Wow, what a night!  1,000 riders, by two separate counts, in two separate places, even!  So many good thoughts and good times…this really is what it is all about.

Major props go to the many, many volunteers that make the rides flow – many people who go unnamed, who help in all those little ways that are really so hugely important:  all of you who helped remind someone to stay on the route; all of you who reminded someone to check their behavior; all of you who helped make rest stops “work” by making sure we all moved in deep to make room and helped get us moving again when it was time; all of you who towed music trailers, couches, and sidecars; all of you who thanked the cops; really just ALL of us, for being so positive and wonderful, showing this valley how to really roll.

A special shout-out to both Santa Clara County Sheriffs and De Anza-Foothill Community College Police, who together blocked off traffic (corked) for us at one of the nastiest intersections – Stevens Creek and Stelling, then Stevens Creek and De Anza.  That was wonderful – thank you, thank you, thank you!

I remember saying at our 1-year anniversary in October:  we happily reached 200 riders in a year, and hoped to see 1,000 riders in 5 years.  That vision has come to pass over 3 years early, and it’s awe-inspiring.  Remember to keep it positive, keep it creative, keep it hopeful – we will turn this valley into a Bike City yet!

As usual, please share your (polite & appropriate) relections on this ride in the comments below!  Stories, thoughts, reactions, links to pictures or videos, tales of encounters from the ride are all welcome!

Yet again, 400-500 of us united on the streets last night to celebrate the best community-on-wheels this town has ever seen.  We have some props and some proposals:

Props:

• Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, who awesomely corralled our ride down Los Gatos Boulevard and then back up Santa Cruz/Winchester by blocking traffic on side streets.  What a wonderful reception!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
• Sweetness from our own riders:  fire-spinning from Craig, the return of the music couch trailer from Greg and Rachel, continued support from Councilperson Oliverio, seriously dedicated and thoughtful planning from many, and the intensely amazing hard work by many, many volunteers to keep the ride on-route, together, and in one lane. Well done, all!
• Let’s not forget the best part:  Wildly creative decorated helmets! Congratulations once again to the neon-mohawk battle “winner” and nice work, everyone.

Proposals:

• Last night we witnessed why it is important to follow bicycle laws, safety ideas, and guidelines of the ride.  Following the rules is hard sometimes, and we need a LOT of help to keep the ride on-track.  Several people were cited by Campbell Police for running a red light, not having lights on their bicycles, and at least one bicyclist collided with a car (tacoing a front wheel, I’m told) while riding on the sidewalk.  We can prevent things like this, but we need help from all of our riders!
• Bike Party needs you! If you’ve been on 2-3 rides (or more), know how we roll and have the general sense of things, we NEED your help!  We need volunteers to keep the ride moving – that means keeping us to one lane (when possible), reminding everyone to stop only at designated points rather than in the street, and generally keeping  attitudes positive and safe.  You have a choice:  step up to help out, or watch Bike Party turn to mush.  Step up, speak up!

Altogether, it was another great ride with lots of highlights and fun times – as we sit back and scroll through our pictures and recap good times with friends, let’s remember how rare this sort of large-scale community event really is…and think about what we need to do to keep it going.

March’s Psychedelic Robot Ride just finished, and what a night it was!  We broke the record for attendance once again – over 500 riders after a year and a half of rides (unofficially counted on Lincoln right after Regroup #1).  In fact, given that January brought 315, February 380, and this past ride over 500, we’re still seeing 20-25% growth per month. You heard that right, Bike Party is the only thing still growing in this economy!

Volunteers worked double-time to keep such a large ride on route and together, and the efforts paid off in spades.  More to come on that soon…  The police were fantastically helpful tonight, courteously helping to block traffic and guide the route from time to time.  Councilman Oliverio (SJ District 6, Willow Glen & West SJ) came out to ride and lend support, giving a hint that some in city government might really be serious about their pro-bike “green vision.”

Watching the sea of red blinking lights ride up the crest of Almaden Rd under the train tracks, this rider couldn’t help but think that it was a glimpse into the future – this town really is headed in great directions.  Riding home, encountering Bike Partiers on their way everywhere I rolled, I knew it was true:  this really is a cyclists’ town.

So give props where props are due (*ahem* Thanks to the SJPD and Mr. Oliverio), give a holler and a “Bike Party!” yell to the friends you pass in your commute in the next month, and perhaps most fun of all, share your comments and reflections on the ride in the comments below! All near-topic and civil comments welcomed…