The Brilliance!

It’s getting chilly, kind of rainy…and very un-summer like here in Grand Rapids. Another sunny-season has come and gone…and I can honestly say I had one hell of a fun one. I made a post at the beginning of the season about getting back into cycling via way of fixed gear…and it’s a good thing I did. I can honestly say I haven’t had a summer this fun in a while…and the main reason for that would be my man Neil Hubert’s Wednesday late-night fixed gear races here in downtown Grand Rapids. I met so many new people, made new friends, blended scenes, got in great shape, broke a rib or two, and had too much fun riding thru my city super late at night with a mob of peaceful like minded people shaping the new, younger, culture of Grand Rapids. The rides/races themselves ranged anywhere from alley cats, messenger races, sprints, ‘ghettodrome’ track races, chill group rides and whatever other random stuff Neil came up with. But the actual races aside - what it did and will continue to do for Grand Rapids is build culture and community. What started as literally about 8-10 people eventually grew to races of 30+ riders and even more scenesters/on-lookers soaking up the action. Simple things like this in a small, but growing city like Grand Rapids are so important for building community and culture. I hope we continue to see this trend here, I love it. Thanks to Neil and everyone else who made this summer super fun. Check for us mashing thru traffic. ***And to the out-of-towners who don’t think we have proper hills here, I have three words: Martha and Godfrey!!