The Buzz: Metal to the pedal: ‘Critical Mass’ bike ride storms Jackson

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Alex Yoder was working at Teton Thai Friday evening when an unusual sight – something he had never witnessed in Jackson Hole – came funneling through the outdoor restaurant.

“I look up and I see a gang of about, like, 30 really enthusiastic people on bikes riding through our deck,” Yoder said. “It definitely pumped up our customers.”

Yoder was referring to bicyclists riding in what might have been the valley’s first ever Critical Mass bike ride, a trend that has since the early ’90s spread around the globe with aims to promote bicycle awareness while acting as a social gathering for participants.

Matt Berube, who first heard about and participated in a Critical Mass bike ride while living in New Zealand last year, organized Friday’s ride.
“I put up 20 flyers around town and left about another 50 smaller handouts on bikes and in bike baskets to get the word out,” Berube said.

He said he “embraced” the idea as an effort to expand awareness locally for bicycle traffic in Jackson.
Between 30 and 40 cyclists participated, estimated Berube, who rode a blue, three-wheeled cruiser with a basket on the back.

The group organized in the parking lot at the base of Snow King and moved like a dense cluster through town. Those with bike bells rang them continually. Some participants made loud sounds mimicking air raid sirens from the Second World War.
One rider, Ben Westenburg, a DJ, said he liked the “saving the planet vibe,” of his first Critical Mass.

“You could tell that it took a lot of the drivers we passed out of their comfort zone,” Westenburg said. “But there were also a lot of people honking at us and smiling.”
The group, which had no route planned, repeatedly circled Town Square and peddled to the top of the new parking garage before heading down on Broadway to the Old Virginian Saloon.

Attendees of an art opening at Lyndsay McCandless Gallery cheered the group along and some of them held out plastic cups of beer, evoking images of bystanders at the Tour de France offering water bottles to riders.

Some cars momentarily stopped by the riders at intersections or in the middle of traffic – particularly a few of those with license plates from outside of Teton County – and shouted expletives at the group.

“You bunch of idiots!” yelled one driver, whose sedan had Idaho plates.
Jackson Police Chief Dan Zivkovich said the department received relatively few complaints about the Critical Mass ride and that one policeman momentarily observed the group.

“By and large, they were keeping within their right and didn’t cause any significant problems,” Zivkovich said.

Berube said he and others intend to organize another Critical Mass for August 29 – the last Friday of the month, which is the day most Critical Mass rides are usually held around the world.
PERMALINK:
The Buzz: Metal to the pedal: ‘Critical Mass’ bike ride storms Jackson | Planet JH News Article: General News

Leave a Comment