It was the First annual Jingle Bell Ride.

On Friday, 12-23-2011, we went up the L.A. River trail from the mighty Tortuga’s Long Beach Cyclery in Bixby Knolls, Long Beach, to 3rd and Traction in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles for lunch at the Wurstküche.

The goal is to make the JBR an annual event; an event the cycling community anticipates with zoom’d out holiday fever; a fever so intense it will give HeyZeus (nuestro Padre; aka the Birthday Boy) cause to make a sneak attack off the front from this sacred tomb (or did he already do that?) with frenzied cheer and declare the celebration an honor to his martyrdom.

The two comrades in the photo on the right instituted the infamous Southern California New Year’s Day ride in 1986 and they’re feeling just audacious enough to put together more cycling extravaganzas to celebrate life on two wheels.

Sometimes even poser racer-boyz just need to mozy along on their steel & carbon ponies with a chillax’d attitude and enjoy the scenery at a holiday pace.  The river trail is beautiful in its solitude; it allows a respite from the heavy chaos of motorized street life but at the same time, simultaneously, it’s a romantic reminder of the unrelenting brutality of the environs through which it meanders.  The LA River Trail is an under-utilized resource.

In some respects, it was just an excuse to ride the river and then saunter along in the urban jungle to flex our street-cred and show the auto-community we own the f*#’N roads and declare that the time of the pedaling revolution is upon our all-jacked-over civilization (and growing).

It was a successful first annual event. We had about 35 riders.  Next year we’ll buy the place out.  The event attracted riders from across the Long Beach cycling spectrum.   Charlie Gandy was there and rode the entire ride in his full tripped-out Santa Claus suit (completely drenched in sweat on arrival). If you weren’t there you missed out on a messed-up good time.

The Wurstküche boasts a sexy list of tasty sausage dogs and french fries with a great selection of beers to keep the spirit lively.

We just might have to schedule a few off-holiday-season excursions to enjoy a great venue.

Put it on your calendar for Christmas Season 2012.

Muy Jesus Animaux!