"A concept is a brick. It can be used to build a courthouse of reason. Or it can be thrown through the window." – Gilles Deleuze
The article below, "Reject the Enshittification of Critical Mass", rekindled my nostalgia for outlaw Critical Masses (CMs) back in the day. (Unironically, nostalgia is also a theme this week.)
When I did them (CMs) in NYC around 2006 or so, the cops would sabotage them and tackle riders, arresting people, and it was quite a gamble to join, but the numbers were still always huge. The bicycle is a vehicle of protest, after all.
In Atlanta, it was a rolling party but always with a staunch stance against car culture. The CMs I've joined in Florida with my kids are less of a protest ride but certainly less commercial than what the author describes in the article.
The magic of Critical Mass is that there is no ride leader, no route & no sponsored agenda. Its rallying cry: "We're not blocking traffic, we are traffic!"
Ok, back to Gilles Deleuze:
"Critical Mass is a “Deleuzian rhizome” - its roots are horizontal once it beds in."
I was like, "A what?" Well, I ended up in a rabbit hole exploring Deleuze’s Rhizomes, Organ-less Bodies and Changing Territories, so let me take you with me...
The general idea of a rhizome, according to Deleuze and his long-time collaborator Felix Guattari, is to describe an assemblage that allows connections between any of its constituent elements, regardless of any predefined ordering, structure, or entry point; contrary to the familiar hierarchical tree of knowledge concept, for instance.
I'm pretty sure I've lost you already, maybe even lost myself (a nod to the downside of GPS never letting ourselves get lost article below), but my message is to take inspiration from Critical Mass's intrinsic self-organising nature and acknowledge the direct connections across all of its members, rebuke corporate enshittification & decolonise knowledge.
Bonus: I stumbled upon Marc Ngui & Magda Wojtyra's illustrations of Deleuze's & Guattari's ideas. (one of the decolonising knowledge concept) Maybe that will help getting your wheels turning. ; )
Thank you for reading and supporting this newsletter!
wishing you a nice week ahead,
Jon
p.s.
🎵 Some tracks on deck last week: Béton Armé continues to be my most listened to band, Metal Body by Enola is a fave track currently, and I'm watching lots of Sound & Fury live performance highlights too!
August
- 🇳🇱 19 Wheelrunner Wednesdays 6:30am
- 🇳🇱 20 Gregario Gossip Club Thursdays 7:15am
- 🇳🇱 19 The Mechanics of Joy with Kristo of Radial Pro Cycling 12:00
- 🇳🇱 20 Echelon x Isadore Evening Ride 18:00
- 🇳🇱 21 Maap LAB Amsterdam Summer Crit Nº2
- 🇳🇱 21 Gregario Auto Drop // Kind-a-social Ride 18:30
- 🇳🇱 21 Henn Album Release Show at Workspace 6 19:00
- 🇳🇱 30 Bounty Hunters presents: Hit The Bricks BMX Jam
September
- 🇳🇱 4 Dox Under The Tracks Nº16 w/ Y.O.P.E.
- 🇳🇱 6 Fixed Crit Zwanenburg
- 🇩🇪 11-13 Bespoked Dresden
- 🇪🇸 18-20 Sea Otter Europe
- 🇳🇱 19-20 Open Nederlands Kampioenschap Fietskoerieren
- 🇫🇷 23-27 Concours de Machines ÉDITION MAURIENNE GALIBIER
Bikes
The 8th Edition of the Silk Road Mountain Race Is Underway
Reject the Enshittification of Critical Mass
Critical Mass London
"Critical Mass has its own history, culture, and values that should be cherished and maintained, not enshittified." Backed 100% & no dis to Dom!
Why did we wait so long for the bicycle?
"Innovation is not in human nature, but is instead received. … when people do not innovate, it is often simply because it never occurs to them to do so.” A very interesting long read. Not gonna spoil it here!
Ideas
G.P.S. and the Lost Art of Getting Lost
Shayla Love
Unexpected geopolitical intro but even if you don't dodge the paywall you get the idea; getting lost is good for you!
Why Are Rivers So Mathematical?
On Nostalgia: Ever Cleaner, Ever More Pillowy
"What makes nostalgia difficult to treat honestly in poems is how easily some of us fall under its spell." – Boris Dralyuk. Reading his essay, I realise I'm a nostalgist, too.
Friends
Safi Works x Echelon - Ride + Q&A This Saturday!
How neighbourhoods in Amsterdam and Haarlem are connected by cycling
Raymond Kerckhoffs
"Around Amsterdam and Haarlem, there are is quite a high number of Rabo Dikke Banden (Fat Tire) Races. This is due to the unprecedented enthusiasm of Jan-Willem Blok and Paulien Willems, who take on the organisation of many of these accessible cycling events for children. The count has already reached 14 this year, with more to follow next year. Their goal: to get as many children as possible on bikes and to bring neighborhoods together." Read here.
Jake Stangel in the French Alps + Marseille
Jake is one of my favorite photogprahers. Browsing this gallery, you see why!
Radness
Ride The Trans Aseer Mountain Range in January
Skip to Content
Abe from The Paperclip said I invite others to ride the first stage of the Trans Aseer Mountain Range route in January next year. Day 1 starts at 1,981m and goes to 2,438m. 😅 More info here.
Thank you for reading!
Here's to being a part of a Deleuzian rhizome on two wheels this week!