It´s that awkward moment... when you realize what you thought was going to be a chill bikeride with a friend and several of his... turns out to be a 200-people strong manifestation for cyclists´ rights.
On Friday night, I hopped on my bike (after carrying it down the stairs and sneaking as quickly and smoothly out the front door as possible because they give me crap for keeping my bike inside here) and began pedaling against the wind toward the city centre, La Plaza Mayor. I was going to meet a friend, as he´d asked me to join him and some of his friends on a bike tour through the town. I thought that sounded like an acceptable and welcome alternative to the endless nights of partying in clubs, so I said yes. As I wove through a chaotic swarm of pedestrians in the plaza, I saw a small group of cyclists starting to form. Their bikes were adorned with flashing lights, and I asked myself, is this a parade?
My friend wasn´t there when I arrived, so I sat at the base of a statue and called him up. He was running late, so I sat there on the statue watching more and more bikes with flashing lights arrive. I started to get the clue that this wasn´t just a casual group of friends. When my friend finally showed up, he joined me at the statue, and I asked him why there were so many people and what this was all about. He informed me that there were so many people because it was the organization´s tenth anniversary. I asked what organization, and he told me it was the organization that fights for the rights of cyclists in Valladolid. ¨Oh, so I´m part of a fight now?¨ I asked. He laughed and responded in the affirmative but said that tonight wasn´t really about anything. OK. He also said that riding your bike in the street is illegal, and that riding without those flashing lights at night is also illegal. Cool. This is when I realized I was going to spend the evening breaking laws, in a foreign country, without a passport on hand, as part of a manifestation (that we called a party so that the cops wouldn´t get upset). People were wearing wigs and flying flags on the backs of their bikes. Most people had bells on their bikes that they were ringing, and one guy even had a boombox strapped to the back of his bike. No, this was not going to attract any attention at all. I was going to slide right under the radar.
Ten minutes later, we´re stopped at a red light. My friend and I are up at the front of the pack, and behind us are about 200 other cyclists, filling both lanes of traffic, blocking cars. Drivers behind us are going crazy, and the guy beside me wearing two hats and mascara is blowing a whistle. People are waving at us and clapping. Some just stare on, confused. Nope, we have gained no attention. Green light. Go.
I didn´t think to wear gloves. Not only were my hands cold, but everytime I moved my hands against the handlebars, I could feel it tingling all the way up to my elbows. I thought this might not be a good sign. I kept pedaling.
Also, I´m claustrophobic. Even when I ride bikes with John, I usually demand that we ride single file with two bikes´ distance between us. Now, here I am in a hoard of bell-ringing, whistle-blowing, screaming, fist thrusting protesters, all on bikes, crammed together about as close as the Tour de France riders... and I´m just riding along taking pictures of the new parts of the city I´m seeing as I go. I´m thinking how cool this is that everyone´s all pals and helping stand up for bikers´ rights.
Honestly, while it might seem a minor issue, if we´re going to make the leap from cars to non-motorized transit, bikes are the way to go. They´re faster than walking, and in crowded cities, they´re also faster than cars... that´s true even in Morgantown... but when motorists don´t respect you and you don´t have a legal right to be on the road, and when pedestrians don´t respect you and you have to share their sidewalks... well, the situation could just be improved. How about a narrow lane tagged onto the sidewalk? I know in Morgantown it´s technially not permissible to ride your bike on the sidewalk. However, motorists go past angrily shouting at you to do so, but then if you do get on the sidewalk... with the hills and turns and all... if you run into a pedestrian and have to dodge into the street to get out of their way, well, that could be your life. And when the motorists say mean things to me like that, all I can think is, I´m out here using my legs while you spike the price of gasoline (obviously it´s not that simple, I realize). Instead of blowing your horn at me and shouting inflammatory remarks, you should be waiting for me at the top of this hill with a bag of cookies. Of course, there are times when it is more practical to go in a car, but let´s knock the road rage down a little and not risk cyclists´ lives because following them for one street might make us one minute later to wherever we´re going. If you want cyclists off the roads, join the fight and help them get a safe space of their own.
Take home point: You may want to get the details of events before agreeing to participate in them. It´s not that I would have said no; I just would have brought my passport along, just in case... because when those cops threw on their lights behind us, I was nervous. I was relieved, as I could tell many others were, also, when they drove on past. Sometimes when you think you´re going for a little bike ride, you are going on a protest. That´s OK. Just keep pedaling.
(Also, if you want to see more pictures of the event, they are available on my facebook profile, in the album titled Valladolid. At this point, they are the last 7 pictures in the album.)
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