Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

In Los Angeles and other places rush hour traffic is so slow that you could get places faster with a bike. The Crimanimalz a group in LA decided to take to the highways during rush hour as a protest/demonstration?

Bicycles on the Freeway from RichToTheIE on Vimeo.

In LA most of the people in traffic were either too busy doing other things such as texting/using cell phones to notice or simply just too jaded to ever flinch.

Drivers scarcely looked up as the riders passed. Many were too busy texting messages on their cell phones in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. The riders grew bolder, weaving in and out, riding faster and faster. They had sent scouts for an initial stretch but decided to extend the ride. Two miles and 15 minutes later, they were back on city streets.

The result was bolder Lucas Brunelle type riding where they weave in and out of traffic. I can’t decide if I admire these riders for their bravery and sheer balls in doing something so scary. Or if I am disgusted by the action since they could easily cause a bigger controversy and backlash if one of them were to get injured or killed. Cyclist already don’t get much sympathy when there is a report of an accident. The Mexican bike race that was hit by a drunk driver helped the cyclist cause since the picture was so gruesome and vivid with carnage. But there was the occasional troll that would post things such as “strike” or they “got what they deserved” for being on the road. An accident with a cyclist being on the highway where they don’t belong would not be helpful in getting more bike friendly roads developed.

There are better ways to advocate cycling in your town, but sometimes doing something bombastic seems cooler.

As a side note there are certain states and areas where you are allowed to ride on the highway. I rode on the highway when I went to see the Tour du Pont in Wilmington Delaware. I was with a local cyclist to escorted me and two other friends to some nice roads to ride after seeing the race. I did not expect to ride on the freeway with 55mph+ traffic. The experience was scary and exhilarating. Once we merged back off I was excited to do it but did not want to ever do it again.

NPR Story: Bicycle Activists Take to the Freeways in L.A. | http://www.crimanimalz.com/

I was searching through Google Video for cycling and found the Lucas Brunelle’s “Drag Race” video was uploaded. I wrote a quick blurb about these videos back in August.
Basically this is one of the all-time Internet classic videos. Lucas Brunelle straps a camera on his helmet and does a race NYC bike messenger style from Central Park through Times Square all the way to the Queensboro Bridge. Add in some GnR “Welcome to the Jungle” and some Judas Priest to fill in the rest and you have all you need to inspire you to get out the door and on two wheels.
Check out the Lucas Brunelle’s site for a better quality version of this video and more cool videos.

This has inspired me so much that I *might* try to mount a camera on my bike during a Crit or two.