Bike To Work Day was, for many of us in cities around the world, an opportunity to ride in solidarity with our fellow commuters, raise bicycle awareness at a time when it’s needed more than ever, and have a good ol’ time doing it.

But in our enthusiasm to celebrate all that is The Ride To Work, and the delight of cycling generally, we’ve left behind some of our brothers and sisters who’ve experienced a particular tragedy that I hope never to know myself.

I’m talking about victims of Low Clearance Height. It’s something most of us never think about, and hopefully won’t ever have to. But for those who’ve driven their roof-mounted bikes into low overhangs, whether they be at a McDonald’s dozens of miles from home, or the garage door of their very own house, the nightmare never ends. Or it does, but it takes a while. Or it really fucks up their weekend.

Thankfully, a dedicated group of San Franciscans is making sure that those crushed and mangled bikes, those horribly scratched cars, those somewhat messed up garages, and those seriously inconvenienced Wienerschnitzel managers are not forgotten.

It’s too late to participate this year. But next year on Drive Your Bike To Work Day, when you see them driving up your street, roofs overflowing with racked bikes, won’t you take a moment to remember?

(h/t Anonymous commenter at Planetary Gears)

As promised, or at least as insinuated, I participated in Bike To Work Day despite the fact that the route took me away from where I work, and did it much earlier than could be considered civilized. I took some photos at Freedom Plaza, but the couple pics I got off the phone will have to suffice for now. I’ll post the rest later.

The convoy on my route (The Old #18 out of Hyattsville) left Magruder Park, heading in my direction, at about 7:15 a.m. I mounted up and zipped down to the corner to drink coffee and watch, and 15 minutes later I spotted a block of raincoat yellow coming down Michigan Avenue. There were only 8 people, but that was enough to take the lane and hold it without challenge. I slipped easily into the convoy, and was warmly greeted with smiles and salutations.

It was that rainy sort of morning that alternates between light showers and heavy mist, and we rode under a thick gray blanket of low clouds. Earlier that morning, I was considering which pair of shoes to soak on the ride, and settled on Tevas instead. So, off came the pedal cages and straps. And you know what? I really didn’t miss them much. Making the ride more casual has its own rewards, it’s got me thinking that maybe the Trucker needs some albatross bars.

We rode Michigan to North Capital, snaked west on Channing below the reservoir, did some wiggling through LeDroit Park and Shaw, and made our way Downtown to Freedom Plaza. The ride was relaxed and pleasant, with reactions from drivers ranging from tolerance and curiosity to enthusiastic support.

Freedom Plaza was filled with Insta-Shelter booths, wandering people in all sorts of gear, and bikes. Lots of bikes. All The Pretty Bikes. Road racers, mountain goats, fixies, townies, tourers, a few exotics and more. City Bikes was out in force, and had set up a small stage for speechifying, raffling, and performances. They’d also set up a few bikes on training stands, with dynamos hooked up to a deep-cycle battery, which in turn powered the P.A. system. They recruited folks from the crowd to come and pedal a few watts into it, which was a brilliant idea, considering the abundance of people milling about wearing cycling gear.

I strolled the plaza a bit, ogling bikes and mentally noting the variety of bicycle subba-cultchas present, then grabbed my ride and headed down Pennsylvania to complete the commute. I had more quickness and agility riding by myself, felt good, and exchanged “Good Mornings!” with the Capital Police running the intersections around the Rayburn Building as I often do. Drafting a pack doing 8 miles-per-hour doesn’t do much for efficiency, and yet there’s no denying that biking solo to Capital South lacked the conviviality of riding into Downtown with my slower, happy pack of commuter pals.

Thanks to everyone who put this together, it was a delight, and cheers to everyone who participated. Oh! And I’ve got the ratings plugin workin’ again, so how about some stars…

Bike To Work Day 2008:

(I figure I’ll leave a few stars open for more people, sunny weather, and a “Bike Naked!” theme for next year.)

Friday, May 16th is Bike To Work Day for thousands of Washingtonians. Well, sort of. It’s actually Bike To Freedom Plaza, And Then Head To Work Day. Unless you work somewhere very close to 14th NW and Pennsylvania Ave, in which case it’s Why The Hell Are All Of These People Following Me To Work Day.

I ride every day I can, but there’s not many days where I decide to take Michigan Ave to North Capitol, since most of the locals mistake it for a freeway. The times I go by the White House are pretty rare, and I’ve not ridden in at 7:15 a.m. (jeebidus that’s early) at all. So I’m going to join a parade of cyclists tomorrow morning on Old Number 18, the Hyattsville Express, leaving from Magruder Park.

Join us, it’s gonna be fun! Well, it’ll be fun once I get coffee. Before that, it’ll be like everything else in the world: cold, and with lots of corners and sharp edges. Go here to get info on Bike To Work Day from WABA, here to find your convoy. Then, on Friday, go here with your convoy, and I’ll see you at Freedom Plaza. I’ll be the one with the bike, my one is red.