Come on down! It's Critical Mass!!

Frederick's Critical Mass makes its 41st monthly ride this week and it is going to be awesome! Dozens of cyclists and bike riders will gather at the fountain in Baker Park at 6pm in Frederick, Maryland for a raucous ride through the streets of Frederick. There will be music, fun, and even a tall bike.

Critical Mass started in the early 1990s in San Francisco and was known as Commute Clot. It has since become a world wide phenomenon. In Frederick, Critical Mass was started up as a way to have a fun ride, make friends, and reclaim the streets. Popular slogans include, "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "We are traffic!"


Critical Mass or Critical Mass-type rides often accompany large protests. For example, the 2004 Republican National Convention saw a huge Mass (a Mass that also faced huge repression) and in October 2007 and March 2008 an Anti-Capitalist Bike Brigade wound its way through Anti-War demonstrations in Washington, DC. Frederick, too, has seen this pairing. Two Earth Day celebrations included Critical Mass rides through the city.

So all of you in Frederick should come out with your bikes, ride around, and have a wonderful time!!