Comments on: Reflections on Ride #27 – Running of the Bulls!

By: Greg Potwin

Greg Potwin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:21:43 +0000

How can I upload some pics and video? You can see my pics and videos at South Bay Bike People on Facebook if your interested. Sorry I am a week late on this. Look for more pics from tomorrows test ride.

By: Townie Bill

Townie Bill — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:10:18 +0000

Impressive. I just reviewed the comments and perspectives of last Friday’s SJBP ride and now understand that my passion for this activity is shared by some and surpassed by many. As posted earlier and echoed by several, those of you in positions of leadership and experience (you BIRDS) should be very proud of what you have wrought here. You give us so much to look forward to. And my personal thanks to Spliffer for wrapping up the ‘week after’ comments with such a compassionate and thoughtful post.

YES, we need peacekeepers. That’s a role we can all play costumes or not. Our energy needs to be bridled and managed by example. Our ‘Birds’ go a long way to distinguish SJBP from SF Critical Mass.

The BIRD distinction (IMO) is letting your proverbial ‘Freak Flag Fly’!

Thanks BIRDS. You rock.

See you guys tomorrow . . . Where do we meet?

By: Spliffer

Spliffer — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:10:33 +0000

@comment #49 & @David’s response #50

Gentlemen, the statement about the East Side could be misconstrued or mis-interpreted to seem insensitive to most self-respecting East Side residents, however; I think — or at least I hope — it was not meant to impugn anyone’s neighborhood nor background.

As you well know David, Bike Party has always been about building community through bicycling and not about exclusion, nor schisms and isms.

I am sure, from the looks of it, the statement relates to a label of the “historical, (hysterical), “East-side colorful past”, and has no bearing on the East-side of 2010.
Today’s East-side is the most racially and culturally diverse sector of the South Bay and because of this diversity it has the most beautiful and delightful women in the region.

Bike Party is about togetherness.
We are bicyclists from: North, East, South, West and points between and beyond the South Bay.

So I say on thee my brethren lets come together as one Bike Party Nation.
This Movement of Bike People has come too far to fall prey to “political correctness”.
In an open forum — rapid fire — forum like we have here, there will be communication breakdowns, flippant and off-putting remarks.

So please keep these thoughts in mind when you read and post comments. Feel free to post your thoughts and mix it up with “gusto” because that is the beauty of this site and what makes Bike Party so endearing to all of us.

I just love — in this instance — being the Bike Party PEACE KEEPER…

By: mikel

mikel — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:14:44 +0000

6th ride since last year, keeps on gettting better,,cannot wait till SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: david

david — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:51:47 +0000

“people’s fear about the east side” ?? please tell me you’re not serious. what kind of moron would be afraid of riding through tame east san jose ON A GROUP RIDE no less? people actually believe that anyone on bike party would be unsafe? and if you’re saying “well, unsafe if you’re wearing red in your costume” then you’re basically saying that mexicans are nuts and will charge anyone like a raging bull. ugh i thought most bicyclists were NOT ignorant fools.

my guesses for little dressing up are because the theme was annouced last minute. some people thought they already knew that the theme was “new years resolution” so they didn’t go back to the website yet again… or maybe just less people want to dress up in the winter… or maybe some people were offended by the theme because it sounded like “riding through the east side, where there are crazy mexicans who will come after you, is akin to running through the streets of pamplona where there are crazy bulls that will come after you.” or “the ride is on the east side, mexicans live there, they speak spanish, spaniards speak spanish and have the running of the bulls and all spanish speakers are the same so …”

anyway, sorry man, you are right about lagging at the regroup and i take some responsibility, although it’s odd you say people need to study the maps when the last minute change screwed those who were trying to follow the map.

By: testrides

testrides — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:41:41 +0000

@kendra
- we’ve already placed an ad for feb ride to promote costumes, etc (people’s fear about the east side [?!?] dampened the costumes quite a bit is a guess)
- we’re rotating all around the city, we promote parking and pre-ride options for all rides, may promote post-rides also
- last minute changes were due to too many riders taking too long on the route (too many went to 7/11s and quickie stops & taking far too long to get riders out of the regroup #1
- trying to mesh the rides – the bull riders charged up the hill even faster than expected…. so between this and too much time in regroup #1 and too much drinking regroup #2 was cancelled
- volunteers were posted and even chased down riders that went toward the brigadoon neighborhood
- we’ve always used music trailers to move the crowd (aka the couch) but even this did not work too well in regroup #1 [people weren't listening]
- riders need to study the route maps much more as we’re providing “mapmyride” maps, a “visual map” with key street names on it & turn by turn directions