This Weekend: Kidical Mass Takes Upper Manhattan — and Staten Island

Photo: Ben Fried
Photo: Ben Fried

It’s Kidical Mass season, and there are two opportunities this weekend for children and adults to participate in group rides.

On Saturday, it’s Kidical Mass Uptown. The ride starts at 10 a.m. at Dorrance Brooks Square — 137th Street between St. Nicholas and Edgecombe Avenues — and will head to High Bridge Park for the opening festival of the car-free High Bridge. More details here.

Sunday’s ride begins at 9:30 a.m. on the Manhattan side of the Manhattan Bridge, then to the Staten Island Ferry for a tour of notable spots on the island. There will be bike trains headed to the meet-up spot from points in Manhattan and Brooklyn, beginning around 9:00. See the Facebook listing for a schedule.

Kidical Mass rides help young cyclists gain experience, but the group environment is also good for adults who are new to riding. Below is a short list of pointers, originally published last year.

We require all kids under 14 to wear a helmet, following NYC law.

All kids should be able to stop. This seems pretty obvious, but lots of kids stop with their feet, and our first ride takes us downhill at the end of the Brooklyn Bridge. Kids should be able to stop using the brakes on their bikes/scooters, unless they are scoot bikes.

Kids should practice their directions. Most will be following others, and we will have marshals for our rides, but to know which way is left and right is a good idea.

Don’t cross your wheels with another bike ahead of you or behind you. Know what is around you.

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