Hundreds of cyclists take the streets for the DC Bike Party
On the 14th of May, hundreds of bike riders showed up for the DC Bike Party, which takes place the 2nd Wednesday of every month.
The theme for this ride was "The Empire Bikes Back," and there were a smattering of mock lightsabers, someone in a Darth Vader helmet, even someone dressed as a Wookie showed up.
These rides attract up to 600 cyclists for rides nearly the size of the Critical Mass ride I was in in Atlanta during the US Social Forum in 2007, a "routine" 1,000 rider ride for them. These are not Critical Mass rides, but with this many riders in the street do essentially the same job without the image that so many DC riders seem unprepared for. It is a major addition of traffic in the form of bicycles and clearly sends the message of "we are not blocking traffic, we ARE traffic.
This is but a small fraction of the DC Bike Party! Some of the riders are two blocks or more up the street, others are still back in Dupont Circle
The scene after dark at the DC Bike Party
