While the cops have rules for riding bikes at night (read: lights), Critical Mass Tampa Bay only has one: no gaps. Credit: Photo via CriticalMassTampaBay/Facebook
For the last three decades since the first critical mass rides in San Francisco circa 1992, cyclists have gathered in large numbers to travel city streets en masse, bringing awareness to the idea of sharing the road.

For Tampa’s summer critical mass ride this week, organizers invite anything human-powered—bikes, skateboards, skates—for a 10-12 mile night ride at approximately 11 mph.

While the cops have rules for riding bikes at night (read: lights), Critical Mass Tampa Bay only has one: no gaps. “If there’s room in front of you for a car to sneak inside the MASS, YOU are a MAJOR safety hazard, and need to.., well, PEDAL FASTER, or consider dropping out of the ride. If you’re behind this guy, pass him!,” the group wrote online.

It’s free to join the Critical Mass: Tampa Bay ride on Friday, June 30, which leaves at 8 p.m. sharp from Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

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This article appears in Jun 22-28, 2023.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...