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Critical Mass El Paso 09.30.11 =^.^=

This time I wanted to write about a super amazing ride that takes place the last Friday of every month not only here in El Paso, but also in about 300 cities around the world.   Around 7 PM, we meet downtown El Paso in the “Plaza de los Lagartos.” This event is called Critical Mass, and it is a gathering of cyclists from all walks of life, experience levels, and types of bikes that come together to bicycle not only for the simple joy of riding, but also to create a critical mass  and make motorists aware that we exist as a cyclist community.  In the case of El Paso as a critical mass group, we continue to become a very much growing cycling community.

It has been really fun joining this gathering of cyclists the last Friday of the month during the year that I have been back in El Paso.  I have been fortunate to attend critical mass events in other cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and New York, where there are hundreds of cyclists and the streets are completely overtaken.  But, El Paso is definitely headed in the right direction with more cyclists continuing to join every time we ride.

I am a huge advocate of cycling for transportation, pleasure, meditation, health benefits, etc.  I think that El Paso needs to join what is happening in other cities where cycling is becoming part of the everyday life.  We of course desperately need more advocacy first of all from us, as a cycling community, but also from our city representatives.  It is unfortunate to see the lack of bike lanes in the streets, and the lack of support  from our city government.  I feel like every time that I drive to either side of town, I see some other highway construction of sorts.   It is unfortunate that funds are not being invested in creating more bike lanes, even just spaces where to lock your bikes securely around town.

 Our city needs to realize that cycling for transportation is a viable option and a worthwhile investment, and something that needs to be promoted, encouraged, and developed at a much higher rate.  There are plenty of successful examples of cities that have taken this approach, where dedicated bike routes are created, bike lanes, bike hubs around the city where to obtain free repairs, and even bike rental services. There is a huge gamut of ways to promote cycling for the community.  And El Paso having been ranked as one of the fattest cities in the country, could definitely use all the exercise, and promotion of exercise.

The health benefits of cycling have been reported and proven by countless academics.  It has been proven to reduce stress, improve coordination, improve hearth health, eats up calories, builds stamina,  it increases your life expectancy by 10 years by cycling an hour a day, but most importantly it improves your quality of Life.  When was the last time your car manufacturer used any of these facts to promote their vehicles?  The fact is that the health benefits or even environmental benefits (even for the super green and friendly cars) of any motor vehicle will not ever compete with the benefits and environmental impact of riding your bicycle.

Well this was supposed to be a photo blog about critical mass and I just totally got on my soap box.  I leave you here with images of some super amazing and dedicated critical massers from El Paso, Texas.  These images were taken a few months back, but I wanted to share these in my blog, and rant about cycling along the way.   I hope that we get to see you tonight, and you get to enjoy our beautiful September evenings. One more thing, I am including two links, one with super fun facts about cycling. http://theprudentcyclist.com/topics/cycling-facts/  .  In case anyone ever doubts all the benefits of cycling to individuals, communities, transportation, health, and the environment, and another very important link on how to become a better cyclist and not get hit by cars, very important. http://bicyclesafe.com/

“Communities with more walkers and cyclists are healthier than those where people must rely on cars to get around,” reports Science Daily.

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