Bikes on the Mississippi

Avenue that is, not the river.  I did not get to take part in much of Pedalpalooza ( http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2011.php ) this year, but I did get to check out the goings on Sunday on Mississippi Avenue.  The street was blocked off for a sort of mini cyclovia prior to the start of the officially festivities, and closed streets usually mean parking nightmares.  Not so for this event: 

There was even room to spare:

Local author Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie did duty as grand marshal for the art bike parade, followed by some most interesting examples of pedal powered art.

Bikes can be serious too, and the cargo bikes showed some serious ingenuity and capacity.  On a warm day, my favorite non-racing entry has to be this:

Yes, I said that was my favorite non-racing cargo bike.  Next up was the cargo bike race, in which the racers were required to stop at the ReBuilding center to pick up their load of recycled building supplies, mostly plumbing, and continue laden through the course.

The competition was fierce as the racers stood for the sprint, wringing every available bit of speed from their finely tuned machines.



The wrap up for the day was the critereum racing, an OBRA sanctioned event that brought out a number of the local fast guys (and gals) on the rain slicked course.  I've never watched a crit that did not include some carnage, and this was no exception.  I have not heard reports of any serious injuries, but there were crashes enough to thin the fields.  I hope that as this blog continues the quality of the photography will improve, but here are a couple attempts at action shots during the race.

All in all, an enjoyable overview of local cycling fun, with something for everyone, no matter your shape or size.