells, and a vertebrae for decoration. I got the bike free on warranty when my racing bike broke, and I love the comfort and practicality of a touring bike.

The Ride
One Critical Mass happened about three days after a homeless man, Lewis Bailey, was killed riding his bike on 12th and Burlington in North KC. We rode the whole group, about 100 people, all the way down to the accident site. Then we rode in circles around the intersection and talked to the motorists while we held up the traffic for a couple of lights. "Someone died here because a woman wasn't paying attention," we told the motorists. "We're sorry we're holding you up, but we're here to pay our respects."

Another time we heard that Missouri Department of Transportation was holding a public input forum during a Fourth of July party at Berkeley Riverfront Park. We rode a group of about 100 people down there to talk to them, but MoDOT had skipped the event.

I like riding everywhere I go. I like not depending on foreign oil. I like being silent and powering my own way wherever I go.

Safer Biking Wish List
I would make Kansas City safer by focusing on bridges and pinchpoints to increase access. Once we get the hard stuff out of the way, the easier stuff will follow.

Why I Ride My Bike to Work (excerpt)
By riding my bike to work I plan to change the world.
I declare freedom from the petroleum mongering machine.
There's no war in Iraq fought for my gas.
I live on a human scale and transport my own ass.

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Justin Warring aka J Dub
KC Critical Mass Biker since June 2007.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I heard about Critical Mass from some friends of mine. I had always wanted to ride it, but I work every Friday night. After my first ride I was convinced, and started taking off every last Friday of the month. It was, and is, completely worth the loss of a sweet bartending shift every month.

I Like to Ride
I ride a black Redline 925 fixed gear with a flip/flop hub. 46/15. I painted my rims neon yellow, took the front brake off, and added some bullhorn handlebars. The frame is way too small for me. I've got a Puch frame in my basement that's just my size. I just can't decide what color to paint it, so I'm dealing with it for now. It still gets me everywhere I need to go really quickly and gasoline free.

The Ride
The appeal is quite obvious...strength in numbers. You can't intimidate 150 riders all at once...unless you're Godzilla.

Biking in KC
Kansas City is a challenging city to ride in. We have lots of hills around here. Big hills. But for every hill you have to trudge up, there is a totally sweet hill to cruise down so fast that your eyes tear up, partially from wind and partially from joy. Motorists in Kansas City, especially around the Midtown area can be a bit challenging too. But the challenge is a welcome one, and one that I enjoy conquering every day.

Safe Biking Wish List
I would love to ride in a bigger city with more traffic and more bikes. I think that if we had more bikes on the road and they became more commonplace, cyclists would get a lot more respect and maybe even more bike racks, bike lanes, etc.










Chris Thomas aka ChrisGo
KC Critical Mass Rider for nearly one year.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I learned about Critical Mass through friends who had ridden previously. It sounded like fun and I have been a part of it ever since. People always try and bring a friend who has never participated in Critical Mass when possible, much like I did last month. It's built one rider at a time and has grown to over 200 cyclists during the last few rides. The route and pace is always dictated by the youngest and or newest cyclist at the ride. The rides are always fun and easy, we want everyone to enjoy the experience and come back and do it with us again.

My first Critical Mass ride was in January, but I began cycling again after taking part in the Cranksgiving KC Alleycat race last November, a fund raising event for a local food pantry. Many of the same people who race in Alleycat races take part in Critical Mass rides. Both of these events have led me to begin competitive road racing, changing my life considerably in the span of less than a year.

There is another Cranksgiving KC Alleycat race on Saturday November 18, 2 PM, starting at the Missouri Department of Conservation Center at 4750 Troost. More info can be found at www.kcbikefed.org.

I Like to Ride
I ride a Bianchi Brava. It's a road style bike which is dark red and named "The Italian Stallion" from its Italian origins.

The Ride
It's so much fun to ride bikes, and it's even more fun to ride with 200 other cyclists. Sharing your love of cycling with friends, and letting the public know that bikes belong on the road too. It's difficult to explain how it feels to take part in such a demonstration. I can only recommend that you try it for your yourself. We always have a positive message, we get bigger every month which helps show the public that bicycles are more than just toys and for children, and cycling is a viable and affordable means of transportation. Plus, cycling is good for you too.

Biking in KC
I love the diversity of the neighborhoods throughout the city, there is always something new and different to experience every time you go out and ride. You learn to appreciate what each of the different areas has to offer, so many times in a car you go through an area so fast you miss the little details that make areas unique and different. Whereas on a bike you are going at a pace where those details are more apparent and you have a better chance to appreciate them. Kansas City is a very beautiful city, full of art and architecture that could be easily missed. Cycling affords you the chance to experience the details at your own pace. We often take photographic excursions through parts of town to document the city from street level, finding details we never knew existed.

