I Feel The Need for Tweed

If you missed yesterday's Tweed Ride, you missed a good time.

First of all, the weather was nothing short of spectacular. If anything, it was too warm for a Tweed Ride, but I didn't hear anyone complaining.

The turn out was impressive. Several hundred, I would guess, for a last minute ride, that's never been held before in DC. And people took it seriously. Penny farthing bikes (yes, plural), aviator helmets, jaunty hats, parasols; people took it seriously. I talked to one guy who bought his whole outfit (except his shoes) for the ride. The Post has a nice write-up on the fashion and what the ride means - if it means anything.

The tweed riders in the alley are here because they value style, art, history and/or cycling, and because they find more inspiration by looking back than looking around. Danny Harris, 30, wears a wool tie and vest he bought in England, Vietnamese motorcycle goggles on his head and khaki shorts. On the other side of his taxicab-colored fixie is Kristin Hershberger, 27, who wears a 1970s high-waisted denim skirt and a new velvet vest trimmed with fur, yet still manages to look like she's from the Jazz Age. They talk about how going out used to mean orchestras and fine clothing, and how being macho meant knowing how to dance.

"I think our generation is lacking in a certain respect," Hershberger says.

A generation, in an alley, in search of a social identity.

Perhaps this is too much thought for a Sunday afternoon.

I will add that it was a good-looking group of people, despite my pulling the average down.

The ride itself was nice too. It being mid-day and great weather, people were out on the streets, which gave the ride an audience that most riders reveled in. Men called out "good day" to ladies as they tipped their hats. Shouts of hip hip hooray were started. At one point I overheard a woman on the sidewalk say "there must be some sort of event going on." As though there was a chance that 200 cyclists riding around in wool and lace was just a normal occurrence. 

"What are you riding for?" people shouted.

"Tweed" many called back. Though fun was another reason and Arts for the Aging, a Bethesda nonprofit, the charity.

"What are you doing?" others shouted.

"What are YOU doing?" one rider replied. The riders were not above existential questions.

There was red light running (despite the stated goal to obey all traffic laws) to keep the group together, but with friendly waves and calls of "thank you" that most drivers - with windows down - heard. One rider high-fived mostly smiling, but stalled, drivers as she rode past. The only conflict point really was Dupont Circle, where two laps around caused gridlock serious enough to give Mark Seagraves the vapors. There was honking, and unlike the rest I'd heard, it was not of the friendly, supporting kind. Perhaps one lap would have been sufficient. There was also some over-exuberant use of the roadway, and room for more politeness - it will be interesting to see if drivers write in to the Post to complain.

WABA provided parking at Marvin (where I had just eaten on Friday night - bad planning on my part. That didn't stop me from ordering waffles and fried chicken again) and the bar quickly transformed from a sleepy brunch crowd to a rowdy, but polite, crowd of good looking people well-dressed and ready for gin.

There are dozens on photos on Flickr if you want more. And Adam Voiland had a post about it too. 

Comments

[Right Honorable John]

I thought that Post article was poorly written. This is much better.

[Froggie]

Don't have any tweed, so did not join in. But went and knocked out 11 miles of the W&OD instead...

[Washcycle]

Many people, including myself, rode without tweed. It was a forgiving group.

[Justin from ReadysetDC]

Such a great day! We have photos and video here:

http://readysetdc.com/2009/11/16/dc-tweed-ride-dq-social-in-silent-film-photos/

[w]

had no idea this was going on- and neighter did anyone else I know

Maybe you blog folks could give more of us a heads up in the future

[Washcycle]

Here and here. As well as at DCist, ReadySetDC, GGW, CityPaper, BrightYoungThings etc...

[Cycle Jerk]

It was a daisy of a ride indeed.

http://cyclejerk.blogspot.com/2009/11/washington-dc-got-tweeded-but-good.html

[w]

i guess you had to know about this way in advance to participate.

Im not cool enough to be told or informed of it , I suppose

[Catherine]

w, this was covered on this blog and many others starting as many as 3 weeks ago, and with increasing frequency up to the weekend. i don't think that this was planned much more than 3 weeks in advance.

anyway, yes, the post article wasn't very good. i was in the last group to depart and i don't know how earlier groups behaved, but we encountered relatively few cars generally, and those we did encounter were all smiles and waves. we didn't do a lap around the circle. the only thing our group DID do that i personally was against was run some red lights to keep the group together. these were only at minor intersections, but i still wish we'd behaved like we did at the major intersections--just stop and wait for the light, let it split the group, and have the part that made it through wait for the ones stuck. wouldn't have been difficult and wouldn't have provided the necessary fodder for "these jerk cyclists flout all laws and get in the way and are so dangerous and annoying". imagine the write-up if we hadn't run a single light. motorists honking and getting frustrated at a group of people having fun, being polite and following all laws on a lazy sunny sunday afternoon. very clear as to who the jerks are. with us "blowing through red lights and creating traffic snarls"....just not quite the same.

[w]

many many cyclists I have talked to , in the past 24 hours , also were left in the dark on this.

It was not widely publicized at all ahead of time

a group of us were sitting at an outdoor cafe on 8th street S.E. yesterday when we saw some of the 1890's looking cyclists and we were trying to figure out what it was. All 4 of us were cyclists- were right next door to the Capitol Hill Cycle shop and no one there knew what it was or could tell us about it.

[Washcycle]

It was also on the calendar at right (down a bit). I think the fact that there were something like 300 participants speaks to how well it was advertised, but clearly they could've done more, as they missed at least four willing participants.

[w]

and I have all of the costumes the other 3 would have needed !

Better luck next time !!!

[Froggie]

If I'd have known that lack of tweed would not have been a show-stopper, I'd have probably gone. Though you gotta admit a guy in Navy PT gear would've looked very out-of-place...:o)

[w]

Old & vintage US Navy uniforms are awesome and spectacular

[Froggie]

Mine are anything but old...especially given the recent uniform change requirements...