On every 3rd Friday of the month, some hundred people on their bicycles get together at Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna’s city centre to claim the streets – it’s Vienna’s critical mass!

The starting point always is the same, the destination is announced on the day, and the route – well, you find out about that on the way 🙂

This month’s critical mass was my first, and it was awesome: more than 1,000 people gathered at Schwarzenbergplatz. Although the forecast had warned about the possibility of a small spring thunderstorm, the mood was great. Following announcement on the website, a lot of people had dressed up as vegetables or brought some along.

When the first raindrops fell after 30 minutes, only some people quit the ride. Most still stayed even when the thunder and lightning started. Heavy rainfall and wind in the end made about 70 % of the participants turn around and go home, but according to the website, about 300 people finished the tour. Georg and me rode on until we arrived at Donauinsel, a ride of about 15 km, and therefore enough for one day, at least for me. We left the group there and rode to the next subway station to get back to my place.

Further information on critical masses all over Austria, pictures and press texts can be found on the website.