Brace like you've never braced before, and leave your car at home while you're at it. Tonight marks the 15th anniversary of Critical Mass, the culture-jamming bike force that was founded in 1992, when four dozen or so cyclists took to the San Francisco streets en masse. A veritable social phenomenon grew from that very night, as the movement now enjoys hundreds of global franchises. (Franchises! Love it.) You know the drill: cyclists crawl out of the woodwork, don a crazy array of accoutrements, and make it very, very difficult to drive through various parts of the city (namely upper Market, where the event commences as it always does, at 6.m. from Justin Herman Plaza. The Mission is another guaranteed traffic nightmare zone.) Though more recent rides have resulted in clashes with drivers and the law, the ride was first initiated as an act of peace. Participate in the show, gawk at the show, love or complain about the show. But fuck with the show? How about not. Live and let live San Francisco, at least for tonight.
· Critical Mass celebrating 15 years of free-form bicycle advocacy [SF Gate]
· 15th Anniversay of Critical Mass, A Global Bike Convergence [Laughing Squid]
· S.F.'s Critical Mass marks milestone [SF Examiner]
[Photo courtesy Thomas Hawk, via Laughing Squid's Scott Beale, who should also be credited when his photos are used.]