halloween

Halloween is fast approaching, and with it also comes OneLesCar's Halloween Alleycat!

The race begins at Austin Bikes on 5th Street around 6:66pm (aka 7:06), and costs $6.66 to enter. No bags or luggage will be required, though you do need something to take some digital photos with so bring along that fancy phone if you've got one, else wise a regular old camera will have to do. Les has a bunch of local sponsors lined up for this one and all proceeds go to support the Yellow Bike Project, so if you're out and about on Halloween and want to sweat in your costume a bit, show up and RACE!

Halloween falls squarely on the WEEKEND this year, which means ripe opportunities for multiple costumed rides! I've already mentioned one of them on here, but check out what's happening later in the eventing: a ZOMBIE RIDE being hosted by PONG, the Austin Bike Zoo, and the ZOMBIE BALL:

This one's going to cruise from Cafe Mundi around 7:30pm on HALLOWEEN DAY (Saturday), ride around a bit to the tunes of PONG, meander through the East Side, and then cruise down to the Longhorn Dam area to watch some excellent fireworks. After that, they head to the ZOMBIE BALL!

Get bloody, eat some brains, and ride your bike this Halloween!

...do you have your costume yet? That's right y'all, THIS FRIDAY marks the 2009 Halloween Critical Mass! What makes this so special, you might ask? Well, just take a look at the following videos and see for yourselves (first shot by Jose Losano, second by me):

Now you know why you DON'T want to miss this event. Bring your wackiest bike, your best costume, water, noise makers, instruments, flashing lights, bike stereos, friends, pets, children, and anything else you need to make Critical Mass the excellent event it always is, just make sure you're THERE.

Be on the UT West Mall near the fountain at around 5pm this Friday to be part of the action. There are a lot of parties happening afterward, who knows where we might end up?

Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention. It's also gonna be my 30th birthday. I guess now Jimi can wish happy birthday to me too!

It's almost that time again, and this week Keith, Brooks and the crew have something EXTRA SPECIAL cooked up for you. In the spirit of the holiday, the entire social ride is going to be visiting a Haunted House, where we get special 50% off biker pricing. Freaking AWESOME! If you're the type that scares easily, there's even a plan for y'all:

Hey Everyone! This week we are celebrating halloween a bit early. If you're not too scared to attend this week this is what we are doing...

Experience the Ultra-Vivid ‘Rise of the Abominations’ with
Social Cycling ATX Night at House of Torment & Illusion Manor

Join us on this Thursday, October 22 at [TIME, BEGINNING LOCATION] for "Social Cycling ATX Night" at House of Torment and Illusion Manor! We've arranged for a special night for our members to celebrate the Halloween season along with a special 50% discount ($7.50) if you arrive with the group and bring cash (we will all buy our ticket through a designated person). If you come earlier or later, just use the promotional code "socialcyclingatx" when buying tickets online or say "Social Cycling ATX" at the box office to get a $2 discount.

Adventuresome and daring souls of all ages are invited to step into the post-apocalyptic world of nightmarish overlord Mr. Creep and his House of Torment and House of Torment as an epic struggle for survival unfolds in a vivid wasteland where civilization has collapsed and fallen prey to biological warfare, social anarchy, and widespread bedlam. With no law or prevalent power to preside, the country has degenerated into ongoing conflict between the fear-mongering Sgt. Graves and a stealth Tactical Ops Unit as well as legions of mutant inhabitants, known as The Infected, The Contagium, and the growing contingent of The Abomination uprising.

As an unparalleled Halloween destination recognized as the best by Fangoria, The Wall Street Journal, MSN, The Travel Channel, Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, and others, House of Torment and its companion experience— Illusion Manor—offers residents and visitors from across the country an immersive thrill that goes far beyond a series of dimly lit surprises. Mind-blowing designs, effects, stories and characters await.

For those Social Cyclist who don't want to attend for because they are too scared, we'll be drinking beer in the parking lot.

After we get everyone scared out of their minds, we are heading to Nomads for some free beer and the usual fun.

See you at the bridge!

Post apocalyptic awesomeness, free beer, spooky times, mellow riding, and hopefully a whole lot of costumes. What's not to love about this ride? Be on the bridge at 7:30pm tomorrow night to chill with the crowd, or shortly before 8 to roll out as a group.

I just recently updated the sidebar to include a few other riding clubs, including the SkelliCyclists. The page tells you a bit about their crew, as well as the dual-origin of the name...

The naming comes from my idea that we all love cycling so much that we'd be riding even after we're deceased. We would break out of our coffins as skeletons and straddle our bikes and ride.

Another definition exists where we all love riding so much that we never have time to eat so we become skeletal.

These guys host some pretty serious group rides, including a recent camping ride out to McKinney Falls! That's badass y'all. I'm definitely gonna have to ride next time you Skellies do something like this.

They've got a ride coming up at the end of the month, so I wanted to get it on the calendar when I introduced 'em to y'all. Here's the info from their facebook event page:

Hello hello my fellow Skellies! I know it's been a little over a month since our last group ride, but it's on now! SkelliCyclists Ride #3! Halloween Day-Ride! This will be our first Halloween ride and it's pretty exciting. I'm declaring it a Skellies Holiday!

Now to the ride details. We have a new route! Around 12 miles with a few hills here and there, and we're now starting a little earlier than the previous rides, at 1pm, so we can all have time to relax and prep for true Halloween night festivities :) We'll have one stop at around the midway point at the Draughthouse Pub near 45th and Medical Pkwy. After a little refreshment there, we'll take a tour through the east side and loop back toward the city ending at Dog and Duck Pub, where I personally believe that there lies the best fish n chips in town! Get excited folks. In the spirit of the Skellies Halloween Ride I would like to encourage a little festive costume-dressing up or at least a skellies-painted face :) It's almost time to bone! Holla at me with any concerns, ideas and suggestions.

