Well as most of you know Critical Mass was yesterday afternoon. About 25-30 riders were present which was a little more than the last one I went on. A lot of BMXers were there which added a different element to the usually organized ride around town. We started out at LSU and rode down Highland to Downtown. One of the highlights of the trip actually happened in the first 15 minutes as we held up traffic all the way down Highland Road- at least 20 cars were creeping behind us the entire 2 miles to Downtown. We passed the "Live After Five" concert near the Centroplex and got to yell and holler at some of the people checking out the bands. We then rode past the state capitol where Hunter Roth and myself took the lead of everyone. Things went downhill pretty rapidly after that. We tried to convince everyone it was a good idea to merge onto Interstate 110 but the majority of the group thought this was a bad idea (it was). We then proceeded to go down a dead end street, so in 10 minutes we practically screwed the trip up. After that we headed back toward the capitol and cut through Spanish Town where we lost some riders at the Spanish Town Market. We eventually made a loop back to the market to pick up the rest of the group. The highlight of the ride took place on a skinny street in Spanish Town where an irate driver of an Acura Integra got caught up in our little parade. She wasn't too excited about the leisurely pace we were riding at so she decided to hold her horn down for about 3 minutes. That didn't help the situation any- in fact she was just making it worse on herself. If she was angry when the whole ordeal started then she was CRAZY when Raav pulled his pants down and mooned her for a good quarter mile. When we turned off of the street she floored her car (running a stop sign and almost running Raav over), got up to about 30 MPH then turned into her driveway about 15 feet away. She made a complete ass of herself. After that we rode over the North Blvd. overpass which has no bike lanes on it or below it which was really fun. Everyone picked up some speed and got to coast a little bit. From there we headed back to campus and went our separate ways. In total we rode about 10 miles, which may not have been much for the road and mountain bikers, but it was a trek for the kids on 20's. The trip was a blast and I'll keep everyone posted on the dates for the next Critical Mass.
This is just a reminder that Critical Mass will be happening this afternoon on LSU's campus. Everyone is encouraged to meet at the clock tower on campus at 5:30. The group will be departing from the clock tower shortly thereafter. Hope to see you there.
Fastlane has a new employee of the month! It's Ronald Shields! He is now running Fastlane full-time while James is getting his new skate/bmx shop, L-town, up and running. If you need any goodies, or just want to say hello, you can call L-Town at (985) 359-0789 or hit em up on myspace at www.myspace.com/ltownskateshop for some sweet deals! I'll have pictures up later this week of the shop.
Thomas the Club Hoppin Cockblocker sent me this picture of his new favorite place (besides Fastlane). Apparently Odyssey doesn't only make excellent BMX parts. They are also venturing into the New Orleans club scene! (I thinks thats Jim Bauer on the left with Ooti?! )
Thomas, Eric, and myself are going out tonight to quick-crete some spots in nola that need a little loving. Ill have pictures of that stuff later this week also if we don't get caught. Later!
Yesterday around noon a few BMXers and skaters gathered for the meeting/demo with SPAUSA (Skatepark Association of USA) and SABR (Skatepark Association of Baton Rouge) at the Catfish Banks. The main objective of the meeting was to inform the riders/skaters of the efforts being made by both groups to get a concrete public park in Baton Rouge. The two speakers at the meeting were Gary Patereau of SABR and Heidi Lemmon of SPAUSA (pictured below).
Heidi was extremely helpful with explaining the problems that she has had in other cities with certain skatepark builders (Dreamland, Team Payne, etc.) who have initially claimed to allow bikes, but once the park is completed have backed out of their "bike friendly" claims. She said that she would work with us to make sure what happened in Hammond would not happen in Baton Rouge.
Heidi and Gary with the demo team.
After some skating at the Catfish Banks Heidi took the demo team to the Iowa St. Ramps to skate. The ramps were pretty wet but people were still skating them (I couldn't even walk down them without slipping). Everyone was really psyched and surprised to see the backyard. It was pretty interesting to see a deck full of skateboards instead of bikes. (I'll give an Icon sticker pack to whoever comes up with the best caption for this photo. Leave your entries in the "Comments" section under this post)
Ms. Lemmon was really excited about the BMX scene in Baton Rouge and is willing to lend all of her resources to help keep the Iowa St. ramps up and running. Hopefully we'll be seeing some improvements to the ramps sometime in the future. If you would like to be kept up to speed on the skatepark situation in Baton Rouge you can email Gary at gary@lasie.org and ask to be put on the SABR mailing list. Also, if you have some free time check out www.spausa.org to check up on the work that Heidi and her team have been doing. (All photos by Brad Jensen)
The weather in Baton Rouge has been complete garbage for at least 90% of the last week and a half. Not much going on riding wise but the weather has taken a toll on Raav's house.
At first he was just mad, but he later realized that it could be worse. After all he still has his cat, Bella, who was safe from harm.
In other news, Michael Allen has copies of his "Louisiana Young Guns- Barely Legal and Loving It" video for sale. The video is 25+ minutes and has parts from Andrew and Brandon Sanford, TJ Gills and Two-face (Michael Allen) and features a Transitions 2006 part as well as a few mix sections. The videos are only 5 bucks so hit Mike up on mySpace (www.myspace.com/goosiewoosie).
