From ibikeu Wiki

Midnight Ridazz is an urban social bicycle ride in Los Angeles, California. The primary event takes place on the second Friday of each month at about 10:00 PM and consists of between 15 and 40 miles of riding on city streets in live traffic, usually from a starting point near the center of the city. The route is usually planned in advance. No entry fee or club membership is required of participants. Each monthly ride has a theme, and riders are encouraged but not required to wear costumes and decorate their bicycles in keeping with the theme.

Contents 1 History 2 Ridazz 3 Public Reception 4 See Also 5 External Links

History

Midnight Ridazz came into being in 2004 as an informal late-night activity among a small group of friends. Over the next two years the ranks swelled considerably as news of the ride spread, primarily by word of mouth and occasional mentions in local blogs. By the middle of 2006 it had become common for over 500 riders to show up at the monthly ride, and sometimes the number was closer to 1,000. Ultimately the ride grew so large that relations with motorists became increasingly tense and the ride increasingly difficult to manage. Therefore the small group of organizers, who until then had taken on most of the responsibility for planning routes and themes and for keeping the rides together, decided to break up the ride and encourage cyclists to organize many smaller rides throughout LA. In order to facilitate this the organizers, primarily Roadblock, built a Midnight Ridazz website with photo galleries, event calendar, and a message board where participants could plan and discuss rides. Today the website serves as a de facto online hub for the emerging bicycle culture in Los Angeles as well as an incubator for urban social bicycle rides both large and small.

Ridazz

The term "Midnight Ridazz" can be applied to the ride itself, or collectively to its participants. The singular form of "Ridazz" is "Rida."

Public Reception

From MidnightRidazz.com:

The Midnight Ridazz is formally described as a group of bicycle enthusiasts who have been riding together on the second Friday of every month since February of 2004. Originally conceived and founded by SKULL and lovingly cared for by MABELL, MUFF and a small group of planners and care takers, the rides quickly grew from the original 8 "Mammas and Papas" to current ride counts of 1300+ Ridazz.

Skeptics may scoff at the irreverence of this alleged "Party on Wheels." But the party atmosphere just might be what has made this simple bicycle ride so popular in a city like Los Angeles where people barely get their mail without hopping in a car. Some attribute the movement to high assed gas prices, or the frustration of LA traffic. Still others simply write off the Midnight Ridazz as a bunch of bored art school students. It's all of these things and more!

Consider: Riding a bicycle is a sensual alternative to the "boy in the bubble" car voyages that hide everything good that a city has to offer. It is an experience in sights, sounds, thrills, physical activity, and local economy that could never be replicated by a night out at (Sh)City Walk. Midnight Ridazz is about riding bicyles, hanging out, acting silly, being whimsical, speaking up, and having a good heart. Come out and enjoy a relaxed pace bicycle ride at the end of a week of computers, dispatchers, rude customers, corporate politics and all the other crap that comes with living in a world of sad clowns. Banish the clowns! Send in the Ridazz.

See Also

• List of past Midnight Ridazz themes
• Rida of the Week - Midnight Ridazz - Rida of the Week (ROTW)
• Team Midnight Ridazz - Team of Ridazz participating in the AIDS LifeCycle 7

External Links

• Midnight Ridazz - Official website