What I have come to appreciate most of all is the community of cyclists who also call Kansas City home. You will never find a group of people so genuine in their love of cycling than I have met here. Nobody ever thinks of Kansas City as a hot-bed of cycling, but there is a very strong core community here that makes cycling that much more enjoyable. It was this reason that I found my way back into cycling and the local cycling community.

I have always ridden a bike, I remember getting my first bike and the freedom it afforded me when I was a kid. But as I got older, I gravitated to a car as my main mode of transportation and pretty much left my bicycle behind. College, the University of Kentucky specifically, reintroduced me to cycling, but it was more as a means of transportation in and around campus due to the lack of parking and the distances you had to travel between classes and buildings.

Safe Biking Wish List
Kansas City has a serious lack of infrastructure when it comes to accommodating cycling. Most larger urban areas have a well planned out system of bike lanes, and reclaimed green spaces set aside for non-motorized traffic. There are bike lanes here and there throughout the city, but most of them don't link up and you are on your own for most of your trip. Plans have been drawn up to implement a series of bike lanes through the city, but have never been fully implemented.

It takes time to get comfortable riding with traffic, you have to be on guard at all times, assume that they don't see you and act accordingly. This leads back to the core idea of Critical Mass, making the public and especially drivers aware of the cyclists who have the same rights to the streets on which they drive. My bike has the same rights and must follow the same laws that each and every vehicle does. We are traffic too.

There are several advocacy groups in Kansas City who are working to help encourage cycling in the city and pushing local governmental bodies for added accommodations and awareness. Most notably, the Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation, an organization which I am a part of. Another group of which I am a member is KC Bike Escorts, a free service for those who are uneasy or don't know how to get around town by bicycle. We will meet with you and help you find a safe way to travel through town and build your confidence as a urban cyclist.










Anne Pierson
KC Critical Mass rider

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I ride my bike to work downtown from Midtown. There were local Critical Mass groups when I lived in Portland, Maine and Boston, but I didn't ride my bike until this spring in KC. My old roommate Sean got back from a bike ride to Indianapolis and started to get involved in bike activism, and as soon as I got a new bike (my 1967 Schwinn Breeze having been stolen last fall), I rode it with him.

I Like to Ride
I ride a red Schwinn Le Tour touring bike with cruiser handlebars because I'm not a racer. I'm a commuter. The drop handlebars make me feel like I'm going to crash and I like to sit upright, but I still have a super-light bike for carrying up stairs and climbing hills. I used to live in Boston where you can ride a heavy old Schwinn single speed, but here there are too many hills.

The Ride
A particularly memorable ride was my first ever Critical Mass. I had a terrible bike I'd bought for $10 at a thrift store. The chain was loose and the bike was really heavy and slow. Anyway, as we left Sunfresh, the chain fell off. I stopped and some helpful riders put it back on. Then it fell off again at Broadway and Westport and I put it back on myself. Everything seemed to be going all right until we started going down Grand toward Crown Center. Suddenly, the chain fell off again which was terrifying because the bike had coaster (back-pedal) brakes. So I had no brakes. I couldn't brake with my feet with my thin shoes and at that speed I would have lost control of the bike. Up ahead of me, there were about 100 biked blocking the road, so if I continued at that speed I would crash into them all and be crushed and injure a lot of people.

So I started screaming bloody murder. I thought, "Okay, I'm probably going to die." I thought maybe, if I kept my wits about me, I wouldn't die. So I swerved around the median, into oncoming traffic, dodged two cars and came within 3-6 inches of being decapitated. Everyone in the Mass saw it and thought I was probably going to crash and die. By this time, some riders had ridden up to block off Pershing so I could coast through. I finally started braking myself against the curb and my friend Timo reached down from his tall bike and grabbed my backpack. Then, all the boys fixed my bike and the girls gave me shots of whiskey and lit cigarettes for me while I recovered. And then everyone cheered because I was still alive.

I like riding a bike around Kansas City because things are too far to walk to, but too close to drive a car to. Plus, you get to actually be involved in your environment and be a part of your surroundings instead of seeing them through a window.

Safe Biking Wish List
As far as safety and comfort go, I would love bike lanes that had a real, physical partition instead of either no bike lanes or painted bike lanes we have now. Also, I ride down Troost everyday and the amount of glass on the road is horrible. I get flats all the time.

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Katie Watts aka Dubbs (or Wang, as of late.)
KC Critical Mass rider since April 2007.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I was Walkdo for October's Critical Mass...if you could find me, that is. think riding my bike makes me feel more connected with Kansas City. When I am in a car, I get really irritated. I guess because of the feeling of being rushed (or stuck.) And I lose touch with what's actually around me. I could be in my car and the environment outside of it could really be switched out for anything. I also like riding because I inevitably see at least one other person riding also (whether I know them or not). It makes me feel good to see other people out on their bikes in KC.