The LSU Ecology club is sponsoring a Bike Week around Baton Rouge this week. There are several events planned for the upcoming week, some of which seem really fun (Critical Mass) and others which may not be as exciting. The schedule of events is as follows:
Sunday, Oct. 22nd: Mountain Biking at Comite Trail 4:30pm: Meet us out there or caravan together from the Memorial Tower at 4:00pm. This is a great trail over by the airport, should ne a fun ride!
Monday, Oct. 23rd: Ride at the Rec—for FREE! All day: 2 hour bike rentals (Trek Cruiser/Mountain bike) FREE for students. Need a bike for the week? Reservations can be made by calling 578-2051. 4pm-9pm: Free climbing! 5:15: Free indoor cycling courses for students, faculty, and staff (UREC members)! 6pm: ECO meeting at Women’s Center- a new comprehensive transportation policy on campus.
Tuesday, Oct. 24th: Bike Auction at Public Safety Bldg 9am to 11am: Scope out your new ride! 100 bikes to be auctioned off! 11am: Auction starts! Bring cash or a check & a photo ID. 11am on: Register your bike courtesy of SG!
Wednesday, Oct. 25th: Bike Safe at Free Speech Plaza 10am to 2pm: Get riding, safety, and maintenance tips! Group rides around campus every hour on the hour. Learn how to use the bike racks on the buses! 10am to 2pm: 2 hour bike rentals (Trek Cruiser / Mountain bike ) FREE for students.
Thursday, Oct. 26th: Repair / Maintenance Workshop: the experts'll show us how to do things right 6pm: At the Sport & Adventure Complex on the corner of River Road and Gourrier.
***Friday, Oct. 27th: Critical Mass 5:30pm: Meet at LSU Memorial Tower, learn some riding tips, and get comfortable while riding on the road with us! Wear a Haloween costume or come as you are! Several of the BMXers in Baton Rouge have gone on Critical Mass before and it is FUN!! Blocking up traffic on campus with 40 bikes is pretty sweet.
If anyone is on campus throughout the week try to stop by and check out some of the events that are going on.
In other news Michael Allen has once again come down with some ridiculous random sickness. This week's affliction is an ear infection that has messed up some nerves that control the muscles in the left side of his face causing his face to be temporarily paralyzed. He said it should clear up within a month or so. I know it sounds crazy but it is completely true.
Gary Patureau of SABR sent out the following message today. Pay close attention and take action...
"Dear Skaters & Bikers,
The Skate Park Association of the United States along with the SkatePark Association of Baton Rouge invite you to skate with members of the SPAUSA team (sponsored by Baker, Element, Zero to Hero and Studio 411) on Sunday, October 22, noon - 2:00 at the Catfish Banks, Downtown Baton Rouge (underneath the Interstate across from Pastime - see attached flyer).
We will discuss next steps in building our world-class park. Look forward to seeing you at the Banks!
Gary"
If you aren't on it already, send Gary an email at gary@lasie.org and ask to be on the SABR e-mail list.
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In other news, you guys are the first to know that I will be going on the Road Fools Rock N' Roll tour and posting daily updates from the trip on RideBMX.com. We will start promoting the coverage a week before the trip, but be prepared to check out tons of cool content from November 2-13. And if anyone wants to make it to the stops in St.Louis, Nashville, Dallas or Austin, it would be great to see you there!
I talked to Andrew tonight and he said there was a big/awesome session last night at Fastlane. Glad to hear things are going well down there.
For those of you who don't know, Michael Allen was in the hospital for 5 days last week with mono. He said his throat got swollen shut and he decided to go to the hospital... good call. This is a good warning for all of you who like to go to 80's night and make out with random chicks- don't do it. Let Michael's trip to the ER be a warning to all of you. He was even on the ramp this afternoon renaming 80's night to "MONO-night". In all seriousness he is back on his bike and riding well.
A special thanks to Todd and Ooti for all of their hard work and dedication They've put into this contest. I would also like to include Ooti's cousin for working with ooti and coming up with this sweet little Flyer.
Practice and registration for the jam will start at 10am. Each class will be in jam format and will consist of two people however, you will not be judged as a team. The beginner class will get 1 3-minute run and the intermediate/expert class will get 1 5-minute run. You will be able to sign up for each class/event right up until the point that it starts. Time Schedule Of Events: 10 AM-12 PM = Open Practice and Registration For Beginner Through Expert 12 PM-2 PM = Beginner Class 2 PM-2:30 PM = High Bunny Hop, Winner Takes All 2:30 PM-4:30 PM = Intermediate Class 4:30 PM-6:30 PM = Expert Class 6:30 PM-7 PM = Best Trick, Open Session Format 7 PM-8 PM = Prizes 8 PM-9 PM = Free ride until park closes at 9 PM 10 PM-2 AM= The Bulldog after party with no cover charge for anyone who attended the jam and who is 18 and over
Has found his way back into the news paper and supporting our scene to the fullest. Incase you live in lafayette parish you may want to pick up the daily advertiser. For those of you who can't, I've uploaded the pictures here.
