A Mass Less Critical

Hey, everybody - it's National Bike To Work Day! Volunteers will cheer you on at twenty-four Energizer Stations around San Francisco! Stop by one of the stations to load up on free coffee, snacks, and convenient tote bags for future commutes. That is, unless you don't live or work in San Francisco. If this is your situation, do as I do, and follow the rules of the road for the urban biker:

1. Keep Your Head Down
2. Keep Moving

That's about it. Most situations can be avoided or relieved if these two methods are used conscientiously. There are those bicyclists who tend to be more conspicuous, like Floyd Landis, and therefore catch more heat and attention than is necessarily healthy. The same can be said of the group that calls themselves "Critical Mass." They want us to know, "Critical Mass is a monthly bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists' right to the road." Some of these rides have become more than a little confrontational. It makes me recall the words of advice my younger brother gave me when driving in Los Angeles: "Avoid Impact." I tend to favor a less in-your-face-approach than many bike riders I see on the television news. I am generally pleased with the simple physics of a bike versus car or truck collision and seek to avoid them whenever possible. If that means that I give up my "right to the road," so be it. I will happily sacrifice that in order to exercise some of my other rights, such as breathing, and eating solid food.

Speaking of which, where is that Energizer station, anyway?