CCM RIP

Obituary
Chicago Critical Mass
1997 - 2007

Chicago Critical Mass, a contentious monthly bike ride that indelibly
changed the streets of the City, passed away Friday evening after
suffering a long decline.

The Chicago Critical Mass Delay Plaza Rides were born in 1997 as a
demonstration which brought out 150 cyclists with the goal of affirming cyclists' right to the road. Over the years, the ride steadily grew,
routinely turning out thousands of riders and paving the way for
numerous citywide bike-friendly reforms, including:

--the establishment of a network of 100 miles of on-street bike lanes
anthe installation of 10,000 bike racks, more than any city in the
United States;
--permitting bicycles on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains and
equipping their fleet of 2,000 buses with racks that carry bikes.
--re-electing bicycle advocate Mayor Richard M. Daley to a 6th term by a margin greater than 70 percent.

Critical Mass began showing signs of decline several years ago,
beginning with recurring bouts of irritability, forgetfulness, and
self-destructive behavior. Some believe alcohol may have played a role in the ride's demise.

On Friday evening, the ride passed into the final stages of dementia,
becoming unable to care for itself, as thousands of riders limped
through the the loop and Chicago's near north side, often unable to
even mount and pedal their bicycles. The Chicago Police stepped in, blocking traffic, redirecting wandering participants, and attempting to keep the ride on course as the somber, wounded procession slowly made its way to Rosehill Cemetery.

Chicago Critical Mass is survived by the Pilsen, Evanston, Oak Park,
and Wicker Park Critical Masses; Chicago Bike Winter; and Cycling Sisters.
Chicago Ghost Bikes is planning an installation of a memorial bike on
October 5th at 8 P.M. at the intersection of Armitage and Kedzie.