Westside BikeSIDE!

Ummm, who is Chet?

Friends of the Friendless might be the greatest ride concept ever. “Impossible!” you say. Maybe, but srsly you guys, hear me out. (read this? read part 2!)

Friends of the Friendless 2 left from Bikerowave last Thursday at 9pm, and twenty odd riders rode aimlessly around West LA. Here’s the concept: every time we encounter a cyclist riding alone we turn the ride around, and ride with them to their destination. We’re the Friends of the Friendless!

We’re out to learn: WHO IS CHET?

The first Friends of the Friendless took place on Thanksgiving night 2007, as a instance of the West LA ride Cub Camp. That night I joined the Cubs to roam the city whimsically searching for friends. You might think that’s slightly pathetic to be away from family on Thanksgiving, but I think the Cubs think of each other as family. Still, there’s a strong argument that night we were the one in need of friends.

The important thing, is that everyone ends up with friends.

So, last Thursday, slightly self conscious of our former Friendlessness, the Cubs were subdued as we rolled from Bikerowave. Then we got North a little bit and the Cub crooning began. Shouts and yells of “you guys, seriously, you guys”, giraffe noises, and other Cub-isms filled the night. Not one rider yet wondered:

But seriously you guys, who is Chet?

And there she was. Our first friend, arguably our best friend, in our midst moving silently under the cover of Cub noise. Christina emerged from the night in a light blue jacker, layers of commuter gear, and a indomitable thirst for FUN. Twenty riders swarmed around Christina and begin chanting “One of us, One of US!”.

What would you think? I’d wonder if I was about to get mugged by a cult. FUN mugged. Christina just took it in, she was totally cool with it. I think that partly had to do with Alec Schwarz. Alec, known for his handmade cycling caps, swooped in and explained non threateningly the ride concept to Christina, while the rest of us made Cub noises. Perched atop his huge tall bike, Alec is a natural ambassador of FUN. So, instead of us escorting Christina home, Christina flipped it and announced she would escort us to our friendly destinations. So we set off in search of more friends.

We met a few more friends, and some we could only communicate with in Spanish. Shockingly, the only Spanish speaker on the ride was Midnight Rida “EddieboyinLA”, who explained the ride to those friends. Eventually one “friend” sneakily eluded us with an unannounced right turn onto a sidewalk. We took that as a “No”. Saddened by rejection, the Cubs headed to 7-11 so some could treat their depression with suds. In 7-11 parking lots Midnight Ridazz dissect life’s deepest enigmas, and so we all queried Christina:

Who is CHET?

(Who is Chet? Where, What, Why and How is Chet? All in part 2 . . . )

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