AT&T Park welcomes Bike Party!

Bike Party. It's a strange mix of fun and exercise that I struggle to understand. This time the stops were a little short and I came down by myself. When I arrived I looked around for a cue sheet and eventually the ride organizer gave me an intersection to proctor. One of my riding buddies from The Sunset also found me and we chatted with a few of her acquaintances. We rode to the Dogpatch and then up Potrero Hill. When we arrived at the first gathering spot in South Park I looked around for a store and bought some beverages. There my riding partner and I spied a couple we know from The Sunset and as a group we saddled up as the party got moving again. At the next stop, pier 29, the four of us had fun schmoozing with the crowd over our beverages.

When we left for the final stop I (with a full bladder) had to stay at the head of the troupe to make it to my intersection appropriately. My intersection was 15th near Townsend. It is easy to proctor an intersection with Bike Party! Some people like to insist that riders obey every law in the book but me, I like to give out advice like, "call yer mother!!" or "eat yer veggies!" I didn't count the people as they passed but I think that there were more people than what I have seen or at least that with which the group had begun.

When we arrived at Showplace Triangle my group- the four of us from the Sunset- left for the long trek home. We climbed up 16th street to the edge of the Castro and headed up the Wiggle. At the Panhandle my partner broke off on her way to the Inner-Sunset and then I was left with the lovebirds. I felt a little like a "third wheel" (excuse the pun) but upon entering golden Gate Park they asked me to stop by the Fireside on Irving to have a beer.

I have always enjoyed riding with popular cyclists and Bike Party is no different. What I appreciate about Bike Party is the fact that they are organized and amiable; looking only for fun, rather than conflict. I try to go as often as I can and am daily reminded of its whimsical nature.