Westside BikeSIDE!

Great weather, great turnout. Almost every single person that needed front or rear lights was outfitted by a few enterprising folks selling them at cost. Riders were also briefly instructed on the ways of riding safely alongside thousand pound metal boxes. Everyone was on their best behavior, walking their bikes across crosswalks and allowing car and bus traffic to pass us whenever possible. After looping around Santa Monica a couple of times, the group decided to head to Westwood. On Wilshire - a bold move indeed.

Everyone took a breather in the 7-Eleven parking lot past Bundy and allowed folks to catch up, then off we went. At that point I realized that we had 150 people cycling across Wilshire, which is a treacherous trip for any one individual, regardless of skill. There truly is safety in numbers, and this was a great example. As an added bonus, an LAPD cruiser jumped in and helped us turn left into Westwood by blocking oncoming traffic.Boosted by the LAPD officers’ protection, the riders began cheering, and roaming around Westwood only drew more stares and cheers from bystanders. We were even flagged down by a RedBull promo car offering freebies.
Next, we cooled down the pace by riding to the top floor of the UCLA Medical Center parking lot to chill. To end the ride, we headed back West on Ohio/Santa Monica, then South to Venice, where sources tell me that the riders took a much needed taco truck break. At the end, approximately 30 riders were left. By then, those dedicated souls rode for a total of four and a half hours (!) Not bad for a monthly social ride, eh? - a bold move indeed.

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