Cinco de Fiasco

(click card for pictures)

The alleged Super Moon brought out quite a crowd on Saturday night. You guys certainly don't disappoint. I can't wait to see what the warmer weather brings.

We filled The Swamp to capacity and had just as many people standing outside, patiently waiting for me to get my shit together and get this party started. Once the ride started, I was pleasantly surprised to see this enormous crowd of cyclist snake through town. Everyone did their best to pass instructions back through the pack to keep everyone on task. I think the classy behavior was due in part to the swell paragraph the FBC got in the Inlander (Thu, 03-May p.29). Thanks, Jordy. In it was mentioned that we like to do our best to ride predictably and stay in one lane and blah blah blah. You've heard the drill a million times, but every month brings out new riders that haven't, and it is really nice for you veterans of the Fiasco to kindly guide the new ones into the fold. For the most part it keeps us safe on the road. Mostly.

We had a little bit of an incident at the entrance to Peoples Park/Sandifur Bridge Trail. A brand new Lifetime Member For Life found a curb with his face. This wasn't a novice rider either. He seemed on his game, and had a super sweet bike. And before you bring it up, I'm pretty sure he had only one (1) beverage, was wearing a helmet and had lights. He just misjudged the rise from the street to the parking lot. I saw the knot of blinking lights from my vantage point on top of the trail on the other side of the river, and was later informed that he was fine, in good hands and taking a car ride to get checked out. Thanks to Glen and a handful of LMFLs that helped out. Bummer that it happened at all, but double ungood that it happened on his first ride. I hope he comes back next month and for all the months to come. I took a ride through that area the next day and found a short letter:

Dear City of Spokane, 

I recently found myself laying on the ground in an unconscious bleeding heap on Saturday after my bicycle located a curb that separates me from the bike trail. While my bicycle does have lights, and I am quite adept at hopping over that curb it seems like a thing that doesn't really have to be there, in the dark. So lets see what we can do about making that transition from the street to the parking lot a little more subtle than a five inch curb. Or paint it yellow or something.

Sincerely,That guys face

Speaking of The City, our illustrious industrious friend Jon Snyder (not responsible for man-eating curbs) made it out for a ride this month. Some of you have been around long enough to remember when he started his campaign for City Council Representative during the Knog Ride. Though he has made time to come out on a few rides between then and now, he thought it only fitting to begin his campaign for State Representative on the May Full Moon Fiasco. I'm sure he will make an excellent representative for the state of Washington. Good Luck Jon. He was also passing out some spoke cards so you can show your support for a guy who has shown us support, and if you got one of those thinking that it was the official spoke card of Cinco de Fiasco, it was not. I will have a few extra in my bag at the June Fiasco, so if you would like one, be sure to ask me about it. I know a few of you like to collect the cards and I think that is super awesome because I enjoy making them.

We went to the newly opened Scout, located in the former Far West location. There were approximately as many customers as there were employees when we showed up. They were totally ready for us, too. They kept things flowing at the bar, and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time in the new digs. Some fun things that happen when you bring far too many people to an event: Running out of pint glasses and drinking your beer from a high ball glass. Or running out of Strawberry mix for Strawberry Margaritas, and the bartenders boss makes him muddle strawberries. It wasn't so much a Strawberry Margarita as is was a red, lumpy, pint glass of tequila. I've had worse. Thanks to Scout for hosting our little soiree. We'll have to visit more often. We can avoid the margarita heavy holiday next time.

Thanks also to LMFL Krystal for helping out with taking a load of pictures for me. If any of you take pictures of the events, feel free to post them on the FBC Facebook page, or send them my way and I'll put them on the FBC Flickr page.

125+ riders; 40º and clear.

Next month the weather should be outstanding again so we'll be taking a little longer ride to enjoy it. I'm certain that it will include some up. I haven't come up with a theme for next months ride, but you'll be the first to know if I do. We may even leave earlier to enjoy some daylight.