CRITICAL MASS

What is Critical Mass as it relates to bicycles and Chicago?   This was lifted directly from the www.chicagocriticalmass.org website:

Critical Mass is a bike ride plain and simple. The ride takes place on the Last Friday Of Every Month (in Chicago anyway). A Critical Mass is created when the group of riders comes together for those few hours to take back the streets of our city. The right of the people to assemble is guaranteed in the Constitution, and Critical Mass helps people remember that right. The Mass itself has no political agenda, though, no more than the people of any other community do. Critical Mass is open to all, and it welcomes all riders to join in a celebration of riding bicycles. Why? Because bikes are fun! 

Sure, as with any community, you'll see people of all types. Some people see Critical Mass as a forum for grassroots political change. Some people see it as a protest against cars. Some people just like to ride. The Mass, however, is just that...a bunch of bike riders. You can drive a car the whole month and ride in the Mass. You can be an anarchist and ride in the Mass. The point of the Mass is the Mass, nothing more. Critical Mass has no leadership. It is a ride where no one is in charge. At any time, riders are free to leave, stay, stop, or even help out. Everyone is responsible for themselves and the Mass. Learn how to get involved! Once you realize that, you're free to enjoy the exhilaration that is a large bike ride. It's quite a sight to be parading down Michigan Avenue with thousands of fellow riders, wishing pedestrians and drivers a "Happy Friday!" Chicago Critical Mass is a community, yet it's also part of a worldwide Critical Mass community as a whole. Critical Mass rides take place all over the world each month, and Chicago is proud to join in to proclaim our love of bicycles. If you love bikes, and you want to show others how you feel about cycling, come join us!

I will admit that I have been driving through Chicago on a Friday evening when I bumped up against Critical Mass and I remember not being too pleased about having too wait an extra long time for the bicycle riders to thin out before I could proceed in my car.  Tonight, our family will be part of the bike riders.  I am thinking that this will be a fun experience to experience once. Maybe I am wrong, and it will be the greatest experience ever.  It should be somewhat memorable - I am sure of that.

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 Thursday MENU

breakfast  granola, apple                                                                           672 calories
lunch        Subway spinach salad, ginger, granola, mango, corn snack  1460 calories
dinner      Mariano's spinach salad, kale crunch                                      1110 calories
SNACK    cocoa wafers, ginger chews                                                      333 calories

total calories consumed 3575 calories

calories burned

elliptical machine 65 minutes, level 20              822 calories
stairmaster  60 minutes                                      1124 calories

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 1946 calories

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Wednesday net calories 1629 calories

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I returned home to Chicago on Thursday and I used my bicycle to travel from home to my local YMCA.  My local YMCA is 3.5 miles from home.  This trip can take nearly one half hour of travel time via car with all the traffic and traffic lights that need to be navigated.  My trip on two wheels only took 19 minutes. It was a very rewarding experience. At the YMCA I spent one hour on the elliptical machine and one hour on the stairmaster. After riding home - I realized that my legs had not been challenged quite so intensely in a long, long tine.  This is probably good as a bigger challenge awaits my legs in about one month in Yosemite Park.

I must admit that until now I have not had warm feelings for all the bicycle paths painted on the streets of Chicago.   In some places, the bicycle path has been more than painted and it actually separated from the auto traffic.  My appreciation of these bicycle paths has increased rather dramatically now that I am a bike rider.