Today was our March Kidical Mass ride. We decided to merge it with the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Old Town. Since Practical Cycle has had an entry each year, they were nice enough to sponsor us! Kate had ridden with them last year and was able to give us some important pointers--it's slow, more walking than riding, long wait times, bring snacks!
Thanks to Kate, I managed to come pretty well prepared with plenty of nibbles. What I lacked was an awesome bike costume (although I had thought of a great slogan on our way over--Go Green With Kidical Mass!) but I lacked creativity and patience this morning. In fact, I was happy for just barely remembering to put green shirts on the boys and myself.
However, I pulled up next to Jim's amazing Madsen an realized we were missing out.
Thanks to Kate, I managed to come pretty well prepared with plenty of nibbles. What I lacked was an awesome bike costume (although I had thought of a great slogan on our way over--Go Green With Kidical Mass!) but I lacked creativity and patience this morning. In fact, I was happy for just barely remembering to put green shirts on the boys and myself.
However, I pulled up next to Jim's amazing Madsen an realized we were missing out.
Beverly's pot o'gold chariot.
Kate to the rescue again! She had green crepe streamers, leis and necklaces, and fun holiday decor. She had even brought painters tape to put it all together!
Kate decorating her bike.
Much better!
We hung out close to the shop decorating our bikes and waiting for everyone to show up. The kids were happy to run around on the grass to get their yayas out before the long march...er...ride.
Yaya time!
When it was finally time to line up, we rode to our spot in the long parade and waited. And waited. And waited.
Incredibly, the child folk stayed relatively calm. With a few snacks thrown around here and there, they seemed surprisingly peaceful. My boys were really exhausted by then, having been up since 5 am and it being past naptime. The parents were able to chat while we watched the baton-twirlers and Irish dancers practice ahead of us.
Incredibly, the child folk stayed relatively calm. With a few snacks thrown around here and there, they seemed surprisingly peaceful. My boys were really exhausted by then, having been up since 5 am and it being past naptime. The parents were able to chat while we watched the baton-twirlers and Irish dancers practice ahead of us.
Hello, Kidical Mass!
Eventually, we started rolling. There was an initial long hill to head down, then back up again, and a few blocks of teeth-rattling cobblestone streets but everyone managed to stay upright the whole time! The kids had fun waving to the crowd and ringing their bells.
Down we go!
Practical Cycle presents Sacramento Kidical Mass!
All together, we had four Mundos with 10 passengers, two bikes with a rider in each chariot, a Madsen with papa pedaling and his two daughters in the bucket, a cool Brompton, Kate's eldest rocking his own bike, three Cycle Trucks with who knows how many riders, and the Cycle Trike with another handful!
This was the perfect ride to welcome the coming Spring! It was such a warm day and I got sunburned! It was so great to hang out with all these bikey folks and enjoy the day together. I really enjoyed all the encouraging cheers from the crowds as we rolled by. Making biking with kids seem easy and fun (as it is!) to the general public is the perfect way to get more families on bikes. I hope we opened up some eyes and minds to the wonderful world of Kidical Mass!
To end a wonderful day, I got to take my dear friend Bekah on her very first Mundo ride. We were a two person parade as she waved and cheered to everyone we passed!
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