Next ride: June 27, 2008

greetings bicycle lovers!

Here's a quick résumé of the meeting we had last sunday evening about
organizing a velorutionary resistance to the 'Salon de L'auto" (Car Show).

We were only three, so it would be cool to see others join us in this
effort. If You're feeling inspired, we'll be speaking about it again at a
'winter biking' workshop at the coop sur genereux this sunday 13 january,
2-3pm.

-=-=- LE SALON DU VÉLO! THE BIKE SHOW! -=-=-

Sunday 20 January, at the corner of Viger and St. Urbain, join us in
showing the car-crazy consumers what a truly beautiful design looks like.

While the 'Salon de L'Auto' goes on inside the Palais de Congres, we will
amuse ourselves despite the violence wrought by automobiles.

Bring your bike to the first, out-door, velo-rutionary bike show!
Why? A bike is...sexy, practical, fast, REALLY green, unique, mechanical,
puissant, aero-dynamic, feminist, cheap!

Decorate your bike! Put some energy into something really unique. There
will be a prize for the most beautiful bike!

There will also be a free community lunch, and music!

It would also be great to see strange machines and contraptions that have
been made from bike parts.

Get those 'two-talls', low-riders, fixeys, recumbants, unicycles,
trailers, all manners of pedal-power down to the 'Salon du Velo'!

It's a bike party in front of the Montreal Car Show!

-Karine

Ok my darling cyclists!

It's that time of the year again,
We leave for our ride and it's dark outside.

So,

let's have another
ALL YOU CAN GLOW critical mass!!!


Get your bikes ready with flashing lights!
Wear all the reflective gear that you own!

And let's take the streets as one happy, flashing, glowing mass...

Next Critical Mass is Halloween, sucka, so get yourself a costume!

It was in August of 1992 that a group of bike messengers decided to ride together through the streets of San Francisco to highlight the lack of regard they were getting from motorists, and the danger cyclists face in the city.

In the fifteen years since then, Critical Mass has spread to over 300 cities on six continents, and the rides in many cities (including San Francisco) regularly attract thousands of people. The event is yet young in Montreal, but we're building on a proud tradition. We can look to the examples of other municipal governments who have been forced to wake up to the need for a safe place for cyclists on the road.

So I propose a simple theme for this August: celebration. A celebration of the progress that's already been made, and a celebration of the healthy, safe, livable city we're still working to create.

****

The Los Angeles Times has published a three-page article on the history and direction of Critical Mass: When Bikes Rule the Road, Motorists Fume.

The name Claire Morissette may not be instantly recognizable to many people, but her life's work has had a positive impact on countless Montrealers. During her 25 years at the helm of le Monde à Bicyclette, she fought and won many of the things cyclists today take for granted: our network of bike paths, the right to take bicycles on the Metro, access to the city's bridges, among many others. She was responsible for establishing Communauto in Montreal, the city's largest (and ever-growing) car-sharing program. She was also the heart and soul of Cyclo Nord-Sud, an organisation that works to send refurbished bicycles to communities in the developing world. The list goes on.

Claire passed away last Friday at the age of 57, after a long battle with cancer. She leaves behind a powerful legacy, a legacy that's borne in some small part by everyone who had the privilege to meet her and be inspired by her work.

It seems only fitting that this Friday's Mass be dedicated to the memory of this extraordinary woman. Not as a funeral procession, but the celebration of life lived in service of our city, our planet, and a strong belief in the need to act.

The theme will be white: white clothes, white flags, and white angel wings. The ride will conclude in front of Claire's former residence on de l'Esplanade, with the dedication of a white bicycle in the grand tradition.

Happy trails.