Seattle University Spectator

Issue: 7/14/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Isaac Ginsberg The First Friday of every month finds riders on their fixed-gear cycles at Cal Anderson Park. The group travels in a pack in the city.

Packs of cyclists charge west down Pike Street, barreling through red lights in a taut line blocking cars that attempt to advance through green lights. It's the first Friday of the month--it's Fast Friday.

The cyclists slowly trickle into Cal Anderson Park around 6:30 p.m. and gather near half-court of the basketball hoops west of the playing fields. Every month they meet here and then take to the streets after organizers inform them of where this month's round of games will be held.

"We're going to a parking ga­rage in the U-District," says a man with the clipboard and megaphone. "The cross streets are University and Pacific, let's move out."

Developed with the intention of building the bike community within the Seattle area, Fast Fridays is a rotating monthly event where fixed gear bike riders can compete with each other in a slew of cycling games. It's sort of like a mini-Olym­pics for fixed gears.

Or as Seattle University student Wilfred Padua puts it: "It's sort of like a dunk contest."

Originating from racing track bikes, fixed gears, or "fixies," are generally single geared bicycles in which the sprocket is screwed di­rectly to the hub of the back wheel. The result equals no coasting. When the wheels are moving, the pedals are a-pedaling--even downhill.

By placing pressure against for­ward motion on the pedals, brakes are not entirely necessary. A rider can slow the bike down and brake independently by stopping their pedaling and shifting momentum.

And yes, they can indeed go backward.

The founder of Fast Fridays is Dustin Klein, whose clothing company and track bike team, Cadence, does the majority of the organizing.

"I wanted to start an event that would stand as a platform for rid­ers to establish relationships within the bike community, and to just have fun," says Klein about the event he has been heading up col­lectively with other cyclists since June 2006.

A native of Fargo, N.D., and for­mer San Francisco bike messenger, Klein felt there was a desperate need for an event influenced by the fixed gear community when he moved up to Seattle in November 2005.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools