Courteous Mass on Friday, June 6th
6:00 pm

Location: The ride starts from City Hall at the corner of College and Washington streets. 

Open To: All ages of bike riders

Courteous Mass is a monthly, casual-pace bike ride of 5-6 miles around town, held on the first Friday of the month. It is intended to demonstrate support for better bike facilities and safer traffic conditions. It is also a great opportunity for less-experienced cyclists to try riding on the streets, as well as being a fun social event. We urge everyone who believes in a balanced transportation policy to join us.

The ride should take 1-1 1/2 hrs. Remember to bring a helmet and water.

The intent of Courteous Mass rides is to demonstrate that there is a significant number of people who desire a safer, more bikeable Athens. Courteous Mass is also a fun way to ride with the security of others on roads that can be hostile alone. These rides are different from Critical Mass in that they follow a planned route and follow state traffic laws. Courteous Mass rides occur on the first Friday of each month during warmer-weather months.

Courteous Mass Tips:
1. Ride no more than two abreast on 4 - 5 lane roads, taking up the right lane.
2. Ride single file on 2-3 lane roads so as not to interfere with traffic flow.
3. Please allow faster cyclists ahead of you so they are not
     stuck behind slower cyclists during single-file stretches.
4. And as always, be courteous!

BikeAthens has recently changed the regularly scheduled day of its monthly Courteous Mass rides from the last Friday of the month to the first Friday of the month.  
 
The decision to change the date of Courteous Mass was made to avoid any potential conflicts with the recently initiated Critical Mass rides in Athens, which are also scheduled on the last Friday of each month.  Critical Mass rides are a gathering of cyclists with no sponsoring organization, and take place in many cities around the globe, by tradition on the last Friday of each month.
 
The BikeAthens-sponsored Courteous Mass rides differ from Critical Mass rides in that participants are encouraged to wear helmets and are asked to obey all traffic laws.  When the Courteous Mass rides began in 2001, BikeAthens intentionally chose the last-Friday date to promote the Critical Mass goal of making cyclists more visible to motorists.  However, the ride organizers believed that a group of cyclists following the rules of the road and using safe cycling practices would better encourage all citizens of Athens to "share the road".
 
BikeAthens welcomes all Critical Mass participants to also join the Courteous Mass rides on the first Friday of the month.

Email the Courteous Mass Coordinator

View Archive of Past CMass Announcements