Category: Bicycle Safety and Advocacy

Mother Nature gave a bit of a break to cyclists participating in the annual Boca Raton Bike Club’s Frank Stark Celebration Ride July 12.

The humidity was high, but the temperatures were in the low 80s when the riders rolled out to do a 30-mile or 62-mile loop starting in Boca Raton.

Who is Frank Stark and what’s the ride all about?

Frank Stark was an airline pilot who was forced to retire after quadruple bypass surgery and two heart attacks. He took up cycling as rehab and worked up to the point that he would “ride his age” every year on his birthday. One of his friends said he had a nurse riding with him in the early stages of his rehab.

Before long, the Boca Raton Bike Club started looking forward to the birthday rides. When Frank died of heart failure on a bike ride just a month short of his 71st birthday, the members established the Frank Stark Celebration Ride.

Most of us wish Frank had been born in a cooler month.

The ride is very well organized. It’s the only one I can remember doing where iced towels are provided. Don Braverman tried to tell me before the ride that they even cut the crusts off their PB&J sandwiches. He was either pulling my leg or the sandwich crew was slacking.

The club was offering new members a great deal. If you signed up at the ride, you could get an 18-month individual membership for $25 and a family membership for $40. What makes it an even better deal was that it included membership in the Florida Bicycle Association AND the League of American Bicyclists.

Rider suffers serious injuries

There was one thing that marred the event, however. Rider Tim Warren was southbound on A1A just south of the Anchor Park rest stop in Delray when a car turned in front of him. Witnesses said that Warren had the green light.

He was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair several facial fractures. His wife said his jaws will be wired shut for up to six weeks. The driver of the car received several citations, she added.

The first riders to stop did a good job of making sure his neck was stabilized and that nobody moved him until medics arrived.

You can do everything right

That just goes to show that you can be doing everything right: be part of a well-organized group ride; ride responsibly, wear a helmet and obey the traffic laws and your life can still change in an instant.

Cycling really ISN’T a dangerous support, but we should always remember that we don’t have airbags, seatbelts and safety glass to protect us. Our crumple zone starts at the tip of our nose.

Here’s a gallery of photos.

Thanks to Son Matt for shooting most of the stills while I was running around playing videographer.

If you click on a small picture, it will load a viewer for all the pictures. Hover your mouse on the right or left side of the picture and you will move forward or backward. If you want to return to the thumbnails (like most folks), click BEHIND the image on the sides and it will take you page to the thumbnail page.

I’ve been on a bunch of group rides, including the Freakbike Militia’s Friday the 13 Ride in March, but the July 1 Summer of Love ride was the most fun I can ever recall.

The Summer of Love Ride – The 60’s without the teargas

Some assembly required

The bikes starting gathering near Southern and Flagler some time after 6 P.M. In a lot of cases, “some assembly is required.” That’s OK, though, because everyone wanted to see who had cooked up something new.

Kid Adam was saying he wished they had one of these rides every week, but one of the long-time FBMers (Freak Bike Militia) said that it takes at least three months to build some of the more exotic bikes. That’s why the next event will be around Halloween.

Don’t let “Militia” scare you

These aren’t wackos with guns waiting for Armageddon. These are wackos with regular jobs and families who like to ride bikes they build from scratch. Oh, yeah, and have a good time.

Some of them build high bikes that are tall enough that the rider could dunk a basketball without stretching much. Others are lowered until they almost drag the ground.

Hippie Shower model

There was one that combined the high-rise effect with a pump that kept water running into a “hippie shower.”

I asked the rider what she’d do if she took a tumble and all the water spilled out.

“I’d have bigger things to worry about than spilled water,” she answered.

Theme was Peace and Love

It’s a little disconcerting to see clothes that you used to wear considered costumes these days, but I guess that’s life.

I’m ready to state without equivocation that I never wore any tie-dyed clothing. In case my memory has passed along WITH the 60s (both my age and the Decade), I’m sure Wife Lila will correct me.

60’s spirit lives on

Here’s a couple who may not be old enough to remember the 60s, but they certainly managed to capture the spirit of those days.

Despite the appearances, this was NOT a bicycle built for two.

The Public Display of Affection broke up before the Hippie Showermobile was wheeled over to cool them off.

Tandems and Trail a Bikes

Little Dillon Shreve was all helmeted up and ready to pedal.

There were several youngers on tandems and Trail a Bikes.

Raffle tickets were given out to every rider who was wearing a helmet to promote safety.

Good vibes were infectious

The best part of the ride was not just the camaraderie of the group, it was the good vibes that radiated  from it.

This was a ride that brought smiles to the faces of everyone it passed. Joggers, fishermen, dog walkers, everybody gave a smile and a wave.

Critical Mass without the attitude

Some riders would go ahead and block intersections so the group wouldn’t get split up by red lights. Instead of honking impatiently, drivers would pull out their cellphone cameras and take pictures.

Maybe it’s just hard to get PO’ed at a bunch of folks wearing funny clothes riding on funky bicycles.

I don’t want to step on any toes here, but everything I’ve read about Critical Mass rides has led me to believe that they send a message of us vs. them and projects a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude.

This ride, though, had to make people think, “Wow, I wish I was out there. That looks like a blast.”

Rains held off

When I left the house, there was an 80% chance of rain with dark clouds all around.

Except for a few sprinkles, we made it all the way downtown, through CityPlace and to the Fountain in front of where the old library was without getting rain.

There was just enough time to chow down on some biker food, play a few games, make a few announcements and then the Monsoon God visited. Not only did the skies open up, but the winds whipped the rain around like a mini-hurricane.

Everybody headed for cover for about 15 minutes, then what was left of the roughly 115 participants left in a light rain for the starting point.

It’s times like these that make me glad I always pack rain gear. I actually enjoyed the ride back in the sprinkles.

A small nit to pick

If I had to say there was anything that bothered me, it was the number of riders who didn’t have headlights and taillights. Maybe they didn’t think they needed them when they were in the middle of a large group of riders who DID have them, but the rain fragmented the riders enough that there were some awfully dark bikers on the road.

I would have hated to hear about one of the riders who had been having such a good time earlier getting hit by a motorist who couldn’t see him through the combination of a foggy window, rain and dark. It was particularly dangerous because the motorist could have been concentrating on the bikes WITH lights and not notice an unlighted bike until it was too late.

Freakbikers put the fun back in biking

First-time riders Kid Adam and George Primm said they’d be back. I sure wouldn’t miss it. Freaks put the fun back in biking.