San Jose Biking Culture, A story Told

RIDEESSJ-Primera Noche

7/9/11

By: Jose “Beans” Acevedo

           

Around 30 or so riders were met by a cool, simmering night as they geared up for the inaugural RIDEESSJ night ride; Primera Noche! Start time was scheduled for 9:30p.m., but as is usually the case we didn’t start riding until past ten.  Right from the beginning we had a casualty as one of the riders we were waiting for got a flat on his way to the meet point at Mexican Heritage plaza.  After trying to fix the flat it turned out that there wasn’t a hole but the valve was messed up and we lost our first rider before the ride even began.

            As the ride took off the first obstacle was the 101 overpass on San Antonio.  “The best part of going uphill is always going to be downhill,” is something that my friend, Ronnie Gibson once said that couldn’t be anymore truth.  From there we went right down 17th St. and proceeded towards Japantown.  On 17th St. though happened to be where the first spill took place, as the streets were not too well lit and there was a pile of yard trimmings and tree branches in the bike lane, we had one rider go over his handlebars into the pile! You know, it wasn’t anything major.

            Then, as were zinging and zagging through the north downtown San Jose streets, we came across an art gallery on Empire.  Little to my knowledge this was not a regroup as I had thought, and I accidentally halted the ride (my apologies).  Once everything was straightened out we got back on track.  The ride continued on towards Japantown where we made our first liquor store pit stop.  Everyone geared up on refreshments and snacks and it was on to the “real” regroup.

            The ride left Japantown and headed toward the rose garden, where everyone filed in and hopped on a nice trail.  This is where things took a turn for maybe not the worst, but definitely not the best.  As we rode down the bike trail in a complete darkness that could only be broken by our lights to our regroup point, a skunk popped out of nowhere and the bike party then became a skunk party!  I was about four or five riders behind the leader when the skunk popped out on the trail and froze up.  I didn’t realize it was a skunk at first and then someone kicked it and I saw it curl into a ball and stay on the trail, and as I past it I smelled that distinct stench and my nostril got a not so pleasant sting.

            I think I was the last one to pass the skunk before it let loose and started spraying.  Shortly after the twenty five or so riders behind us passed the skunk and there was series of “ohhs” and “awws” as they rode through the cloudy skunk mist.  It sounded bad from up ahead of the pack and as the ride got to the regroup and the music was waiting, there were a whole group of riders that had just arrived that you might not want to be around because of their new fragrances.  You would think you could just air off being on a bicycle, but skunk spray is strong and lingers, even as we partied in a field off to the side of CAI-880, there was not enough wind to carry the smell away.

            Once everyone took their breather we headed back toward downtown on the Guadalupe trail.  When we got back to the streets the next stop was Plaza de Cesar Chavez, but first we had to make another pit stop at Delmas Market.  Here riders stocked up on goods once again and even had a chance to admire the nice San Jose Sharks mural on the side of the store.  Then after loitering a bit too long the owner came out and told the crowd to get a move on, and so we headed to the park.

            It was close to one thirty in the morning as the remaining riders gathered.  Shortly after arriving at the park was when we witnessed a fender bender, which then turned into a D.U.I. arrest.  We drank and ate at the park and refueled for the remainder of the ride back to the start point, Mexican Heritage plaza.

            The ride back was pretty simple, exit the park make a right on Santa Clara st. and straight to the finish.  However, there was a second accident on the ride but none of us witnessed it, we only saw the aftermath.  We were near about 26th st. when we noticed the car on the sidewalk with the whole left side thrashed.   Then we arrived to the beginning and the ride concluded, or so we thought.

            Back at the start point, there was a select few that decided to keep the party going and ride to Joseph George Middle School.  So we continued east on Alum Rock ave and took the journey to the next improvised regroup.  Thanks to Justin Triano for hauling the music trailer because without him it would’ve been a quiet night.

            As the night continued into the morning, riders began to drop off of the after party and the group kept shrinking.  Our first deserter rode as deep east as he could with us before he embarked on a long journey on his own to the south side of San Jose.  It was about three in the morning when he left and I gave him directions.  It took all of an hour for him to ride to the Santa Teresa light rail station.

            And then there were five.  We moved the party to the roof of the school very briefly, and to be a little adventurous I guess?  On the way down from the roof one person fell and caught a fence post in the gut! (He was okay tho, just got the wind knocked out of him and a nice facebook bruise picture out of it.)  Then the party really concluded, close to five in the morning, and everyone went home.

            All that riding had me sore the next morning, but the soreness was worth it.  All in all, other than losing our first rider in the beginning to the skunk surprise to having someone fall off of a roof, it was an excellent ride.  Looking forward to the next one and hopefully seeing some new faces.  Until then, ride safe everybody.