The route:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/tx/austin/429125452700064035

Meet at Cityhall, South 1st bridge and Lavaca at 1pm, Saturday October 31st. Look for me with the skellies-painted face :)

-nam

I know a lot of the members of this club from the other group rides around town, and let me tell you these cats are a great crew to ride AND party with. All decent cyclists, but with a sense of humor and chill attitude abounding. I'm definitely gonna have to paint my face up and check out their Halloween ride, that is if I can stay aloft on a bicycle the day after my birthday.

Wow, looks like all y'all crazy high flyers on your 20" machines of fury got yourselves some airtime on ESPN last week:

HOLY SHIT. Consider my mind officially blown.

The incredibly awesome, irresistibly crushable (admit it, who DOESN'T have a crush on her) and very aptly named Rachael Love sent out the following over the Critical Mass Myspace page...

so... i was scanning through the Craigslist Misses Connections and found a few from Critical Mass.. Thought I'd share..

makin' bike love happen,
CM

Dia De Los Muertos aka J.W. - w4m - (Critical Mass Halloween)
http://austin.craigslist.org/mis/903075235.html

Alice at Critical Mass... - m4w - 30
http://austin.craigslist.org/mis/902059788.html

Critical Mass ride together, platonic hottness! - w4m -
http://austin.craigslist.org/mis/902020766.html

Jason? Riding road bike on Critical Mass last month! - w4m - 25 (Critical Mass)
http://austin.craigslist.org/mis/879257222.html

boy on bike- riding east on 6th dtown today 7pm - w4m - 21 - (on your bike)
http://austin.craigslist.org/mis/855474187.html

There you have it boys and girls, go to Critical Mass (or any of the awesome local rides for that matter) and meet your true bike love, or at least bike lust (oh damn)!

First one to the finish line was Doug on his awesome recumbent and killer camera skills:

http://cycling.frenzied.us/2008-10-31-Critical_Mass/

If you haven't seen Doug's work yet click that big blue "UP" in the upper right corner of the page and treat yourself to several months worth of awesome ride photos, including most recently a Tour de Fat gallery that I hadn't seen before. Great pics Doug!

Second (and fresh as of about 40 minutes ago) up are a little over a dozen excellent shots by a lady named Willa. She's been so kind as to make her Halloween Critical Mass Facebook gallery public, so check it out. Here's one of my favorite shots from her gallery, Austin Bike Zoo's Snake bike vs. a young pre-POW John McCain!

Keep 'em coming y'all!

...HUGE

...AWESOME

...CRAZY

...FUN

...ROWDY

...CHILL

...UNCONTROLLABLE

...COSTUMED BIKERS

...SNAKE BIKES

...LIVE MUSIC

...FIREWORKS

...Y'ALL!

That was the biggest, best, most incredible Critical Mass I've ever been on. Besides the one police altercation early on (and wait 'till y'all see the video of the cop harassing bikers with his car) the entirety of the ride was smooth sailing. We cruised all over downtown, stopped at the capital, made our way north, east, and on past a couple spooky cemeteries to hang with a snake bike, listen to a live band while riding and get our party on with the spirits. We finally ended up at the Scoot Inn around 8 for a breather, and I think that was the end of the "organized" ride, or at least as organized as Critical Mass ever gets. The crowd had thinned out a bit by this point but the mass was still over a hundred and fifty strong, easily.

A good crew of us split from there and headed over to the Pleasant Valley dam to watch the fireworks. How we ended up on top of the dam towers, dancing and partying while the cars below honked and waved, well, you just had to be there. Nearing the end of our supplies we cruised over to the Yellow Bike Project fundraiser, but I got caught on an off-week and didn't have the $10 cover in my wallet. Instead I hit up some east side halloween parties, drank their free beer, randomly bumped into a biker friend that I hadn't seen in a while (and partook of his booze as well), considered bouncing in a moon walk with beetlejuice, but in the end I wound up going home and crashing before the night got too rowdy.

So how was the YBP party, y'all? Anybody have pics from the night? If so, let me know! Today I'm stuck at work for the next couple hours, but I'm hoping to cruise down to 9th St this afternoon watch the action. Later this evening is the Bike Porn Tour over at the Broken Neck, but I'm a little strapped for cash and dunno if I'm going to be able to make it. Nonetheless, go check it out. This choice combination of two of my favorite things is gonna be most excellent, I assure you.

Sachi, one of the badass members of the Austin Bike Zoo just let me know about the following event happening on the 31st, aka Halloween night:

Halloween Bicycle Procession featuring music by PONG rolling the neighborhood on the Austin Bike Zoo's pedal powered stage, the Rattlesnake bike, other bike zoo animals dressed for the occasion, various bicycle floats by a variety of eclectic artists, all of you in your favorite costume on your favorite ride, come one, come all to celebrate the night when all of the spirits party in the streets! Adventure awaits you!

Meet at 7pm at the gates to the Oakwood Cemetery (between 14th and MLK on Comal) to roam the streets with all of your favorite spirits! We will end at the Scoot Inn neighborhood around 8:30pm and the winds will take you where they may.

Oakwood Cemetery at 7pm is the place to be if you want to ride with these kids. Who knows, maybe a ghost bike or two will accompany the crew. Stranger things have happened in Austin!