WEDNESDAY NITE aug 20th

While this is still fresh, I need to write about it. I don't know why, I don't even like writing but I need to give this a shot, because in my head it sounds like a good story. I should start this by introducing what it is that goes on on wednesday nights, for the past 9 months or so.

Wednesday night 6-pack rides started with a few guys who used to ride on saturday nights, a fast paced late night bike ride with brakeless track bikes only. They were a tight crew and from what I understand they did their own thing. One fellow, Dan, decided to start a ride that was open to everyone, no matter what kind of bike you ride. It was all about if you like riding bikes, and you like to drink a few beers in between. The rides started in mt vernon at charles and read, 10pm, theres a liquor store right there where we all load up. The first 6 pack ride was a blast! We rode from park to park, drinking a beer in each park. The first few rides were pretty much invite only, because word had not gotten out about the rides besides a few craigslist ads. Finally this past few months, the rides have gotten upwards of 25 people, and there was always a few new faces. These past 2 wednesdays have only been maybe 10 people or so.

We have all been slacking, meeting up late and not even telling each other we're running late. I got a call about 9:55 from a friend named Rick. Rick is from annapolis and he comes out once in a while. He's about 50 yrs old and rides a fixie in flip flops, and smokes a cigar along the way, he rules. I get down to the spot from Hampden and its just Rick and Matt, at about 10:15ish. Finally about 11 we all shove out to what we had planned our first destination. Theres a little bar in Highlandtowne right on my fathers street called the Laughing Pint. It would be a good distance to ride then we would head to Federal Hill to a park to drink. We get to Laughing Pint and everyone has a drink, theres about 10 of us. While we all get out and unlock our bikes and start to mount, a foriegn lady walks out of the bar after playing shuffle board and stands in awe for about a minute. She starts talking about how shes fascinated with the fact theres all these people on bikes in front of her. After talking to her for about 2 minutes she invites all 10 of us to her house 2 blocks up. With beer in a few of our bags we accepted her offer and walked her to her house. I think each one of us just wanted to see what would happen, I dont know if anyone actually thought she was serious. So Lota lets us all in to her house. After comming in off an extremely large porch for a city house, you look around to a perfectly decorated house with inviting offers of candy dishes on each table, a wall full of perfectly mounted and aligned Nouveau posters from distant lands. Each magazine on the end table was fanned out like some sort of doctors office and some 3 cats must have just been lounging around waiting for you to pet them. The coffee table had a bowl of perfect looking peaches, Matt actually thought they were fake. After everyones eyes stopped wondering, we all looked at eachother thinking the same thoughts, if we were going to get killed, or get raped. Lota breaks the ice and says " lets play some pool." We go to the back sun porch and theres a pool table, a stereo, an old style bar with 3 taps. PBR and Natty Boh paraphinallia everywhere, must have been every generation can each company put out. I had never seen so much cool shit in a house. Through out the entire time Lota just kept saying "I cant believe all of you are on bikes, and in my house." After 2 games of pool, 3 people come in the house. I guess they lived there, they gave us a warm welcome and rather than hang out and get to know them we decided to take off. The emotions were already bizarre enough. We shoved off for Fed Hill moments later and upon arrival in the park, and on my first sip of beer, a cop rides through and kicks us out. It was after this that Sam's misfortune started.

We leave and start rolling down Light st, which for about a block is closed and coned off with signs and junk. I was a head and I hear this loud CRASH and look back to see Sam falling off his bike. While reading a text message he ran blind in to a big ROAD CLOSED sign and broke it off everything it was standing on. This wasnt a wimpy sign, this was like a highway construction road closed sign. These girls ran over from 7-11 telling us we were idiots for drinking and riding bikes. Someone should have smacked her. After a good laugh we ride through canton to a secret train yard spot where noone bothers us. We wait 5 minutes for a train to cross and toy around with trying to climb through. It was funny to see someone walk up like "im climbing through" then BAM the train starts to move. Finally we walk around it with our bikes and are back at the spot. its about 2am leaving that spot and again, another train at the crossing. We ended up going around to Odonell st and over the bridge. That puts us at our late night spot, we call it GHETTODROME, Its a big ass parking lot where you can race around it, but with the construction of expanding the parking lot its dark, and hard to even know you can get past the fences. Here it just ends up Rick, Shane, Sam, Pat and my self. We leave and somehow leaving the parking lot I guess rick took off cause he was nowhere to be found. I dont know if he was pissing or just left. The remaining 4 of us roll down odonell st and right when we get to canton square a black ford focus comes hauling through running stop signs, as they pass I saw the car full of 5 people or so. I see something fly out towards Sam and miss. I gathered it to be an egg or something since it shattered when it hit the curb. We chased after them with U locks and I had a can of Mace in my hand. I figured I instigated since I started by saying "shit! lets catch up to em Ill spray the driver" We get to the bottom of the square and the car turned around, we followed. They kept running so we decided to chase, thinking we had the upper hand. So we stopped and camped out at different spots waiting for the ford to circle again. Shane, at the bottom of the hill, yells up to me "HERE THEY COME." I get out my 5lb U lock and mace, put my bike on the wall and turn around and they fly past. I look up and see this U lock come flying out of an alley and SMACK the side of the car. Since everyone was so spread out I didnt wanna be the only one there when they got out of the car. I snuck off in to a small dead end parking lot behind some houses and posted up for about 6 or 7 minutes. Finally when some flood lights came out and people started letting out their dogs I figured it was time to press my luck. I get down about 2 blocks to the safeway and get a call from Shane. "Where you at" he says, I told him where I was then he tells me "come back, SAM GOT HIT." Its about 3:30am and I get up with Shane, Pat and Sam. Some lady must have seen it happen because she brought him an ice pack. After Pats U lock hit the car, they looped around and on this corner where Sam was, they came at him, he got out of the way and the passanger reached out and swung a GOLF CLUB and hit him square in the side of the face!! He didnt fall down but they got a good hit on him. We camped out for about 10 minutes and there was no sign of the black ford, so we set off for home.

Sams face is a little swollen and cut, but hell be fine. Maybe I can get a pic from him and post it up. The dude took some beating tonight, hurting his foot running in to the sign, then getting smacked in the face with a golf club. COME RIDE WEDNESDAY NIGHTS...