6pm Critical Mass bike Ride around the city to celebrate the bicycle.
Meet at Central Library, St. Peter’s Square in the city centre

This is a fun, chilled-out bike ride where we like to ride our bikes together to meet other cyclists and to show what the roads would look like if they were dominated by human powered transport!!!

then at around 8pm we shall all ride to Platt Fields Park to reclaim the Dark Park and have a lovely party with fire spinning, cob oven cooking, beats and beer.

Everybody Welcome!!!

BRING (if you like)

* Bike Lights

* Instruments

*Gloves and other warm items of clothing

* A bicycle

* Fire poi/sticks etc

* A Grin

When I was getting ready to go I was a bit aprehesive about the whole thing. THe weather had said it was gonna be MINUS 9 and the visabilty was shite.

I’d arranged to meet everyone at The Bar in CHorlton at 8pm so I packed my whiskey infused hot chocolate and loads of jumpers into a bag and set off thinking there was a possibility we wouldn’t end up going.

When I got there 4 people were gonna be an hour and a half late so we decided to drink beers and wait for them, which warmed me up quite a bit! When they came we set off into the fog and cold.

It was actually a real nice ride, though we did kinda ride on a motorway some of the way but the roads were totally empty and so it was pretty glorious to ride around.

We got to the wizardly hill that leads up to “The Edge” and it was pretty tiring with the cold freezy weather in my lungs but eventually we made it, Jonathon’s broken ribs a bit sore!, to the sign that read “to the edge”.

We walked out to the edge and lit a fire and drank hot chocolate and I sang 90′s R n B pop songs and danced to keep warm. At midnight we heard millions of fireworks but due to the fog we couldn’t see all of them yet we did see the ones that were close by.

We rode back after a couple of hours down undulating, deserted roads…beautiful…

thanks to everyone that came x x

leave from MCR city centre and ride to Alderley Edge stopping off at a couple of real ale country pubs on the way…

then ride up the wizardly hill (slowly!!!) and walk through the woods to the “edge” where we shall drink whiskey and look at the twinkly lights then a ride down the hill and back to MCR

if there’s a squat party in the city we’ll go there after

If you wanna come email info@ibikemcr.org.uk

ace

they look like this:

and cost a measley £8

they are real good quality shirts.

I’ve ordered the following colours and sizes. If you want one order soon
as last time they sold well quick:

a mix of pink, red, blue, green, black, grey
in Mens sizes small, med, L, XL and XXL (most in size medium)

and a mix of pink, red, blue, green, black, grey
in girl sizes medium and large

If you order it you can pick it up on a friday night at the sandbar, at
critical mass, some lunchtime we arrange, in a pub etc.

I also still have some spokes tees left, let me know if you want one, they
are a tenner.

love nes x x x

34 people entered the alleycat in 17 teams, mostly dressed in amazing xmas fancy dress.

The route took people out and round the city to Didsbury, chorlton, withington, hulme an the city centre. People had to visit different shops around our city buying presents for the Manchester Campaign to Defend Asylum Seekers Children’s Christmas party, that takes place next Saturday.

We started the race “Le Mans” style whereby everyone lined up their bikes again the wall of the sports centre then had to stand way back until I screeched “GO!” then everyone raced to their bikes and off they went on a present finding mission.

We had given people an extra scavenger hunt in addition to the shop stops where people got points if they brought back different items, including the tackyest Christmas ornament, a photo of them on their bikes on the ice rink in Piccadilly, mistletoe, a photo of a house with tacky christmas lights etc etc.

Me and Rose waited at the Sandbar for the racers to return and whilst sat there in my scary snowman costume I managed to make a group of children on their way to church scream!!!

Results:

1st: Punic War: Jacob and Ben

2nd: The Little Donkeys: Alex and Moh

3rd: The Christmas Post People: Emily and Adam

DFL: Leeds Met

Best Fancy Dress: The Reindeers: Monika and Lily

2nd Best Fancy Dress: Team Danna: Anna and Dan

Scavenger Hunt Winners: Nosy and Pixie Ears: Elke and Jo

Each received absolutely amazing prizes from Bagaboo, Bicycle Doctor, Edinburgh Bike Co-op, Bicycle Boutique, Cantgoslo, Oklahoma and Eighth Day.

Thank you also to Rumpus Toys of Didsbury who donated a balance bike to the children as a present.

Thanks also to lovely Rose who counted up all the points, sat in the freezing cold…

People brought back amazing presents for the children that will be given out at the party next week, many people spent well over the reccomended £5 donation so thank you very much indeed.

Well done everyone!!!!

see here for more pictures: flickr

Translation: Keep making sure that you are visible to truck drivers, even though they might end up disapointed.

Critical Mass countered that there are no organisers, as the event is spontaneous. The appeal was heard by five Law Lords who ruled that Critical Mass is a “commonly or customarily held” procession without organisers and consequently cyclists do not need to inform the police of each ride.

http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk

See news story

We arrived a the Witchwood pub and had a few beers and chatted about bikes and life until the Manchester posse rode back to Common for a night cap before we all went home…