I Like to Ride
I ride a Fuji Monterey cross bike. It's teal green.

The Ride
The appeal of a group ride like Critical Mass is, of course, the mass. The whole point is to get noticed, in order to raise bicycle awareness. It's hard to miss us when we are all together...we become the traffic and it's a cool thing to be a part of. The energy and enthusiasm (we enjoy hooting and hollering), the looks on other people's faces, everything. It's become our thing to yell out "Happy Friday!" to those we see out and it's nice to spread that cheer. Some people don't catch it, but a lot of people do. It's just fun, pure and simple...even if I don't know some of the others also riding, we are friends sharing the experience. It's very unifying.

Each ride is memorable, whether it's a different route or theme (of dress) or some reaction to us, or someone new who's out for the first time. It's always a party on wheels. In September, we saw a car wreck happen and that got us really riled up. I remember shouting out, "It's okay, you've got, like, a hundred witnesses!"

Safe Biking Wish List
Of course, I would change the level of consideration we get on the road. People get so angry about someone ridin' around on two wheels. When you drive, you have to get out of the way for other cars, but for some reason it's a big deal when it's a bicycle. That, or people don't even pay attention to you at all. I won't get into the issue of bike lanes and road conditions. I don't know too much about it and just deal with what I've got.
















Don McNeff aka Two Fingers
KC Critical Mass rider for two rides over the past six months.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I learned about KC Critical Mass from my friend Jevon. The hills in Kansas City are a challenge to race on which is fun.

I Like to Ride
Converted single speed from a mid eighties Fuji road bike. I also ride a We the People BMX.

The Ride
I really enjoy the Alley Cat races because i usually ride faster than the masses. Plus, I like the competition. The Cranksgiving races are great because they have good routes and it's nice to have a lot fun and help out the community at the same time.

Safe Biking Wish List
There needs to be better education about bikes aimed at motorists because they always try to run people over and force them on the sidewalks, but it is illegal to ride on the sidewalks. My friend Joel was intentionally rundown on Saturday.

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Nick Greusel
KC Critical Mass Rider for a couple of months.

Get Critical - Riding with KC Critical Mass
I found out about Critical Mass through the bikeliker.com forums.

I Like to Ride
I have three bikes: a mountain bike, a road bike, and a fixed gear road bike. The fixed gear is the one I ride at Critical Mass. It’s a 1971 Schwinn Varsity, but most of the parts are new, just mounted on an old frame. It’s my casual, ride-around-town bike. I love that bike. It has a lot of character.

The Ride
Group rides like Critical Mass are fantastic. Any event that can bring the cycling community together is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, cycling can be cliquish at times. The mountain bikers, roadies, commuters, and fixed gear riders sometimes don’t really get to see each other much, since they’re all out doing their own thing. Big, casual group rides give riders of all backgrounds and skill levels a chance to meet and have fun and share their experiences. It’s a great way to introduce people to cycling, since everyone from your grandma to the serious spandex-clad roadies is invited to ride as one big group.

Biking in KC
Kansas City is a beautiful city to ride in, at least the city itself. The suburbs are so spread out and rely so heavily on busy main roads that it’s hard to get anywhere by bicycle.

Safe Biking Wish List
Bike lanes are nice, but I don’t think they’re necessarily the best approach. I think they sometimes give a false sense of security, and they can be very confusing at intersections, for instance, when a cyclist wants to make a left-hand turn. I much prefer simple wide right lanes that give bicycles and cars some room to coexist without trying to separate them into different lanes. That just gets too confusing. More than anything, I think motorists just need to learn to be aware of bicycles and be willing to share the road. Most bike-car accidents happen because drivers are just not expecting to encounter a bicycle on the road. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will change until there are enough cyclists on the road that drivers finally get used to seeing them.




Resources

Advocacy/Information
kcbike.info
Greater KC Bike Federation - kcbikefed.org
Missouri Bicycle Federation - http://mobikefed.org/
http://www.localcycling.com/
http://www.marc.org/bikeped/

Deb Ridgway
Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator
City of Kansas City, MO
816-513-2592
deb_ridgway@kcmo.org


Clubs
KC Bicycle Club - http://www.kcbc.org/
Johnson County Bicycle Club - http://www.jcbikeclub.org/
Lawrence Bicycle Club - http://www.lawrencebicycleclub.org/
www.outspokinkc.org

Shops
http://www.acmebicyclecompany.com/
http://www.biscaribrothersbicycles.com/
http://bikestoponline.com
http://trekbicyclestores.com/index.cfm
http://www.waldobikes.com/
http://www.thewheelcyclery.com