Thread started by wire donkey at 11.5.06 - 1:27 pm

Hi,

I'm a cyclist and journalist in Los Angeles and I'm working on a project for KCET's website on Ridazz. I'd love to find someone whose life has been affected by Ridazz in a big way. Whether that means turning you into a cyclist, finding a new LA, the love of your life, or something else...

If that describes you and you'd like to tell me about it, I'd love to hear it. Please drop me a line at stephenkrcmar [AT] yahoo.com

Cheers,

Steve

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I find that the more rides I go on the more comfortable I got on my bike. sometimes the Ridazz rides 20-30 miles in a night. for me personally that used to seem like a long distance. like I was going to get tired out or something. by the time my third ride came up it was farther than I ever imagined. I almost flaked as a matter of fact. I never would have thought that riding from Hollywood to the pier was do-able yet there we were riding to the pier. it kind of forces you to come to terms with your fears or your laziness towards riding bicycles. now a 20-30 mile course almost seems small. in fact sometimes I find myself riding to work and to eat. bicycling is becoming an addiction.



Mr.PotatoHed
11.5.06 - 3:54 pm

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Like everybody else I rode a bike as a youth. I vividly remember riding through the Hollywood hills and having a blast with my friends pretending we were on rollercoaster rides through all the dips, turns and climbs. We had rollercoaster-inspired names for every route. As an adult still living in Hollywood, cycling became just another way to get to work and save my parking spot in this parking starved inadequate-public transportation having sorry excuse for a city.

Instantly, riding on that first Midnight Ridazz ride almost 3 years ago, I saw that cycling could still be fun (even though, or maybe because, I rode my skateboard the entire 18 miles that night lol.) Having fun is the key to this ride's success and with any luck that one very important goal will never change. Although it's perfectly fine if you are, you don't actually have to be serious about cycling, you dont have to dress in biker pants, you don't have to pay a fee, no one looks down at you if you arent politically conscious, or if you ride on a Pista (at least I won't.) You dont even have to be in shape! Though I've noticed a ton of people getting sexier ride after ride... What I'm trying to say is having a good time on a Friday night riding your bike is the gift that Midnight Ridazz has brought to the Los Angeles cycling community and that's why it has inspired an entire calendar of similar rides across this pathetic car-centric city.

In fact, Midnight Ridazz has done what no other cycling group in this city has done for a long long time. It has re-awakened the inner child in a segment of the population that had forgotten just how fun riding a bike "for the hell of it" is. It basically says "Hey remember how fun this shit used to be? well pull your crappy bike out of your dad's garage, dust it off, fix the flat, and come be silly with us."

It feels good to be on that roller coaster once again.



Roadblock
11.6.06 - 8:52 am

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What Roadblock said.

w3rD!



Joe Borfo
11.6.06 - 10:42 am

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I think it's also important to note the sense of community that it has brought to an isolated city like Los Angeles.
Ridazz (As Roadblock described) found a way to pull people off of bar stools, away from Arc Light theatre seats, off of their couches and got them out hooping and hollering on the streets of LA.
I think that is big, and look forward to helping make it bigger.




anonymitytheif
11.7.06 - 2:40 pm

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Man you guys are mind readers..I second that..



deesimple
11.12.06 - 3:21 pm

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Ridazz is the only time I can look around at the giant mass of people surrounding me and really feel connected to them. In LA, I'm always near tons of people, but usually nobody talks to, or even really looks at anyone else.



DuckLionDog
11.12.06 - 3:39 pm

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moving to a new continent, I knew it would be tough meeting people

it was even more difficult after a nasty motorcycle accident and losing everything in both a corporeal and spiritual sense

my first social ride was Pedal 'n Pub where I met Dave, and a fine couple who took me to Ridazz

Ridazz has given me new friends who share a passion for riding and everything good associated with bicycles

it has shown me that conspicuous consumption is not life



spiraldemon
11.12.06 - 4:46 pm

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