The ride last Friday (25th May 12) was pretty huge. The first ride of the summer always seems to go like this. So, last month - April - was rainy and grim and only a few hundred turned out. The April ride was semi-highjacked by a greenwash political group distributing pink high viz vests. It was also directed by solidarity with an anti-abortion protest. It was basically kind of square party. Not many sound systems and it was just a little trog around the centre of town. No issue. Politeness. A little bit of getting lost due to the protest at the clinic. But this May ride was kind of huge. That meant there was a range of differing people. People who wanted to fast, others slow. Some were there to party, others protest. When the ride is this big the group mind breaks down. The ride will stretch out over very long distances. When there is a problem at the back it is not always noticed. I was in the middle of the pack going down Charing Cross Road and started racing ahead to find the vanguard. When found it was agreed to loop back around. We had gone most the way down Tottenham court road and looped back down Gower onto Shaftesbury avenue to find the mass. As we did so we found packs of pigs charging down the street in the direction we headed down Shaftesbury. They were a little snobby, but we were legion! They had no chance. Once we got back to Cambridge Circus we discovered the dregs of the rearguard, miserable and oppressed by the fist of The Man. It would flatter us to think that the reinforcements changed the game. Our reinforcements were greater than theirs! They turned tail, we gathered our people and headed back north. If you look at the video carefully you can see how few people are there. Question, what happened to the middle guard? Because after this incident it all seemed to disappear. Where did the majority of the number go? I heard rumor that the cause of the incident was a beer can thrown at the latter day Norman Baron on his horse in the middle of the city. Is this just gossip? Possibly. Failed to get accurate intel due to other riders 'rescuing' me when I spoke to the filth. Which shows A-OK community spirit, but leaves mystery alive. Please also watch the video and notice the pretentious Gestapo officer stepping out of the crowd. Please notice his boring and spotless white trainers. Notice his nerdiness. On the whole this was an excellent ride, all sound systems out, good vibes going on. High Vibrations. However, we had the typical summer problem - it is difficult to cork the road for 15 minutes. When the ride is wintery and small it is easy to get around without issue. But in this summer situation it is much more noisome. Especially when large gaps develop and the road is being corked for an empty space. Too many 'free riders' - that is people who are taking and not giving to the mass. I especially enjoyed our early forays which took us north up to Euston road, etc. and along up towards the Westway! This month our primary vanguard consisted of very eager racing cyclists who were charging ahead on the clear roads. The effect was that the A404/501 was all ours! Wicked cool. The mass dissented with the plan to go as far as possible on the freeway and we cut through into Westbourne Park and Ladbrooke Grove. Most excellent! We did some great outreach into the cadres of ordinary Londoners and got many good responses for future reinforcements. I love going to the neighbourhoods, it's awesome. People on the doorstep, folk leaning out of the pub. A magical moment of weirdness to behold. Then we looped about, headed along the North and East sides of the park, down Grosvenor Place, onto Parliament square, Whitehall, Trafalgar square etc. What can I say? Lame! The 12 year old French school kid tours enjoyed it. But, like, whatever. After the altercation the mass went down Oxford Street, a bike raise at the circus. Still several hundred strong. About 10pm. Bored. Going.

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